Radka's Peru Trek in aid of MIND

16 July 2003

I don't think that I am one of those people who went abroad and found themselves. I seem to have lost a fair chunk of myself in the mountains. And so here is my...
Post Peru survival kit:

1/ start a website. Not many people will actually read it but it will give you a great space for creativity and offloading. All you need.

2/ invite some nice people to your life. Great opportunity to talk about Peru, show them your pictures etc. And so what if they're not interested? Don't ask, just do it. Your supply of friends / family may get a bit thinner at the end but you'll feel (temporarily) better.

3/ keep in touch with fellow trekkers. If website doesn't do it start a forum, send group e-mails, find a website that will let you send free sms... just go for it. You're sure to find someone as desperate as yourself.

4/ and if none of this helps - start raising funds for the next trip (c u there x)

From left: Me, my brother (doing headstand) & his girl.

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28 July 2003

A week in TUNISIA (click here for more pictures and stories)
Great. It definitely helped to soften the 'landing' after the Peru trek. Just being away from work, duties, responsibilities and the big mad city helped a lot.

And here is one of my most favourite moments - sitting on a beach, far from the hotel and all the English stuff (food, loud music, entertainment, people, 'culture', football shirts...), surrounded by local kids, watching the sun set...

It just gets to me... simply the best part of my life - being able to stop, sit down and appreciate the beauty of it (as they say in Tunisia: 'slowly, slowly')

I am not quite sure how or why it started but at one point during the holiday I've decided to evaluate 'my 2003'. Everybody does it. But everybody does it at the end of the year and, very frankly, what's the point of that? What's the point in claiming at the end of December that your year was shit and that you need to do something to make sure that the next one will be better (really, you never do anything about it anyway)? In my opinion - waste of time (and as you might have guessed- yes, I do believe that New Year's resolutions do not work)
I see it differently. Do a little evaluation through the year and if it doesn't seem to be working out and all you do is feel miserable, unhappy and sorry for yourself (or angry, hurt, not appreciated...- you name it; your list is bound to be just as long and maybe even longer then mine)... anyway, if it's not what you want, you give yourself enough time till the end of the year to fix it, so that you can say to yourself: 'It was a good one, lets carry on like this' (noticed? no 'have to stop...' or 'must not do...' and other rubbish like that)

All right - enough about me explaining the importance of mid-year-evaluation. I'm sure that you got it by now. What was the outcome, you may want to know. Well, it dawned on me (and I am thrilled to announce this) that 'my 2003' has been absolutely fabulous. All way through. I've been to some amazing places, have done a lot of great stuff, met some wonderful people & gave them plenty of space in my life, felt happy.

And I do intent to carry on like that.

16 July 2003

I don't think that I am one of those people who went abroad and found themselves. I seem to have lost a fair chunk of myself in the mountains. And so here is my...
Post Peru survival kit:

1/ start a website. Not many people will actually read it but it will give you a great space for creativity and offloading. All you need.

2/ invite some nice people to your life. Great opportunity to talk about Peru, show them your pictures etc. And so what if they're not interested? Don't ask, just do it. Your supply of friends / family may get a bit thinner at the end but you'll feel (temporarily) better.

3/ keep in touch with fellow trekkers. If website doesn't do it start a forum, send group e-mails, find a website that will let you send free sms... just go for it. You're sure to find someone as desperate as yourself.

4/ and if none of this helps - start raising funds for the next trip (c u there x)

From left: Me, my brother (doing headstand) & his girl.

15 July 2003

Peak Experience"American psychologist and philosopher Abraham H. Maslow (1908-1970) coined this term to describe nonreligious quasi-mystical and mystical experiences. Peak experiences are sudden feelings of intense happiness and well-being, and possibly the awareness of "ultimate truth" and the unity of all things. Accompanying these experiences is a heightened sense of control over the body and emotions, and a wider sense of awareness, as though one was standing upon a mountaintop. The experience fills the individual with wonder and awe. He feels at one with the world and is pleased with it; he or she has seen the ultimate truth or the essence of all things... Maslow said that all individuals are capable of peak experiences. Those who do not have them somehow depress or deny them. Individuals most likely to have peak experiences are self-actualised, mature, healthy, and self-fulfilled... Peak experiences render therapeutic value as they foster a sense of being lucky or graced; release creative energies; reaffirm the worthiness of life; and change an individual's view of himself or herself."

Peak Experience - according to me: It's all nice but what are you supposed to do after? I have ended up with mild/serious depression for about 4 weeks after the trek (something that you don't get to read in the prospectus) Ironic, isn't it?

