My mom’s a trooper

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My mom defied her every instinct and flew a million miles around the world to see us in Africa. That’s not exactly fair, of course, because her instincts told her very strongly that she wanted to see us (preferably back in the US, but short of that, she’d settle for Africa). What made her hesitate were her instincts about endless hours of air travel, not to mention the backdrop of harrowing famine and stubborn poverty in East Africa. One thing you must know about my mom is that her heart is so good, and so real, and so connected to others around the world, that she just didn’t think she could take a relatively lavish tour around Tanzania in the context of so many hungry and needy people. But we convinced her in the end, partly by threatening not to come home until October, and partly by reminding her of all the joyous, positive, hopeful, and productive things that are happening in Africa.

She was incredible. We dragged her on hikes that were long and steep; on buses where excessive crowds went hand-in-hand with excessive speeds; up and down roads that hadn’t been resurfaced since I was 12; and to saucy meals consumed entirely without cutlery. She withstood these adventures with so much grace and excitement, and never failed to find the humor and lessons in them.

Even more amazing than my mom’s physical tolerance was her engaging and open heart. She stopped to talk to old ladies, market mavens, ancient Swahili coast gentlemen, lots of little kids, and even the goats. She remained calm and collected even when the 576th guy asked us if we wanted to arrange a safari or buy his nifty carved elephant ashtray. She tracked down the KLM representative who had been so helpful on the phone and invited him to lunch where he shared with us stories of his northern Tanzania village life. She contacted a local chapter of Heifer International, an NGO she supports, and got us an incredible half-day tour of local sustainable agriculture projects. She made friends with a bright and engaging teenager named Victor and is now covering his school fees. She marveled at the wild animals, at the Zanzibar architecture, at the beautiful children, and ventured to explore the endlessly vibrant street life (even when it meant fighting for a lane on the sidewalk and having to jump over puddles and trash heaps). She helped us take off our ten-months-in-Africa glasses and see everything with new eyes. Thanks mom!

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Photos

Hurray!
We reached the waterfall! Our "short" walk traversed the hills, crossed the villages, bushwhacked through the jungle, and finally got us here. Phew.

Before the decent
This is before we know what we were in for. The view into Ngorongoro Crater is stunning. The ride down is torture. The park has the gal to charge a $100 decent fee per vehicle. Let me tell you, they are not using it on road maintenance.

John in the Box
Mom and Jonathon in our jack-in-the-box safari car.

KLM Lunch
Pendaele was so helpful to my mom while she was arranging her travel by phone from San Francisco, that she invited him for lunch in Arusha.

Another momma
A band of baboons in Lake Manyara National Park. Don’t worry, he’ll grow into those ears.

Heifer visit
Mom with Simon from Heifer International (left) and a farmer benefiting from Heifer’s support on farming techniques and zero-crazing cattle-raising.

The Avocado Ladies
We met these lovely ladies on the way up the trail in the Usumbara Mountains. Their avocados made for a delectable lunch.

Mom and Victor
Mom and victor hit it off right away. Now she’s helping him with school fees so he can make it through high school.

Sunday stroll
This walk in the Usumbara mountains took us through small hilltop villages, dense forest, and along glorious hilltops.

Comments

[Deb]

Loved the pictures and the text. Your mom is indeed a trooper!