Profile.

So here we go, it was bound to happen. I am officially a whole month behind with my blog posts. I was too busy doing to be writing it would seem - but as I anticipated it, I still have plenty logged to write about in the coming future, please be patient :)

A month ago today - although it literally feels like a year - I was invited up to Leicester to be interviewed about my Gambia experience. I had not anticipated however, having my photo taken. But I am not one to care much for personal appearance, I would never overly prep myself for much, so I guess this was a fairly appropriate and truthful representation of myself to be published. And I actually do quite like the photo. Last time this happened, when I was volunteer of the year aged 16, I had an acne prone face beneath a floppy mop, gleaming braced teeth disenchanting enough to compete with Ugly Betty.

Now when I look at this photo, I see that scruffy 16 year old boy shining through a somewhat matured 23 year old person. But the thing is - and it is weird to think about this - the person pictured here is literally not the same person that was photographed seven years ago. Our bodies are constantly rejuvenating and the cells that constitute our bodies are forever being recreated. So much so, that after a seven year period, each and every cell in your person has been replicated. Yet despite being physically different, we all maintain an essence of ourselves as we grow old. Our Character.

Sure, people change, physically and mentally, but an underlying persona always shines through. It's an inner self that's always personified in a smile, a stare or another sort of gesture. We may not always be conscious of it, but we consistently portray ourselves to other people. In fact, I often think about how we, really, have three selves - Ourself, the way we perceive ourself and the way other people perceive ourself.

The concept of having a profile picture, then, is a really interesting notion. Which picture, one picture, do you use to paint the picture you perceive of yourself to the general public? Now, I'm not sure everyone views this photo in the same way as I myself do, but I would like to think it is a fairly true reflection of myself, including the social awkwardness I always picture myself portraying. The question is, when you view your profile, do you see what everyone else sees?