Right before another lockdown hit Europe, I broke my ankle and it kind of made everything more manageable as I wasn’t missing out anything but as soon as I was able to walk normally, the lockdown got worst to extremes like no gyms and 5K limits.
So, we decided to escape and with my foot feeling better, we ran away. We had a failed attempt to go to the Dominican Republic and we stayed in London for a few more days figuring out where to go and for that to happen, we needed for me not to need a visa, for the country to be allowing tourists coming from the UK and for the paper-work not to be too difficult and just like that Kenya ticked all the boxes and Seamus got us flight tickets (thank you a million times Trav!)
KENYA
Things that were amazingly cool:
- Taking a safari (elephants, hippos, crocodiles, zebras, monkeys, Pumbas, giraffes, among others)
- Having a beer with the locals (boy they talk!)
- Learning basic Suahili words (Jambo!, Asante, Karibu)
- Nyali Beach and Diani Beach (breath-taking paradise! And literally breath-taking as it was hard to breath in that heat)
- Riding a camel
- Seeing dolphins
- Going to bars and restaurants (life carried normally there)
Things I missed the most:
- Sidewalks and normal driving (I was praying while on the road)
- Walking Blue & Harley
- Having more clothes & shoes than the ones that fit into my small carry on baggage
- Being treated like an equal to men (Kenya can get very sexist, it's a religious and cultural thing)
- Irish pubs (we all miss those though)
We stayed in Kenya for over two months, exploring territories we have never been in and I don’t mean this on a geographical way only, but it was a time when as a couple we only had each other.
Covid started to annoy Africa more and more but in the meantime, the UK was announcing dates to start reopening so it was time to come home, at least for me. While my boss had been so understanding and supportive of me working from anywhere in the world, I needed to come home and show him that this is still home, that while we needed a break from the lockdowns and toxic media, Ireland is home and that I am committed to my job. So, I chose to come to Cork and Seamus went to London. We flew together to Amsterdam but then took different flights and from that moment, it’s been the longest almost three weeks.
This is not because I’m a hopeless romantic which in a way, I am but you see? Ireland is still in hard lockdown, nothing but supermarkets are open and just 6 days ago the 5K limit restriction was lifted. So, there is literally nothing to do except to walk like Forrest Gump. Nonetheless, I’ve kept myself “entertained” by working out with the Ecuadorean group that I belong to: SQUAT SQUAD, I’m finally walking the pups again and their cuddles and licks are absolutely everything!, I go out for a cup of coffee and a walk while I listen a few podcasts that are interesting but just like John Donne said it: “no man is an island”.
As part of my efforts to show myself that I can be alone, I’ve made friends through Bumble BFF. I have met a couple of girls there and we have agreed to go for a cup of coffee. They are really nice but their company only lasts a couple of hours. Then, I come home and turn on the TV and put my comfort/background show: Friends and/or How I met your mother. I scroll through twitter, facebook and Instagram, I read (Jordan Peterson atm), I cook, I work, I write… but as a pin on my head, I miss Seamus and missing Seamus also reminds me times before he was in my life and then I keep missing… I miss Sarita when she was my flatmate, I miss my sister and the dogs in Ecuador, I miss my mum’s food and lectures, I miss the feeling of having someone to tell’em about my day, even if it’s about empty days as the ones I have right now. I miss my own voice (not in a Meghan Markle way) but there are days that I don’t even pronounce a word. Huh, maybe I should get an Alexa?
Anyway, I keep telling my self this is temporary, I keep giving myself things to do and so far my “to do list” includes finishing my book, finishing my AI course, taking Swedish lessons, binge watching The Office.
We will see how far I’ll go with all of that but for now, I keep walking my daily 5K and I’m getting closer to going mental.
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