Now, let's start from the beginning. How does one reach a peak experience? One needs to start by selecting the right props: peaks / mountains (the higher the better & High Andes being the obvious preference), good intention (charity trek will do - something close to home might be a better choice, i.e. mental health) and Alice.
My darling Alice. It would not have been the same without her. She's a bit like my soul twin, plus: 1) same age (28); 2) psychologist (me- counsellor); 3) we've been through the same significant events - living/ working in Holloway, getting married at about the same time etc; 4) this fact is very bizarre -23 Jan. my brother's birthday, 24 Jan. my cousin's b-day, 25 Jan. Alice's & 6 Feb. my b-day, 7 Feb. Alice's father's, 8 Feb. Alice's sister's - how strange is that (?!) I think that we somehow fit into each other's life ... the only difference is that she's a bit mad and I'm ...

The trip would not have been the same without her. She has been extremely accepting, caring, loving, non-judgemental, supportive and fun to be around. So technically speaking - being around another self-actualised, mature person made the whole experience 'something different' (Darling Alice, tahnq x)

Copyright Radka Goes to Peru - 2002



		28 July 2003
		A week in TUNISIA (click here for more pictures and stories) Great. It definitely helped to soften the 'landing' after the Peru trek. Just being away from work, duties, responsibilities and the big mad city helped a lot. And here is one of my most favourite moments - sitting on a beach, far from the hotel and all the English stuff (food, loud music, entertainment, people, 'culture', football shirts...), surrounded by local kids, watching the sun set... It just gets to me... simply the best part of my life - being able to stop, sit down and appreciate the beauty of it (as they say in Tunisia: 'slowly, slowly')
				I am not quite sure how or why it started but at one point during the holiday I've decided to evaluate 'my 2003'. Everybody does it. But everybody does it at the end of the year and, very frankly, what's the point of that? What's the point in claiming at the end of December that your year was shit and that you need to do something to make sure that the next one will be better (really, you never do anything about it anyway)? In my opinion - waste of time (and as you might have guessed- yes, I do believe that New Year's resolutions do not work) I see it differently. Do a little evaluation through the year and if it doesn't seem to be working out and all you do is feel miserable, unhappy and sorry for yourself (or angry, hurt, not appreciated...- you name it; your list is bound to be just as long and maybe even longer then mine)... anyway, if it's not what you want, you give yourself enough time till the end of the year to fix it, so that you can say to yourself: 'It was a good one, lets carry on like this' (noticed? no 'have to stop...' or 'must not do...' and other rubbish like that) All right - enough about me explaining the importance of mid-year-evaluation. I'm sure that you got it by now. What was the outcome, you may want to know. Well, it dawned on me (and I am thrilled to announce this) that 'my 2003' has been absolutely fabulous. All way through. I've been to some amazing places, have done a lot of great stuff, met some wonderful people & gave them plenty of space in my life, felt happy. And I do intent to carry on like that.



		15 July 2003
		Peak Experience"American psychologist and philosopher Abraham H. Maslow (1908-1970) coined this term to describe nonreligious quasi-mystical and mystical experiences. Peak experiences are sudden feelings of intense happiness and well-being, and possibly the awareness of "ultimate truth" and the unity of all things. Accompanying these experiences is a heightened sense of control over the body and emotions, and a wider sense of awareness, as though one was standing upon a mountaintop. The experience fills the individual with wonder and awe. He feels at one with the world and is pleased with it; he or she has seen the ultimate truth or the essence of all things... Maslow said that all individuals are capable of peak experiences. Those who do not have them somehow depress or deny them. Individuals most likely to have peak experiences are self-actualised, mature, healthy, and self-fulfilled... Peak experiences render therapeutic value as they foster a sense of being lucky or graced; release creative energies; reaffirm the worthiness of life; and change an individual's view of himself or herself."
		Peak Experience - according to me: It's all nice but what are you supposed to do after? I have ended up with mild/serious depression for about 4 weeks after the trek (something that you don't get to read in the prospectus) Ironic, isn't it?
				Now, let's start from the beginning. How does one reach a peak experience? One needs to start by selecting the right props: peaks / mountains (the higher the better & High Andes being the obvious preference), good intention (charity trek will do - something close to home might be a better choice, i.e. mental health) and Alice. My darling Alice. It would not have been the same without her. She's a bit like my soul twin, plus: 1) same age (28); 2) psychologist (me- counsellor); 3) we've been through the same significant events - living/ working in Holloway, getting married at about the same time etc; 4) this fact is very bizarre -23 Jan. my brother's birthday, 24 Jan. my cousin's b-day, 25 Jan. Alice's & 6 Feb. my b-day, 7 Feb. Alice's father's, 8 Feb. Alice's sister's - how strange is that (?!) I think that we somehow fit into each other's life ... the only difference is that she's a bit mad and I'm ... The trip would not have been the same without her. She has been extremely accepting, caring, loving, non-judgemental, supportive and fun to be around. So technically speaking - being around another self-actualised, mature person made the whole experience 'something different' (Darling Alice, tahnq x)