Mwisho wa safari... The journey is over (for now)

Guess this will be the last blog of my journey… I’m not sure of where I left off or what details I’ve forgotten, but I guess that isn’t as important as knowing how this story ends. I don’t need to remind myself because a newfound conscious inside of me is a constant reminder: What have I take away from this? Who were the people that I met along the way? What did we accomplish? What still needs to be attained? What aspects of this newly discovered and developing life will I bring home? Who will listen to my words when I relay that they come from Tanzania? Why does this have experience have to end? Does it end? (If you read on, you will not find the answers to these questions. I’m still looking for them…)
I know… You’re reading this and thinking that I’m getting pretty soft. If you know me though, you’ll agree that I was a softy before and always have been. Maybe these questions, perhaps, are brewing from a person whose values are becoming as hard as the rusty clay that paves the streets of Iringa. Maybe those streets know more of value than I.
Everyone keeps asking, “Are you ready to come home? Are you excited about coming back?” Of course I am! I miss Kerri, my mother, my friends, and my dog. I miss reliable water (especially the hot kind) and the comfort of my own bed. However, I’m still not confident that I’ve taken in what Africa needs to show me. Every moment I’m here I graced with the love, joy and wisdom from friends I’ve made. They have taught me so much, but it's clear that I have much more to learn.
Last night, Ally told us a story. (Normally his stories take all night, but he made an exception to this one.) In reminiscing to him about the first time we met, he explained that we didn’t know the whole story. If you remember from the beginning of my story, Shaina had her $400 IPod Touch stolen while in Dar Es Salaam. When we got on our bus to Iringa, Ally got off at the first stop to get us some bottled water. We were a bit nervous because the bus was pulling away and Ally was not on with us. When he got back on at the next stop, a distance from where we last saw him, he said that he had to see a friend. His friend must have given him a ride to the next stop. That’s the story that we knew and didn’t ask any more questions. When Ally, reluctantly, was retelling the story last night he explained his whereabouts. Ally had seen the tears in Shaina’s eyes and felt for her. (Remember we haven’t know this man for more than twelve hours.) He ran back the area that Shaina was pick-pocketed and asked a shoe shiner for information about the stolen device. He gave the man 1000t/sh and the man said that if he told Ally who the culprit was it would put him in danger. The shoe shiner did direct him to an alleyway where criminals go to immediately hock the goods that they just stole. Alley went to the hangout and bribed another group of individuals for information on the IPod. They said that they would get the IPod back in one day’s time. Unfortunately the bus had already moved on and time was something that we did not have. Ally gave his phone number and offered a reward of 10,000t/sh (a lot for street thugs) if returned. Ally ran all the way to our next bus stop, bought two waters, and acted as if nothing had happened. Unfortunately we never got the IPod back, put I ask you this… Risking missing a bus or not, how many friends would do that for you? How many of you would do such a thing for a friend? If your friend did do such a kind thing, would you hear about it? Maybe altruism isn’t just an ideal… maybe it does exist in mankind. Maybe it’s exclusive to places where people haven’t lost sight of what’s truly valuable in this world, or perhaps it’s unfortunately just not as present in our American culture. It’s another small (meaning not small at all) lesson that I will take back with me.
In the past few days I went camping on the Ruaha River and walked the 20km back to Iringa Town alone. The food at Riverside was first class. The accommodations (including a hot shower) were more than I could have asked for. The views were majestic, especially the sunset and sunrise by the waterfalls. The conversations with fellow travelers were wonderful. But it was the time that I sat meditating that surpassed all else. I always forget how content I am simply reading a good book (something I'm embarrassed to say I seldom do). It gave me time to reflect on my time here. I had thought about staying another night, but I had this strong desire to go back in town so to collect and organize my pictures of Tanzania and spend more time with my friends. I went home and immediately began working on a slideshow of my trip. I’m not nearly done yet, which is why I must say for the last time, “Goodbye Rafikis!” I’ll see you back in the US. Hopefully, I’ll be done with my picture collection by then…

And to you Africa, you've captured my heart and filled it up with an unexplainable peace. I love you Africa and will see you again! Next time I promise to bring you stories of how I've done my part to change myself for the better. I hope I've changed a piece of you.

