The end is here

It is finished: after 3 weeks, 27 meals of ugali, 24 teaching sessions, lots of games, lots of singing, and lots of dancing, camp Tanzania 2010 has finished. It is almost impossible for me to express the level of exhaustion I have learned to function with! Seriously, I get more sleep during finals week at school. But it has all been worth it. Our final week in camp was held in the village of Savoge in the Rukwa Valley which is the most beautiful place I have been here in Tanzania. We had to take a totally sketch road, the only road, down through the mountains. The road was a foot deep in dust and the dust just isn’t any ole’ dust, it’s like flour. So if you aren’t careful you will go sliding right off the side of the cliff. The valley was the first time I have fully felt like I was in Africa. It’s hot and dirty and the landscape is right out of a book. The people are very different in the valley as well. The people “up top” as they call it (living in the mountains) call the valley people hicks. This is because they bathe completely in the nude right on the side of the road and the people up here would never dream of that. It was so funny to be driving and you hear the person in the front call out, “don’t look left naked man don’t look left!” So apparently the definition of a Tanzanian hick is if you bathe in the nude in the river or not. The church that was our center for camp was nestled at the base of the most beautiful mountain that had a big waterfall streaming down the front side. So yes of course I climbed it. Ha ha we had an hour and a half break during the first day (longest break we’ve ever had during camp) and so I convinced two of my translators, Gabe and Aidan, to go with me and we basically ran up the mountain to make it to the top of the waterfall and back down before dinner. It was so beautiful! While we were climbing (may I remind you that I’m only allowed to wear skirts while in the village so this whole adventure was skirted) we happened upon a pack of monkeys (I’ve never been hiking and come upon a pack of monkeys, it’s a first for me). My translators heard them and started calling them (I couldn’t repeat the noise if I tried, must be a Tanzanian skill ha ha) and we came upon this clearing on the side of the mountain and there they were. So cool. We made it to the top in time but had to run the entire way down (again, I’m skirted). The campers this week were the best we’ve had. They were full of life and so excited to be at camp. They were excited and eager to learn and participate in the classes.
During one of my classes that was all girls and happened to be one of the youngest groups of girls, they started playing with my hair and pulling around at the roots. I asked them what they were doing and they said they were looking for where it was attached. When I told them that it was all my own you would have thought I just told them that the moon had fallen out of the sky. They were amazed. They then proceeded to tug, pull, and braid. Africans braiding our hair is so funny because they don’t understand why it is so slippery and doesn’t stay where it is braided.
We had to say our goodbyes to our counselors last evening and it was a very solemn time. It was super late (1 am) and as we sat in the stillness of the night with little light, they started singing hymns in KiShwaheli and it was so touching to hear them sing for the last time. Their voices echoed throughout the church and their soft melody and harmonies are something that I will never forget. The looks on their faces as they hugged us I will also never forget. Even though we couldn’t really communicate our sadness at saying goodbye, a look says a thousand words. And the looks on their faces were so special. I know that we will meet again one day.
By far this was my favorite week of camp.
We are celebrating the 4th of July African style this year. We secured some cokes, found some beef for burgers, and cut up some potatoes to make fries! Perhaps after dark we’ll light something on fire and sing God Bless America. I hope you all are having a wonderful fourth! Peace