"You want DVD? Follow me!" He whispered.
This was a bit odd considering the norm was to yell at the top of your lungs.
What I should have done was stick with my group. I didn't.
The night before, my brother and I climbed out of a 20 story hotel window and walked along the roofline. We couldn't believe our eyes. We peered over the busy streets and layers of vendors. We tried to make a map in our mind of the bazaar woven before us. Miles of markets, smells, honking cars, and of course in the distance the pyramids silhouetting the sunset. A blood orange sky casting shadows of angst, reminding tourist to scurry back into their caravansaries.
Watching that sunset lead into a star-saturated sky left us feeling empowered. Invincible even. We …show more content…
It just wanted our money. The bazaar was loud, infinite, and may have been the source of my current day mild claustrophobia. Sticking with the group was difficult. I felt like a school of fish navigating through rivers of black market products. My father being the pioneering spirit he is, led the pack at a pace disproportionate to the age of those following. I began to grow irritated, but more bored than anything.
Filtering through off-label items caught my curiosity. Axel spray instead of Axe. Rolix watches. Addidas shoes with nike logos on the back. It was giving me a headache. That's when I saw a young man a bit older than I was at that time.
"You want DVD? Follow me!" He …show more content…
My plan was to get lost in the sea of consumers. It worked.
I felt a very real fear. A fear of being hurt. A fear of dying.
Hours later, after rejoining the group, I entered the ancient grounds of pyramids, sarcophagi, and the infamous Sphinx.
Wrapping around the scorched path, I wanted to be the first to catch a glimpse of this structure. As I turned the corner, I felt time slow down and my soul stopped in place once more. Im not sure how else to explain it. The sphinx caught me first. It felt ominous. Like I was being watched. Its presence was overbearing. In that moment I felt a different fear. It was as if I wanted to shroud myself. A fear of living.
Looking back, I find it to be such a paradox. I was able to view fear on a spectrum. In my "invincibility" I found naivety and panic. In my attempt to be first, my soul stood still, finding a sense of grounding and humility.
I believe moments of fear carry with them identity shaping opportunities. It took me a while to process these accounts, and Im sure I haven't grasped them
This was a bit odd considering the norm was to yell at the top of your lungs.
What I should have done was stick with my group. I didn't.
The night before, my brother and I climbed out of a 20 story hotel window and walked along the roofline. We couldn't believe our eyes. We peered over the busy streets and layers of vendors. We tried to make a map in our mind of the bazaar woven before us. Miles of markets, smells, honking cars, and of course in the distance the pyramids silhouetting the sunset. A blood orange sky casting shadows of angst, reminding tourist to scurry back into their caravansaries.
Watching that sunset lead into a star-saturated sky left us feeling empowered. Invincible even. We …show more content…
It just wanted our money. The bazaar was loud, infinite, and may have been the source of my current day mild claustrophobia. Sticking with the group was difficult. I felt like a school of fish navigating through rivers of black market products. My father being the pioneering spirit he is, led the pack at a pace disproportionate to the age of those following. I began to grow irritated, but more bored than anything.
Filtering through off-label items caught my curiosity. Axel spray instead of Axe. Rolix watches. Addidas shoes with nike logos on the back. It was giving me a headache. That's when I saw a young man a bit older than I was at that time.
"You want DVD? Follow me!" He …show more content…
My plan was to get lost in the sea of consumers. It worked.
I felt a very real fear. A fear of being hurt. A fear of dying.
Hours later, after rejoining the group, I entered the ancient grounds of pyramids, sarcophagi, and the infamous Sphinx.
Wrapping around the scorched path, I wanted to be the first to catch a glimpse of this structure. As I turned the corner, I felt time slow down and my soul stopped in place once more. Im not sure how else to explain it. The sphinx caught me first. It felt ominous. Like I was being watched. Its presence was overbearing. In that moment I felt a different fear. It was as if I wanted to shroud myself. A fear of living.
Looking back, I find it to be such a paradox. I was able to view fear on a spectrum. In my "invincibility" I found naivety and panic. In my attempt to be first, my soul stood still, finding a sense of grounding and humility.
I believe moments of fear carry with them identity shaping opportunities. It took me a while to process these accounts, and Im sure I haven't grasped them