The human heart is not built to endure all situations in life. No human can ever say they’ve encountered every new challenge without some level of doubt, nausea or fear. Those who say they have are lying. In 24 hours I experienced several degrees of fear starting from Sunday morning through Monday morning. On Sunday our group ventured deep into Ghana’s Kakum National Park for a canopy walk. Overcast, damp skies couldn’t diminish the beauty of the scene. What could displace any appreciation for this setting would be the 40-meters-high cat walk over the forest. A fear of heights can destroy any sense of adventure across these wood and rope bridges, but that problem didn’t materialize for me. I handled the heights fairly well because any apprehension about making the climb was replaced by pure adrenaline.
Later that afternoon, I was struck by a more gripping fear. We traveled to a hotel overlooking a lake. The area had a swamp-like atmosphere to it and justifiably so. The lake is filled with crocodiles, approximately 50-100 of them. One happened to be camped on a plot of land near the hotel. The “crocodile lady” who claimed to be the caretaker of these creatures gave everyone a chance to touch the crocodile. Mind you it was very much alive and awake. I was nearly petrified just by looking at it. The reptile was facing our entire group, which stood about 5-6 feet away from it. One-by-one we all cautiously approached the crocodile and touched him lightly on his back. I very carefully grazed it’s back while my panic levels threatened to go off the charts.
Monday was my first day at my internship. Our instructor called in a bus to take us to each one of our jobs. As the bus approached Joy FM radio headquarters, I suddenly became nauseous from overwhelming nerves. The realization that I was about to be a part of the work force temporarily paralyzed me to the point where I felt vomiting was inevitable. Despite all of my mental preparation for this moment, it hit me harder than I was prepared for. While I have learned to deal with the pantheon of irrational fears that I held as a child, the fear that set in my heart on Monday had substantial substance to it. A fear of failure or inability to maintain respectable personal responsibility is not uncommon for me. However I am well aware that facing my fears is the first step in hopefully conquering them. I ended up tackling the day alright despite a few set backs and receiving a surprisingly heavy workload. The first day at a job is supposedly the worst and this one didn’t end up being crippling.
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