visiting other worlds

Leaving aside the very well known fact that we are all spacefarers, being tied to a planet that makes revolutions around a star, which itself goes around an arm of a galaxy, I've just discovered that our own planet is hiding worlds that we do not know. And I am not talking about the worlds we can find in microscopes, the little particles and energy beams that make up the void that shapes us.

I am talking about worlds that we humans can experience with our senses. But not understand. Yet. New worlds, hidden from the eye of most humans for millions of year, and shaped by the forces of nature: chemistry, physics, but also biology.

I like to say "I've been to the house of gods, and I've seen things that you humans cannot even imagine". 

But how do I describe that world? My soul is still impregnated with the overwhelming sensations of its colours, its shapes, its sounds, its silence, its contrasts, its peacefulness ... and I have no words. I want to share the pictures, which I yet do not have, and the infinite awe that engulfed me. I'm in need of a poet, an artist, a musician, which is not in me. 

Privileged: that is what I can easily say. I feel privileged to have been amongst the 20 people who have ever left their footprints in that place. Carefully placed footprints, trying to always step on the previous ones, realizing to be an elephant in a christal shop, wanting to be able to fly over the thousands of speleothemes, all new to science. Those formations will help rewrite the science of speleology.

My mind is flying back there ... meeting my fellow explorers ... 

listening to yourself: what a weird experience

Today I found myself on the web. It's not as paradoxical as meeting yourself in time travel, but still it feels weird, especially when you did not really know you had been recorded for a radio interview.
In 2010, during a very challenging personal time, I was contacted by a journalist who had found my name in association with an article on astronaut survival training. She wanted to inject me into an IEEE special edition on Dream Jobs. It sounded interesting, so I decided to go along. I had a very interesting day long conversation with an exceptional person: a professional journalist and editor, extremely smart and competent, asking challenging and clever questions. She recorded all our conversations, and told me that I would be contacted for a radio interview, but then that appointment did not materialise. I had my first photo shooting session instead, in a very uncomfortable and unrealistical space suit dummy.
It's been a nice surprise to find the recordings of our day together today. I had been speaking to her the whole day, relaxed and sincere, so for the first time I actually enjoy listening to myself.
If you care to listen to it, advance to minute 20 http://www.prx.org/pieces/66100-dream-jobs-2011-outside-the-cubicle.
The IEEE article can be found here: http://spectrum.ieee.org/geek-life/profiles/dream-job-loredana-bessone.