MOTM.
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circle Year 22 will be knocking at my door fairly soon and, yes, I’ve come to realize that it’s definitely not worth the hype that 18 or 21 brings. Still, even with this year not being one of the big ones, I’m still excited to see what it will bring-- given all that I learned this past year. The past 365 days has opened my eyes to an array of new things-- exposing me to new abilities and a deeper level of consciousness I didn’t know existed.
I did and tried all types of new things: I learned to spend time alone; I tried new foods; I listened to new music; I went wine tasting; I traveled; I hung with new people; I found new bars. I became more of the “young adult” everyone talks about. And part of being that “young adult” was knowing what to order when I got to those new bars, so I steered away from your typical Vodka cran (unless it’s on open bar...everyone loves open bar), and I discovered whiskey: whiskey and coke, whiskey, sprite and a hint of cranberry juice, hell, just whiskey-- Jack Daniels-- to be more specific. So there was a lot of fun that took place this past year-- I was partying during the weekdays and still managing to make it to class. I guess I finally was getting the swing of things. But in all of the excitement, there were some pivotal, humbling trial moments that took place, too. There were instances where I had invested time, only to see no return on my investment. And then there were times where I thought opportunities were for me, but despite how much I wanted them and worked for them, the universe decided they weren’t mine to have. These moments were difficult to deal with, but their importance and relevance was quickly put into perspective when one of my closest fri--- my brother-- Cassius-- passed away on April 12. My life changed that day. Never in a million years would I imagine him not being here anymore. It was an extremely difficult moment, but I learned something very valuable: at any given moment life can be stripped and it doesn’t matter if you’re young or old, graduating or not. Life is short (sorry for the cliche), but because our limited time is unknown, it should be lived accordingly. So that’s what I did. I reminded myself to live. Graduation came, and I graduated. On May 9, I transitioned from being a senior to an alumni, accomplishing a goal far greater than I (or many others) would have imagined. A few days later, I packed my bags, took a four hour bus ride and a 15-hour flight to Dubai and Abu Dhabi with some friends. All in all, in 2014’s band of 365 days, I experienced some moments of failure and loss that taught me stop trying to figure out the pattern of the stars because-- in their own time-- they will align themselves. So I’m excited to see what’s unfolding above for year XXII.
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The weekend following graduation, I had the opportunity to finally leave the country. Landing in Abu Dhabi, I had precisely 5 days and 4 nights to conquer the United Arab Emirates. After landing Abu Dhabi, some friends and I immediately hopped in a cab and made our way to Dubai where we would spend 3 days. Dubai hands down has to be the most beautiful city I’ve ever seen, and I haven’t made it to my hotel yet! The streets were filled with Emiratis dressed in all sorts of konduras and ghutras, skyscrapers that kissed the clouds, and tons of billboards with some of the best photography I’ve seen. Fun Fact #1: Dubai began as a city in 1968. This means the country is younger than my grandmother! Though we were jet-lagged from not only the 13 hour flight, also the 4 hour bus ride from DC to New York and the 8 hour time difference, we did not let this interfere with our eager minds. Finally at 11:00pm (Gulf Time Zone) 3:00pm (Eastern Time Zone), we threw our bags in the hotel and hit the streets. Given that this is another country and no one’s phone worked, besides mine, we did not know what to do but again, this didn’t stop us. We went out in search of food and what I saw was unbelievable. There was a street, Karama St., that hosted different restaurants (local, Asian, and American), but amongst these American restaurants there were KFC, Popeyes, McDonald’s, and Burger King, which appeared to be filled with more people than the local restaurants. --Fun Fact #2: Dubai is home of the largest, tallest skyscrapers and malls. Given this fact, I had no choice but to check them out! First stop, the Dubai Mall. On the way there I noticed a building that seemed taller than the rest. I saw the top of all the buildings, except this one. Getting closer, I realized that this building is the Burj Khalifa. The Burj Khalifa is the tallest building in the world and to fully view the building you have to start down and pan your neck upwards because the closer you got, the more complicated it was to view the entire building. --Fun Fact #3: The UAE is a dry country. This means that liquor is very hard to come by. The nightlife in Dubai was pretty cool, given the aforementioned fact. Though in the clubs the drinks summed up to 130 dirhams (36 USD), I found it more valuable to drink bottles we purchased earlier at the airport. But the nightlife was definitely not the highlight of the trip, in fact, it was the desert tour.
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On this tour we rode 4-wheelers, hit the dunes in the tourist guide’s truck, caught a ride from camels, and finished with a BBQ, and of course amongst the activities, we had many photo ops. Proceeding Dubai’s festivities, it was time to take our talents to Abu Dhabi. There we would visit the Emirates Palace and Sheik Zayed Grand Mosque.
Opinions: Dubai overall was more beautiful than Abu Dhabi. In Dubai there are hundreds of tourist attractions that can easily become local hangout spots and to add, the nightlife was a lot better. Don’t get me wrong, Abu Dhabi is beautiful as well but appeared more local (if that makes sense). As stated in my last post, I wanted to try modeling so of course the photos I take overseas had to be the best. With my brother, Ikenna, and good friend Sokoya, we were able to capture photos I shall remember forever.
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FOREVER MY BROTHER
THE UNHEALing WOUND Today is the day you will be laid to rest, But you know what they say, God only takes the best. Everything happens for a reason, Even if we may not agree. Just promise to look after us, And if you can, Save a spot up there for me. The thought of never seeing you again brings tears to my eyes, And even more so, Because all of this was such a surprise. But we should never question what God has planned, Sometimes it’s not meant for us to understand. So as we sit here and mourn the loss of a beloved friend, We have to keep telling ourselves that we will meet again.
for cassius fredd and kathy tolbert