Kili!!!!

We made it! Wow. What a surreal experience. But first let me start off with a quick disclaimer: the guides, cooks, and porters do 99% of the work, I only had to put one foot in front of the other.

We started off by travelling in our own personal dala dala called “Fort Jesus.” Definitely brought us good luck.  After a relatively smooth journey, besides getting hit by a motorcycle, we made it to Marangu gate. Our crew was incredible.  We had 3 guides, 2 cooks, and 7 porters, and they are forever my heroes. The guides were able to sing while climbing, while I could not say 3 words.  The porters carry the luggage and supplies on their backs, backs of their necks, and heads, and go twice our pace.  Superhuman strength. I would not have made it to the first hut without them.  

We were extremely lucky and had fantastic weather, including summit night.   I felt so well taken care of…the meals were amazing, and we even had tea/coffee time everyday with snacks.  The first few days were relatively easy: the distances each day were short and the elevation wasn’t killer yet. We travelled to Mandara hut the first day, Horombo hut the second, stayed here an extra day to acclimate, then hiked to Kibo hut which was over 15,000 feet high.  Horombo hut was where I first realized we were literally above the clouds.  So surreal.

The vegetation and temperature changed so quickly as we climbed up. We started off in a tropical rainforest (and saw blue monkeys) and ended in 15 degree weather surrounded by glaciers and snow.

All 6 days were amazing, beautiful, and worth every step, but I’m going to skip to the summit climb because it was the most challenging, memorable, and beautiful.

After dinner the night of the summit climb, we slept for a few hours and then were awoken around 10:30pm.  We started climbing at 11:30 from Kibo hut. We had our headlamps and I had on as much clothing as possible since I’ve never been in weather colder than probably 30 or 40 degrees. 

Starting from day 1 our guides made us go pole pole (slowly), and I’m so glad they did.  Summit night our pace was about 1 step every 5 seconds, so slow, yet we were breathing heavily the whole time (except for the guides).  We would break every hour or so for about 5-7 minutes. One of my favorite memories is when our head guide Obadiah pulled out his phone and started playing Bob Marley Three Little Birds during one of the breaks.  We were freezing, tired, and not even half way up, but all three guides Obadiah, BQ, Imani, and our friend and chef Okuly started singing and dancing. I couldn’t have asked for better motivation. 

The climb to the top was definitely challenging and o so cold, but o so worth it.  We had just past Gilman’s Point and Stella’s Point when the sun began to rise. Again so surreal since we were above the clouds.  Yellow light seemed to spill out over the blanket of clouds.

 The last few meters seemed to take forever as we walked across the snowy top, but reaching the green sign felt so good. You literally are on the roof of Africa., but it felt like I was on the highest point in the world.  Looking around, you see a vastness of clouds and above you is a clear blue sky and extremely bright sun. 

We didn’t spend too much time at Uhuru Peak (19,341 feet) since it was so cold, probably between 15-20 degrees. I was completely bundled, yet still freezing and my fingers refused to work, so I can’t even imagine how the guides felt in about half the clothing I had on. Our guide was extremely eager to begin our descent, probably because his fingers were about to fall off since he didn’t have gloves on. 

Now the descent was the most challenging part for me.  At this point it was about 7:15am, and we were pretty exhausted. During each break on the descent I would nearly fall asleep.  Nevertheless we eventually made it to Kibo hut, mostly due to our guides’ encouragement, and convinced our guide to let us nap for 2 hours instead of 1 before we hiked to Horombo hut.  In total that final climb and descent took nearly 12 hours and on a few hours of sleep, so needless to say that was the happiest nap I’ve ever had in my life.

We stayed the night at Horombo, then descended all the way down to the gate the following day.  Before beginning our final descent though, our crew sang us a song about Kili (I think they secretly liked us more than other climbers because we knew a little Kiswahili).

Just outside the gate our guide Obadiah organized an amazing feast for us at a local restaurant consisting of: pilau, rice, beans, mchicha, bananas, avocado, cucumbers, and tomatoes. So goooood. Then the four of us and our crew got back into “Fort Jesus” daladala and were off.

It was the absolute perfect finish to this amazing experience in Tanzania.

I never never imagined I would learn so much from the people here. The people’s perseverance, strength, and liveliness make Tanzania an incredible country.  I hope to return after graduation. Asante sana Tanzania! I will miss you so much and already can’t wait to return.

P.s. I love talking about Tanzania and just talking in general so feel free to email me: coreym.wood@yahoo.com

the porters. my heroes.

above the clouds at Horombo huts.

summit.

at Kibo huts.

Decided to do Kili!

Climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro tomorrow! It's a 5 day trip along the hut route. So I will certainly be updating after the hike. Let's hope I make it to the summit! Pics and stories coming soon.

Independent Study Project/ A quick update

Hello internet world! Nice to have you back. Just got back from a 2 week stay in Bangata Village near Mt. Meru doing my independent study project.  I was interviewing 30 different families on how much meat protein they eat, the livestock they raise, and livelihood decisions regarding meat protein consumption.  Answers for meat consumption ranged from less than once a month up to 12 times a month, with most families averaging about 4 times a month aka once a week.  I was surprised to find how many families viewed livestock as strict business rather than food.  Very few slaughtered animals for household consumption.  In fact, chicken was the only animal that was sometimes slaughtered.  Most participated in the milk business or poultry business and used the money for school fees, house construction, food, and restocking the livestock.  The milk business was extremely common and involved selling milk to pikipiki guys (motorcycle guys) who came to your door, bought your milk, and sold it in town.  Families usually only sell animals (often dairy cows and bulls) when they need fast cash for expenses such as school fees.

Overall I surprisingly found my study really interesting, which is good because I was staying in Bangata alone and didn’t really have anything to do.  My homestay brother Gifti went with me on my interviews and translated and I couldn’t ask for a better translator and entertainer.  It’s definitely rainy season and I slipped about 20 times a day walking from household to household because I swear the mud is made of oil.  And it killed me that no one else in Bangata would slip.  Mamas would carry nearly 30 pounds of firewood on their heads and never once slip. I don’t understand.  I loved Bangata even more this time around.  I think it’s because I was alone so maybe I connected with the people more, but I really enjoyed this stay.  There were a few struggles however: 1) cooking (I so failed at making beans so resorted to eating boiled eggs, peanut butter, and rice) and 2) my swollen arm.

Two of bug bites got infected making my arm swell like a balloon so I made the trek to Arusha and learned I had a bacterial infection and an arm full of puss, so gross. I had to make several trips back to the doctor to have my arm drained and re-drained and then dressed and redressed.  Good news is right now it is no longer swollen and barely hurts anymore.  I looked at it for the first time recently and was surprised to find a hole in my arm so I’m going to the doc regularly to have them clean and bandage it.  Nasty, but I guess it could always be worse.  Plus going to the doc gave me an excuse to stop at my favorite chai maziwa/ maandazi bench (two ladies that sell hot milk tea and donuts on a bench) and to see the girls staying in Arusha…which brings me to the Arusha Malibu Mansion.

It’s beautiful. It’s huge. It’s so clean. There’s a fridge. There’s two balconies. There’s hot water. There’s internet. There’s friends.  The beds are huge. I think I almost passed out the first time seeing it.

Right now I’m moved into the mansion, typing up my study project, and couldn’t be happier.  So happy to be back with rafikis, and the rest of the students start coming back today! 

I honestly still feel likes it January and can’t fathom that this trip is nearing the end.  But I’m so ready to see friends and fam again. Miss you guys! 

swollen arm! woohoo!

home sweet home in Bangata

a local butcher

my stove where the cooking magic did not happen

Malibu mansion. just 1 of the many rooms

our baby

more Malibu Mansion

Maasai homestay, Ngorogoro Crater, and Serengeti

Maasai homestay= asdfkj*!@sdajkfh*%$!. Literally no words to describe it. This experience has had the biggest impact on me so far, so I’ll try my best to describe the highlights here but if you see me in person ask me about it and the pictures…there’s so much to say. 

There are over a million Maasai people in Tanzania, and it’s incredible how true they have stayed to their traditional lifestyle.  They lead a polygamist lifestyle that is represented fairly clear by their boma circle. Each wife builds her own bomba that usually form a circle formation around the cow/ goat pasture.  We learned about how a father picks his daughter’s husband, the variation in the number of wives, the grazing patterns, the circumcision ceremonies (for boys and girls), the warrior dances…so many traditions and ceremonies and dances…but I’d rather just jump straight to my experience and the people I lived with.  We showed up the first morning with just a Ziploc bag of the basic essentials, ready to go.

The people who had the biggest impact on me were my two sisters (probably around 10 years old): Neesi and Mitooyni, my mama: Mama Elizabette, and Solomon (a young boy probably around 3).  My sister Neesi literally held my hand the entire homestay…but she actually did (the whole stay I was never alone)… we would even pee outside together, she would show me the right way to bath either in the river or with a cup of water, how to collect firewood and carry it (which was killer), dress me the right way in my Maasai robes, carry my water for me, and everywhere we walked she would lead me by holding my hand. Most people only spoke Maa, such as my mama, but Neesi and I could communicate somewhat with Kiswahili.  It was certainly odd at first having a tiny 10 year old child take care of me like I’m a fragile baby, but she was so incredibly loving and caring it made me feel so at home and cared for.  Neesi and Mitooyni would always brush my hair out of my face, wipe the dirt off my legs and feet, readjust my crooked robes, and straighten my jewelry.  It was these odd things that were mind-blowing for me…these girls could run households and raise children with no problem. 

