King of Spades

I haven’t written anything in a while. 

It’s partly because I’ve been moving around and experiencing so much lately that I haven’t had time to sit down and write; because of laziness on the days I have had time to write: and because of an internal hardware issue with my previous BlackBerry PRIV that rendered it basically useless and resulted in BlackBerry sending me a brand new one in exchange for my defective one. Check out my Instagram post about it here.

For anyone who has been curious about my travel and experiences, here are some Q&A’s.

Where are you now?

At this moment I am sitting on a crowded bus stationed at some random city in Germany on my way to Italy from the Netherlands. The trip, in total, will take 30 hours (yay). I’m only a few hours in, the sun has set, and I am looking forward to experiencing this type of long trip on a bus for the first time. It was by far the cheapest option to travel compared to a bullet train or by plane.

Where have you been before this? 

Well in chronological order, going backwards, I was just in the Netherlands for a conference hosted by Welton Academy in Ede. It was a blessing to see Mr. Welton in person for the first time and hear him speak, along with Evangelist Jason Chin and Prophetess Louise Lopez. It was also a blessing to fellowship with brothers and sisters of the faith, who understand the Kingdom of God as Jesus preached it, and go out into the streets of Ede and pray for people together as a spiritual family–even though these were complete strangers to me. The conference helped me get “back to center.” You can see a picture of the aftermath from my Instagram page here.

Before the Netherlands, I was in France to meet up with my dad and his girlfriend for some time. To be honest Europe was not at all on my list of places to visit on this extended trip, but when my dad called me earlier in the year to say that he wanted to see me in Europe during the summer, I thought that if I was going to take a break from the Middle East at some point then why not do it when my family is on this side of the planet. So we coordinated the trip and I came to France after my stay in Jordan.

I have yet to write my typical synopsis article of a country, like I did for Egypt and Israel, for Jordan, but look out for it soon. I will say here now though that Jordan was amazing and definitely my most favorite place of the three I’ve visited so far.

Where are you going next?

As mentioned earlier I’m on my way to Italy now. I have Italian roots in my family and am therefore going to explore said roots while I’m nearby. On the way I will be stopping in Rome to visit all the Catholic holy sites like the Vatican, St. Peter’s Basilica, etc. Lastly I’m going to get my fill of amazing food before I make my way back down to the ME (not that Arabic food is not amazing, I look for it in every city I’ve been in so far. I had a shawarma sandwich for lunch today, actually).

Before that, however, I will be going to Turkey after Italy. If you read “My Story“, you would remember that I studied abroad there a few years ago. I’ve missed it and my friends since I’ve left, and now that I’m in the area I shall make my way there. I’m going to explore other places outside of Istanbul and the Southwestern region which I did last time I was there.

After Turkey, I have a few ideas but I haven’t solidified anything yet. You’ll have to stay tuned and see.

Are you still traveling alone?

Yes, although I met a really cool French Algerian guy in Jordan that has become a good friend of mine and we have now hung out in Jordan, France, and the Netherlands. We’ve had long and deep conversations about life, God, family, friends, women, business, and the world. He is in his 30’s, Muslim, has a very good heart and a very spiritually conscious mind. He’s also tall, dark, handsome, single, fashionable, and speaks in a French accent. I joke and tell him that I’m hoping I can absorb some of his swag while we’re together and be set for the rest of my life. He laughs, especially when I talk in a French accent and say the few words in French that I know.

Oui oui messier, petit le francois. Pan o chocolat, du L’oue, and toilette sivuple. Je nu sepa su cu tu di (not sure that’s how you spell it). I don’t care though, because I am le FRENCH.

I hope I don’t offend any French people here. You should know I willing went out of my way to eat escargot while I was there.

Quick PSA: Ladies, if you’re between 25-35, Muslim, fun, ambitious but also willing to raise a solid family, spiritually conscious, very beautiful and “smiley” (he’s French, what can I say about his standards), then you may want to meet this gentleman. He’ll treat you very well, soothe you with his voice, and be a good father. That’s all coming from a heterosexual male, just saying.

So what’s the plan from here?

What’s the plan for what?

You know, what are you going to do?

I don’t know, I’m figuring it out as I go. I’ve learned from personal experience that I have a Father and Boss who knows what my life needs better than me, so I try and follow His lead. When I do, amazing things happen and I always have peace in my heart regardless of challenging circumstances.

I will say, however, that I’m starting to realize what I thought I would before I started this trip: that it’s very difficult to make sizable tangible impacts in a community without actually moving to the area, partnering with people there, and investing my time, money, and love consistently on a daily basis.

With that lesson in mind, I am already starting to formulate plans for what I want to do and see happen in the next year once I go back to the states.

When are you going back to the states?

That’s also to be determined, because I recently received some donations to continue my trip. For me, whether I go back now or in a few months, I will be content. Sure I want to travel and see more, but I think I’ve observed and learned the core of what I needed to. That said, there’s always more networking, investing, and volunteering to be done; so I will continue on until I get the signal to go back to the states.

What can we expect until then?

More photos and videos of my activities on Instagram, more blogs and articles on Kosdmin.com, and possibly the beginning of my own business venture. Nothing to share at this moment, but I actually have the starting rough draft of a business plan open on another tab on my phone. I’m going to stop here for now, save both documents, and go to sleep as its midnight now. It’s important to let the brain process, refine, and produce more ideas; and let the spirit receive wisdom and guidance from above.

These bus seats are very comfortable. Thank you Lord. Good night.