A Quick Hello Before Passing Out...

So we returned a little while ago from the Fondes Amandes Community Re-Forestation Project (FACRP) and are now a group of very silent, mostly exhausted college students. Kaitlyn seems to be the exception, but no surprise there.

We started off the morning by driving up, meeting our group leader Akilah Jaramogi and having her give us a short demonstration/lecture on what the program is all about, their goals, methods, etc. Then after a very tasty breakfast we headed up the hill to our first adventure of the day: Work. We split off into small groups doings tasks like clearing leaves out of water trenches, raking leaves off hillsides so that they would no longer be fire hazards, and helping to feed some goats being kept in a pen on the hill-side. This part went by very quickly and even in the sun and heat it didn't feel like too much work. The man, Henry, who helped Megan and I rake leaves was very friendly and talkative and seemed very concerned about our safety even though we had just barely met. I was touched by his words of caution and wisdom, and by how earnestly he offered such words. We then as a group planted four passion fruit trees that will eventually grow up and over a bamboo-frame and become a starting canopy of sorts for that part of the hill. I would love it if in four years or so I could somehow return to that spot and see the "fruits of our labor."

The rest of the afternoon was filled with a very strenuous hike (at least for me it was a bit tough, but I pulled through OK), lunch, siesta (we were all pretty beat after that hike!), and an awesome walk down to the river. One thing I must say is that I can now truly appreciate authentic hiking gear, and how easy it is to switch from walking to jumping into a natural pool. We swam for a bit in our shorts and respective underwear, then wandered back down the river, some of us still jumping in and out of the water while others stayed mostly to the side, scaling the deep ravine walls that surround the river. I did a bit of both. I haven't gone rock-jumping (what I used to call it as a youngin') in years and had a blast. Finally, we made it back and our lovely bus was there to take us home. After a final goodbye to Akilah and the group, we drove back. And here we are. I think I'll go sleep for a few years now, or at least until the next adventure tonight.

One thing I have realized thanks to this awesome opportunity to get out there and do some hard work: I need to get out there and do some hard work more often...