Post by Amanda Kimmel on May 16, 2012 17:35:18 GMT -5
Diplomacy Desert: The Beginning
It feels like the sun is burning a hole in my hat, the heat is unbearable, and the sweat is dripping down my body. In front of me I see three wooden planks and sand, a lot of sand. Looking over my shoulder I see more sand, and the group of people I got to know in the past couple of days. I'm happy to see some familiar faces, but at the same time I have no clue what is happening. Two seconds ago I was waiting at the reception desk, ready to check in and to receive the key for my room. I still remember the reception hall, it was a cozy place with some nice art on the walls, and air-conditioning that was giving me chills. There were three leather couches, a marble table with a pile of folders, newspapers, and magazines, and a sign indicating they have wireless internet. The latter surprised me, as I didn't expect this hotel in the middle of the desert to have wireless, but it was there. Now it's all gone. There's no sign of the reception desk, the three couches seem to be replaced by wooden planks, the marble table is gone, and so is the air-conditioning, obviously. Is this a prank?
"What the..."
"Anthony, what's going on?"
YauMan, the small Asian guy, looks confused. We had a great connection when talking in the bus, and I'm glad he's coming up to me. By the look on his face though, he is not going to have the answers I'm looking for.
"I don't know what's going on, where's the hotel?"
"A minute ago it was here." YauMan laughs painfully when Jon, the other guy with a hat, is joining us.
"Hey guys, where's our meeting room?"
Meeting room, what is he talking about? I'm not even sure where we are and what just happened. I'm not really sure how to respond. YauMan starts mumbling.
"There's not even hotel. Where's our hotel?"
"I was just kidding, you tell me Yau."
"Hmm... this situation is in one word, far from ideal."
While the guys continue their conversation, I am wiping the sweat off my forehead and decide to head towards the rest of the group. Everyone is talking, but no one seems to know what's going on. I thought there was eighteen of us, but when counting the heads I only see seventeen.
"Hey Ace, is someone missing?" The bald guy looks a little less puzzled than the rest of us.
"Yeah, Sash went looking for the bus." Sash is the flamboyant Jamaican guy if I remember correctly. He was the last person to arrive at LA airport and was the reason we almost missed our plane. He certainly left a poor impression, so now he's probably trying to make up for it.
"Oh, where is it?"
"Well, we don't know, duh." Right, that wasn't the smartest question to ask. I'm just confused about this whole situation. The group decides to stay together and wait for Sash to return.
"Welcome to the Kalahari Desert!"
All of a sudden three girls and a guy are standing in front of the group. They're all wearing hats, and these girls are way... attractive. I can't say I'm disappointed with what I'm seeing now, and a feeling of excitement for what's going to come is taking control of me. While I felt terribly crappy and confused a minute ago, right now there's a smile on my face. Bring it on!
"I am Amanda and these are my friends, DD, Parvati, and Erik. You all came here to play a game of diplomacy with the goal of becoming the new emperor of the Kalahari Desert."
Yes, that's what we came here for. We flew all the way from LA to Botswana to take over a part of the world that's currently no one's property. So far this all makes sense, except for the hotel part since it was promised to us that we would be getting a VIP treatment.
"You will all have to deal with bare circumstances, lies, and deception. That place over there is Deception Valley. It has lies. You hotel? Lie! Your bus? Lie! Sash? Lie! This desert and the heat?"
Amanda is obviously enjoying all of this. I am too. I'm a tad disappointed we don't get our hotel with wireless, but I'm excited for this adventure. One thing I am hoping for is that she's gonna say "Lie!" once more, because this heat is getting old already.
"As a future emperor, you'll deal with it. We will put you through competitions in a number of rounds, and in a month only one of you will be left standing. You will be crowned the new emperor of the Kalahari Desert and you WILL enjoy all the luxury that comes with it. Your first competition starts now!"
I'm confused. What? Where? Amanda is pointing at the place she just referred to as "Deception Valley". In front of it there are numerous planks with names on them. Am I hallucinating? Five minutes ago those planks weren't there. This is getting more and more obscure. Are these planks real?
"This competition is simple." DD is taking over from Amanda.
"You will need to build a bridge to your fellow competitors, grab bags of puzzle pieces, and solve the puzzle. The two finishing this in the shortest amount of time win immunity and are still in the running towards becoming the emperor of this desert."
Amanda continues. "The rest of you will have to show us that you have what it takes to play a game of diplomacy. No luxury meeting rooms will be available. All there is, is a campfire. At this campfire you will cast your vote and one of you will be flying home tonight."
This is nerve wrecking. The battle for power is about to begin and it is not going to be easy. With all the lies and deception out here, I am preparing myself for the worst. First priority is doing well in this competition, you never know what's ahead. This is going to be an adventure I will never forget. If it's actually real.
