Gladness

2-16-11

                Today for community service we visited an orphanage. The children’s parents have all died from HIV/AIDs and they have no other family. It was the cutest and saddest experience, but very rewarding. Today was just an introductory visit so that we could see the orphanage, meet the director and play with the children. The other days we go we will be building playground equipment, painting the schoolroom and finishing their kitchen. Upon arrival to the very small orphanage that consists of one building I met this adorable 4 year old named Gladness at least that is what I think her name is. When I asked her what her name was she mumbled and it sort of sounded like she said glue, but when I asked the teacher he didn’t understand and then said what sounded like gladness. SO I just smiled and tickled her and didn’t say her name. But I like the idea that her name is gladness. It wouldn’t be unusual in this area if that was her name. I’ve met an Innocence, Sweetie and Harmony already so I’m just going to assume Gladness is a normal name. I had the most fun I’ve had all trip and I’ve been having a blast. It wasn’t just fun, it was happiness. I love working with children and to see the smiles on their faces was so amazing. More incredible then seeing three elephants within reaching distance of our land-rovers, ok make pretty equal. I can’t wait to go back. And the director is an artist who sells his paintings and drawings to tourists or mzungus (white people) like me to help fund the orphanage. They are supposedly supported by the government, but whatever support they receive is pitiful. I can’t wait to be older and having children, I’m going to adopt one of those cuties immediately! We did finger-painting and gave them Fanta sodas we bought in Rhotia, which they chugged! Then Mikayla and Greg sang songs with their ukeles. They both have amazing voices and I love hearing them sing.  We sang F*** You by Ce Lo Green, but the Glee/Radio version which is much more appropriate. Not that they know what we are saying anyways. When we finally left it was really difficult not to have tears. They were so happy to see us and they have practically nothing, no family or culture and barely the clothes on their backs. I wish my Jumpstart buddy from last year (remember the she-devil Gabi?) could see/experience their living conditions. It breaks your heart. But anyways, my new facebook profile picture is of me and Gladness.

In other news: I taught a member of the staff, Paulo, the word yummy. We were standing in line waiting for food and he asked me in Swahili if I was hungry and I said yes, but the food looks yummy. Then Paulo asked “what was that word yummy” with a confused look on his face. I explained that yummy basically meant good food. Of course I bossed it out and said it in Swahili. LOL

On Valentine’s Day we went on a hike in Ngorongoro Crater, an old volcano, to see the Elephant Cave Waterfall. The soil in the crater is especially nutritious and full of minerals since it was a volcano and the area is really lush, but the elephants dig these holes/caves in search of the minerals. It’s so cool and huge. There is a LOT of elephant dung!! I may have slipped in it while attempting to cross a muddy river. LOL Don’t worry I had anti-bacterial baby wipes. It’s sort of like when I went whale watching the whales stank of dead fish, no one thinks to mention the stench that follows these beautiful animals. The dung was not only plentiful but by the time I left I smelled like it. Then after the caves we walked to the waterfall and it was so cool. We are just walking along following a trail next to a stream and then all of a sudden the land in front of us just stops and there is open sky, welcome to the waterfall. There was a beautiful view of the crater and you could see clear to Serengeti. Luckily it had cleared up after several hardcore days of rain and the sun was shining, so our view was spectacular. We then walked up the very steep crater back to the land-rovers.  

