Under one sky

I remember staring in awe at the vast blueness of the sky as the cold morning air enveloped us that day at the airport. Forty of us had just gotten off the plane at Johannesburg, and in a few minutes we would be boarding buses to meet the South African delegates and then proceed to camp. The 10 days that followed were to become some of the most memorable days of my 17 years.

South Africa opened doors for me that I never knew existed. The wilderness experience taught me new ways of life, introduced me to new people, and in the process, helped me to find myself.

Camp days consisted mostly of team activities and discussions, punctuated by laughter and jokes. The apprehension I felt on the first day eventually disappeared as the days wore on and the personal space between me and my newfound friends melted away. Together, we experienced the majesty of the animals on the game drives that we had, together we learned to work as one, together we discovered that none of us were alike and yet all of us were the same. We were kids trying to find our place in this world, and we found our hearts in Africa.

It could have been something about the stillness of the night air and the brilliance of the stars. It could have been the many nights we spent around the fire, singing songs and telling stories, or it could as well have been the environment we found ourselves in, miles away from home and out in the wilderness… whatever it was, all 51 of us quickly became family.

The program itself taught me not just the urgency and importance of conservation, it taught me to become a better person. My team officer once showed us a certain plant on one of our interpretation walks. He told us a story of how the plant’s leaf had become the Ubungani’s logo. The leaf itself had three veins, he said, and they all had very significant meanings. The three veins stood for the mission of every man that ever walked this earth. They were: peace with nature, peace with fellow man, and peace with oneself. That mission I have brought home with me.

I never expected to learn or gain as much as I did on this trip. When once I thought I was suffering the fight alone, here I have found that whenever I feel lonely or frustrated, 51 other hands are reaching out across the nations just to say "Don’t worry, you aren’t alone. We’re here, and we’re fighting with you." When once I thought that the world was coming into conflict with one another for selfish reasons, here I have seen a harmony of cultures, sharing and appreciating each other’s individuality.

On the last day of camp, a bittersweet silence hung in the air. We all knew that what seemed to be the end was only another beginning.

As the buses pulled out of the reserve for the last time, my friends started to sing the famous R. Kelly song. I stared out one of the windows as fleeting images of the Waterberg mountains passed by my sight. I realized just how much the camp changed me, and I felt a sudden rush of hope. Hope for my generation, hope for all the nations of the world, hope for the earth. The hope was in each and every face on that bus, laughing, crying, some struggling to hold back their own tears, but all the while still singing… "…I believe I can fly.. I believe I can touch the sky…" I looked up once again at the still blueness of the South African sky and thought… yes, I believe.