Thanks you all for following along!
Don't forget to read Shaina's blog at http://sbuckles30.wordpress.com

Adventures in Africa

Where do I begin? The tea time / volleyball game event was a delight. We toured a dairy farm and played “beach” volleyball with some mwazungos (white folks) that were in town on holiday. The next day we took a VERY bumpy ride to Ruaha in the jumpseats of a jeep-like vehicle. Before we even entered the national park we were greeted by elephants, zebra, and giraffes. When we entered the actual gates, we saw waterbucks and hippos. Just the tip of the iceberg… Upon arrival we were treated to a lunch unlike any other meal we’ve eaten in Tanzania (salads AND deserts). The camp is run and owned by Chris Fox, an Englishman who was born and raised in Tanzania’s bush. For this reason the cuisine is five-star, plentiful and tea time is all the time. Before going on our first game run, we looked around our bandas, tents with thatched roofs, a sitting area with a hammock, private bath… the works. On the run we immediately came across a family of tembo (elephant). Elephants are the most feared animal because of their ability to trample you to death. One of the mothers, the matriarch, decided that we were too close to the newborn and “mock charged” us. As Jim Pullen stated, “It’s a ‘mock’ charge, until it isn’t…” On that same trip our guide, Samson, pointed out every almost every animal Ruaha had to offer. Lions were walking away from a kill ten feet from us, zebras were all over, warthogs ran away with their tails high, and giraffes were a common site. (Ruaha should be called “Giraffic Park”) We returned to the camp about sunset. The sunsets in Africa are the best in the world but they were even more beautiful behind the silhouette of the baobob. Dinner at the camp was a full feast, surpassing even our lunch, lit by candles and lanterns on the dry river bed that is raging during the rainy season. It was hard to sleep that night, not just because of the excitement of being in the camp but also because the lions that were roaring right behind our tent kept my heart beating. Elephants rubbing against the palms kept Jan up as well.
Coffee was served in bed the next morning. We got up early to catch an early game run. This run was probably the best. We had a picnic breakfast underneath a baobob on the top of a hill that overlooked herds of elephant and giraffes. The cinnamon rolls were the first to go. That morning on the safari, the only animals that seemed to be awake were the baboons and impalas, but after breakfast we saw our most exciting site of the trip. Two giraffes, a male and a female, were right next to the road. As we were looking at them another male, bigger than the first, came walking up from the other side of our opened vehicle. Right away we new something was out of the norm. There was this unexplainable vibe that one could only pass as instinct. The two male giraffes began to stand off for the rights to the female. (This is where you’re probably thinking, “Aww… how cute… two giraffes… what damage could they possibly do?” Right?) Our mouths were wide open to these two giraffes beating each other by means off their hard heads and huge necks. One blow dropped the other giraffe to his knees. The brutal fight lasted about a minute and ended with the bigger one chasing off the weaker and now bloodier one. Luckily, I caught it all on video! Crazy! After that we never looked at those “cute” giraffes the same again. We saw lion cubs, buffalo, countless bird species, monkeys, gazelle, dikdik, hyrax, guinea foul, and I’m sure I’m forgetting a lot. Oh yeah… when we returned from our day run, monkeys had stolen my coffee mug from the morning and threw it off the roof after I caught him. Bad little monkeys! They liked to play just outside of our tent and one even paid