We drove for about an hour outside of Arusha. We turned off the main road and drove five km into a rural neighborhood. We passed farms where people were harvesting corn. Deo, a local of Arusha, told me the farms around the area could be a witness to global warming. He has talked to them and they say they know something is different but they wouldnt understand the whole idea of global warming. They would be able to tell you however that they know something is very wrong.
I never thought about that aspect of it all.
Finally the corn fields were replaced by stone walls. The stone walls were covered in graffiti, brightly saying things like "long live the panther."
When we pasted through the gates I was pleasantly surprised. There were colorful murals everywhere, a stage, an outside eating area with some american college students sitting and talking and a horse wandering around quietly.
The panther's wife Charlotte introduced herself with a smile. She was a beautiful older women with her hair pulled back in two buns on either side of her head. She ushered us in and soon introduced us to her husband. He was an older man with dreads. My favorite part was he was wearing the same dorky brown leather crocs as my father wears (everyday..with socks). He told us he knew we were hungry and not just regular hungry, American hungry. So they brought the food, which was really delicious and we all couldn't help but get seconds. We really were American hungry.
After we ate we all sat in chairs around him and listened to him talk. He said he wasn't good at giving speeches but he would answer any questions we had.
He was a very interesting man. His southern accent quickly put me at easy and finding out I was from Georgia he quickly settled in to saying y'all and laughing like we were all good friends.
Ill post the interview for you to hear all the questions.
He is doing alot of good for his community. What I liked the most is that he was humble and not just talking about the rosy aspects of everything. He was realistic and understanding of the other views we might have. I didnt agree with everything he said but I sure did respect it.
After he talked they gave us a tour of the grounds. He had lots of art classrooms his wife was an artist and loved to teach the local children. There was a computer classroom where Mary told us she took classes for free as a teenager. He had a few guest houses where students often came to stay. There was also a school for children most of which were orphans. He said they were his favorite thing. He at first was hesitant and refused to play grandfather. However it seems they won him over quickly and now they watch cartoons together every night, all 23 of them crammed in his bedroom.
I think there was alot to learn in this. It is hard for one not to question his past. However, to see what he has done for the community and his hospitality to our group I was seized by the realization that there is always room for good in the world. It is hard sometimes here in Arusha to fully grasp the poverty and lack of education that clearly affects the citizens. Discussing Human Rights and international law all day in class can be depressing. There are so many problems and the solutions are not always clear. Pete O'Neal's work reminded me that individuals can do something to address the issues and actually make a difference in sometimes desperate situations.
A part of the PBS movie made about him
You are doing some very interesting things. Dad had just seen a documentary about Peter O'Neal and he's impressed that you've had the opportunity to get to know him and most impressed that he wears crocs. It validates your Dad's idea that his uncoolness is actually cool. Maybe we can get you dad into dreds. That would be great. Do you have pictures of the art and children?
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