Safari

I'm a very adventurous person who loves to go new places and try new things. My eagerness to travel has long been rooted with my faith. Six years ago I decided to go along on a mission trip with my church to Milwaukee , Wisconsin. This trip first ignited my fondness for traveling and going new places. The experience proved to be so fulfilling I continued to go around the country with my church, meeting new people from all walks of life. I've gone on seven different trips to places from Rapid City, South Dakota all the way to Queens, New York. Each trip was unique and rewarding.

After my last trip to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, in the summer of 2005. I was left with a slight distaste. Don't get me wrong, I loved the trip and had a great time, but things seemed to be getting a bit redundant. I wasn't sure I really wanted; I just knew I wanted to go further away and see something I had never seen before. The next winter of I read the list of different mission trips my church was putting on, and as soon as I saw Tanzania, Africa, listed I knew that I needed to go there. About fifty signatures and eight

shots in the arm later I found myself with four airplane tickets that would after many hours of air travel, and layovers, drop me off in Africa.

As I began unpacking my suitcase and putting away my cloths in the cabin that I would be staying in for the next two days my stomach growled for the satisfaction of a real meal. The five hour bus ride out to the national park in which we were staying limited my appetite to only a few crackers and a couple pieces of candy. It was seven p.m. and the sun was almost already set. It would still be another half an hour before the Messai guide would come to pick me up and lead me to dinner. As I unpacked the last of my clothing two harsh raps sounded against the door. I opened the door and found myself face to face with a man wearing a scarlet red robe draped across his body, both of his ear lobs were stretched out leaving enough space to fit a golf ball through them. In his left hand he held a seven foot spear and in his other hand he clutched a flashlight. Around his waist was tied a dagger. This man looked ready to fight a battle. He looked liked like someone right out from a national geographic magazine. "Come," the man replied and he turned and began to walk off the porch and onto a path. I quickly followed the light of his flashlight, this was no place I wanted to be alone. On the path we were surrounded by large trees, large rocks, and darkness. Here I was thousands of miles away from home, walking on a path with a native tribal hunter in the middle of Africa. Before I could begin to grasp this idea we entered an opening in the path. Tightly squeezed together like

a heard of frightened sheep stood a group of people. American tourists waiting for the Messai guide to lead them to dinner. We began the rest of our hike on our way to waiting warm food. The thought of food comforted me a little, but not enough to slow the rapid beat of my heart.

Finally after walking what seemed like twenty miles but really was only two hundred yards we reached a dimly lit tiki hut on top of a large cluster of boulders. The steps leading to the tiki hut were carved out of the stone boulders. As we reached the top of these steps we entered the hut to what seemed like a five star restaurant. Waiting for us were candle lit tables and steaming hot food. After we all finished our desert and sipped the last of our drinks we were told to head back down the stone staircase where the Messai guide would be waiting to lead us back to our cabins. We all began down the stone staircase slow with the weight of our meal still not digested.

Waiting for us was our fearless guide, still in hand the spear and flashlight. He spoke softly to our translator in their native tung. Our translator turned to the group and said "We must make little noise and walk quickly, for there are lots of elephants out tonight," after hearing this I took a few steps closer to the man with the spear and the holes in his ears. We began our trek back into the darkness. A darkness so dark you wouldn't be able to tell the difference if a black rag was tied around your eyes. After walking not more then ten steps the guide stopped and shined his flashlight to the left in between to large trees. There stood not more than ten feet away