I wish I had an inspiring story to share with you. But really, all that I am is the result of many mistakes, apps that require updates and KFC chicken wings.

Shahnaaz Naby, 2023

Hi, I’m Shahnaaz. I live in Durban, a coastal city in South Africa famous for its beaches, foods named after small mammals and lack of electricity. I grew up in a small town full of small ideas and as a little girl I had an imaginary friend called Boba.

Unlike me, Boba was not required to behave in a way that conformed to what his small town expected. He could jump on electricity wires to get to school, he would sail banana leaves to meet his friends and he arranged conferences with butterflies and frogs to determine the order of our garden. I enjoyed my childhood. I was shy, subservient and I was under the impression that this was enough for me.

Fast forward to my early 20s- I had just completed university and instead of jumping into the next expected phase of my life, I decided to use all the money I had saved for the past 4 years (selling cupcakes) and travel alone to Europe for 3 months. Those 3 months showed me that Boba was not just an imaginary friend but he compensated for what my reality lacked.

Since then, I have abandoned all ideas I previously had for my future. Travel has allowed me to unlearn behaviours that suppressed the Boba inside of me. Learning about the world through personal experience, making friends with people of diverse backgrounds and getting lost in unknown places has taught me my most favourite lesson- to love myself, forgive myself and to not be so afraid of life.

Now I live dangerously on a whim, avoiding my responsibilities as much as I possibly can and thanking God everyday, for the life that I have.