Okavango Delta - still going strong

I remember this day so very well. I would often feel defeated because we were a group of 21 and I was always the one sleeping by myself, which meant putting up and TAKING DOWN my tent by myself. Sounds easy? It was always hot and humid and then in the mornings, we were always extremely rushed to eat, finish our chores, shower, and get on with the day and if you didn't pack that damn tent exactly the way that you had to - forget it, you had to do it all over again and it was HEAVY. 

So when our poler put mine up and took mine down, well, that was a day worth remembering to begin with. 

But it was when the singing started. Usually when I travel, I'm a shutterbug, but this trip I barely took any photos and I wish I could have recorded that moment. But then I would have missed the experience. Right before the polers were singing, I wasn't really enjoying life all that much. I had to borrow water and I had to ask multiple people - even those that had over 2+ liters left and obviously wouldn't drink it all by the time we left. I had the trots and would have to go into the dark brush with my headlamp and go into our evening bushy-bushy toilet made for us. A rectangular hole dug into the ground, which we would have to then cover with more dirt, ready for the next person. I'm not sure if you have had trots - never mind Africa trots - but have you tried to aim in a rectangular hole?

So I was sweating, trying not to drink too much, running back and forth to the rectangular hole in the middle of the jungle in the dark with my headlamp, and polers and JUST LIT A FIRE - and it was +40*C or more, not including humidity, and we had to all sit around the fire while they tried to get themselves organized and I was kind of just like, Man. I'm so hot. The water around me is full of parasites and crocodiles and hippos. And I'm sitting around a fire while I'm in a sauna while I have the trots and my heart is broken and I don't know what I'm going to do with my life. Is this ACTUALLY hell?

And then a woman poler sang. And my heart may have stopped. And then the song continued, and tears flowed. and flowed and flowed and flowed and flowed and it was a release, but it was a release and also my heart filled with hope and happiness and love and like this feeling that everything was going to be ok. There is no way to explain this beautiful music that was sang. I've listened to some amazing choirs...and nothing has ever been like this. And then all of a sudden, I was amazed that I was so lucky to be in the middle of the Okavango Delta - now a second time, but this time in nature, in a tent, with the locals, after having to practically hide from the wildlife, and now the polers were singing TO ME. Just to me. Telling me that everything was going to be okay and that life will go on. 

After writing my previous blog entry I went back read a few blog posts and I stumbled on the Okavanga Delta post and it was written so quickly and hastily...the true moment wasn't totally captured. 

That entire evening was filled with dancing and singing. 

The polers tried to teach us a dance and some of us were brave enough to try it. They tried to teach us party of a song and some of us were brave enough to try it. And then they did this hilarious dance where two men had some kind of dance off where they would bump into each other and hit their penises together until the other backed off - we all thought this was pretty freaking hilarious. And we ended a song called, "I love Africa" where we can basically insert anything into the "Africa" party and we all sang it together.

That night, after the singing was finished, I went up to the first woman that sang and I told her, "I was so touched by how beautiful your singing was that I started crying. I'm going through a hard time right now and your singing reminded me that everything is going to be alright.". She was kind of shy, but was touched, and had a huge smile. 

When we left the next morning, we felt like we were leaving friends that we had known for years and years (well, in my case, my poler would not shut up how he was single and I was like, I get it thanks, that's great, I have options). 

In reference to my last post...while some important, lifelong relationships drift away, some important relationships are formed overnight and are never forgotten and will impact the rest of your life.