It feels like the sun is burning a hole in my hat, the heat is unbearable, and the sweat is dripping down my body. In front of me I see three wooden planks and sand, a lot of sand. Looking over my shoulder I see more sand, and the group of people I got to know in the past couple of days. I'm happy to see some familiar faces, but at the same time I have no clue what is happening. Two seconds ago I was waiting at the reception desk, ready to check in and to receive the key for my room. I still remember the reception hall, it was a cozy place with some nice art on the walls, and air-conditioning that was giving me chills. There were three leather couches, a marble table with a pile of folders, newspapers, and magazines, and a sign indicating they have wireless internet. The latter surprised me, as I didn't expect this hotel in the middle of the desert to have wireless, but it was there. Now it's all gone. There's no sign of the reception desk, the three couches seem to be replaced by wooden planks, the marble table is gone, and so is the air-conditioning, obviously. Is this a prank?
"What the..."
"Anthony, what's going on?"
YauMan, the small Asian guy, looks confused. We had a great connection when talking in the bus, and I'm glad he's coming up to me. By the look on his face though, he is not going to have the answers I'm looking for.
"I don't know what's going on, where's the hotel?"
"A minute ago it was here." YauMan laughs painfully when Jon, the other guy with a hat, is joining us.
"Hey guys, where's our meeting room?"
Meeting room, what is he talking about? I'm not even sure where we are and what just happened. I'm not really sure how to respond. YauMan starts mumbling.
"There's not even hotel. Where's our hotel?"
"I was just kidding, you tell me Yau."
"Hmm... this situation is in one word, far from ideal."
While the guys continue their conversation, I am wiping the sweat off my forehead and decide to head towards the rest of the group. Everyone is talking, but no one seems to know what's going on. I thought there was eighteen of us, but when counting the heads I only see seventeen.
"Hey Ace, is someone missing?" The bald guy looks a little less puzzled than the rest of us.
"Yeah, Sash went looking for the bus." Sash is the flamboyant Jamaican guy if I remember correctly. He was the last person to arrive at LA airport and was the reason we almost missed our plane. He certainly left a poor impression, so now he's probably trying to make up for it.
"Oh, where is it?"
"Well, we don't know, duh." Right, that wasn't the smartest question to ask. I'm just confused about this whole situation. The group decides to stay together and wait for Sash to return.
"Welcome to the Kalahari Desert!"
All of a sudden three girls and a guy are standing in front of the group. They're all wearing hats, and these girls are way... attractive. I can't say I'm disappointed with what I'm seeing now, and a feeling of excitement for what's going to come is taking control of me. While I felt terribly crappy and confused a minute ago, right now there's a smile on my face. Bring it on!
"I am Amanda and these are my friends, DD, Parvati, and Erik. You all came here to play a game of diplomacy with the goal of becoming the new emperor of the Kalahari Desert."
Yes, that's what we came here for. We flew all the way from LA to Botswana to take over a part of the world that's currently no one's property. So far this all makes sense, except for the hotel part since it was promised to us that we would be getting a VIP treatment.
"You will all have to deal with bare circumstances, lies, and deception. That place over there is Deception Valley. It has lies. You hotel? Lie! Your bus? Lie! Sash? Lie! This desert and the heat?"
Amanda is obviously enjoying all of this. I am too. I'm a tad disappointed we don't get our hotel with wireless, but I'm excited for this adventure. One thing I am hoping for is that she's gonna say "Lie!" once more, because this heat is getting old already.
"As a future emperor, you'll deal with it. We will put you through competitions in a number of rounds, and in a month only one of you will be left standing. You will be crowned the new emperor of the Kalahari Desert and you WILL enjoy all the luxury that comes with it. Your first competition starts now!"
I'm confused. What? Where? Amanda is pointing at the place she just referred to as "Deception Valley". In front of it there are numerous planks with names on them. Am I hallucinating? Five minutes ago those planks weren't there. This is getting more and more obscure. Are these planks real?
"This competition is simple." DD is taking over from Amanda.
"You will need to build a bridge to your fellow competitors, grab bags of puzzle pieces, and solve the puzzle. The two finishing this in the shortest amount of time win immunity and are still in the running towards becoming the emperor of this desert."
Amanda continues. "The rest of you will have to show us that you have what it takes to play a game of diplomacy. No luxury meeting rooms will be available. All there is, is a campfire. At this campfire you will cast your vote and one of you will be flying home tonight."
This is nerve wrecking. The battle for power is about to begin and it is not going to be easy. With all the lies and deception out here, I am preparing myself for the worst. First priority is doing well in this competition, you never know what's ahead. This is going to be an adventure I will never forget. If it's actually real.
