Dear Readers:
What’s on your bucket list?
Reel in a huge ocean fish
Find a fossil on a dinosaur dig
Attend a Wagnerian opera at Bayreuth, Germany
Oh wait, these are mine.
One item I’m guessing is pretty common on people’s lists: a safari.
When volunteering in Tanzania in 2014, I was privileged to enjoy this experience:
I made some lasting contacts in the safari/tourism world.
One such gentleman, Ras Kibodya, even received a little support from The Periphery Foundation—AKA a handful of you chipping in—to help with his safari truck.
Thanks to this support, Ras led safaris all summer to Ruaha National Park.
He welcomes anyone here to visit and enjoy this wild adventure with his Jungle Beat Safari Tours.
Many also come to Africa to experience the life there, perhaps even participate directly. Well, another friend, Michael Kalamu, started a school in his home village.
Many folks I met while there—usually in the provincial capital, Iringa—originated from a another part of the country. Their home regions were home to their tribes, each with their own tribal language or dialect.
For Michael, this region is Njombe, where he founded a primary school.
Like Ras, Michael invites anyone from the U.S.—or from anywhere—to come take part in a volunteer experience at his school.
He wrote to me:
I invite you to come to our institution—located in Njombe in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania, East Africa—to volunteer with various activities at our practical skills project and to exchange our Tanzanian cultures and customs.
We are really looking forward to your visit to share skills and culture. This will inspire the youth, helping even those with negative mindsets to change, particularly in developing a strong work ethic and a love for their progress for generations to come.
Of course, these two represent countless opportunities in this one part of the world—real, raw, grounded.
Back when I was there (and struggling regularly with the Internet) I realized two things:
Intermittent technology is sometimes worse than no technology at all.
I appreciated how Tanzania’s unique gifts are found offline.
Hm, Ras or Michael could incorporate that into their marketing: “Come to Tanzania and unplug.”
Unplug and connect or, perhaps, unplug to connect – That’s a fun paradox. It’s how I feel when camping. And now that I think about it as I write this, it’s how I feel about all my bucket list items! It’s the joy of hearing a string instrument, brushing the dirt off of an exposed fossil, and reeling in a monster from the deep.
Then again, maybe your bucket list (and maybe my own) includes taking one of those rockets through the stratosphere and seeing Earth from 50 miles up.
I appreciate my connection to Ras and Michael and their precious corner of the earth. I also appreciate this greater consideration of the kinds of experiences we hold most dear and hope to enjoy before our final days.
If you have any questions about Ras or Michael or those experiences, let me know.
Otherwise, please share what’s on your bucket list! What do you hope to experience—or accomplish—before passing away? If several folks share, I’ll the results in a future post.
And on that note, I hope you all have a fulfilling week ahead.
-Brandon