Insimbi Day 3 and My Instagram-Diagnosed Personality: Somewhere Between “Too Quiet” and “Won’t Shut Up”

So, thanks to the memes on my Instagram feed, I have diagnosed myself as both an "empath" and an "introvert" - which basically means I’m a crying recluse.

Totally legitimate, obviously. If it’s on the internet, it must be true.

Lately, I’ve bumped into a few people on hiking trails who’ve read my ramblings online.

They are often surprised that the person behind the words mostly communicates through nods, shrugs, and nervous laughter - well, at first.

Apparently, I reach peak sociability somewhere between “nice to meet you” and “oh hey, you again.”

And worse, something about hiking flips a switch in me. Suddenly my inner introvert becomes an annoyingly social human.

And don’t even get me started on the moment someone asks, “Why are you so quiet?” Suddenly, I’m chatting way too much to prove I’m not rude.

So yes — if you ever catch me talking nonstop, it’s probably because someone triggered my “perform normal human behavior” protocol.

The Paradox Personality Starter Pack

In essence, I’m a one-person focus group for every personality disorder ever invented.

Which one is the real me? Honestly - all of them.

Lucky you if you meet the version that laughs more than she fumes.

Game Drive Fatigue Is Apparently a Thing

So by day three of the Insimbi Legacy Projects, I was officially "game drived out". Probably the only person in recorded history to ever utter those words.

I texted Lindy from CHC to say I’d skip the planned Sunday morning drive - and possibly annoy everyone who had worked so hard to organize the weekend.

Now, this trip was a mix of brand-new faces and a few “new-ish” ones - i.e people who’d only had to tolerate me in small, manageable doses before.

Naturally, my social anxiety was bubbling away

But on day one, I had walked in and spotted a familiar face from a previous hiking weekend.

Sweet relief. Finally, someone who (I think) actually got my “annoyingly social human” phases without faking a sudden fascination with the nearest plant. (Don’t tell her I said this, but honestly, I think it’s because we’re cut from the same slightly chaotic cloth.)

Turns out, she and her fabulous friend, plus two equally special ladies, were also skipping the drive.

The Art of Bunking Like a Grown-Up

So like naughty children bunking class, we found a bench, a tree and a whole lot of photo fun.

When everyone returned, there was another glorious breakfast and another insightful (read "long") talk that everyone else absorbed while I silently calculated my five-hour drive home.

Because that’s who I am — physically present, mentally packing.

Finding Balance Between “Quiet” and “Too Much”

So if you ever meet someone who’s quiet, chatty, or somewhere in between - know that they’re probably just trying to find that same balance.

It’s not antisocial behavior; it’s emotional energy budgeting.

And honestly? Aren’t we all just trying to calibrate between “leave me alone” and “please like me”?

Finding Peace in the Pause

This weekend brought no steep climbs, no endless trails, no sweeping views.

But it did offer something else— a front-row seat to conservation in action, African bush (the kind with thorns, not filters), and a reminder that sometimes saying yes before your brain catches up, leads to the warmest memories.

Oh, and the biggest anthill I’ve ever seen. Like, “should probably have its own postal code” big.

Just the biggest anthill I have ever seen 😯

So yes, I may be a self-diagnosed empathic introvert who occasionally avoids both people and game drives. But if you hand me a tree, a bench, and a good laugh - I’m all in.

As for Insimbi Legacy Projects, I was this close to saying, “Google it, I’m tired.”

But then I remembered — I’m a giver. A hero, really. So fine, I’ll do the homework (because I didn't completely listen in class), and spill all the details in a future blog.

You’re welcome. No need to clap..