Blog from Reed & Paiton
Habari za leo?
Nkula has arrived in Njombe, Tanzania. After spending nine days at Ohana Amani Retreat Center, we are feeling rejuvenated and ecstatic for the final month of our trip. After traveling through three countries and immersing ourselves in a myriad of communities, it was wonderful to receive the opportunity to pause and reflect on how our journeys have impacted us thus far.
We are so grateful that Chevy and Curry generously opened their home to all of us. Throughout our time at Ohana Amani, they continually reiterated the importance of getting to know ourselves. They offered us a variety of means for doing so. Perhaps the most significant practice aimed at introspective reflection was our day of silence and fasting. After waking up in silence, we engaged in an expressive movement practice while enjoying some medicinal tea (made with garlic, ginger, lemon, honey, and cayenne pepper.) Then, the ritual began.
Having been raised in the Native American Church, Chevy and Curry incorporated elements of Native tradition into our morning. We all sat in a circle while Curry’s partner, Luca, beat a drum. Meanwhile, Chevy signaled for each of us to leave the circle and approach the door where she placed gold dust on our foreheads and chests before placing her hands on her chest and then spreading her arms, signaling for an open heart. After passing by Chevy, Curry stood outside the doorway, ready to wave the smoke of burnt sage around our bodies. In Native tradition, sage is often burnt as a catalyst for cleansing. After this, each of us embarked for a solo day in the woods.
We were told that there was no wrong way to participate in this ritual; our only instruction was to return to our campsite when when the sun formed a forty-five degree angle in the sky. Although we have departed from Ohana Amani, we intend to continue utilizing many of the routines that we practiced there (both independently and as a group). Among these practices are morning movement {yoga, breathing techniques, meditation, etc.) and a nightly circle of gratitude in which we all hold hands and articulate what we are grateful for that day. Many of us hope to make it back to Ohana Amani.
After leaving Ohana Amani, we returned to Njombe. Our return marked the commencement of student directed travel. During our rest day in Njombe, we all received the opportunity to explore the city further in small groups. At one point during the day; Aiden, Reed, and Jo started to hacky-sack in front of a large, stone Catholic church. Throughout our trip, hackysacking has been a vehicle for connecting with locals. It is a very simple activity of kicking a little woven ball around a circle. Much of its value, however, lies in its simplicity; hackysacking has the power to unite people across cultures because of the simple joy that it evokes.
On this particular afternoon, children began to watch and join in on the fun. In no time, two children turned into twenty children. The primary school children found great pleasure in watching them hackysack and in receiving an opportunity to zealously practice their English with “Wazungu.” After a couple hours of learning handshakes, dance moves, and Swahili raps, they finally departed in search of dinner. The children were reluctant for the fun to end: they followed, grabbing Reed and Aiden’s hands, singing “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” and “If You’re Happy and You Know it Clap Your Hands”. This little anecdote really captures the community-centered spirit of Tanzania. We’ll be back soon with a summary of student directed travel.
Baadaye for now!