Joseph’s Kilimanjaro Journey Begins

Today was hot. You know how on a hot day the water within a water bottle condenses on the outside and makes it look as if the bottle is sweating. Yeah, I was the water bottle today. It was a day where you just couldn’t escape the heat and would sweat while sitting. The water that flows through the faucets here seems like it may be pumped from the Arctic Ocean (its cold), but days like today actually make it okay.

The heat during the day brings strong storms at night. Lightning and rain fell all last night and will again tonight. I can hear it falling outside and a cold breeze is being pushed through the open window because of it. I thank God for rain.

Ricardo and I are both currently working on our computers in the sitting room of the guesthouse. It is nice to have company even if it is only for a day or two. Who is Ricardo? He is an Italian who has stopped in at Hanga Abbey for a few days before his journey home. Ricardo is a nice man and has been helping out in a nearby village for some time now. He arrived a day ago and will not be staying long. Yet, he will not be on the same bus as me from Songea to Dar.

Raphael, Emmanuel and me!

Yesterday, when I returned from watching my students at the Saint Benedict’s secondary school debate (this is where I was comparable to Frosty the Snowman on a hot day) I noticed Ricardo examining himself in the mirror. I said hi and that is when I noticed his hair. It looked as if Edward Scissor Hands had tried his hand (or should I say scissorsJ) at cutting it. He turned to me and said “Man, do me a favor and never trust a village barbershop…” I laughed so hard and told him I never even considered it. Ha! The barber promised he knew how to cut his kind of hair, but it did not go to plan. Ricardo just ended up buzzing it last night. We had a good laugh!

The past few days I taught English and worked in the garden. My project in the garden has been to clear out one area that had too many trees, grass and weeds. It was a mess with so much of it overgrown and dead. The grass was so tall that I could not see over it. I took a hoe and a machete and fixed that problem.

The area was very large so it took me all week to clear the weeds and grass. Once I was through I found that the trees and bush behind them were also overgrown. I began chopping down the dead stuff and uprooting and replanting a few trees. This will help them grow bigger and receive enough sun. The work reminded me of my Dad. He loves doing just the same in our backyard and now I know why. It actually is a lot of fun. It feels really good to clear everything out and make it look clean, organized and fresh. Using a machete is also a nice perk.

I wish I had taken a before picture because of the change. I completely cleared the area and the trees that are still living do not have dead trees and branches hanging over them anymore. The sun shines right through. There is a small fence behind all of this which I had no idea was there before. The area can now be used for planting beans and other crops which will be beneficial.

While working I developed some blisters on my hands and marching through the overgrown tangle of bush led to cuts on my legs. It’s funny, if you get a sore, wound or hurt in any way while in America it’s no big deal. In Africa, it’s sort of a double-take. Let me explain.

When living in Africa you become extremely used to being sick or being around sick people. Disease and illness is just a part of life here (more so than in America). So, what I mean by the double-take is that because you are so used to this life of illness that at first you think “Ah, whatever, just another cut.” However, you quickly do a double-take and begin thinking “Kasheshe, what if this gets infected? It’s kind of black around the edges, is that normal? What’s in this mud that is now in my cut…ah kasheshe!” This then spirals into “Yup, this will do me in.”

Ha, I suppose this is what you get when you do not have very good medical facilities and you are told to always watch for signs of illness so you can address them before they get serious. So, obviously after thinking all of these things I went back to my room and doused my cuts and blisters in hydrogen peroxide. My small tube of Neosporin has come in handy as well. I am sure they will all be healed by the time I have to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro (they better be).

The other day some of the sisters noticed my watch during lunch and asked why the time on it was incorrect. I explained to them that my watch has remained in Minnesota time during my stay in Africa. I suppose it acts as my anchor to everything back home. It is also nice to have when planning to use the internet to contact people from back home. One thing that the U.S. does which most other nations do not is use daylight savings time. I believe the clock is going to be adjusted during the month of March. If this is the case then I will move closer to all of you by one hour. Mom and Dad, when the clock does change I will be ahead of you by eight hours instead of nine.

So, the time has come. February is coming to a close (that went quick) and March is moving in to take its place and before it does everyone better make sure to enjoy February 29^th. Leap Day!

Mine will be spent on a bus from Songea to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania!

This means my trip to both Dar es Salaam and Arusha is finally here!

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*takes deep breath*

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With it now being Saturday I have one day until things get put into drive. The plan is to head into Songea and stay at Raphael’s house on Sunday night. This is because we will need to catch the bus to Dar at 5:00AM. Remember when I told you that the trip is 12-14 hours. Yeah, this is why we leave at 5:000AM.

I met up with Raphael on Thursday and, as I expected, something had come up and put a cork in our plans. He began by telling me that he didn’t have enough money for the bus ticket and that he wouldn’t be able to go. One thing I never have and never will understand is why thinking ahead is not a thing in Africa. This is just one more thing that differs from America. Differences are expected, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t frustrating at times.

