The Deeper Connection Of Soul Found In Africa
I remember hearing for the first time that all human life began in Africa. If there was an Adam and Eve, they were African. It was information I didn’t know as I was growing up, I was an adult when that genetic science was offered up. And just a few weeks ago, I was in Africa for the first time. When my friends have asked me about the trip, I have found myself saying, “it was life changing.”
My trip had three parts. Part One was in South Africa in the big city of Cape Town. It is on a harbor, essentially surrounded by water as it is at the southernmost tip of the continent. There was post-apartheid society, wine country, and penguins. And there was our guide, Paul, who was delightful and so caring to help us with our introduction to an amazing mix of cultures with a complex and sometimes heartbreaking history.
I will skip to Part Two which was Victoria Falls – the largest waterfall in the world and one of the natural Seven Wonders of the World. It is bordered by Zambia and Zimbabwe just as Niagara Falls is bordered by the US and Canada. It was overwhelmingly magnificent in its size and power. To be right there, feeling the spray from the falling water, hearing the deafening roar of the moving rapids, and being in awe of the majesty of such a natural wonder was an emotional and spiritual marvel. To have the Earth crack open, a geological tragic error, which resulted in such beauty, is so like many or our own tragedies that result in opening up parts of us that become beautiful.
Part Three of the trip was the safari. For four days we left at 6:30 in the morning and again at 3:30 in the afternoon for hours of rough riding in an open land rover. Often we went for 15 minutes bumping along dry and desolate terrain that seemed empty but for brush and overturned dead scrub trees, when suddenly we would come upon zebras, or elephants, rhinos, lions and cubs eating their kill, a leopard couple taking a leisurely walk, or the rarest of rare, a pack of wild African dogs. One day we were just a minute outside of camp and found five giraffes munching tree leaves. I was having some afternoon tea when I looked up to see within feet of me three warthogs on the lawn of our camp. It was like being dropped into the pages of a Dr. Doolittle story, but it was real. Our driver/guide, Eric, and tracker, Difference, were a comedy team of such excellence. Eric has always lived in a village close by, speaks seven languages, used to hunt poachers by night, and is conservation savvy. He leads a choir of over fifty boys in his village’s Christian church. These two men were incredibly skilled, knowledgeable, and willing to put their lives on the line for our safety.
Throughout Africa we were greeted and sent off by song and dance. The clipped British-like accent was sometimes hard to understand, but the message of kindness and joy was always apparent. I came out of Africa with a deeper connection to my roots, to the most amazing nature I have ever seen, and to a people whom I will carry in my heart and soul forever.