Time again to think over coffee
A coffee shop in Dschang, somewhere in the western hills of Cameroon. A pleasant trade off from Nescafé and condensed milk. I have the feeling of being in Cuba, and yet I was never there. Rhythmic music and a bunch of middle-aged men in umatched suit pants and sportscoats having breakfast. I realize I have gotten used to being the odd one out. The caffeine is starting to take effect and I can feel my heavy eye lids getting lighter. I’ve been reminded of why I love to travel – you have my thanks. I wonder why a wanderer is always an attraction and assure myself that there is value in slow travel – he was wrong. I begin to ask myself if it’s possible to get along with everybody without sacrificing your own principles. The old men are sitting around gossiping. They seem content with what they have. Where are these old men back home? I wonder if I’m unknowingly searching for something. What would be worse: never finding it or never understanding what it is? I try to remember life back then, when there were no cell phones or internet and it was easy to hide. I think about the human butterfly effect – is life chaotic? Which would mean that at the same time it can be described by a set of rules. I start philosophizing and wonder why it seem bad things that happen to you have a stronger effect on your life than good things? Maybe it’s because they make you change the direction in which you are heading, rather than reinforce the path you’re currently on. The coffee grains start to appear at the bottom of my cup. A whirlwind frozen in time, a story of its own.