Into Africa

In ten days, I will be walking through an African village just outside of Arusha, Tanzania. I might as well be landing on Mars. I have no idea what to expect. I am quite sure whatever expectations I have at this point will be proven completely wrong, for better or for worse. I've wanted to go to Africa since I was a little girl. I remember looking at photos of the bare-chested women and their babies in the Time-Life books that sat on a shelf in our dining room. I was fascinated by the images of the villagers and the animals and the sunsets. To think that I am now going to see those things in person 30 years after looking at them in a book excites me and scares me at the same time. I am sure I will see things more magical than I ever imagined and things that make me more sad than ever before. I've seen some beautiful places and I've seen poverty and horrible living conditions, but something tells me I will experience both of these things in a whole new way.

I am fortunate to be traveling with my friend and fellow teacher, Cathy Bottoms, and 13 photography students. The trip, sponsored by National Geographic, will last three weeks. To see Africa through the eyes of students will add a whole new dimension to the trip. And to help them see the trip through a camera lens, while hopefully improving my own photography skills, is an opportunity for which I will be forever grateful. We will spend part of our time doing community service work in a small village near Arusha, helping build a water supply system and getting to experience daily life in the village. We will then spend seven days on safari, traveling with a National Geographic photographer. Of course I am excited about that part of the trip, as I have dreamed of seeing elephants and giraffes and lions in the environment they're supposed to be in rather than behind bars at a zoo; but I am also very much looking forward to meeting the people of the village and spending time with the children there. And in some very minute way, I am looking forward to proving to my family and friends and myself that I CAN sleep on the ground in a tent and I CAN go a week without a shower and I CAN hike several miles with a 30 pound (if I'm lucky!...maybe 35?) backpack on my back.

Let the adventure of a lifetime begin...