Catchin' Up

Phew! Do I have some catching up go do! I can't believe that it's been more than a month since I stood on top of Mt. Kilimanjaro and watched the sun rise over Africa. This summer has flown by with such vivacity - a veritble whirlwind of different programs, hundreds of kids in and out of country, smiling children like autumn leaves jumping and dancing around you, football matches, mountains and rainforest and islands and vast arid planes, delicious foods including more fresh-off-the-tree avocados and bananas than you can count (actually, I have a running tally of bananas consumed, just to satisfy my curiosity :).

After Kili, I spent two weeks in the village of Poli, about 45 minutes outside of Arusha. It's a small village of approximately 2,200 people spead throughout banana groves with giant avocado trees and a few coffee bushes mixed in here and there. Most of the houses are hidden amongst the banana trees and kids would materialize, seemingly right out of said trees, to peer questioningly at the odd group of "wazungu", the swahili term for foreigners, traipsing by or to offer a cheery "Jambo!" and a wave. Often the kids would be drawn like magnets from their homes and before long we would have ten to twenty of them tagging along, listening intently to our conversations, asking and repeating our names over and over again and holding our hands. Children are just so lovable!

This was a one week program designed to connect well with either Climbing Kilimanjaro or Safari so the students can also take part in some community service and get a glimpse into Tanzanian life. Every morning, we drove from the base house to the village, the latter part up steep and deeply rutted dirt roads that turned into slip and slides any time that it rained. On more than one occasion we would have to pile out and push the bus or make the muddy trek up on foot.

We have worked closely with the directors of the school and the chairman of the village to assess the projects that will most benefit the community in the time that we have and our students have already finished and patched the veranda for the school so that the kids and teachers can pass easily from class to class when it rains, built a protective fence around the water pump, finished painting the kitchen that was built last year, stabilized and rendered walls around the school and have dug the foundation for an office building to house the village delegation.
It's a lot of hard work, mixing cement, carrying buckets of water and wheelbarrows of sand and rocks, but when the village kids pitch in, it makes everything seem easier and our students quickly gain an appreciation for this rustic way of life.

Each Saturday we joined the local football club in a rowdy match, chasing the ball up and down the uneven and pitted field, somewhat more reminiscent of of pinball machine than the smooth passing of the World Cup teams that we watched nearly every evening. High fives and tid bits of swahili were exchanged, friends and memories were made.

The first week, I had a group comprised entirely of girls and at some point, it was discovered that I had taught Zumba. Next thing you know, they all woke up early for an introductory Zumba lesson with me on the front lawn! The next week, we had a couple boys that joined in, one of whom reluctantly tried a step or two before getting into his own work out :). It was fun leading a 'class' again and getting in a little extra excersize besides the service work and occasional morning jog. The students also get to spend an afternoon with one of the families cooking traditional food, which is one of the highlights of the week. They are invited into Poli homes, stir locally grown beans and corn with utensils carved from the local trees and eat 3 different dishes out of these unique, beautiful little bowls with handles. I even commissioned one from the lady that teaches the students how to weave baskets out of banana tree skin (I got one of those as well! :).

Throughout my time working with Rustic Pathways, I cannot help but be a wee bit envious of these teens. I have been so blessed myself, with everything that I have been able to do and see, but just imagine if I had been able to begin my exploration of the world when I was sixteen! It is so nice to work with kids that really recognize the opportunities that they are being given and are in awe of the experience and likewise, it is equally distressing to meet kids that are already jaded at such a young age with a been-there-done-that, 'when do I get to go to my summer house in the Hamptons' mentality.

Speaking of the kids though, every summer I learn how far out of the teen loop that I've become. I like to think that I stay up on popular terms and I'm aware of current websites/youtube videos/pop culture (except when it comes to hollywood), but each year I am proved sadly out of date. Did you know that "wheeling" meant making-out or that "mobbin" meant going really fast? "Mons" means really big (as in short for monstrous), "witchita" is used for give me as in "witchta the eggs please" and words like jank, and bomb are the new over-used slang. Ha, what an entertaining education I get as each group exchanges the latest lingo from their respective regions.

Highlights from my three seperate Safaris, Zanzibar Paradise and my last two weeks of community service in a village up north soon to come!