The Safari Of Senses

The third class in the master’s programme brought me to reflection. It was not about the class, but our teacher, James Taylor, challenged us until the next class. Little homework, not too complicated, and a good introduction to the world of travel journalism. That’s what I thought, but I should be taught better.

During the class, James explained to us how important sensory details are for the reader’s experience. He showed examples where the author did an excellent job on that. Compared with other articles, these stories made me truly feel like I was in the middle of the story, experiencing every moment. And that’s what I also wish to reach with telling my stories: Take the reader directly into the place of action.

Back to the task. We should go to a place, somewhere in nature, and note down all sensory details. Easy, right? So, I walked to a bench 500 meters from my home, sat down, and started thinking about my day, what I would eat for dinner, and the challenge. Thinking about sensory details was probably the worst thing I could do at that moment. I was lost in my thoughts on sensory details, without recognising the sensory details around me. Somehow, I lost the connection to my senses while thinking about them the whole time. That’s weird, I know.

“Okay, Christina, you need to find a way back to your senses”, I told myself. I believe the only thing may could help in such a “brainy situation” is breathing. I started to focus on deep breathing, and this helped me to get back into my body. I closed my eyes, and after a few moments my mind finally recognised the things around me.

I realised in that moment that it is not just done with writing about what I see, I need to get the connection to all of my senses. This seems to be easy, but the challenge showed me the opposite. Yes, I can see, with my glasses, but I can, I can hear, I can smell, I can taste, and I can touch as well.

But the question is how much perception I have lost by becoming an adult and living a busy life where the focus is always somewhere else.

Well, I think I haven’t really lost it, but I need to find my connection again.
Thinking on my final master’s project, I made a commitment to myself that I want to take my audience with me on a safari of senses. This is not about me, it is about Zimbabwe. I have never been there, but in general, I feel a strong connection to the beautiful nature, wildlife, and people of African countries, so that’s why Zimbabwe deserves to get the best version of myself for my final project.
To be honest, I still need to improve a lot, but so far I can say that the training of my sensory muscles helps me to be in the moment and focus on what is important. And by the way, it is a nice side effect that this training naturally slows me down and I become more present.

Here we are, my big life learnings from a little homework challenge:

• 1. Overthinking makes me lose connection to the present moment and so to my senses. Why should I think about tomorrow’s to-do list while eating a pizza, which could be the best pizza I’ve ever eaten in my life?
• 2. 1000+ pictures can catch up the visual moment and help to remind me of that, but I need to involve all my senses to get a deep dive into the experience. It’s not just about what my camera catches.
• 3. A travel journalist or writer is not just a job description; it’s me and there is no line between me as a private person and Christina as a writer. Everything where I improve myself, e.g. the sensory details, has a significant impact on my work.

Day by day. Step by step. Getting better and better.

This article is part of the practical work carried out by the students of the Master’s in Travel Journalism.