Bubbly — that was what would define Amani as she sips on her warm cup of chocolate while we talk about her life outdoors. On a rain-drenched Wednesday afternoon, this sort of liveliness emanating from her personality shone some light on a day filled with dreary weather. She goes on… “The whole idea of the bucket list is that why would I wait to know when I’m going to die to start a bucket list when I could start living life from now?” That one rhetorical question set the tone for the conversation that ensued…
The Girl and the Bucket
Amani is no stranger to the outdoors. Having moved around the globe a couple of times, she can easily be seen as a globetrotter. She’s lived in the UAE for 14 years and before that a string of past addresses such as three years in Malaysia, six years in Kuwait, and stateside for two years. Having to meet new people came naturally for her and this in turn led to her exposure to various cultures – something she really enjoys up to this very day.
Asking about her Youtube channel, Amani states that “I’ve always wanted to have a Youtube channel but I never knew what I wanted to talk about, but then I decided I’m just going to be me.” Another proponent that led her to her own space in the Internet is her belief that “…there are people that share and feel good about it and those that share and don’t feel so good about it.” Being a part of the former group, Amani wanted to share her experiences with people and hope that they would follow and potentially have experiences of their own.
The List
The List is a never-ending one for this lady. The List continues to be updated as she meets more people and they have something to offer to her for her to experience. She learns a lot of the people she meets and they all serve as her inspiration. It was wise to note that as our conversation trailed on, she already had something in mind for her next big adventure that she didn’t wish to disclose. But seeing the excitement in her eyes is hint enough to know that what’s coming is really good.
So far, she has crossed out several things such as scaling Kilimanjaro, trying indoor and outdoor skydiving, trampolining and of course travelling to picturesque outdoor locations such as Iceland and Goa – locations both teeming with adventures
Everyone is Awesome!
When it comes to tricks when it comes to travelling, she shared that getting shared accommodations where she is at is a must. This is because “…you get to meet people and they can give you a different perspective on what you want to see…”
Another thing that she has learned from this is that people are generally friendly. She says: “Everyone’s super friendly – everyone wants to help, everyone wants to chit-chat and talk. There are friendly people in every single country, anywhere you go to. People are awesome you know, when you’re in one country people might warn you like ‘Oh watch out for this’ but once you go there everyone’s fine.”Suffice to say, the unknown is something that is null and void for her.
A Little Bit of Everything
The rain came to a close about the same time as the conversation did. Slowly but gently as the last question came to mind: “What is your favourite adventure?” This question was followed by a pause. Right after this pause was a surge in her eyes and voice as she first talked about her lack of “favourites”. No favourite food, colour, country – nothing. She reasons that “…because there is beauty in absolutely everything. Every country has its pluses no matter what.” And in fact that is true based on what I’ve learned from the 20 or so minutes that we have been speaking with each other. There is beauty everywhere. Thus she kindly responds that there is no favourite adventure because so far — everything has been awesome.
Words by: Keith Perena
Photos supplied by: Amani Stevens
