Out of Africa

JAMBO! (that is hello in Swahili)

I (Leah) have just returned from a trip to Africa! An exciting camera safari through the beautiful plains of Tanzania. What an experience it was! All the wild animals up close and personal, the colorful culture, the exotic scenery...wow...it was truly an experience that I will never forget.

But, I must say, after being gone for 2 weeks, I was very happy to get home, see my family and sleep in my own bed!

A brief recap - We traveled to the The Great Rift Valley, the 8th Wonder of the World. It runs down the continent from Ethiopia to Mozambique, which is home to a majority of the world’s wild animals. We were greeted by lions, hippo, giraffe, elephants, zebras, baboons, etc. I felt like I spent a week in a National Geographic documentary! Our “tents” were large cottages on elevated decks, complete with private bathrooms and massive porches from which you could watch the wild animals grazing at sunrise! In each "tent" there was a whistle is by the bed, in case any wild animals got too close in the night. After dinner, a Maasai warrior escorted us back from the dining room to our tents. It wasn't a long walk, and I thought it odd that we were being escorted, but after hearing a lion roar later that evening....I quit wondering and was ever so thankful for the warrior's assistance!

I wrote daily entries into my journal; describing all the wonderful sites of the trip.

Africa is very different from the U.S. We are such a lucky bunch! Basic things like having running water, getting enough to eat, having transportantion, and getting an education are things we expect and take for granted. In Tanzania these things are considered luxuries, only afforded by the uber-wealthy! I was very humbled by all of this. It was befitting that I would be in Africa to celebrate Thanksgiving, it made me realize I had a lot to be thankful for.

Coaching comes to Africa

Coaching must be an odd term in Tanzania. When our wonderful tour guide Roger asked me what I did for a living, I told him that I was a life coach. He gave me a puzzled look, so I explained further that I worked with people to develop and lead satisfying and fulfilling lives. I further explained that it was all about taking ACTION in our lives to get from where you are now to where you want to be. (I wondered how this was coming across in translation, since he was fluent in Swahili with English being his second language. Is coaching even in the Swahili vocabulary??)

I could see that he still wasn't fully understanding my meaning, so I just said - I help make people HAPPY. With that, he gave me a BIG grin, and nodded his head with full understanding of what I did. I had to grin myself, some words are just easy to translate no matter where you are in the world or what language you speak. Everyone understands the importance of happiness.

In a land where most folks are wondering if they will have clean water to drink, enough porridge for dinner, or a shilling to buy clothing, they still understand happiness. It's universal. That night as we were watching the colorfully dressed Massai men and women dance and sing traditional African songs around the campfire, I saw that happiness in their faces and movements!

So, I ask you to think today about what makes you happy. Is it decorating your house for the holidays? Going to the park with your children? Or just relaxing at home reading a favorite book. Whatever it is that makes you happy, carve out some time in your busy schedule and hectic life to do it! I know for me, I am going to pour myself a second cup of coffee and sit outside by my pool reflecting on my African journey, and being ever so thankful for all the gifts in my life.