Daily tasks such as collecting firewood or water were killer for me but these kids (some as young as 4) laughed and carried on with no complaints.  Collecting firewood I literally had to wait for Neesi to collect a pile for me because I was so unclear as to which pieces to grab and which parts to machete off.  After she formed my pile, she then tied it all together and helped me place it on my back with the strap going over my head.  I thought the walk back was damn hard…it was super hot and I bruised my spine but all the children could basically skip and carry the heavy loads. They never complain. Ever. I don’t understand. It’s incredible and so so humbling. I use to complain about unloading the dishwasher. Wow.

Neesi also showed me how to help build the house. After the cows returned from grazing, there was obviously some fresh poop in the pasture. We collected this yummy poop with our hands, poured water over it, and mushed it together.  At first I tried to grab the dry poops but Neesi said O no…Got to grab the fresh ones.  We then mushed the poop on the sticks that structured the house.  A smelly job but not as bad as I thought it would be. After, we washed our hands with water, no soap :( , and went to eat dinner. Woo.

Completed bombas are circular small huts. You have to bend down to enter through the door and once inside you can’t see a thing so you have to use a flashlight at all hours of the day.  In the center is a fire and usually one or two beds made of sticks and cow skins. We slept outside most nights because of the heat, and this was my favorite part of the trip.  It was actually my favorite moment of the trip…

My two sisters, mama, and I shared a cow skin outside with a mosquito net over us, no pillows or blankets but you don’t really need it.  The moonlight was insane. Before falling asleep we lay there all staring at the ridiculously bright moon.  My sisters were petting my hair, singing some song in Maa about eyes, ears, and nose, and my mama and I were staring up at the moon. I’m not sure why this was my favorite moment but the feeling was surreal. I felt so close to my sisters and mama even though the language barrier was huge. I think it was the combination of the beautiful night sky, the fact that I was tired, and the feeling we were sharing, that created this weird moment.

A young boy named Solomon also stuck with me. He was about 3 years old never wore pants and always had the same sweater on.  Seeing him made your heart sink a bit, his legs were toothpicks, his belly engorged, and his face always covered in snot, but man he loved a game of peek-a-boo.  At first he was super shy with me but then couldn’t get enough of playing peek-a-boo. When he would come over to our bomba he would always climb me like a mountain and bury his face, thinking he was somehow hiding.  We went to church every night to sing and one night I got to hold him while he was sleeping…magic. When I asked my sister why he was sick (in broken Kiswahili), she pointed to his hips, tummy, throat, chest, and mouth.  Despite being sick (and it seems he has been sick for a long time), he rarely cried.  Overall, the children I met during my stay were simply incredible. They never complained and were doing daily tasks that I could barely perform. They are kind of my heroes.

The warrior traditions and Le Shomos (dances) were also amazing.  The rhythm and noises created by the warriors and girls jumping and chanting was magical.  These dances also created mix feelings since some of the girls are extremely young and the purpose of the dance is for warriors to “meet” girls.  Still the colors, movements, and music are beautiful.

Now, before Maasai homestay, we camped in Ngorogoro Crater and Serengeti, and by no means do I mean to downplay these experiences.

I especially loved the crater. Some of us tried to put together words to describe the feeling you get from being in the crater and the best we could come up with was a sort of inner peace. There’s something about being in a completely enclosed circle, surrounded by towering hillsides….so much life in one “little” circle. Zebra, wildebeest, baboons, elephants, a few rhinos, lions, buffalo, everywhere. The best part was when a pride of lions decided to chill by all the safari cars.  I have a pic below of the male peeing on one of the cars. So bizarre yet thrilling.

Although Serengeti had so many animals as expected (especially loved the lions, cheetahs, topi, and leopard), my favorite part was the landscape and sunsets. So much vast land. Just the sky was cry worthy. Clouds on more clouds.

I think Ngorogoro and Serengeti are better described with pics so just scroll below.

Still learning. Becoming more grateful everyday. And can’t believe there’s only one part left to this journey. We’re off to do our independent study projects, so limited internet. L Love you all.  

 Baba with 2 of his wives. Mama Elizabette on the left.

 Neesi, Solomon, and me.

 2 of my brothers and baba.

simba peeing

 serengeti sunset