About 25 minutes into the bus ride we learned that the “donkey farm” was around an hour drive out of town so we knew there was no getting back to the orphanage this afternoon and I was bummed to be forfeiting my time with orphans for a donkey ride. During our bus ride the clouds started thicken, thunder rolled and rain began to pour down. I thought to myself “what could be more fun than riding a donkey ~ perhaps riding a wet donkey?” [insert sarcasm disclaimer here!] I found it hard to “contain” my excitement. But then I was humbled to the point of silence by looking out the window at the elderly ladies carrying loads of twigs bundled on their back the size of round hay bale, bare foot, drenched in the rain, huffing exhaustively down the winding road of the mountain side and I thought I should bite my tongue and feel privileged that my day contained “entertainment” of any sorts for these ladies were working harder than all the years I had in my life combined in just one afternoon.
So we arrived at the “race track” to find ourselves meandering up a muddy goat path to literally some guy’s farm yard. The farmer/leader led us out to the middle of the pasture where the games would begin. Soon the locals were joining from every possible corner you could imagine. Donkeys were on the loose running ramped through the crowd that was forming. I instantly became invigorated that this afternoon was going to be special and I was convinced FUN was written all over this hillbilly adventure! It seemed we had so perfectly landed in this moment not by plan B or as a secondary decision to essentially “kill time” ~ I found an excitement inside me bursting as though I had been planning, waiting and jumping for joy about this day! God does funny things under the rubber stamp dubbed “coincidence”…it was NO COINCIDENCE we landed smack dab in the middle of donkey day in the pouring rain! So we trekked through the farm yard and set our sights on the beautiful meadow/pasture that was of course our race track! We had to cross this ravine that was about 8-10 feet deep. The local kids ages 4+ were leaping this sucker like a puddle and my eyes were bulging out of my head as to how on earth I’d cross this HUGE OPENING without taking a serious mud bath! The beautiful men recognized the horrified look on all us girls’ faces so they jumped right into the ravine and formed a little human bridge. I mean seriously we made an ordeal out of this and the locals just laughed & laughed! I giggled too because how could you NOT! Wimpy Americans ~ even me, I was being such a princess ~ the back woods country girl should feel right at home right, nah, I didn’t really want to dirty my capri khaki pants! No worries, I soon threw that frame of mind out the window!
So we all survived crossing the creek! Once we were in the line up of the “starting gate” we were being bombarded by anxious donkey farmers to choose their prize racer. Secretly through my chuckling I felt horrible for these poor donkey’s they were the size of my neighbor’s yellow lab ~ these were NOT donkey’s in my mind and in no way did they deserve to have to tote us around. Think of Donny on the back of a Labrador Retriever, with legs as "thick" as an ostrich ~ now don’t you feel bad for these poor animals too! It’s by the grace of God these poor things survived the day. I had to put my sympathy card away for these mini donkey machine’s because everyone else was already hopping on so I thought “what’s one more, really”? Do I truly want to go home and say I sat on the sidelines during “donkey day” ~ forget the khaki’s I’M IN IT, TO WIN IT! My favorite saying of "it's on like donkey kong" suddenly had a brand new context!! So I made some farmer’s day by choosing his donkey as he all but put the animal between my legs for me! He was eager to earn a few $$$ for his donkey’s service, let’s just say that! His first words to me were “Go fast?” ~ OMG, my life flashed before my eyes as he passed me the twine string reins to hold onto and began whipping this mini old haggard thing to run! With my legs folded like an accordion to keep from dragging on the ground I some how mumbled “let’s WIN” through the vibrating torture of this donkey’s spine connecting with my tail bone! I bounced around like a piece of popcorn on this animal and the man just kept running along side me, the donkey increasing in speed with every stride. The fans laughing HYSTERICALLY at this circus carnival gone bad! At one point Donny and I were neck & neck for the lead ~ no way did I come to Africa to lose another competition against Donny, NO WAY! I switched into serious mode like I was competing in the Olympic donkey races. Suddenly our guide Akim announced for us to turn around and head back to the starting gates which would now be the finish line. Too bad for Donny his racing guide kept running straight off into the abyss of the meadow. I wish I had the courage to peek at him running off like a blind jogger on some National Lampoons comedy show but it took all my concentration to not lose my grip on the twine ~ so I couldn't even enjoy a moment of delight at Donny's ignorant expense! Suddenly my donkey turned on a dime to whip me around for the home stretch towards VICTORY. About 10 feet from the moment of my glory, the donkey whipped out a secret move that nearly cost me my life. The friggin thing dropped his head and put on the emergency brakes ~ I slid down the neck of this little beast screaming at my race driver for help, trying to clench my legs around the belly of this donkey instead of using my brain and just setting my feet stand on the ground! My farmer friend grabbed me just as I was meeting the donkey’s ears and about to go "end over end" in ya know what I mean. He held me on and we skated through to the finish line and he cheered victoriously, the crowd cheered ~ how could I not get caught up in the moment so I CHEERED and basked in the glory of being the donkey racing QUEEN! I should've busted out some true white girl rhythm for these folks, but I was rejoicing in still having my LIFE and checking to see if all limbs were still attached and if the donkey survived in one solid piece instead of showing off my victory groove thang!
We truly were the entertainment of the month for these folks ~ maybe the year?! It was my deepest privilege to be lost in this moment, no language barrier kept us from laughing till our sides ached. The smiles on their faces and sniggers under their breath to one another made my day. I exchanged my dignity for their enjoyment and I was honored to do so. True humility came for me in throwing my reservations out the window to become their "dog & pony show" or should I say "donkey show". A day that they can forever rejoice in God gifting them 13 idiot Americans standing in their pasture seeking a thrill only their donkey's could provide! I mean seriously, can you imagine what was going through their mind's when we asked to ride their donkey's in a race? Tell me God is not a comedian!
I came off that donkey smelling more like him than he did. Khaki was no longer a color I knew ~ but I was a winner, I remember that much! This moment was like heaven. I felt like a little kid, getting dirty, having fun, wasting time and the biggest gift of all was this was absolutely the farthest thing from “a waste of time”. God put us here in this moment for a taste of the depths of Ethiopia nestled in the rolling hills of the mountain side encapsulated by beauty. My eyes were dancing across sights that could not be seen from inside the city limits of Addis Ababa. The scenery was so lush and the mountains so gorgeous and the people were even more amazing. The rain added that special touch as if God was smiling down as the referee of these games. The mist that lingered in the air when the rain subsided just in time for our races to begin was the perfect visual symbol of fresh, innocent, natural countryside in all its beauty. The memories and stories we gave to those people on that day are priceless. The memories and stories they gave to me are priceless! I couldn’t have imagined a more perfect moment than out there in the manure, mud, rain, grass filled pasture laughing my butt off, high-fiving and hugging these people for cheering me on. Shaking hands and meeting new friendly faces. Seeing smiles so big that I thought their cheeks might crack. Hearing laughter so deep from the bottom of their bellies I had to giggle in accordance! Taking photos that captured this miraculous day will forever remind me of my indescribable day of the donkey in Ethiopia. My best advice to all of you is get your butt to Africa for the next donkey race ~ you'll never regret it or forget it!
There I am in the background ~ leaving no photographic evidence of me on the back of a donkey ~ I didn't need that one coming back to haunt me.
Although many others on our team gladly posed with their victim donkey's for a prize photo!
The whole peanut's gang!! :)
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