It was a beautiful Tuesday with the sun shining and a light breeze in the air. After working up, I began preparing for the day ahead by reviewing our program’s timetable, to my delight I discovered that we were scheduled to visit the nearby “PUGU KAZIMZUMBWI NATURE FOREST RESERVE” for a hiking adventure. As it was my first time hiking, I was thrilled at the prospect of experiencing it firsthand.
In the afternoon, my fellow program participants and I embarked on a journey to the Pugu Kazimzumbwi. The car ride was full of singing, dancing and storytelling, which made the experience even more enjoyable. We arrived at the “Pugu Kazimzumbwi Nature Forest Reserve” at approximately 3:00 pm, and everyone was eager to start exploring. The tour guide provided us with a brief introduction to the “PUGU KAZIMZUMBWI NATURE FOREST RESERVE” before we began our hike.
We started the hiking journey very smoothly and I was still wearing a smile on my face, full of energy and I was still curious to do my first hike. We got to experience different features found in the area like, the big dam called “MINAKI”, the bamboos, the meditation area where people enter with bare feet and also different insects. As we were going further the hiking started becoming a hot snowman. When I started hiking, I was not expecting to be the last one to reach the top of the hill but after hiking for some time, I started feeling weak, my body become hot and my legs couldn’t move anymore. I decided to sit down to see if I could get the strength to proceed with hiking, but the strength of this ring was nowhere to be found. The rest of the participants were now far from me, I couldn’t even hear their voice anymore, it’s now me and one of our guider called “Kimweri”.
At this point is when I came to the realization that Kimweri is a compassionate individual who values the well-being of others in the community. He possesses exceptional motivational skills and has the ability to encourage individuals to attain their desire, as for me my desire was to reach at the top of the hill. After he saw me sitting down hopelessly he asked me “is this your first time to go hiking?” I answered “Yes” then he said “it’s OK if its first hike and you have to understand that this is a fun thing and you are not competing with anyone, so what you have to do is to hike slowly, all you need is to stop for a minute before proceeding. Yes do it Petronila and keep in mind that you must reach the top” so I got motivated and proceeded hiking and now there were only two of us hiking while others were already at the top. We went hiking while making stories and that made the hike more enjoyable. He also seemed passionate about preserving the “PUGU KAZIMZUMBWI NATURE FOREST RESERVE” and encouraged me to explore and appreciate its beauty.
Having people like Kimweri around who can motivate and inspire us to be best selves is truly invaluable. Whether we are feeling lost, unmotivated, or simply unsure of ourselves, having a support system who believes in us can make all the difference.
Article by Petronila Mkufya