from my travel journal...

​Whenever I travel, I carry a leather-bound journal, handmade by an Italian artisan in Florence. The pages are filled with my wild, inspiring stories and memories from every country I have visited since. One of my bucket list goals in life is to some day publish it. For the first time I am sharing an excerpt in my journal. Below is from my time in the Sahara. Who knows, you might learn something from reading this. While not required, some familiarity with Ramadan and Berber culture could be beneficial.

Here it goes...

Traveling has always been more than just a hobby for me. It's been my greatest teacher, my most honest mirror, and the place where my ability to tell a story comes alive. I think stories are all around us, especially in the quiet, unexpected parts of the world. This was during my time in the Sahara, where I celebrated my birthday with Berber nomads under the summer sky. It's genuine, unfiltered, and totally me. You don't need to know a lot about Ramadan and Berber culture to appreciate it, but it'll give you a better sense of what makes it special.

 

Another remarkable birthday in the books. Monday I was picked up by Berber nomads and a camel. To prep me, they immediately taught me how to wrap a Berber hijab. Once I had my hijab on, we were ready to go. We took an hour and a half trek by camel deep into the Sahara being led by Berber nomads. Instantly, I loved my camel. I asked them if he had a name and they said no so I asked if I could name him Hakim. "Hakim??" they said. "Why not?" I stated, "He looks like a great Hakim." They laughed and said, "he really does! Hakim it is!"

When we arrived at the nomad camp, composed of a few scattered tents, five young Berber men were waiting with copious amounts of food they had made. Unfortunately they were not able to join me because of Ramadan. We rang in my birthday at midnight by getting in a circle and playing music via hand made drums. They taught me their dances and songs underneath the bright Sahara sky in the middle of the sand. I was picking up their drums so quickly they said they've never seen anything like it. Every time my hands and fingers quickly hit the drum was an adrenaline rush. Sometimes I see my experiences through slow motion when I look back on them - this was one of them. The moon was as full as could be and the stars were shining bright. We could not stop laughing even with language barriers. They were teaching me Berber and Arabic and I was teaching them those words in English. Every now and then someone, including myself would shout "AFRIKA!" at the end of a sentence. It's their way of showing pride and happiness for the moment. The Berbers motto about life is something so remarkable and endearing. Mohamed, a nomad I befriended, kept telling me to be happy every day...we don't know if we'll be here tomorrow so embrace the beauty of the world in each and every moment you live. He told me he never has a bad day because even in the bad he always sees the good. We all stayed up late into the night celebrating. During Ramadan Muslims stay awake all night and sleep during the day to help with their fasting.

Around 3-4am I went to my tent and passed out. Five hours later I heard them wake me up by calling my name outside my tent and clapping. I shouted "AFRIKA!!" to let them know I was awake and quickly got ready and ran out excited to see what we'd be doing. They had Hakim ready for me and off we rode. Up and down the Sahara dunes for hours we went. The heat was powerful but the Sahara wind was liberating. Every now and then I'd let go of the saddle, close my eyes and raise my hands in the air. I was so beyond grateful to be alive and have the chance to experience this in that very moment. We trekked to their friends village to have a relaxing tea then headed to another village where they could prepare me a big lunch then take their Ramadan naps. Hours later we started making our way back to their camp. We arrived and I went straight to my tent to try and freshen up - there weren't any showers so baby wipes sufficed. Thirty minutes later I started hearing them goofing off on the drums to the same beats they taught me throwing in random chants of my name and "this is AFREEKA!" in there. I walked up the sand dune and with a big smile they said "...and now we sandboard!" Sandboarding down the dunes is just like snowboarding but with sand instead of snow. You don't put your feet in the bindings but behind them.

