on the edge

Last week was my first back in the office after a two-week holiday. My roommates, Abbie and Kelsey, and I took advantage of the time off by traveling to Victoria Falls, one of the world’s eight natural wonders and a UNESCO world heritage site, for a week. Getting there took three buses and over 24 hours, but the destination definitely made up for the long journey. On our first day, we traveled to the Zambia side of the falls. Vic Falls reminded me of the Grand Canyon in that it doesn’t matter how high-quality of a camera you use, because no photo could encapsulate how awesome the falls truly are.

We were lucky to see the Zimbabwe side of the falls the following day. Most of the people we spoke with told us the view from the Zambia side was better (they all lived in Zambia, so there may have been a slight bias in their reasoning), but I found both sides to be equally picturesque, and it was interesting to see the opposite perspectives. After the falls, we headed to the Royal Livingstone Hotel for high tea, and yes, it was as fancy as it sounds. I felt more than a little out of place entering the sparkling lobby in my sweaty hiking clothes and the quick bathroom change into my tea dress didn’t help matters all that much. We were quite hungry after walking in the sun all morning, but our concern about not having enough food was put to rest as we were given more pastries than we could finish and even took some scones for the road. As we sipped our tea and munched (scarfed) eclairs, a herd of zebras casually passed by. I’m still not sure if I dreamed the whole thing, but it was a high point of the trip regardless.

On our final morning in Livingstone, Kelsey and I woke up early for one final adventure, Angel’s Pool. The natural pool is feet away from the edge of the falls, with a 350 ft. drop to the bottom. The morning of, I was wondering why the heck I paid to put myself through terror, but we were committed, so we took a boat to Livingstone Island, stripped down to our bathing suits, and put on heavy raincoats before being led to the edge of the falls by our guides. Being feet away from a 350-foot drop should have been terrifying, but my adrenaline overshadowed the terror, and the experience ended up being one of the most exhilarating of the trip.

The holiday was a refreshing chance to break outside of the Maji Zuwa “bubble,” but coming back to campus felt like coming home, and it was nice to get back into the routine I have begun to develop. This week was a busy one, as D2D held its annual Youth Leadership Workshop. The gathering is a chance for the sponsored youth to come together to refresh their leadership skills before the upcoming school term. The workshop consisted of presentations on topics including goal-setting, sexual and reproductive health and HIV/AIDS prevention, conflict management, gender equality, and community development participation. One of the highlights for me was the talent show, where I watched the youth show off their rapping, singing, dancing, poetry, and acting skills. It was heartwarming to watch them shamelessly get up in front of their peers and receive nothing but support and affirmation. The workshop was reminder for me that leadership is an ongoing process. There are many aspects of leadership, like public speaking and assertiveness, that don’t come naturally and I continually have to improve upon. The examples of fearlessness and authenticity I witnessed from the young people at the workshop will push me to continue to find my footing in my own capacity as a leader.