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Published: August 8th 2007
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King of the Jungle
During the dryseason when the grass dries up, the lions are easily hidden. But the REAL King of the Jungle is the TseTse fly!!! Trust me on this one!! The Real Africa
Africa has two faces. There is the one Africa that is enchanting and mysterious where lions hide in the elephant grass, and the Maasai become men by killing those lions with nothing but their spears. There is the Africa where you can hike to the top of an active volcano at midnight and see the glow of the lava and feel the heat. There is the Africa where thousands of visitors come every year to see the Dark Continent for themselves, hoping to catch a glimpse of the magic that National Geographic is so good at capturing for the world to see. That Africa is here … it is advertised on just about every street. There are nearly as many safari touring companies here as any other business. You can pay to see the WILD Africa from the comfort of a new 4 wheel drive landrover, sleep in a real life tree house or in a tent on the Serengeti, and dine on a 5 course meal.
But the real Africa, the one you see when you look beyond the pages of the tour guide is what we see every day. Let me take you on
Cape Buffalo
Surprisingly this is one animal that even hunters fear. Looks like a big cow! Remember my hefer event? That was nothing compared to these guys! a safari of the real Africa.
Every morning we wake to the noise of chatter, dogs barking, and laughter as those who live behind us are greeted by their neighbors who are coming to get water from the water pipe located in their yard. Most villages have these water faucets located throughout the village and everyone shares the water. The kids come with or without their mother’s with buckets, and jugs of all sizes to fill them to carry back to their house. It doesn’t matter how old or how young, everyone helps.
The livestock are taken out to graze and to find water. There are no fences, no designated pastures just wide open spaces and whoever gets there first, gets the grass. But the herders are not cowboys on horses, they are typically children. As a grown woman I am somewhat afraid of cattle. I had a bad experience with a crazy old hefer and it scarred me for life! But these little fellows will follow the herd of cattle, goats, and sometimes sheep all day long without a worry. What was your 8 year old doing today?
As everyone begins to stir, the ones who
Tembo
Tembo is the swahili word for Elephant. Standing next to your car you feel and see just what the National Geographic guys portray when one charges .... and they DO charge. Ask Anthony about that! have jobs outside their home begin their trek. Very few by their own car, a few by taxi, more by “daladala’s” (small minivans converted to hold comfortably 12 - 15, but regularly holding upwards in the 20’s), then there are the bikes, and finally by foot. They all head in various directions just like we do in the states trying to get to work to earn what they can for the day.
Then there are those who are their own “boss”, entrepreneurs of sorts, who do every job you can possibly imagine. These are the folks that get my admiration. There are the women sitting up their little ‘stores’ on the side of the road to sell to passersby. Some set up sewing machines on sidewalks and make garments right there. They are incredibly talented. They don’t use patterns, but measure, cut and sew. I have given them a shirt we brought from the states, a piece of fabric with instructions to make a shirt just like the one I gave them. A day latter, and $4, gets me a shirt identical to the original, with the exception of the fabric.
This is the rainy season and the
Zebras
This is one of my favorite pictures. I took it several years ago when Anthony's mom Jean came with us. The rain behind the zebras was so far away it just looks like fog, but if we turned 180 degrees to our back the sun was shinning just as bright as could be. fields are full of activity. Not the noise of a tractor, plow, disc, or combine. If you drive by you may not hear a sound at all, but the plowing and cultivating is still being done. By hand and hoe. Some lay out their rows with string, others sow their seeds. But before the rains are gone every free patch of dirt is growing something.
Those in the construction business take building to a whole new level …. How these buildings stand is beyond me! The bricks aren’t bought at a brickyard, they are bought whereever they are made and BURNED. They pile them 7 to 8 feet tall, close together with a tunnel left open underneath the center. Then they fill that opening full of charcoal or wood. Just before they the set the wood or charcoal on fire they coat the entire mound with mud. Once it is set on fire the bricks smolder for days. When they are cooled and the outter mud broken off, bright orange bricks are revealed inside.
The men and boys who either own or rent a cart to carry anything and everything to where ever they are hired to take
Learning Early
When water is far from the home, sometimes a mile or more everyone helps with what they can. Dripping wet and not thinking that this was out of the ordinary they walk to where the water is ... turn around and walk back home. it get my vote for most determined. There are times when my heart simply goes out to them trying to pull their heavy loads through traffic, mud, up and down hills all day long. It is this determination to make what they can for their families that reminds me of what I think America was like in the old days. Whatever your talent was, you did it.
Some don’t have carts, but use what they have to deliver goods. Many use their bicycles. We have seen so many things on the back of bicycles that we are amazed that the wheels even roll. And there are times that there is simply no room for the rider!
And then there are some who are almost comical in their request. The sign speaks for itself.
This is the Real Africa. The Africa that National Geographic doesn’t show, the Africa most tourists try to avoid, the Africa that we work in everyday. It’s not always pretty, it’s not a safari, but it is REAL. More real than many of us want to admit and more real than most of us want to experience first hand. These pictures are just the
Children at work
When water is far from the home, sometimes a mile or more everyone helps with what they can. Dripping wet and not thinking that this was out of the ordinary they walk to where the water is ... turn around and walk back home. surface. Please come see for yourself! Your life will be forever changed and you will remember it forever, I guess it’s true after all, the real Africa is mysterious and enchanting. You never know what you are going to see, and you are always left wanting to see more.
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Martha Smith
non-member comment
WOW!!!!!! what a difference!!!
Shasta, Thanks for getting me on your travelblog list - I so enjoy seeing and hearing the things in your blogs. I can't help but think how SO easy we have it here in the States. It would do all of us good to have to experience what other people deal with everyday. That is the reason I encourage anyone I talk to who has never been out of the country to go SOMEWHERE and see how other people live. Our girls are experiencing that for the first time this year. Electa and Donny went to St. Martin the end of March on spring break. They were amazed at how the local people live and how they have to work so hard just to survive. Julia and Jason will be going to Jamaica in September. I was really shocked at how poor that country is. And I know this is nothing compared to what you see there - but you still get a taste of what life is like. It puts things more in perspective and humbles you at the same time. I am continually mindful of you and Anthony and the wonderful work you are doing. You are both amazing!!!!! And we love you!! Got to close for now - keep the letters coming. God Bless You!