Мой первый журнал SUNRISE November № 1 2018 | Page 35

TRAVELING
Fascinating Journey to Africa
word and so many thoughts. They're like a fish in the
underwater world, swimming in my head. For me, the
sea is a human. Every time it appears to me in a
different mood. In sunny weather it is calm and
gentle, during a storm it's furious and ruthless.
Sitting on the beach for hours, I listen to the murmur
of the waves. I think the sea is talking to me. It shares
its joys and dreams, sorrows and secrets. I answer to
it, and these minutes are as long as life.
Speaking about the second tour, I should
say that it has become the most favorite one.
Thousands of emotions overwhelmed me that day.
As an ardent admirer of the Pirates of the
Caribbean, I was overjoyed to learn that we were
going on a boat trip to a pirate ship. Endless
dancing, jumping from the top deck, shows, pirate
bandanas, and much more were awaiting us on this
tour. It was my first time when I overcame my fear of
heights and water and jumped off the top deck of
the ship. Since that moment, adrenaline has settled
in my blood and will never go away. That was a
desperate struggle between fear and
determination, in which I overcame myself, and
found the core and the motto of life: “Fight. You
must not let your fears gain power over you”.
As for the other two tours, we went to the
local amusement park and to the temple of the
laser show. It's interesting to highlight that after a
h a r d d a y a t w o r k , t h e Tu n i s i a n s a r r a n g e
entertainments every evening. This tradition took
roots many years ago and now concerts are
arranged all over Tunisia in the evening, at 9 o'clock.
There are specialized persons called animators.
They are very easy to distinguish because they wear
bright personalized t-shirts. During the day they
entertain tourists with all sorts of quests, plays,
beach parties, and when the sun goes down they
throw a theatrical show. We were lucky not only to
see their performances but also to go behind the
scenes!
Certainly, we didn't only have a rest in
Tunisia. We performed about 10 shows which
included 3 national and 2 modern dances. The
Tunisians had never seen any Russian people, that's
why they were eager to take pictures with us. And
not only Tunisians. During our trip we met with my
Russian friends from different cities of Russia: St.
Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Yaroslavl, Petropavlovsk-
Kamchatsky, etc. Their support and presence gave
us strength and positive emotions for the
successful performances. As we dancers like to say,
“the best gratitude is the support of the audience”.
They expressed sincere feelings towards us, so when
going on the stage or going backstage, we heard
enthusiastic cries “Russia” and “Confetti”. It was
melting the heart, filling the soul with warmth, and
butterflies were fluttering in the stomach. And it
became so easy to move, the body rushed to the
stage and the legs began dancing themselves.
When it was announced that we had won the Grand
Prix of the festival “Colors of the Sahara”, we gave a
big hugs to one another and jumped up with
happiness. Most of us cried because of the pride
growing in our hearts.
No doubt, there hardly can be a trip without
meetings. Is it possible to stay for 2 weeks in Tunisia
and not to meet anyone? It's not about us. During
these 14 days we managed to get acquainted with
all the hotel staff. We knew everyone by name and
even talked with the guests of the hotel. The second
week of our stay at the hotel just started but we had
already become friends with volleyball players from
Kaluga. When we had breaks from the rehearsals, we
spent time together, played, went for walks, and just
had fun. We also made friends among the locals and
guides. In general, the Tunisians are a kind and
friendly nation. They are very well mannered and will
welcome and wish you to have a good day.
Having spent 14 days in Africa, I understood
that I would never regret going on this journey. So
many emotions, acquaintances, positive moments…
they all left a mark in my memory. It was a whole life,
new and interesting. Being there, I completely forgot
all my problems. I lived only in the present, did not
think about the future, and did not regret the past.
But alas, all the joys were replaced by the sadness of
the coming departure. I left Africa with tears in my
eyes as I was leaving 2 weeks of my life and a
significant part of myself there.
Follow Anastasia on Instagram: @asya_254882
November 2018 №1
SUNRISE
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