The last thing I want is to stay in Dar for two weeks alone so I told him I would pay for his transport. I don’t mind and he has helped me out a ton. So, he is back in. He will be going with me to Dar.

Theodore, the German who is friends with Raphael and I, will be joining us on our ride to Dar. Like I said before, he is a super nice guy and knows his way around. He booked our seats on the bus and so there won’t be any hassle in having to buy tickets the morning of.

A map of Tanzania. I will be travelling from
Ruvuma to Arusha!

Raphael’s brother lives in Morogoro which is just outside Dar es Salaam, but has a friend who lives in the city. They have just built a house which happens to be right by the airport (perfect for me to catch my flight to Arusha) and so we will stay there. We must purchase electricity, water and security. Electricity and water are scarce commodities and so we will purchase a two-week supply. I will tell you more on how this process works once I return.

The electricity has been out all day and has just now returned. It is always a happy moment when it comes back on. I thought for a moment that I wouldn’t get the chance to post this blog. Luckily, I have been able to. Living in Africa makes you appreciate all of the things we take for granted. I bet you are reading this and have not even thought about the electricity and power that is being used to run your phone or computer. It becomes normal for us in America. I once listened to a recording of Bill Gates on his trip to Africa. He spoke on the value of things such as electricity and how being in Africa puts it all into perspective. I completely agree, Mr. Gates.

The friend of Raphael’s brother happens to be a soldier. Since a white man tends to attract all sorts of attention he feels that having security would be smart. Supposedly you can hire a soldier to stand outside your house or compound at night. Hopefully a soldier with an old-fashion rifle makes someone think twice.

Like I said, I will explain all of this in more detail once I have actually experienced it myself. As of now, all of my information comes from Raphael.

So, we will spend two weeks in Dar es Salaam. Theodore will be hanging out with us for the first few days, but then he has to catch a flight back to Germany. The Indian Ocean is very close so Raphael and I plan to go to the beach (I’ll have to bring my Frisbee), pass by the president’s house (it happens to be a white house) and see if we can catch a glimpse of Diamond Platnumz.

Diamond Platnumz? Yes, the very famous Tanzanian rap artist. I’m not sure why every rapper has to have some strange name that is always misspelt, but it seems to be important to them. Diamond is the one artist who has gone global and because of this is a very big deal. Everyone knows of him and he is everyone’s favorite. He lives in Dar and so you never know, maybe we will see him.

It will be fun to be in the city. I haven’t seen a large building all year. One would think that Dar es Salaam would be the capital of Tanzania because of how industrialized it is. It is the business sector. However, it is not the capital. Tanzanian logic 101 - Where will the capital be? Well, of course, the capital must be in the middle of our country. And so it is.

The capital is actually Dodoma, Tanzania. This is where most legislation takes place. I will pass through it on the way to Dar. In fact, I will be covering the entire length of Tanzania, Songea to Mt. Kilimanjaro. Along the way I will pass through a national park and have a great chance of seeing some wild animals. This is the great part about Tanzania. It contains multiple national parks and the largest wildlife reserves, including the Serengeti!

Stuffed and ready to go.
You'd be impressed with how much I was
able to fit with my sleeping bag taking up
half the space!

After we spend 15 days in Dar es Salaam I will board a flight to Arusha and Raphael will head back to Songea. Mt. Kilimanjaro is near Arusha. I will fly in and stay the night at a hostel. Then start my climb up Mt. Kilimanjaro on the 18^th of March. The plan is to summit on the 23^rd. Then on the 24^th we will make it to the bottom. I will then fly back to Dar on the 25^th and catch the soonest available bus back to Songea and then Hanga.

Pray everything goes smoothly and to plan. I am very excited for this trip and my climb up Mt. Kilimanjaro. It has been a dream of mine for nine years. In the eighth grade I saw a documentary on the mountain and told myself that I would climb Kilimanjaro one day. That day is finally approaching! I have my sleeping bag, clothes and gear packed in my climbing pack that was given to me by my wonderful grandparents, Donna and Tom. It has seen me to the top of two other mountains so let’s hope it does the same for Mt. Kilimanjaro.

I can’t wait to see the different biomes (tropical rainforest/jungle through tundra) that exist on Mt. Kilimanjaro. I also look forward to the glaciers at the top. They are the only year-round ice on the African continent. There’s nothing like climbing the highest freestanding mountain on earth just to get a taste of that Minnesota winter. J

I am sure there will be internet cafés in Dar; however I do not know when I will access them. As I have said before, my blog will be a little sporadic during the month of March. I will post when I can and I promise things will become regular once I return at the end of March. So, bear with me.

Most photos will be posted when I return to Hanga. Don’t be surprised if I am wearing the same outfit in many of my pictures. There is only so much room in my pack.

Clothes are washed, beard is trimmed (had to tame the beast, but it will be back), Hoodie Allen music is downloaded, camera battery is charged and my headlamp is packed. Onward to the highest freestanding mountain on earth! J

City life, Indian Ocean, and extreme altitudes – here I come!

Thanks for reading!