Hi
all!
I
hope that this blog post finds you very well. I am doing great!
My apologies for the lack of updates—it’s been a busy couple
of months! School just started up again after a month long break. It was a much
needed and incredibly enjoyable break. I started out by traveling to the deep
south of Namibia with a group of 7 other volunteers to hike Fish River Canyon,
the second largest canyon in the world! We hiked the ~70 kilometers in four
days, carrying all of our gear with us. In order to cut weight, we decided to
ditch our tents and camp primal, under the stars. It was an amazing decision…
falling asleep looking up at a Namibian sky is unlike anything else. The hike
itself was challenging, as we decided to cut out a day of the hike and do it in
4 days instead of the typical 5 days. The terrain alternated between
watermelon-sized loose boulders and deep, deep sand. Needless to say, you can’t
cover the kms too quickly! While the hike was a challenge on my muscles, the
true challenge was for my feet. Unfortunately, my boots didn’t fit me very
well, and I ended up with about 10 blisters by the end of the second day and
about 25 by the third. For the last two days of the hike, every step was
excruciating. But, because of my awesome friends and their saint-like patience,
I hobbled my way along. By the last 1.5 days, my feet were so bad that my
friends even opened up my pack and divided the heavy items among the seven of
them in order to keep extra weight off of my feet. It was really humbling and
incredibly kind of them. I felt really bad having them carrying my share, but
also knew that it was the best thing for the group so that I could carry on. It
was an interesting experience for me to have because I’m used to being the one
to help others when they’re struggling in physical endeavors. For example, in
cycling, I usually volunteer to “pull” for the group and take the brunt of the
wind when others are struggling. In swimming, I would often go first to set the
pace when others were tired. Not being able to pull my own weight while
backpacking was difficult for me, but a good experience. Despite the
challenges, it was a phenomenal hike. I had so much fun and grew very close
with the seven other volunteers. I certainly chose a difficult hike for my
first backpacking trip, but it won’t be my last—that’s for sure!
After Fish River, I waddled my sore feet onto an airplane and
traveled over to Tanzania! I have two friends who are PCVs in Tanzania; Caitlin
is a friend from Glenview (home) and Elyssa is a friend from University of
Illinois. I realized a few months ago that May was going to be the last school
break that Cait & E were both still in Tanzania, so I decided that I’d
visit them then! Shortly after my decision, I was talking to my dad one Sunday
afternoon and told him about my plans. He (nearly) immediately responded, “Wow,
that sounds awesome! Can I come too?” to which I obviously responded with a
resounding “Yes!!!” My mom also decided to hop on board our crazy plan! I was
so excited for the trip, knowing I’d see my parents, who I hadn’t seen in
roughly 10 months, Caitlin, who I hadn’t seen in almost four years, and Elyssa,
who I hadn’t seen in two years. I met up with my parents in Dar Es Salaam. My
flight got in a few hours before theirs and I was waiting for them outside of
security when they got in… I caught of glimpse of them while they were
collecting their bags and had such a flutter of excitement run though me! It
was so, so wonderful seeing their smiling faces and giving them a bunch of big
hugs after so long without seeing each other. After a quick overnight in Dar,
we hopped on a ferry to Zanzibar, where Cait lives in her third year as a PCV.
Seeing Caitlin was so wonderful after so long!! We had a fantastic time with
her, seeing the natural beauty of Zanzibar (beautiful teal water, white sandy
beaches, tropical forest, etc.) and also getting a window into her life in
Zanzibar. She showed us one of the hospitals where she works as a liaison
between women in the maternity department and HIPZ (Health Improvement Project
Zanzibar), an NGO dedicated to lowering the startlingly high maternal
mortality rates on the island. It was really enlightening and humbling to see
one of the local hospitals. It didn’t look like any hospital I had ever seen
(in fact, it looked like an older Namibian school to me) and certainly made me
appreciate how developed Namibia really is. In addition, Cait showed us their
beautiful volunteers’ flat in Stone Town that had an absolutely stunning
rooftop terrace. If I were Cait, I certainly know how I’d spend every Sunday
afternoon :) It was so wonderful getting to visit Caitlin and catch up. But, all good things
must come to an end—our lovely visit with Cait came to an end when we hopped
back on board the ferry and traveled back to the mainland.
After an eventful mix-up with the car rental agency in Dar Es
Salaam, we finally got on the road to head towards Lushoto (where Elyssa lives)
around 11am. Google maps told us that the drive was about 6 hours, so we
weren’t too worried. Well… google maps doesn’t take into account that the speed
limit is reduced every ~4km while passing through villages or all of the
traffic—pedestrian, bike, tuk tuk, etc.— in the shoulder. When it was nearly
dark and we hadn’t even started the windy, narrow ascent up the mountain, we
were certainly nervous! We eventually arrived in Lushoto and certainly slept
well after a stressful day of driving. The next morning, we got in the car
again (this time with Elyssa as our guide and translator!) and headed out
towards Mtae, which is the last village at the end of the road at the western
edge of the Usambara mountains. We stayed at Mambo Cliff Inn, a lodge literally
build on the cliff of the mountain range where we could see out into a
beautiful, expansive, green valley. We also hiked up to the top of the
neighboring cliff where we could see into Kenya and see Kilimanjaro (though the
fog hid pretty much the whole thing). We had a fun night around the campfire
because the lush mountains are quite cold* in the evenings during the winter!
*Note: Cold for those who have adapted to living in the 100+
degree heat for most of the year. For my mom and dad, the weather was maaaaybe
“cool.” For Elyssa and I, it merited wearing every item of clothing that we had
at once, plus a hat and gloves.
After a night at Mambo, we headed back to Lushoto town to see
the vibrant market and tour the town. My mom might not have used the word
“vibrant” to describe the market… her word choice may have been something
closer to “claustrophobia-inducing” :P It was a bit chaotic for my liking as
well, but we got some AMAZING avocados there and I also got some fabric for a
new skirt. It was a fruitful endeavor! (Yes, pun intended.)
We spent the evening at a farm lodge up a bit outside of
Lushoto and enjoyed their farm-to-table food and the beautiful views! After
leaving the lodge in the morning, we went to Elyssa’s village for a quick visit
before getting on the road back to Dar. E’s village is absolutely stunning.
It’s nestled in an incredibly green and fertile valley. It may be a challenge
for her to get in and out of the village, but I’d say it certainly has its pros
as well! After a quick breakfast and coffee at E’s, we jumped back in the car
and started our game of “try not to run over all the people in the shoulder of
the road” again! The trip back was much smoother and less stressful. After we
got back into Dar, we took a taxi back towards the airport, as my parents’
flight out was that night. I was leaving in the morning, so they dropped me off
at an airport hotel and then headed out! It was really difficult saying goodbye
(I swear, it felt like my heart drove off in that taxi!) but it was made much
easier knowing that they’re coming for another visit for Christmas. I can’t
wait to see my WHOLE immediate family in South Africa for Christmas and New
Years! So many hugs! So much fun! I’m excited already!!
Ok, that’s certainly long enough for one post! Next up:
Beginning of Term 2!
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