June 6th, 2008 – Rise and Shine
Lisa and I awake to our first morning in Tanzania! It’s very exciting and we’re hyped to check out of the Kia Lodge and into our new spot at the Ngordoto Mountain Lodge. The day is spent packing up, driving out and waiting in the lobby for our room to be ready. Apparently a huge conference had been the talk of the town for the last week and we were just catching the tale end of it. At least 100 bags of luggage lined the lobby floor and folks were checking out by the dozens. It took us a couple of hours, but we finally got our room.
Next step was to attempt to call up Pete O’Neil, a Black Panther whose been living in exile in Tanzania for close to 40 years. He and his wife Charlotte moved out here after Pete was found guilty on a trumped up gun charge. After making their home in the village of Imbaseni, they founded the United African Alliance Community Center, a place of positive growth for the youth of Tanzania.
They offer education, recreation, and a safe space to all those who wish to be part of a loving and giving community.
Our hopes were that Pete would schedule with us a meeting for the following day and allow us to come into the center. The calls however did not go through and our day was winding down to a wait-fest. Now tired and concerned, Lisa and I decided to go have dinner and then try again on the internet to see if we got a response by e-mail.
Low and behold, before we take our first bite in the lonely dinner hall of the hotel, Pete O’Neil comes rushing towards us with arms wide open!
“You must be Lisa! And you must be Frank!”
We were beyond ecstatic and our energy went from 0 to 100 in a heartbeat.
“Pete!!!”
He quickly invited us over to the center. We took our dinner to go and headed out towards the UAACC. When we got there, we met some of the Stonybrook students who are currently doing their study abroad in Tanzania. Pete got us some drinks and we had so many laughs. He had us tearing! We met Mama Charlotte who was a bit ill but still came out of bed to meet us. They are both as beautiful as we thought they were. Finally we decided to head back to the hotel and get some rest for the next day.
Before I came on this trip I was concerned that they would be so busy with their other guests that they would not make the connection Lisa and I were hoping to make with them. I guess living in America made me feel as if the first thing people do when they meet is doubt each other. I cannot begin to tell you how untrue and unnecessary that concern was. But Pete can…
“You’re my kind of people! Have a good night ya’ll!”
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2 comments:
I'm glad that your concern ended up not being anything to be concerned about. Please continue having meaningful conversations with Pete and let him know that NYC has madd love for him and Charlotte.
My late Mother was a personal friend of Florene O'Neil (Pete's Mother) in the late 60's. She and I both worked with Florene at the Dept. of Treasury in KC, MO. My Mother and she took a trip to Hawaii together. I want to wish Pete - continued success and happiness.
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