Mt Meru and More

So...it's been a while....always a good sign if you are wondering about my state of mind. If I write often it can be deduced that I am brooding over things that are probably pointless and will change soon enough anyway....instead...I have been climbing mountains again. I climbed Mt. Meru about a week ago with two 'mama's" from the kids school. I already loved and admired these women but there is nothing like hiking for 14 consecutive hours and clinging to rocks in the dark to solidify a friendship. Meru is steeeeeeep and technical and somewhat scary in the most exhilarating kind of way. I LOVED it....but to anyone who cares or who has climbed Kili it is harder. Kili has great altitude and one usually feels drunk or sick as a result....but Meru has huge rock cliffs, with dizzying drop offs....when the sun comes up and you are headed down...the realization of what you did (in the dark) hits hard. Nericia, my friend, choose to tell us that this was her first experience hiking...while we were in the dark....oh and that she was afraid of heights...needless to say she summited...asking me to take her picture at the summit with Kili looming in the background. When the sun decided to rise during our ascent it came up directly behind Kili...we had to sit...and take it in. ONCE AGAIN I was reminded how freaking beautiful this country is....and how I will be forever changed by having a year of mountain climbing, running on dirt roads, hiking with my kids to waterfalls, seeing monkeys in the trees....ahhh....the list goes on and on. It was glorious.

Then...however...this morning...the reality of where we are on the otherhand sunk in again...as is life here. After droppingthe girls off at school and strapping on my running shoes...I encountered many people on the road near a car. when I got close I saw a woman lying in a pool of blood. She had been hit by a speeding Daladala (local bs/mini van). I don't know if I have mentioned the crazy reckless speed of these vehicles before...byt they have caused me to cringe oh so many times. Seems this woman ( older mama) had been simply walking down the road....and bam...so strange to watch people's reactions....the Tanzanians have a way of just reacting, but not showing any emotion in comparison to my friend elaine and her husband who were trying to load the woman into their car. Elaine was horrified beyond belief ( understandably) and was crying and shaking...strangely no one else was....their calm and acceptance of horrible events struck me. So many struggles for the people of this culture...hard to even react to others pain. Must get these bananas to market so my family has food tonight...must get these jugs of oil back to the shamba(farm), must get this huge bundle of sticks to my home before it rains again and the firewood is wet.

WHEREBAYLESSBE>BLOGSPOT>COM

I messed up last post....not wherebebayless....but wherebaylessbe.blogspot.com

Bayless

wherebebayless.blogspot.com Check out our mother's Day story!!! Just got down from Meru...hurting....more later.

Number 80

Yes folks even though I have been slacking big time (explanation following) this is indeed the 80th blog of Sasafrica. I am proud of myself...because when my ghost writer (Josh) gets a hold of it for the book, he already has at least 80 pages to work from. (Does gooogle own a publishing house somewhere?)
So...the excuse....same one I usually have for most things....having too much fun, in the moment, lost track of time, "I was at the library". Life has been great...I went through a bit of a down turn at the end of March, but am now happy to say back to fully loving it. I wonder if this is the normal progression for life abroad...now that the end is in sight, I really really really don't want to come home...all looks new again. Everything that I love about this place is working her magic on me. This week alone, for example, Nell goes hiking in the rainforest tomorrow as the culmination of her unit on rainforests....Pearl attended and completed an entire yoga class on a platform over a river with monkeys swinging overhead....and I leave to climb Mt. Meru on monday. Another reason for not wanting to leave is the simple fact that I finally
"get it" .....it takes a long time and a lot of patience to understand and get comfortable in a new culture....we finally have a handle on the language, I've learned the customs of doing business here and we have made some deep and dear friends. It's hard to look at what we have done and figure out how to leave it....hoping most of the things will continue on?! Will Mappy complete his education? Where will Millin go to university? Will Tropical Ice really send all their mountain trips to us as we are working on? Will the porter training kids continue on in their tourism studies? Will we be back to have tea at Nericia's tea garden? etc. etc.....it goes on and on...
Then comes the thoughts about what the heck I'll do at home? Set up an office to continue this work? It won't possibly match the office here with the batik curtians and Shawna's art work. But...I will have consistent power, a printer (UG), internet, reliable phone connections etc...hmmmm.
Lots to deal with...but for now we are really enjoying and taking every chance to soak up this beautiful place and people.
Love and Peace,
Sarah

8 hours and 27 minutes

That's how long it took Simon Mtuy to RUN up AND down Kili. He holds the record. To day I finally met and had a meeting with Simon. I am trying to convince him to hire some of the porters we trained in the Fall. He was so excited about what we did and the philosophy behind it....it was thrilling. He loved the idea of women porters....that these were kids that were orphaned because of HIV/AIDS....he lost his brother to the disease. The thing that struck me the most was just his physical awesomeness....tall lanky confident and compassionate. It felt like being in the presence of greatness...
The other exciting thing that happened is we now are the proud parents of 7 healthy 3 week old baby rabbits. Our (smart) gardener decided not to tell us until they grew a bit...but boy are they cute. We are trying to apply all the things we have learned through our other escapades with animals this year...now i think we will get it right....and they will make beautiful parting gifts to all Nell and Pearl's friends....
Good Africa day.....stimulating and exciting!
Peace,
Sarah

Chairs vs. Men with Shovels and Big Rocks

You know that Chicago tradition of saving parking spaces with chairs? I have found the Moshi/Tanzania equivalent. Yesterday after getting stuck for the third time ( i did mention the rain, right?) I was attempting to once again get down the road to our house. This time I was stopped by the men with shovels who had placed big rocks in the road while they "fixed" it. They asked me to donate to the road fund...."any amount would be enough"...after giving my 100 TSH (10 cents) they removed the rocks and I was on my way. I had that same "can they do that" feeling I get when I find a folding chair in a parking spot.
YOU must check out the blog called thatskeen.blogspot.com It has a great U-Tube video of Sara Wright''s visit here...amazing. I love it.
I'm gearing up to climb Mt. Meru in May....the second highest in Tanzania...word on the dirt road is..it is more beautiful...more technical (than KILI)and has seven fake summits. I am doing it with some Mom friends from Nell and Pearl's school should be great.
Hope all are well!
Peace,
Sarah

Still Raining

And raining and raining and raining....and raining....but I actually quite enjoy it. There is something very cozy about wanting to be inside after all this sunshine and heat. I'm sure those of you in Chicago have no sympathy...but really heat and sunshine drones on too. It's interesting to for the weather to be getting colder and moving toward winter as you all are getting ready for Spring....but the good news....I got our tickets home...June 12th we'll be back. seems like a very short time considering what I still want to accomplish while here. I can however feel my nesting instinct settling in....I ordered new curtains from India (so cool, so cheap) and am having a new bed made to emulate the ones in a safari camp i love...I'm picturing myself in my old environment again...getting ready.
Girls are giggling under their mosquito nets right now...that i'll miss....out simple quiet early evenings...
we'll be taking full advantage of our time here but feel the creep of time heading us back across the world.
Peace,
Sarah