Perceived Risk

My time away has seen me try so many different things. Often these have seemed intimidating - moving to a new country; travelling alone; working in a foreign culture. Sometimes they have seemed scary - diving with sharks; travelling on night buses; experiencing earthquakes. And sometimes they have seemed downright dangerous - riding motorbikes without helmets; snowboarding down mountains; swimming in huge seas. But waiting to throw myself off the side of a canyon the other day, my abseiling guide used the term 'perceived risk' & I guess that's what it's all about... some of the scariest things are infact the safest & some of the things that seem safe should, in reality, be treated with much greater caution.

I am now on the last leg of my trip travelling accross China. The country seems very different from the other Asian countries I have visited over the last year - more modern, more organised - but at the same time seems very familiar - a rice based diet, an incomprehensible language & culture. It feels safe, but at some level I do feel an undertone of fear... the ever present police & military; a proliferation of satelites & anntenae (for mobile phones apperently), a lack of political opposition or protest.

I am sure that my level of risk taking has changed over this past year - I am more open & willing to try new things - but that hasn't made me complacent. I still want to try intimidating, scary & occasionally dangerous things, but perhaps now I have a clearer understanding of how I (&others) perceive these risks.