AAVE Trip BLOG » 2006 » December
December 12, 2006
An essay from 2006 AAVE Africa Camper
Posted by Chris in : Africa , add a comment
I am a cheetah. I strut with grace and dignity. I exude strength and poise, but I am gentle and giving. A young baboon is hunkered to my right, picking and gnawing at her scraps. An elephant stomps a path to the watering hole. The gentle din of chirping birds is overpowered by the loud barking of wild dogs. Giraffes cautiously overlook the scene. We arrive at Kennedy Airport at 6:50 am.
My first morning in Africa. I peered out into the foreign abyss that surrounded me; my vision was still clouded. The sun painted its warm colors across the eastern sky, signifying the start of a new day. I met my fellow travelers. There were twelve of us and three leaders from around the world. We would become a social microcosm during the next three weeks. We boarded the truck and embarked on our journey.
Capetown was nothing like I had expected. It was civilized and looked similar to cities in the U.S. We took a rigorous hike up Table Mountain. I looked out over Capetown, now observing it from a different perspective. I tried to catch my breath to inhale the incredible view, but my lungs were tired and unprepared. As we traveled north of Capetown into Namibia, I was thrust into a wild and foreign land. Namibia transformed my dreams into an overwhelming and euphoric reality. From a distance, we watched a lion tear through the flesh of a zebra. Vultures and jackals circled the scene, waiting to seize the remains. I gazed with wonder at the reenactment of the food chain in its purest form. At that moment I felt a deep connection with nature. I was a true part of nature’s rhythm.
As we rode the truck to Swakopmund, the panorama overwhelmed my senses. We traveled a narrow dirt road amidst a vast yellow plain. We were engulfed by hot, undulating sand dunes and an endless, looming mountain range. The scorching African sun gilded the terrain and washed the sand dunes white. Springbok leaped and darted with the wind. I was becoming one with the beauty and tranquility of my surroundings. I took a long hearty breath; I was now ready for Africa to fill my lungs and my soul. I’ve grown up believing that man rules nature. In Africa, I began to realize that man is simply a part of nature.
We arrived at Epukiro Post, a small high school in Namibia. We walked across a sunlit platform amidst an awestruck student body of African teens. We looked out at a sea of monochrome faces. They stared back at us, observing a rainbow of shapes, colors, and sizes, the likes of which they had never seen. When we introduced ourselves, the children seemed mesmerized. They slowly repeated our names and origins with fascination. We jumped down from the platform to meet them face to face. The children swarmed us. They touched us to confirm that we truly did exist. Young girls clutched at my side, stroking my eyelashes and running their fingers through my hair.
Our final destination was the Harnas Wildlife Foundation Reserve. Our encounters with the animals became more intimate. Lions and monkeys were within our reach. Our guide asked if any of us would lie next to the cheetah. I promptly accepted. I nuzzled my body next to the cheetah and rested my head against her stomach. I felt her heart thump against my chest, her warm breath caressing my face. I lifted my head and we looked into each other’s eyes. We became one. The enlightenment I gained within the last few weeks culminated in the realization that I was more than just a visitor. I was one with this world that was once so foreign.
We disembark in the USA. The sun is rising in the sky is the same, but I am different. The commonplace has become unique. My privileges are a luxury; they are no longer a necessity. My world extends beyond these borders. It extends around the globe. I will meet the people of these foreign lands and find the common ground that unites us. I will pounce on these opportunities with swift determination and keen awareness. I will spend my life pursuing and devouring these experiences with a ravenous hunger. I am the sand dunes and the plateaus. I am the children of Africa. I am the cheetah.