When we were finished boarding we hiked to the highest dune, stuck our snowboards in the sand and watched the sunset fall behind the gorgeous red Sahara sand. Once the sun went down, we each trekked back to camp. I somehow went on my own. Honestly, I thought I was going to get lost but found my way back just in time for all of us to watch the enormous orange moon rise over the mountains. As I was watching I heard my name being called from the tents where one of the best meals of my life was prepared - the dish was called Kalya. An hour later, Addi, a nomad in the camp who cooked everything, asked if I was done and cleared my table setting. Brahim, another nomad asked if I wanted tea and said I better not be tired because it's my birthday. I quickly replied, "I would love some tea" (their tea is the best I've ever had in my life - they call it the Berber whiskey) and sat back up. Then, the unexpected happened, the lights went out in the tent followed by a roar of giggles. Around the corner, in walk all of the nomads with candles glowing on a cake! They thought it was pretty cool that it was my birthday because most of them do not know their birth dates since they've lived in the desert their entire lives. Parade style they came into the lounge tent and started singing Berber-Arabic songs. They put down the cake and grabbed their drums continuing with their folk songs. In absolute shock I was left with my jaw dropped and the biggest smile on my face. Tears in my eyes I started singing along with them - the past couple of days we had become close with their practices and beliefs because I was the only person staying in their camp. As we sang, I handed out slices of cake to each nomad, feeling overwhelmed by their generosity. The singing continued for another hour or so before we decided to end the night hiking back up to the dunes to "take in the stars" as they say. They believe in taking time every night to look at the stars and be happy. As I was watching, I saw a shooting star which is a feeling I cannot explain even if I tried. The beauty of the Sahara is indescribable, especially at night. With zero lights and darkness for miles, you quickly have your own planetarium, or so it seems. Laying in the silk like sand gazing up, I've never felt more close to the loved ones I have lost. It felt like I could touch them with one arms length. I ended up having a pretty good talk with my Papa.

The Berbers not only made my birthday an unforgettable time that I will keep with me for the rest of my life, but they taught me something about the art of life. We are here for such a short period of time. Why bother with technology when beautiful people, beautiful land, good food and good tea is all you need. They taught me how to appreciate and love the hell out of life even more than before. Their pride for their country, culture, and Sahara is none like I've ever seen before. From their talks to their randoms chants saying AFRIKA! I will never forget them and what they've done for me. Life is a gift, treat it as such. Dare to dream and dare to explore. NEVER settle for anything less than what you're worth and seek deeper enrichment for a better understanding of other cultures. By no means am I perfect, nor do I strive to be because what would life mean if we had nothing to work on. The Berbers taught me despite of everything that needs work, never lose site of the blessings in your life. Even when you're sick, you still have Mother Nature to help you be happy. Despite bad days you still have the love of your family and friends - and that love is never ending. Happiness is an energy we ourselves create. Living your life is a gift in itself. It may seem crappy at times but life is what you make it. You have time to turnaround. Time to start over. It's never too late. This life is what WE make of it. Live in the moment.

As our conversations were coming to a close, they asked for me to come back to the desert in the future. They said I was the happiest and most life quenching person they had ever met outside of their people. That alone was such an honor. Mohamed, one of the leaders asked me to come back in a future August so Ramadan will be done and we can feast on couscous, camel, and wine under the roaring meteor showers the Sahara gets come August. I pinky promised I would and told him to promise me our feast wouldn't be Hakim. He laughed and said "Of course, Hakim too strong!" Needing to get up early for the trek back to land, I got in one hour of sleep. They woke me up by clapping outside my tent saying Hakim was ready for me. At this point I felt like I was a professional camel rider and had finally felt confident about riding Hakim up and down the tall dunes. By the way, camel riding is a lot harder than one would think. Writing this now hurts from the blisters that have formed on my hands from the grueling rides. Making the trek back was a moment to breathe in deep, know the impact these beautiful people have made on my life, and to gain realization this chapter of my life was coming to a close but a chapter of a new year is beginning and I cannot wait to see what it brings. With the sunrise behind me, nomad, Said, led me and Hakim back with nothing but the sound of the Sahara wind grazing our faces.

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