You have powers you never dreamed of. You can do things you never thought you could do. There are no limitations in what you can do except the limitations of your own mind.”
- Darwin P. Kingsley
Camping, hiking, and amusement parks are three things that I do not do…ever. It was no surprise to me that the first major adventure that everyone wanted to take while in Arusha was a hiking trip. After much thought, and a pro’s and con’s list, I decided to join everyone on a hike to Mt. Meru. I woke up early, threw some clothes on, and thought I was ready to go. I had hiked once before in my life during Girl Scouts, so naturally I didn’t think this hike could be too bad. Wrong. I didn’t consider the fact that Girl Scouts were not hiking new terrain in Africa…and I’m not a 7 year old girl.
As we walked along our trail we met up with our guides Baraca and Tosh. These guys are pretty cool and new friends of mine.
I was beginning to enjoy the outside weather, the beautiful sun, the green, green grass…..and then the walk got a bit rough. Slowly but surely the gorgeous flat land began to take a major change that I was not prepared for. With great difficulty I continued to climb up the slope. I could not give up.
We were no longer near the city, but instead surrounded by fields of green and villages. It was so amazing to see people who had everything they needed within the confines of their land. As an American, or product of Western civilization, I can’t imagine my life without my iPhone, laptop, car, hot shower, etc. However, these people lived without all of these “necessities” in life. Part of what I am learning here in my classes is the right to development in human rights. Who are we to say that a country and its people “need” all that the industrialized world has to offer? Anyway…that topic is for a later post.
It took quite some time for us to reach our destination: the waterfalls. I had never seen a waterfall before so I was quite thrilled about his. However, getting from point A to point B was not very easy. Along the way I slipped in mud, was basically carried up and down the hill by Tosh, was bit by ants, and got my ankle caught between a rock. The ants here in Arusha are worse than the red ants in Texas. These ants will swarm you, climb up your leg, and then simultaneously bite your vital parts. Thank the Lord I only got bit by one!!! Anyway….it was amazing to see such beautiful nature.
While hiking we heard the wind blow through the trees, it sounded like rushing water. It takes one word to describe this: incredible. After hopping from rock to rock through valleys, and climbing through small spaces, we reached the waterfall. It was so, so beautiful. The whole time I was there I was just waiting for the water to be turned off, like we were at some sort of park.
Four of the girls in our group decided to run under the waterfall, which was freezing…. I however declined.
At this point I wanted to get a picture next to the waterfall….big mistake. I tried to climb up a slippery boulder with Tosh…and then completely fell down the rock. Keds + hiking do NOT go together. As I fell I took Tosh down with me, but he was a good sport and continued to help me. I unfortunately did not get my picture.
Along the way back we stopped to get refreshments at the side of the village road. It was crazy to see the children run away from us when we sat down because they had never seen white people before. I would have never seen that culture shock coming! While the children had their first white experience, many of the villagers thought I was a local Tanzanian and were speaking to me in Swahili. I only know two phrases that everyone here responds well to. Hello and how are you go a long way no matter where you are in the world.
The kids that were around us had never seen a camera before, so, they were thrilled to see themselves in a still shot. One of the kids was a clever little con-artist. When we wanted to take his picture he said “money”….we didn’t want his picture that badly.
Though I had bruises and a sore body, the hike was so very worth everything. I guess I do enjoy a good challenge. I enjoy nature for what it is. I hope my pictures reveal that. I can’t imagine hiking up a mountain to get home. The villagers have to do that every single day…wow. These wonderful people are fine just the way they are and can teach the world something. I truly learned from a simple hike.
I know I am only 20 and haven’t had crazy experiences in life, but I wish to inspire at least one person with my writing while being abroad. I didn’t think I could climb Mt. Meru, but I made it to the waterfall. I never thought I would be able to make it to Africa, but I’m here. God asked me a few years ago to write down my dreams, and to make them big…so I did. Today, I need to dream bigger because these dreams are becoming a reality. You can do anything…really. The world is at your fingertips. Reach for the stars; you never know when you might catch one.
xx
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