Pieces #1: Being Human and Frail

Sis,

So you like the idea of Pieces Mission. Great! So, here we go...

I was supposed to write this down last night before falling asleep. But, was a bit swamped I guess.

I went to the Tropical Museum in Amsterdam for an Anthropology course that I'm taking this period. It was a group trip, with the lecturer and the class. It is quite a huge museum and the building was functioned as the VOC (yes, that 'known-as-cruel' abbreviation in our country) headquarter during the colonialism time. The assignment was to observe and reflect on the Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and North Africa-Middle East exhibitions. It was interesting to observe and analyze museum's exhibitions with my new 'eyeglasses' -- the critical perspective on every sentences and displays.. which means more work inside my brain, which means more and more grey-hair... hahaha...

Then, in the evening I went to the church here in Wageningen for the Kamis Putih or the Last Supper celebration mass. I went with Nokutula, my 'tough' friend from Zimbabwe. There were moments when I really missed you all--Pa, Ma, Sis. I remembered every Easter masses we always go to the church together--figuring out what time to depart from home to be able to get seats in the Cathedral Church or in Regina Pacis Hall.

Then we had some drinks in the bar in Wageningen Centrum. It's called Vlaamsche Reus, it's my class (and some lecturers) favorite meeting place. We usually go there after class on Friday evening, but we moved it to Thursday evening this time. We like this place because there's no loud music, so that we can really talk and have good and fun conversations! I remember just before leaving I made a remark that 'I am one of those girls who don't know what they want in life' ... and yes Sis, I still don't know for sure. I still envy those people who have a bold passion in life (like you and your photography world), who know where they want to go, what they believe in... everything is random with me at the moment, things are thin--not bold.

Well, but I am not in despair. I am still optimistic, like that proverb that goes: 'I still see the light at the end of the tunnel'

But, you know Sis, it was good to be able to say that to people: that I don't know what I want in life yet, that I still haven't found what I'm looking for... At the moment I am reading Paulo Coelho "The Winner Stands Alone" and I've reached the part where a character, a young lady at her 25 who just won a movie audition and will be playing a leading role--her life's dream! She's in the final stage of an interview and the producer (in a yacht) asked her to tell them about herself. She dazzled him by saying the following:

'I'm just one of millions of people in the world who have always dreamed of being on a yacht like this, looking at the sea, and talking about the possibility of working with at least one of you gentlemen. And you both know that. I doubt there's anything else I might say that will change anything very much. .... ' And the story goes: She's glad to have had the guts to show that she's human and frail ... And more it goes: There's a disease called sleeping sickness and a similar disease can attack the soul. It's very dangerous because the early stages often go unnoticed. At the first sign of indifference or lack of enthusiasm, take note! The only preventive against this disease is the realization that the soul suffers, suffers greatly, when we force it to live superficially. The soul loves all things beautiful and deep.

The I went back home and fell asleep... a good one :)

Till next one Sis!