I do believe in fate.For whatever reason, our paths were meant to cross, however brief.Epateti made a lasting impression on me.I was humbled and honored to have met him and this was translated for him on my last evening at the camp.I learned from Epateti, this total stranger.There were things we saw with like eyes, things we endured with similar resolve and resilience.He had asked that a photo be taken of the two of us.He is standing in his dark green khakis and we pose for the shot, new friends.
The last time I saw him it was dark.A wood fire was burning in the sitting room and a few kerosene lamps lit the outside of Mzee Christopher’s working kitchen.It was raining.Philip was there to translate our farewell.We hugged and shook hands.I thanked him for his generosity, for guiding me safely through the bush, for all I learned.I told him he was a good and kind man.I wished him well, always.He nodded to me and in Ki-Swahili to Philip, and translated to me, he said, “I know I will see you again, God willing.”And as usual, he smiled.
When I returned to the States, I sent a few gifts to my new friends at Ol ari Nyiro’s research center.I sent books and pens and bags of sweets.Epateti liked Lifesavers.He had never tasted them before.On one of our bushwalks, he had been coughing a lot and said his throat was dry from the heat and dust.I pulled a roll of Lifesavers from my pocket and offered him one. He had never tasted anything so sweet, he told Jeffrey.They made him feel better, made his throat well.When I was home, I sent him a large bag filled with Lifesavers.
It has been nearly two years now since my solo trip to Kenya, to Ol ari Nyiro.I received an email the other day saying that Epateti had passed away since my visit there.I was deeply saddened by the news.I wept for my stranger/friend, perhaps more so for myself, knowing I would not see him again.I pulled out the photos from my trip and looked at the ones taken with Epateti.I was surprised at how young he looked, not like the old man I initially saw, the wrinkled worn face of a man much older than his years.I saw a young, vital man standing strong in his dark green khakis.His black coffee colored skin looking smooth and vibrant, the wisdom in his eyes speaking volumes– even in a photograph.
As you once said to me, my friend, “I know I will see you again, God willing.”
And I do see you, Epateti.Each time I look at the sun and moon.
* Every day 6,000 children lose a parent to AIDS.The AIDS pandemic has killed more than 25 million people and an estimated 38.6 million are living with HIV/AIDS.In 2005, the AIDS epidemic claimed an estimated 3.1 million lives, more than half a million (570,000) were children.The highest infection rate of HIV/AIDS in the world is in sub-Saharan Africa.Since this story was written, I made another trip to South Africa where in the rural villages and townships, the ravages of AIDS are ever pervasive.
A native Californian, Jan Baumgartner is a freelance writer dividing her time between surviving in Maine and living in Mexico. Her background includes scriptwriting, comedy writing for the Northern California Emmy Awards, and travel writing for The New York Times. She has worked as a grant writer for the non-profit sector in the fields of academia, AIDS, and wildlife conservation and anti-poaching for NGO's in the U.S. and Africa. Her articles and essays have appeared in numerous online and print publications including the NYT, Bangor Daily News, SCOOP New Zealand, Wolf Moon Journal, Media for Freedom Nepal, and Banderas News in Mexico. She's finishing a memoir about her husband's death from ALS and how travels in Africa became one of her greatest sources of inspiration. She is a Managing Editor for OpEdNews.
My African friends are some of the most generous people I've ever known. The gift of experiencing the bush under their care, expertise and respect for the wild, is nothing short of life altering. That land is magic.
by
Jan Baumgartner (54 articles, 138 quicklinks, 10 diaries, 260 comments)
on Thursday, November 29, 2007 at 6:31:21 PM
Very lovely and excellent. Actually your style of writing is excellent. Though English is not my mother tongue, but I am just feeling you want to express your self. Actually your writing style is very impressive and nowadays I have been reading it very carefully just to improve my English. Believe me this is my desire to hear from you again and again...............................................
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Muhammad Khurshid (304 articles, 31 quicklinks, 197 diaries, 161 comments)
on Thursday, November 29, 2007 at 11:08:03 PM
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