Small town girl leaves home - Leaving
Inspired by Lilla`s story telling of her adventures on how she landed up in India - click here to read - I felt myself drawn to the keyboard to share the time of my own start of my travel adventures. It is an exciting part of a person`s life isnt it?
Perhaps it was the break-up with the (at the time) love of my life. Maybe it was being hijacked early one evening outside my house. It may have been the experience of being caught up in the middle of a riot, alone and watching as people were being beaten and tear gas being thrown across the streets. It well could have been being mugged with my friend and driving down darkened alleyways at midnight with two policemen grabbing AK47`s, and wondering if they would shoot us or look for the culprit. I think it was a combination of it all that saw me finally calling it quits in Africa and venturing out into the ‘civilized world’ of England.
I arrived in London one early, misty morning. My first sight of the city was from the air as we circled to make our final decent. It lived up to every description I had heard of it – grey and wet, although in the foggy distance green fields appeared through the holes in the clouds. Still, I was excited about this adventure as it was my first time overseas, first time putting trust in myself to be independent, carefree and live each day as it came. The only people I knew here were the ones picking me up from the airport and even then we had only met a couple of times beforehand. Here I was a shy and timid child coming from a very strict background and rather sleepy town, stepping into a very adult world where I had a lot of catching up to do!
After making it through customs and waiting outside for our bus we rattled our way through the small English roads to what would become my portal for many adventures. My comfortable bed at home now became a mattress on the floor. My tumble dryer transformed into a line hanging next to my bed made from camping rope suspended between a cupboard door and a hook diagonally opposite it. At times I had to move my feet under the covers at night as a wet patch had formed during the day when I had hung the clothing a little too wet. The huge wooden door I walked through every day was now a simple hop skip and jump up from a dirty side path onto a corrugated plastic roof and through the bedroom window. This was often a necessity to avoid our ‘interesting’ house mates downstairs. There were 14 of us in all – some VERY hairy men from Iran who had rather sketchy backgrounds, brushed their teeth in the sink where they left last nights scales from their fishy dinner and washed our communal pots in their bath at night, a very young pregnant girl and her husband, a nurse of about 50 who took it upon herself to act as Mother and some teenage boys who seemed to do nothing more but smoke weed and play computer games all day.
It was my second or third week in the country when I was out on a day trip to London that I got a phone call to ask if I would mind a roommate. She was a fellow Zimbabwean, a few years younger than me and it would automatically mean my bills would be halved. It was an offer I couldn’t refuse … and one that would lead to MANY adventures not only across the country but across the sea too!
Airport in Zimbabwe
I arrived in London one early, misty morning. My first sight of the city was from the air as we circled to make our final decent. It lived up to every description I had heard of it – grey and wet, although in the foggy distance green fields appeared through the holes in the clouds. Still, I was excited about this adventure as it was my first time overseas, first time putting trust in myself to be independent, carefree and live each day as it came. The only people I knew here were the ones picking me up from the airport and even then we had only met a couple of times beforehand. Here I was a shy and timid child coming from a very strict background and rather sleepy town, stepping into a very adult world where I had a lot of catching up to do!
wild vs concrete
After making it through customs and waiting outside for our bus we rattled our way through the small English roads to what would become my portal for many adventures. My comfortable bed at home now became a mattress on the floor. My tumble dryer transformed into a line hanging next to my bed made from camping rope suspended between a cupboard door and a hook diagonally opposite it. At times I had to move my feet under the covers at night as a wet patch had formed during the day when I had hung the clothing a little too wet. The huge wooden door I walked through every day was now a simple hop skip and jump up from a dirty side path onto a corrugated plastic roof and through the bedroom window. This was often a necessity to avoid our ‘interesting’ house mates downstairs. There were 14 of us in all – some VERY hairy men from Iran who had rather sketchy backgrounds, brushed their teeth in the sink where they left last nights scales from their fishy dinner and washed our communal pots in their bath at night, a very young pregnant girl and her husband, a nurse of about 50 who took it upon herself to act as Mother and some teenage boys who seemed to do nothing more but smoke weed and play computer games all day.
I do say old chap, fix the wall!
Postmodern Critic
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Padsoc
Rugby World Cup 2007
Well no...you had me (as a fan...!) from the moment I first read one of your stories. It was the Fiji sunset one, way back when...
Really looking forward to Chapter 2 and onwards Ash.
Hope you're well hon...mucho hugs...
Dusk
Photography Tips
MS Paint Art
Don't leave things so long that they'll disappear into the anals of history, will you Ash, such fascinating stuff, and such a sunset with many of the right factors of composition. And we've all got to start somewhere.
katyzzz...being talented or not is just one tiny part of the game, if you want to be an acknowledged writer.
There goes katyzzz again, but why am I doing it, for you, not me, so my critics should be aware that telling people all the time that they are wonderful ignores the full orchestra in favour of the one instrumentalist to the detriment of the performance.
If you'd prefer that I didn't make these comments please let me know. It is sometimes not easy to decide......k
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Esoteric Bookshop
Oh Goodie, someone else with real life adventures to tell... so glad you decided to memoir them...
Ash, I would love to see a whole chapter on each of the three events in the first paragraph. My experience with memoirs is that the more you slow events down and notice the details, the more rivetting they become... Having been at gunpoint myself once, I can just feel the creeping sensation of you creeping up that alley... and not with Robert Palmer either... *chuckle* OMG makes my hair standon end ...
