Kerala Blog Express: We Made It! But I'm Not Going...
Hey friends!
At the very beginning of this year I barely let many of you sleep off your hangovers before bombarding you with requests for votes so I could win a bloggers' trip to India this month.
Well, against all odds, with 70 votes against some people's 2000, I got selected along with 30 other bloggers for the trip of a lifetime. Applications for a visa began in earnest, that was granted and then it was on to some well-meant but ultimately doomed fund-raising efforts for my flights (I'll be making videos on both, not to worry). The trip, organized by Kerala Tourism is all expenses paid, however winners do have to buy their own tickets to India and be refunded while there (or afterwards). This is their 4th year of running the KBX and I believe the flight thing has always been how they do it, but in the end some things came up and I couldn't afford my flight there.
I'm heartbroken, you guys.
I was so so ready to do a cute "pack/travel with me" video and thank everyone for their votes and shop for cute souvenirs and spices and oils for a giveaway once I got back.
And I was ready to spread the message of believing in yourself because if I, with less than 1000 followers/subscribers on any given platform, could get chosen for this just on the basis of producing good content, why shouldn't you try hard when it feels like nobody's watching.
Me, out of 200+ applicants, and one of 2 African bloggers (and the only Kenyan) chosen for this season. That's also the reason I refused to let it go and tried to find solutions until the very end.
My bags are still packed as I write this dude, that's how much I was willing this to happen and the last thing I wanted was to be ungrateful.
But it is what it is, man. I did what I could and maybe sometimes the things you genuinely think are meant for you actually aren't. There will be more bloggers' trips to more places and India isn't going anywhere.
The tour started a few days ago, so keep up with what the bloggers are up to with the hashtag #KeralaBlogExpress on all social media.
As for me, I'm going to unpack my light clothing for humid weather, eat some chocolate and keep it moving.
Keep in touch: twitter // instagram // facebook // snapchat
Stay golden,
J.
xx