New Horizons
The moon is hanging full and yellow over the volcano that makes up the island of Ternate. The distant melody of prayer that plays through the streets five times a day has just been sung – the Great Creator has been praised in the early morning, and I´m awake. I´m walking in dawn, and as I´m moving towards the ship that shall take me to Papua I see the day swallowing the night. I stare out into the sea, and the islands of Tidore and Halmahera gazes back at me. I thank them for all the adventures their lush jungles and clear waters have blessed me with. The distant hills of Halmahera´s untouched jungles reminds me of the vastness of the world – of the great potential that lies before me. The sheer size of it all makes me feel little and it makes me feel free. If I barely touched the island of Halmahera, I´ll surely never tire of this world. And even if I stepped foot on every beach and mountain, swam in every ocean, hiked every forest, and rode through every desert, there would still be newness to experience. Unknown forces would speak new words, the shells on the beach would lay in different patterns, the snow would fall freshly on the mountains. The sea would change from hot to cold, where the forest was lush it would be dry, and in the desert the winds would reshape the dunes of sand. And even if nothing changed at all I wouldn’t be the same. My differentness today from yesterday would extract slightly different flavours from the dish I’ve had a thousands times, my eyes would play with the light of the sun slightly differently and manifest new colours of my hometown, and my mood would decide whether I still regarded something as good or bad. Surely I would change as much as the seasons, or maybe I would change them. Maybe I am the one who turns winter into spring, the one who pulls the leaves to the ground when autumn arrives.
The moon had almost disappeared behind the volcano when I board the ship and it lets the sun be the star of the day. The bright day star erases what was left of the dawn with its life giving rays, and nourished the land and the sea with light so that they may change once again, so newness can arise. The moon is now completely gone – some other country is blessed with its presence. A new day is here. I´m sitting still on the top deck; witnessing new people, new foods, new sounds, and new clouds forming around the volcano. The peak I saw clearly just a few moments ago is slowly disappearing and so is the person I was at dawn. The ship starts moving slowly, and I’m still sitting still. I leave Ternate like the moon left the night so that a new sun can shine. Papua is calling me with whispers I can´t understand but only feel; whispers of the great and uncertain adventures that awaits, of friends to be made and islands to be explored. I´m in the middle of the sea now. We´re moving fast, but I´m just sitting still. Before me the horizon drops into the unknown and we´re moving towards it. Soon I’ll have past it, soon it will reappear.
The hours pass and the sea is big and blue and infinite all around me. I´m sleeping under the low sun and soon it will start painting the sky with shades of pink, orange and red. People gather to witness the natural show the day star puts on every evening. For a moment people are quiet, letting the sun and the sky speak. Before we know it the sun leaves us and takes with it its fleeting beauty. But the sky is generous tonight and it´s giving us a yellow full moon to enjoy. And with its rising it brings with it new friends that offers me a bed for the night in Papua.
Thank you.
