Read journal entries from trips to Zimbabwe and Micronesia going all the way back to 1994, notes from Elias and blog entry’s from people currently in Zimbabwe.
Wednesday, November 16th, 2005
Tonight I felt Africa becoming a part of who I am. I had been told by many that once you have been to Africa and really experienced it, it will be with you forever. As we sat with Elias and his family in their home lit by a lantern and listening to Elias talk about the changing times in Zimbabwe I realized how much I had changed. I could here people singing and clapping a little ways off in the Section 5 compound. The crickets were chirping loudly outside and their music blended beautifully with the laughing and screaming of the children outside. In that moment, watching Elias’ smiling face laugh and talk by the dim light of the lantern I felt as though I gained a better understanding of the simplicity of life. I realized there is nothing more important in life than loving others. I came to see how Africa has changed me and become a part of who I am.
* * *
Saturday, November 12th, 2005
We met Elias on Thursday. He is such a friendly and humble man. Always smiling and so full of joy. He truly has no idea what all is happening in his name in the states. It’s perfect though, a loving, joyful, humble gardener in Zimbabwe is a symbol of hope and love to thousands elsewhere.
Zimbabwe has been both what I expected and also different at the same time. There seems to be a sense of deep despair but a true and deeper sense of hope. As we drove from Harare to Chiredzi I noticed how there seemed to be no one around. I had become used to seeing people walking all over the roads and small villages and towns all over the land in the rural areas of Uganda and Rwanda. It was a bit of an eerie feeling. The vast cemetery we drove by spoke volumes of the AIDS epidemic here and the impact it has had. There is a sense of despair here that I’ve never experienced. It’s a strange feeling. It’s not that poverty, starvation, death and destruction or overwhelmingly visible. It’s all here but in some ways it’s hard to see. There is no sense of value because inflation is rising incredibly quick and it is hard to predict. A loaf of bread may cost 50,000 (Zim dollars) this week and 150,000 next. The despair mixed with the great sense of hope are hard contrasting emotions to grasp.
* * *
Friday, November 11th 2005
I’m writing by the light of our fire deep in the bush of Zimbabwe surrounded by elephants and a sky lit by the Southern hemisphere stars. Never would I have guessed I’d experience something like this.
We got up this morning and prepared to head into the bush. Go-go made us some porridge for breakfast, which was very good. We packed up our things and organized our plans and headed out of Chiredzi. It was Dan, Scott, Adam, Matt, Shane, Tore, and I all packed into Tore’s little small pickup. Scott and I rode in the bed of the truck during the 4-5 hour trip, which was a bit dusty, but quite enjoyable. We talked about life, school, places we hope to travel to, our aspirations. We sang songs and laughed at some dumb jokes. My favorite was singing Cat Stevens “Wild World” as we drove through the Zim countryside.
We found a spot to set up camp wandered down to the river below us to catch the sunset. As we approached the river there were three elephants at the water drinking and washing. We were able to get within about 30-40 meters of them. They watched us pretty intently but we were able to keep them at ease. We were a little on edge at one point when two of them stared directly in our direction with their ears perked, which Tore told us was a sign they are upset and might attack. He told us to run directly into the setting sun if they came after us as it would blind them. It never came to that though, and they turned and headed back up the river embankment. We walked further down river watching the setting sun paint the nearby cliffs pink, purple, blue and a deep red. A pack of impalas and a few baboons were startled by our presence and scurried off into the trees. We sat in the sand and watched as several groups of elephants came down to the river to drink. It was all very surreal. |