Jan a visit in the bathroom. The full day was concluded with another lovely gourmet dinner, campfire, and drinks. I thought the night’s excitement was over but the scariest moment happened when I, being sluggish from dinner, was walking too far back from Shaina and our guide to the banda. I heard a strange growl (stranger than the lion’s from the night before) and focused my torch on a hyena not fifteen yards from me. Its eyes were an unforgettable green. Scary! The guide looked back and made Shaina uneasy because her guard was not focused on her in the dark. I made it back in the tent and told Stan, my roomy, what had happened. The hyena had already walked off, but the eyes of jackals could be seen fairly close to Sunita and Shaina’s tent.
The next morning we were scheduled to leave, but I hadn’t gotten enough of the bush and decide to do a 6:00am walking tour before we left. Samson was my guide. He prefaced the walk by saying, “We’re going to have a “mild” walk, exploring animal tracks, birds, and feces around the camp.” The hour walk was very educational. I learned how to track every animal we’d seen, make rope out of baobobs, and discovered the complexity of animals’ skeletal remains. We were looking at dung tracks when we heard a grumble (not my stomach). We had unknowingly walked into another herd of elephants. They’re surprisingly quiet until they want to be noticed. The young mother made herself known with a mock charge. No problem… except this time I didn’t have the protection of a vehicle. Samson made sure that the four of us slowly backed up. He explained that we had a “close call” and should probably return back to camp. While we retreated the matriarch of this family got wind of our smell and began stampeding towards us. Samson yells, “Okay, start running!” Normally when an elephant (like a lion or other wild animals) begins to charge, you are supposed to stand your ground, so I knew it was bad when Samson said to run. The four of us got away safe, but I still got a picture off… unbelievable! It was an exciting end to an exciting adventure…
But it didn’t exactly end there…
On the way out of Ruaha, we were going to stop by the hippo pool. We were abruptly stopped by a speeding car coming around an S-curve. We had had our second (be them both minor) car accident of the trip. The first was a fenderbender. This one did a small amount of damage to front frame of the car that Miraji, our friend who was our driver for the trip, had borrowed. Pole sahna…. “So sorry…” The thing that really makes this story interesting is that the truck that hit us was carrying (wait for it…) barrels that read “JET FUEL”. I can’t make this stuff up. We actually hit another truck carrying jet fuel. While Jim and I stood guard, watching for possible oncoming vehicles and/or dangerous animals, the owner suggested that we drive to the nearby airport (aka. “dirt road”) that should have some “tools”. The “tools” didn’t include a crowbar… instead we pulled the frame away from the front wheel with bamboo sticks. We still made it to the hippo pool with enough time to make it out of the park in time. The ride back wasn’t nearly as long as the ride there for some reason. What a trip!
The next day we did some shopping in the market, then came back to the flat to find out that we have no running water (and won’t for another week). Our last class that was supposed to be six days long was changed the night before class began to only three days. The college teachers had a different view about why they were in class with us and requested that the class be shortened to two days. It was not the success that we were hoping for. I guess two out of three ain’t bad. It was a learning lesson in cultural differences between college professionals and… us. Just one more lesson in a journey of newfound knowledge I suppose.