That is an amazing story in itself… but it doesn't end there. We had some drama in-between the caves and the waterfall. So the caves have been carved out of a very moist hillside and there is sort of an arch that goes around the caves but above it that you can walk on. And although the caves look stable they are actually very fragile, as evidenced by the skulls of water buffalo crushed by cave ins. So one girl, a very adventurous sort, climbs up there and is standing at the top. We all instantly think that is a good idea and begin to follow her. Having short legs I can’t climb directly over the caves and have to find a longer route around and up a very steep hill to get to the top. The view was very cool and I took tons of photos as I chill with people at the top, but by this point Margret, Greg, Joshie, Luke and Sam have disappeared up what appears to be a trail, but really is just a path used by animals. I start to follow, but Mikayla’s words of wisdom held me back, slash it looked very creepy and not like an official trail. She said she didn’t know where the trail led, our guide was at the bottom of the caves and that we should stick with the group. So instead we listened to the cool bird noises, such as the tropical boubou (the name sounds like when you were little and you hurt yourself your mom said you had a boubou, if that helps). It makes the coolest noise and is aptly nicknamed Bell Shrike and is black and white. After a little while Erica yells at us all to come down so we can head to the waterfall. But I noticed that Luke, Greg, Margret, Sam and Joshie weren’t back… I tell Johanna, the Swahili teacher who just happens to be a Maasai warrior, that I couldn’t find them. We set off on the sketchy-not-really-a-trail and follow their footprints. Yes he totally can do that, but we lost them almost immediately because some water buffalo had crossed the trail and made the human footprints disappear. So baller that he did that and I was there! Johanna starts lecturing me about the perils and dangers of Ngorongoro crater and how I shouldn’t ever wander off without the group or guide, and especially not on a clearly animal-use only trail. He then begins to tell me about how there are leopards and hyenas and other dangerous animals in the woods and that it is exceptionally dangerous to be in there by yourself. I found the lecture interesting, but I wasn’t the one who was lost so a little pointless. I realized he was lecturing me out of worry for those not back yet. So we go to tell Erica who is missing and right as we say that, Luke, Sam and Joshie come strolling towards us. I was so relieved, for all of five minutes when they told us they couldn’t find Greg and Margret… They had all headed down the not-a-trail at different times and once they reached a fork in the road had turned around so as not to get lost. At this point Erica and the guide are starting to look really worried and making sure no one else is missing. Ten minutes go by and still no sign of Margret and Greg. Then all of a sudden out of the bushes way down the muddy river pops out Greg, covered in sweat, bright red and clearly looked relieved to see us all waiting. He tells us that he had headed down that stupid trail with Margret but when he wanted to turn back she said no and that she was going to keep going on. He turned around to head back alone, then realized he shouldn’t leave her alone, but got so turned about that he found himself lost and alone. He decided that if he could get to the river, which was down the hill, he could find us. Turns out he goes down the hill through stinging nettle and thorny bushes to the river and then goes the wrong direction. He realized he picked the wrong direction when he walked a long distance and came to a pasture with four elephants. He promptly turned around and ran (he was running the entire time he was lost because he was so worried) back to us. He knew where we were based on our noise; I will never apologize for being too loud again! But he had no idea where Margret was. Erica called the rangers to come help look for her, but they refused because it was too dangerous. So our drivers/assistants/chaperones Moses, Johanna and Charles all go looking for her, without wandering too far off. And every couple minutes or so we would all scream and whistle for Margret so that if she was in hearing distance she would be able to follow our voices. But the thing about this forest is that it absorbed all sound so completely that I doubt our voices carried very far. We waited over an hour and a half, even ate our lunches between screaming, before finding out where she was. She is totally fine now no worries but it had turned out that she had gotten lost shortly after Greg left because she turned around to go back with him but he was already gone and then she didn’t know how to get back. She went on a trail that extended far beyond the caves, in fact totally missed them, and then the trail had ended so she climbed a tree to look for the coffee plantation near our cars, then she found some locals and they pointed her towards the plantation, where she met up with a tourist group who took her back and then she waited for us to come all the way back (an hour and 15 minute hike up steep elevation by the way). She knows it was stupid, in hindsight and apologized profusely to Erica, but I don’t think I will ever forget that. We were told specifically that our actions have consequences far more dire than in America. If we get lost or injured then we put the staff in jeopardy to help us, besides risking the reputation of the program. And if I learned anything from years of exploring with Uncle John, all your actions in the wild must be thoughtful and planned ahead because even the slightest mistake can be a death sentence.  ESPECIALLY in AFRICA. After that horrible adventure we went to an Iraqw Boma, a local tribe’s tourist destination to learn the culture, and then into town where we got cheeseburgers at a tourist lodge (SO DELICIOUS). I bought some beautiful fabric and an Iraqw (sounds like earrock) beaded necklace that is gorgeous. Overall quite an adventurous day!

-Julie