Well, I know this summer is way past over but I just wanted to write
one more blog post…because a lot has happened since this last one! : ) Last you
heard I had surgery, got my hair braided, and saw the African Acrobats! After
all of those happenings, life in Tanzania went on as usual. I spent my last
week at Kitulezu with my favorite kiddos! Heather, Chanel, and I did more
research and finalized some things for our jewelry business, Mpatanishi
Jewelry, with the Albino Peacemaker Group. We even went on a business trip to
Nairobi! Ok, it was partially a business trip and also I needed to go back to
the hospital for a checkup. Ha! But the cool thing is, it worked out perfectly
for us…almost as if the universe wants our jewelry business to succeed as much
as we do! So, we went on a Monday for my doctor’s appointment and after we got
done we began our search for leather, which we needed for our bracelets. We had
found out earlier we couldn’t get them in bulk in Tanzania because they all
come from Kenya, convenient that we were already headed there right? Right.
Anyway, we do not know our way around Nairobi but somehow or another we ran right
into a shop that had the specific bracelets we were searching for within the
first 30 minutes of our hunt! The man who worked there gave us info on where we
could buy these and guess what? The market that sells them is only open on
Tuesdays…well, isn’t that lucky…cause we were spending the night! So, we get
our favorite pizza, Pizza Inn, and head to our favorite missionary couple’s
apartment, the Olsen’s, for the night. Our taxi driver, Nicholas, happened to
be super kind and helpful and agreed to take us to the market the next day.
Anyway, to make a long story short we figured out our bracelet situation and
were back in Arusha before dinner time! Now, if you haven’t learned anything
yet, this doesn’t happen in Africa! Things don’t ever go the way you plan!
Seriously though, everything surrounding the jewelry project we’re working on
has worked out somehow even when we made stupid decisions, procrastinated, or
didn’t know what we were doing! I honestly believe we were blessed. And I think
it is because Martha is one of the sweetest most selfless and most deserving
people I met in Tanzania. Someone is definitely looking out for this group!
Anyway, I just felt like I needed to share that story cbeause it was
amazing how everything came together just in time! Some of the supplies we
needed for our business came the day before and morning of that Brenton left to go to
Tanzania. And we were able to have a training day with the ladies in the group
before I left the team! : ) It all worked out great.
our beautful leather bracelets! : )
Martha translating for me as I teach
Heather helpin out at training
Brenton teaching how to stamp the logo onto the bracelets
Mpatanishi Jewelry team!
Another thing I did before I left was paint a sign for Family and
Friends! I thought this was pretty awesome since it is our teams favorite restaurant
and because we became so close with all the people there! I miss them all so
much! I am glad I could leave my mark! : )
Brenton was kind enough to STUFF around 20 stuffed animals, donated by
Heather’s aunt, in his luggage when he
came so we could distribute them to our kids at Kitulezu. They all loved them
so much!!! They were even out of school that day, but Mama Anna called each of
their parents and asked if they could come to say goodbye and get a jifty. It
was super fun!!!
Meshack
Happy
Miri
Neema
Widson
Vivi
before we left we made each one of our students friendship bracelets! i made myself one to match Vivi's : ) : ) : )
I WENT ON A SAFARI!!!
I don’t even know what to say about this!!! It was so stinking fun! I enjoyed
every single minute of it! We saw so many animals!!! TONS of lions! I was
dying! We even saw lions hunting zebra (no catch unfortunately), elephants get in a tiff, a water buffalo charge
a safari car, and a baboon steal one of our lunches from our jeep! Oh I also
got my butt grabbed by a Maasai kid while we were taking a picture…mmm hmm…convenient
that we don’t speak the same language.
how cute is this pic? we saw this happen!!! <3
I HIKED MOUNT KILIMANJARO!!!
This may be the coolest thing I have ever done in my life! Thanks Brenton
for coming all the way across the world to hike this with me! We were up on the
mountain for 8 days and I loved almost every minute of it! I have to say almost
because there were times I really wasn’t so happy to be there…but that is
expected when you are hiking up to Africa’s highest point! So, I don’t know
what else to say about the hike besides that our guides were amazing and our
group was amazing and the scenery was amazing!!! The whole thing was just
amazing! But pictures are better so I will focus on picking out goods ones
instead of writing anything more about it.
flat tire on the way there...i would expect nothing more : )
first day!
2nd day! go team youth!
2nd day!
me and mr. passion on our acclimitization hike
everlasting flowers
day 4!
day 5!
a change in scenery!...so many cool plants!
one of my favorite parts of the hike! scrambling!
day 6!
go porters!!!
mt. meru and mt. kili!
day 7/night of day 6! we woke up at 10 on day 6 and started hiking around 11:30 for the summit attempt! we hiked all night and arrived at the top around 8!
sunrise on at stella point! oh my gosh. sooooo beautiful!!!
awesome ice crystals! they covered all the dirt and sparkled as the sun rose!
mr. passion our head guide and his awesome balaclava! (a.k.a. baclava)
AT THE TOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
glaciers at the top!
crater at the top!
off to the left is mwanafunzi, another point on mt. kili
us and Davis, one of our guides
Mt. Kilimanjaro was the grand finale of my summer! I flew back to America the day after we got down the mountain. It makes me sad even thinking about that day! This summer was the best summer I have ever had! I just want to say thanks again to everybody who helped me get there! For all the donations and other contributions and also for all the love and support I received from you while I was there. I couldn’t have done it without all of you!