I grew up watching the American reality TV series Survivor. I’ve seen 42 of the 44 seasons. While I haven’t had time to catch up on the last two, I will surely do it soon.

Parvati Shallow was my favourite. She knew how to read the room and strategized her way to two finales, winning one of them in the process. In my books, she also took Heroes vs Villains.

And that’s not to say she performed poorly in reward and immunity challenges. In fact, I believe she was also outstanding in that regard.

Outwit. Outplay. Outlast.

I’ve often said I will do well at this social experiment. The scheming part and the social game would be a walk in the park.

But my physical strength, or lack thereof, will get me in trouble during the early stages. Or would my tribemates want to keep me for not being a threat?

How could I ever find myself in the wild? Or find myself in these remote destinations? They’re reserved for great players.

And that’s the kind of limiting self-talk I often hear in my head. Believing there are constraints in a world that is kind but can often be cruel.

I tend to live vicariously through others. But I took one small step and it made the Survivor fan in me elated. This was also a move forward for my bruised confidence.

I arrived in Vanuatu! I’m no Ozzy Lusth. But today, I’m closer to the action than to the television.

If they can do it, so can I!

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For places I visited in Port Vila, you can follow this link.

The trip to Port Vila happened on May 2023.