Ruaha... Here we come!

I’ve taken the hike to Gangilonga (the flat lookout point that the famous Hehe leader, Chief Mkwawa did much of his soul searching) twice now, but I think that even if I do it a hundred times it will continue to give me a sense of exhilaration that I (again) cannot put into words. Soul searching is inevitable. The climb to the top requires you to wedge yourself up a crack in between two boulders in order to get the full view of Iringa town. It’s covered in local graffiti (which I usually dislike), but it strangely adds a bit of character. Maraji, who took me up there the first time, was telling story after stories about the names tagged on the big rock.
The second time that we trekked up to Gangilonga we barely made it back in time to catch our ride to Image Secondary School. Image is about 50km from Iringa but a two hour very bumpy drive. Image’s village has no electric or modern amenities, but it has more character than you could believe. Surrounded by mountain, it is almost completely self-sufficient on its own farming. It get’s its water supply from a distant mountain and produces large amounts of sunflowers. We were greeted with a warm welcome much like Lugalo. Students performed skits, martial arts, gymnastics, and sang songs. We danced! Before we took a tour of the beautiful school, we had a delicious meal and had wonderful conversation with the faculty.
Image has about 50-60 students per class. They have a computer lab that runs off of solar power thanks to Global Outreach. The students are boarded there and have assigned duties that keep this “school in the bush” tidy. It was a phenomenal day. Jan, Jim, Shaina, Sunita, and I were elated with joy. We all agreed that one reason that Stan may have sent us out visit the school was to understand that people can do with what they have. We spend too much time and money on “things” that others happily go without. “Make due with what you have and never take what you have for granted” was the lesson for the day. When we left we stopped in the village to talk to the children. I got to play a little football (yes… I’m talking about soccer) and we handed out some of the sugar cane that was given to us.
The next day, we woke up and drove to an archaeological dig, called Isimila. Thousands upon thousands of tools can be found near the dry river beds. The tools date back an estimated 60 to 100 thousand years ago. Stone Age slingshots, axes, and other tools can also be found. The area resembles that of Colorado with its sandstone columns that tower the bygone river. That night we all went to Maraji’s house for the best and most filling meal I’ve had yet. He has a wonderful family! It seems as if each day here proves itself to be better than the last.
We will be doing most of our souvenir shopping today before we head out for the weekly Saturday volleyball and tea picnic at a nearby farm. Tomorrow we head out to the great Ruaha National Park. This will probably be my last blog until I return. So take care rafikis, and take a look at the good things all around you. They’re a lot more precious than you think…

See Shaina's Blog!

Short on words today rafikis... make sure you're following Shaina's blog http://sbuckles30.wordpress.com/. I'm sure between the two of us you can piece together the whole story.

Lugalo! Lugalo! We are Lugalo!

On Saturday, we tried to make it up to Gangilonga (a word from the oldest tribe, the Hehe, that means "speaking rock") but ended up going to the top of another peak higher than Gangilonga. We trekked through the prickly trees and made it to the top of the mountain's peak. There were boulders everywhere and the view of the Iringa area was breathtaking. Allen and I managed to climb up on some of the boulders for a scary perspective. I was literally trembling because of the height. We're still planning on going to Gangilonga in next couple of days. In the evening, Sunita joined us for a beverage at a local watering pool hole. Pool is played on the same size tables here. but the balls are smaller. Jan made it in town (with all of their luggage) that night. They made great time considering their hour and a half delay in Dar. Jan and her husband, Jim, went directly to a Rotary function and for the first time we had all "the boys" (Ally, Allen, Miraji, Shaina, and I) together for dinner. Good times!
The next day I thought I'd treat myself to something special, a massage at the Hilltop Lodge on the south side of the town. For 15,000 shillings (about $10) I had a nice 1/2 hour pampering. The funny thing was that they don't do massages on the weekends so we initially left. The registration lady came out and offered to try it herself. She kept apologizing, asking if I was okay, and talking the whole time. It was still a nice treat though. We went to the market after and laid down for the first nap I've had in a very long time. It was a lazy day. Until...
We headed over to Lugalo Secondary School, Saint Stephen's sister school, and met up with Jan, Jim, Sunita, Stan, and Ally. When we walked up we were greeted by the entire school singing us songs and clapping for us. Jan was presented with a necklace, earrings, a bracelet, and a wrap (a "conga". Sunita and Shaina were dressed in a conga as well. Jim and I were dressed in traditional shirts, and Stan was given a mask for himself and a conga for his wife, Betty. We met in the headmasters office before seeing the videoconferencing room (decorated in Saint Stephen's green and gold) and computer lab. Lugalo officials led us into a dining area where a gourmet meal was awaiting us. The ceremony that preceded the meal was a couple of hours long and included poems, songs, skits, and traditional African dances. (This is where I'm going to have a tough time verbalizing the experience.) It was incredible. By far the best experience I've had here yet. I was in tears (of joy) watching the dances and hearing the songs. It was too beautiful for words. Jan, Sunita, and Shaina got up and danced with the girls and we finished up by taking a million pictures with the students. (I'm still not explaining this the way it should be explained.) It may have been the most honoring event of my life. They said that their goal was to make us feel more Africanized. Did they ever! My cheeks were hurting from the perma-grin smiles and I could not stop my eyes from filling with water. I've been graciously welcomed by people before but never on this scale. We will be visiting Lugalo again on Wednesday for the teleconference with Saint Stephens. I'm very excited seeing the "other" side of the screen. Jim, Ally, Shaina, and I walked back to the flats and we finished the night with some great conversation before hitting the bed very early! We awoke this morning and made our way back to Kitchingani for the first day of headmaster training. We were originally slated to begin at 8am. It's now 10am and we're still waiting on half the class. As I mentioned before "time" in Tanzania is... different. Hope all is well back home! Remember to Check out Shaina's blog at http://sbuckles30.wordpress.com/

