The day we visited a group of local women who are taking the issues of Mt. Kilimanjaro very seriously and taking the issues and problems in their own hands by replanting trees was a day where I also found peace and joy with all that surrounded me. The welcoming we received from the group with an upbeat and positive song about the wonderful and lovely guests (which was us) was such a comforting feeling. I noticed that our group of eccentric characters, personalities and beliefs all got their hands dirty and jumped right in to help these women. Although we may all have gone to different extents to truly dirty our hands, we all felt a desire to help. The woman I got to know and work side by side while we planted seeds inside individually wrapped soil packets, was a woman named Rahenna. I could instantly distinguish her caring, loving and beautiful soul. She was old enough to be my mother and I could detect her motherly actions as she taught me how to properly plant the seeds in the soil so they will grow into strong trees. I was trying to communicate with her but soon realized she spoke very little English and I spoke very little Swahili, which caused a frustrating language barrier between us. But as one of the workers sat next to us while Rahenna and I worked together, he helped break this barrier between us and translated for both of us. She began trying to teach me Swahili, with words like the name of the seed we were planting and different anatomy words like finger and hand. I tried teaching her words in English and the man would translate for me and she would then smile and nod her head as if she had understood what I was trying to get through to her. She told me I was her teacher and she was my pupil. This woman was old enough to be my mother and yet I was her teacher? I felt so privileged to have been able to teach Rahenna a few words in English. But then she began saying a sentence over and over again in Swahili, which I could not understand. Finally the man translated for me saying “wa wa mzuri” which means you are very beautiful and strong. I was immediately flabbergasted and taken aback and responded saying “who me?!?”. For this woman I had known for only a few minutes and whom I could barely communicate with was flattering me with such lovely compliments and acted like she already knew who I was. We continued to work side by side until it was time to leave. When it came that time, I turned to face Rahenna and gave her a big hug, a hug that I tried to communicate to her how much I appreciated her and all that she had done for me in the thirty minutes I had known her. I hugged her like someone I had known for a long time and as she hugged me back, while sending me off with unknown words in Swahili, she kissed me on each check and said, “please come back anytime”. I knew then that this woman, someone’s daughter, wife and mother, truly meant what she had said to me, a stranger. Even though we came from two different countries, two different lives, worlds, languages and cultures, we connected over something we both had a passion for, the environment. We both had the same passion and desire to make a difference in the environment that surrounded us.
These women were unpaid volunteers who were giving up their own time to come and face the situation of global climate change that is deteriorating the environment on Mt. Kilimanjaro every day. They understand the problems the people and the mountain face and instead of giving up or waiting for others to come help them and relieve them of their problems, they are fighting for a solution on their own. Although these women may not have the expensive resources they could use to reforest the mountain efficiently and quickly, they are getting by with what little resources they do have. Their spirits never dropped when we were there but instead being there with them, side by side, our spirits and theirs were continuing to be uplifted together and filled with joy. It gives hope and sends out a message to the rest of the world that we don’t always need the newest and the most efficient technology to fix a problem. It can take just a group of determined and passionate enough people to find a way to make a difference.
Monday morning we headed out to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, or at least hike to the first hut. We took our first step on the mountain some time after 10am. Our guide was a member of the Bush Tribe from Arusha who are also a clicking tribe. He tried for ten minutes trying to teach me how to say "look at me" in his clicking language. I failed miserably even after ten minutes realizing how hard it was to find the exact clicks and noises to make with your mouth. He was very informative about the mountain and the people. I could tell his excitement by our young energy and eagerness to get to the first hut. It became an adventure for us all.
Although we all hiked at our own pace causing the group to become scattered and dispersed I would have to say it was a moving experience for us all. I started off the hike thinking about the people who live on the mountain and who rely on the mountain's resources like it's water, soil, tropical forest at the basin of the mountain and so on. We all immediately took in the mountains natural beauty such as the tropical birds, diverse species of monkeys and the forest. We enjoyed each others company as we sang, talked and laughed on the way up the mountain and relying on one another for the help to get up the mountain as it became steeper. But what made us all suck up the pain of the steepness of the mountain was seeing a handful of porters walking up the mountain at a faster pace than us with a 50-100 pound bag of potatoes on their heads. This kind of made us all suck up our complaints and realize just carrying our small bags was not nearly as bad as a 100 pound bag of potatoes, on our head. After about 3 hours give or take we made it to the first hut of the mountain. We had hiked through the tropical forest and had finally come into the alpine zone. We were able to see the Kenyan side of the mountain, looking down upon a magnificent amount of land stretched below us filled with lower peaks of the mountain and a river that held crocodiles. I could easily say we were all taken aback at that moment by the mountains magnificent beauty.
The walk down was much simpler than the walk up and by the time we were heading back a lively and energetic vibe had filled the group with even more laughter and singing because we all knew that we had reached our goals for the day. It was a successful day on the moinatin for us all. But what we were all left wondering about was what would happen to the mountain and its serious issue of global climate change that faces it in 2012? What happens when the people continue to ignore the flashing warning signs in front of them? What happens to Mt. Kilimanjaro and all the people it provides clean water for? What happens the main source of income for Tanzania, farming? Agriculture is a huge part of Tanzania’s income. Tanzania relies heavily on the land and those farming the land for rice, coffee, fruits and vegetables will no longer be able to irrigate the farms. Even before the colonials came over with their corrupted ideas of cash crops, Tanzania and most African countries have always had an agricultural economy that relies mostly on the land. So when a large portion of the land in Tanzania can no longer support the people because of the worlds decision to neglect the warning signs of Mt. Kilimanjaro, then Tanzania’s economy will crash and burn.
So what does this mean for the local Tanzanians that are faced with these environmental issues of Mt. Kilimanjaro? It means they must change the way they live their daily lives. It means their cropping and farming may be shortened by a few months this year because of the lack of water from the draught which then cuts back their source of income. It is a vicious cycle that will never end but instead will continue to degrade not only the environment but also the people and their source of income. So what can we do to help is the lingering question?
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