An African ADVENTURE

 

Unlike best-selling author Kuki Gallmann who wrote a book by the same name, I never dreamed of Africa. I never thought of Africa. And I certainly never thought I’d ever find myself there.

 

But my future daughter-in-law sure did, on all three counts. And she caused my youngest son to fall in love with the idea even as he fell in love with her. So soon came the day that they shared with the family their desire for a non-traditional wedding. Rather than spend their money on beautiful gowns, the best venue, the big-time party to celebrate their union, they had decided to travel to Africa and say their vows to each other over the Serengeti. Family members were invited to come if they so desired, to witness the event and to sign on for a group safari.

 

To put it mildly, our minds were blown. Who does such a thing?! Who dares to even consider such a radical possibility? Nobody in our collective life experience, that’s who! But the couple had not only considered the idea, but decided to make it happen, and we were all free to make our own choices concerning the event.

 

From the very start however, I somehow knew that I would be going. Few mothers would pass on the chance to see their son get married; I knew I wouldn’t, no matter where the event took place. My husband having passed away over a year earlier at this point, I was free to decide on my own course of action. I had the money to go, and could easily put enough vacation weeks together to get the time off from work. The only thing holding me back was the enormity of the unknowns surrounding the trip; because I didn’t know any of the details, I somehow couldn’t picture myself there. But I pushed doubt aside and eagerly signed on for what would be the biggest adventure of my life to date.

 

And so as the months passed, the planning ensued. All of the travel and safari details were handled by the kids; all I had to do was send my money at the appropriate times, get my passport and shots, and assemble the gear needed for a week-long adventure on the African grasslands. Up until the day we left I answered the questions posed to me (“Are you doing anything exciting this year?” …“Are you going anywhere on vacation?”…and, “I’m sorry, but I have to ask – why did you need a typhoid vaccination?”) with a sense of wonder as I said, “I’m going on an African safari!”…scarcely believing the words myself.

 

And so came the day we set off! Let me tell you, you don’t get to Africa in a single day, nor on a single flight, nor in a hurry. You fly for endless hours from point to point, and then wait the same length of time in another airport to board another plane and do the same again. Eventually the final flight ends,  you lift the airplane window cover and look out at a landscape totally different from any you’d seen before. Flat, endless grassland spread out before you, dotted everywhere with low-lying acacia trees. You gasp and mutter to yourself, “Toto, I have a feeling we’re not in [Ohio] anymore!!!

No, you’ve landed in Arusha, Tanzania… and your incredible African adventure is finally about to begin!

 

“But as it is written: ‘Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.’”

(1 Corinthians 2:9 NKJV)