Poa Friends. Poa Laughs. Poa Times.

Like the Jeffersons, we've moved up to a deluxe apartment in the sky! We've made the final move to our accommodations at an apartment not so far from the Lutheran compound that I was originally staying in. The place is immaculate! Decorated in traditional Tanzanian decor, this place has everything: three bedrooms, two bath, dining room, living room, full kitchen, balcony, a house keeper named Grace in charge of all chores including laundry, double lined mosquito nets, hot water showers, and western-style toilets. We've gone from living like peasants to living like kings! It's wonderful, but there was still something I'm going to miss about our previous meager rooms... simplicity. I was content with what I had. It was an awesome feeling being free of all the "normal" amenities that I've been accustomed to (although I did miss hot showers). Content isn't an adjective that I would usually use to describe myself, but there was something about washing clothes in the sink and hanging them out to dry, uncomfortable beds, and the sound of bells or roosters in the morning. Don't get me wrong. I'm happy that I'm finally closer to Stan and Sunita, and I appreciate the hospitality that has been shown to us by allowing us to stay here. However, I feel like I've taking huge lunges back to American ways, something I'm not sure I'm ready for yet. Late tonight, Jan Pullen comes into Iringa town. She's on the bus as I type. I look forward to seeing her and showing her around. She's going to love it!
Because Ally went to pick up Jan in Dar, we went out without him last night. We had a new friend with us though. Miraji was one of Stan's first students. He's been helping with our classes and showed us a "secret" dive, famous for chipsi ma yai (yum!). So far I've tried some interesting foods, including grilled cow heart, but the food that we ate last night at "Miami" may have been the best. It was certainly the most we've eaten at one time. Lamb, ugahli, cow tail soup, chicken, and fried bananas in pepper juice eaten with our hands... so good! Of course we couldn't have gone out without a few hours worth of laughs and some interesting stories. To quote Miraji, "kula kila kitu!"... "eat everything you can!" It was so great to go out with a new rafiki!
Our teachers "graduated" today. It was a great moment for them and for us. They presented us each with presents, tapestries for Sunita and Shaina and necklaces for Kerri (my girlfriend) and I. Very sweet! We return the kindness by showing them a slide show of pictures that we'd been taking of their amazing progress. It was a bit of a tearjerker. It seems like we're making real advancements. The students were all given flash drives and email accounts. The one thing that they still need is projectors. For $7,000 we could provide all of the Global Outreach schools with them. It would revolutionize learning here forever! If you have any ideas or are able to donate, let me know...
We're going in just a moment to the market and to Gangilonga, a lookout point on the top of a gigantic boulder that overlooks the valley. I'm so excited! Until next time rafikis!

Napapenda Hapa!

