How are you guys? This past week, I felt a bit nostalgic. It may be the winter temperatures or the little cold I just got that has limited my outings and has given free time to my brain to wander... Or maybe the pictures of some of my friends gone on vacation and flooding my social media with their happiness. While, me, warmly wrapped up in my sheets, the heating to the maximum and wearing ski socks, I scrolled down these pictures filled up with vitamins D. Usually, I do not care about these look-at-my-life photo album. But this time, it does concern close friends, and the location is the one I had chosen when I was twenty years old, lost in my life, to take refuge in, the island of Reunion.
That time, I worked in an accounting firm in my last year of Bachelor and after getting it, I started a master's degree in Accounting and Auditing. Those disciplines seemed interesting to me because I have always loved mathematical problems; you know those in which Jean-Pierre takes a bath, filling up two-thirds the bathtub, which has a maximum capacity of 250 liters, with water at 40 degrees. After him, Remy, using the same water, vacuumed a quarter of the used water and refilled a fifth of the tub with very hot water, because the temperature of the liquid had cooled down. It was then necessary to calculate how filthy Remy was as well as those bastards’ level of selfishness as taking a bath is not environmentally friendly.
In auditing, I found myself to be as enthusiastic as the schoolboy I was, dealing with mathematical puzzles: analyze the situation to find the solution. Except that this time, Jean-Pierre was the head of the company, and he wanted to know if Remy could use his own pee to warm the water of the bath and how much saving the company could make in a year. Then, I lost my motivation and the pleasure to solve this kind of mathematical problem when I realized that this kind of calculations was the reason why, some manufacturers, in order to save a few cents, do not hesitate to carry products and consumer goods over thousands of kilometers without any environmental considerations or are worsening labor condition, because those calculations do not take into account the essential, the human factor... As an illumination, I realized that I did not want to be part of this system. Even if, since my childhood, I blindly and naively trust it and I did everything to conform to it.
Overnight, I made the decision to quit school to free up some time to find other goals and life objectives. I could do the search anywhere. Anywhere but Paris, I had to go as far as possible like a hermit who cuts himself from any kind of socialization in the mountains, I had to leave those places and people who surrounded my entire life. A new start in an unknown environment and, as a curious child, I would be able to apprehend the world with a fresh look. This place needed to be as far as possible, to prevent myself the temptation of returning back home when time got rough. The first destination that came up in mind was Australia. This country is a promise to adventure, road-trips and beautiful landscapes. The problem was that I did not have a passport or a driver's license. The island of Reunion seemed, then, my ideal starting point. Plus, I think that time I was a little bit afraid to venture into a non-French speaking country.
I lived a few months in a villa with five friendly roommates. Living with them and talking to them have changed my vision of the world. I learned a lot about life in general, about myself, my aspirations and about my real needs. Not about those false needs that the consumer society has constantly pushed into my mind since my childhood, to inspire and shape my behavior. They opened my mind with questions and topics I had never taken the time to think about. I was the youngest and the last to move in the small villa lost in the middle of the sugar cane fields on the hill of the small town of Petite-Île.
I had always known the urban environment, the concrete and the tar. I had never been so close to nature living on the island. How not to fall in love with nature when you are surrounded by so many beautiful landscapes. The island is a wonder of the Indian Ocean, lush forests in its center, protected coastline from big hotel complexes, volcanoes which one can admire all the splendor thanks to numerous and breathtaking hiking trails.
Within 24 hours, you can wake up at the highest point of the Island; The Piton des Neiges to watch the sunrise and in the evening after going down the hiking path, have a beer on the beach, toes in the sand while the night is only illuminated by the embers of the barbecue and the stars in the sky.
I discovered that life can be simple, far from urban life and the stress of this modern life. Do you remember the scene in the movie "Into The Wild" in which, the main character Christopher McCandless aka "Alexander Supertramp" leaning against a bridge, eats an apple like a drug addict, who can finally have his fix after two weeks of weaning. He was so frenzied that he starts talking to his apple. I experienced the same moment of euphoria when I tasted local fruits. In those moments of grace, I could not restrain this little feeling of anger, thinking back to all those years when I ate acid or tasteless bananas, mangoes and pineapples...
Even though we were living in a villa, we lived modestly. For example, the only two things I had in my room were a mattress and a suitcase. My only valuable possessions were a compact camera and a netbook to store pictures. That was sufficient. I needed and wanted nothing more. With no television and mainly attending places that were ads-free, slowly, I no longer felt the need to buy, to own and to consume to feel "happy" or "satisfied". We just owned what we needed, which allowed us to focus on the essential, the human experience. It was from this period that I developed my minimalist concerns and exacerbated my rejection of the consumer society.
A few weeks ago, I was talking with my friend Remy; you know the disgusting guy who is washing in his own piss. No, I am just kidding. I don’t know why I choose his name, but I thought it was funny. During a conversation, we spoke about these key moments in the existence of everyone. He asked for mine. Without hesitation, I replied that the few months in spent in the island are my first key moment, as the experience had changed me and opened my mind. It was the first time that I had stepped out of my comfort zone and really thought about what I really wanted, far from the eyes and judgment of others. By the way, these looks have never regained their grip on my psyche. They are still there. I can see them. I can feel them. But, they cannot get me down now. At the moment, Remy is spending holidays on this island, and I hope that he is enjoying as much as I did the beauties and the charm of this little paradise on Earth.
Today, I feel nostalgic of the period I spent on this small island in the Indian Ocean where days seem to flow at a pace that allow those who fell under his spell, time to enjoy the pleasures of life and life itself.
I'll leave you with these last words, take care and I'll meet you next week. Kisses & smiles.
Kitofoto