Great story telling ... looking forward to the next installament...
Lots hugs
Lilla ...
Film & TV on DVD
I find myself drawn to this type of story at the moment after writing my own travelogues...so much to learn from others adventures in foreign lands...
unlucky_ fishermen.com
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Check this out...
Celebrity Obsession
Riveting, can't wait to read more. I don't understand people who are content to never travel anywhere. How could you not want to see what else is out there???
Kylie
Australian Traveller
Flashes of memories
It was an enjoyable ride taking the trip all over again - an absolute hoot in fact. I was sitting and chuckling to myself as all the memories came flooding back in!
I hope you share some of your own stories too! Don`t forget to send me those chapters.
Ash
Australian Traveller
Flashes of memories
You flatter me - you remember more of what I have written than I do! This is a good sign
Have been having fun walking down memory lane once again - makes my feet ITCH!
Thanks for your continued support, it always brings a smile to my face when I see you pop over or visit for a chuckle at your place.
mucho grande hugs back atcha
Ash
Australian Traveller
Flashes of memories
Your comment is a little cryptic I`m not sure I fully understand what you mean. Would like it if you could return and explain further.
Hope to see you back soon
Ash
Australian Traveller
Flashes of memories
Hopefully you will share your adventures too? I always love reading of others experiences too. Travel opens up an interesting world doesn`t it?
Ash
Australian Traveller
Flashes of memories
thank you for starting yours. I have been sneaking onto the net this morning at work looking for your latest installment and I see it is there at last! I`ll be popping over soon!
I found writing about the hijacking extremely therapeutic - I have written it out about 3 times and every time it comes out totally different. The other two I have never done before so this will be a good time I reckon... I shall endeavour to tackle them after the UK travails.
That is one of my biggest hurdles when writing - I tend to think too quickly for my fingers so it comes out like Speedy Gonzales just ran across the keyboard! And then I go back to edit it and find that I become ANAL with it and then it turns out boring! Argh to find that happy medium! those three experiences are specific though so I`ll s.l.o.w. t.h.e.m. d.o.w.n. Thanks for the tip
ooooh held at gunpoint - I hope this will be included in your tales!
big hugs
Ash
Australian Traveller
Flashes of memories
I enjoyed your travel tales too - look forward to catching up on the rest as they roll out.
That`s the great thing about travel - you can go to the same place and never have the same experiences. The same when someone else travels to the same place - their stories will always be so different to you own.
Travel is a grand, grand thing!
Ash
Australian Traveller
Flashes of memories
ah settle back, it was an eventful few months there are a few tales to tell
Ash
Climate Red
randomthoughts
Phil's Wellness Tips
cheers
Louie
Australian Traveller
Flashes of memories
I have this debate with my mother on an almost daily basis! She cannot understand the thrill I get from going somewhere new and wanting to travel the world. If money were not such an issue I would strap a bag to my back and head off into the great unknown forever!
Happy travels!
Ash
Australian Traveller
Flashes of memories
It was adventurous to lil' ol' me having never been in the big city lights before... probably happens to everyone else on a daily basis
Good to see you.
Ash
Kalikapsychosis
Everyone says how strong I am. I suppose I dont see it that way because Ive never done ANYTHING like this!
And Ive been on a matress on the floor since 2004
Mum's Word
How old were you when this adventure to London began?
Love & stuff
Mrs M
Killer Beats
Ramble On
Hipnotherapy
Thank you so much for taking us along this adventure. Can't wait to read more.
Mis
Australian Traveller
Flashes of memories
It`s been such fun walking down memory lane once again. I can`t believe this was nearly 8 years ago - it seems like just yesterday I was getting off the plane for the first time!
my mattress was great! It was backed up into the corner of the room and had the washing line running diagonally across it so it was like my little cocoon - we had people popping in through the window constantly so there wasn`t much privacy in the place!
Ash
Australian Traveller
Flashes of memories
I was 21 when I first left home, although I felt like a 12 year old when I met others out there. We certainly were VERY sheltered in our little town and about 50 years behind the rest of the world. Going to London the first time I actually had scratch marks on my jaw from it dropping so many times
Ash
Australian Traveller
Flashes of memories
Thank you for coming along for the ride. It has been fun. Pity I can`t find any pictures from this time - It must be the one time that I didn`t have my camera constantly connected to my arm - I think my interests lay elsewhere.... probably not such a bad thing actually
Ash
Infognito
Screen Trek
QUOTE ME NO QUOTES!
And you are from Zimbabwe!! I thought you were from SA, no matter, but how relieved must you feel now, having made the decision to leave, looking at what that loathsome monster Mugabe is doing!!
Why can't Mbeki get together with a few others and trounce that mongrel? Zimbabwe deserves its time of peace and proper civil rights.
So sad...
cheers and luckily for us, you came over to our neck of the ocean!!
cheers
fog
Ah yes i am a Zimbo... interesting news this weekend from our country... plonker takes WEEKS to announce the elections are a rig and then 1 day to announce he is the new president!
here here! I will raise my cup of tea to that one over and over again! So here i sit in your neck of the woods, greatly enjoying your company!
Ash