Napapenda hapa! (I love it here!) We didn’t celebrate the Fourth of July this year with a cookout or a fireworks display, but I couldn’t have asked for a better day. We finalized our T3 (Teaching the Teachers) program, and our team (Sunita, Shaina, Stan, and I) met up for dinner at the Ruaha Lodge Restaurant. Dinner was delicious, but the best part was that we all had some quality time to sit and chat about the days we’ve had and the ones to come. Shaina and I polished of the night at an establishment that resembled a cardboard box. The tender was a riot!
The next day, Shaina and I joined Ally in town for breakfast. We wandered the streets for a bit. I bought a new short at a secondhand store down an alley that I will never be able to locate again (Thanks Ally! I love the shirt!) We strolled around and bought fresh grilled corn on the cob, sugar cane, and Baobob seeds (Baobob is the famous African tree that appears as though its roots are reaching for the sky. It has very few leaves, if any.) Baobob seeds cannot be eaten, but Tanzanian cover them in sugar and suck on the coating. I even sat down for a second to have a pair of sandals sized that a street vender made out of used tires for about . It's amazing what you can find in the market!
After shopping we hiked up one of the village trails to the top of the mountain ridge and had a late lunch in tiki-like huts. The food was the best yet! The weather was perfect, and we had a breathtaking view of city! Allen graced us with a "short" Tanzanian story (2 hours long!!!!). Another laughing fit began. What was the story about? I still haven't a clue...
After our long day, we returned home. I walked the 2 kilometer dirt path to the bishop's house. Unfortunately, when I got there I realized that I was locked out (again). I decided that it was best to walk back towards town and stay with a friend. I met up with "The Germans", our friends working in Tanzania with the Lutheran Church. We exchange a lot of laughs and enjoyed some bamboo juice (which was three-quarters the way to fermentation - not bad). The next morning, I went back to my house, hoping to get in - I did. Too bad someone had to lock me in the building this time. It made for another good laugh when people started to come check on me.
The first days of T3 went far better than even I had anticipated. The experience of working with this amazing collection of people is wonderful. They were reluctant at first to come out of their shells but have been quickly becoming more and more involved with discussions and activities. We usually walk into the village for some chipsi (fried potatoes - I like mine with egg, onion, and pepper sauce), and at night we try out a new diner.
On Tuesday morning, Stan came to me and said my bags had arrived. I was excited... for only a few moments though. I passed out some of the candy I had packed and grabbed a shirt off the top. But then I started thinking... What was in this bag that I really needed? Why is it so heavy? What in the world made me think that I needed so many things? How will I lug this stuff around? Why would I want to? It had seemed that I got my bag and it had become more of a curse than anything else. I was content (not a word I can use to describe about myself often). I was just as happy with the clothes on my back as I would have been with all the amenities in the world, perhaps much happier. For some reason, I think that I learned one of those life lessons that everyone preaches about and tries to follow, but they never really realize it until they have no choice but to live it. It's been a couple of days since I opened the bag. I'm still content sink-washing and wearing the same three outfits I had before.
Yesterday, I woke up to not only church bells but also to the shrilling sound of a hog being tied up and thrown in the back of a small car right outside my window. I'm not a vegetarian by any means, but the sound that the pig made is definitely putting a new perspective in my mind. When we arrived at school we quickly got started but halted when the Bishop arrived to see our progress. He delivered a speech to the class that motivated me even more than I had been. When we ate lunch with him, we saw a completely different side of him. He was a hilarious and continued on his Obama talk. Obama is seemingly more popular than he is in the USA (if that's imaginable). Everyone loves Obama! Everyone! We presented PowerPoint presentations in the afternoon. Goosebumps and tears. The students did so well and seem like they will actually be using what we're giving to them. Perhaps we truly are changing the course of Tanzanian education, a remarkable feeling.
I've been locked in and out of my room several times, bribing the guard is apparently the only solution. It doesn't matter because today we will move to our final residence, the apartments that Sunita and Stan have been staying in. I must say the prospect of a hot shower is one amenity that I'm looking very much to.
Last night, Allen Ally and I went out to dinner. The running joke is that Tanzanian time is much different than American. We waited for over three hours to receive half of the food we ordered. It didn't matter... laughing fills the soul and the stomach I guess.
Make sure you check out Shaina's blog for all of the details that I've forgotten:
http://sbuckles30.wordpress.com/
Until the next time I get a chance to type a few words... tutaonana baadaye! (see you later!)