In The Tanzanian Wilderness, I Began To See Myself Clearly

It is a thing of wonder how much a particular place can change you. How much of your perception can be altered with the beauty of where you believe to be, the culture you imbibe, the people you meet, the laughs you indulge in, the conversations that bask you in their essence, and the experiences that engulf your psyche, the ones that deem the stark contrast between who you once were and who you are now.

There is both light and darkness, beauty and bane, merriment and melancholy in metamorphosis, but it is the only gospel truth that can live. Often, the catalyst comes when we step into a surrounding that challenges us, giving us the bountiful gift of capturing the splendour of nature. 

The experience of community and warmth- embarking on a journey within

I had the privilege of experiencing Tanzania as a traveller in October 2024. As I wandered through the lush lands of Africa, imbibing their rich culture, greenery, their genuine presence, and most importantly, their hospitality, it dawned on me the realisation of being kind. Encompassed by their radiant smiles, a land surrounded by food, culture, art, music, dance, and warmth of compassion, I realised how easy it is to be kind. 

Kindness is a virtue often less practised, and when I was on my quest, the sheer act of people smiling, complementing me, asking me how my day is going, even though we are strangers, made my day brighter. 

I fell in love with myself a little more as I looked in the mirror while reminiscing on the compliments someone gave me during my stay in Africa. As a result, even when I came back, I started smiling more at strangers, giving compliments to random people and greeting the people who worked for me or at restaurants, because I know when you are having a bad day or going through a bad time, a little act of kindness can give a sense of hope and we all need more of it. 

The Prowess of Community 

Before going on the trip, I was going through a hard time. Things were not panning out the way they should, and I was putting in all my efforts but was not reaping any rewards. I was disheartened and, as a result, I started withdrawing from social situations and people with whom I used to hang out. I used to cry in front of the Krishna painting I have, to give me a ray of hope, to propel a wind of change, to show me the light. And then boom, we went on this trip, and it changed the way I looked at a lot of things. 

As someone who writes a lot about the power of solitude and the beauty of embracing being alone, I would also never underestimate the prowess a healthy community holds. A person needs both aloneness and being with people to breathe in the normalcy of everyday life.

Travelling through Tanzania made me realise the importance of being surrounded by community and how we need social contact to survive. I learned a lot from the different people I interacted with, broadening my horizons on various perspectives, talking to people from different walks of life, dancing with random people, and connecting through music. 

Truly living through the stance of life- embracing myself for who I was

The lush green fields of the Serengeti National Park, the wildlife, and the immersive experiences of adventure sports fostered us to live less in our minds and more in the being of truly living. As we travelled through areas with less internet connectivity, the access to our phones was negligible for me. This made me ponder over the magnanimity of nature, of people living their lives without the social bubble of constant comparison, FOMO, need for external validation, and a need to prove themselves. 

How wired are we as humans to run in a constant race against time, and each other, to follow the societal timelines, to achieve milestone after milestone, and be the best in each endeavour we do and outperform our peers. But do we ever stop by and question ourselves, are these truly the things we want, or is it something that the society has forced us to believe that we need, to be called successful and worthy of attention and praise?

I know and acknowledge the need for money as a basic necessity, but is it truly something that is the prime meaning of life? At least when I went on this trip, I realised nobody cares, literally nobody cares about how much money you make, how costly your bag is, which brands you shop from, where you live, which school you graduated from, or how rich your family is.

I embraced the realisation that everyone is living life on their own timeline. Someone has money as their end goal, some want fame, some want to find true love, some want to travel and find themselves, some want to live alone, some want to settle and get married, and some want to pursue their education, and this trip taught me that there is no one correct and deemed way to live a meaningful life.

Whatever aligns with someone’s life trajectory and makes them happy is the life they should live. There is no right or wrong answer as to what someone's life should look like.

After embarking on my trip to Africa, I stopped living my life for others and started focusing on what truly makes me happy. As someone who lived the greater half of her life trying to fit in, going on this trip made me realise no one truly cares, and it is better to live for yourself, in radical acceptance of who you are, rather than trying to impress everyone.

So, do I have the answer to everything after travelling to Africa? The answer is absolutely no, but do I understand life and love myself more? Absolutely yes!

Authored by Hridya Sharma. Views expressed by the author are their own.