Leap of Faith

 

Our destination was Ngamba Island, part of the Koome group of islands located in Lake Victoria, whose area is greater than that of any other lake in Africa, and lies 23 kilometers south-east of Entebbe.  Home to 52 rescued or rehabilitated chimpanzees (as of February 2022), the island is accessible by motor boating across the massive body of water, also called Victoria Nyanza.

The morning air was damp with the lingering remnants of the previous night's downpour.  Arriving at the dock, we awaited both our vessel and another storm that was visibly approaching.

Prior to our excursion to Ngamba Island, I remembered reading that the equator runs through Lake Victoria, and that it was possible - on our way to or from the island, to actually swim at latitude 0°.

"Why do you want to swim at the equator?", my husband had asked months before our trip to Uganda.

"Why not ?  If I'm there, I may as well jump in and be ON the equator!  When will I have that opportunity again?", I reasoned.

The morning of our adventure, I donned my bathing suit, tee-shirt, skort, my own rain jacket, plus a second one supplied by the boat crew, and, of course, a life vest.

No sooner had we climbed aboard, than the storm was upon us, pelting us with dagger-like sheets of rain.  The water, stirring and swirling around us, tossed our boat into the air, slamming it back down onto the hard, choppy surface beneath us, allowing the lake water to invade our space.

Pelt! Airborne! Slam!  The repetition of this pattern, for our 45 minute trip to the island, was broken only by my thoughts of the equator and the occasional reminding nudge, to the captain, of my desire to take the plunge. 

Concern clouded his face:

"The water is too rough because of the storm."

Disappointment "flooded" through me - almost as much as the lake water had, but I held out hope that the weather would abate, and a swim at the "great circle" would be within my reach.

"I have a plane to catch!  We don't have time to stop at the equator!", (as if it were a store in which to shop for souvenirs), exclaimed one of my 7 fellow passengers.  Unaware of my stubborn streak, her protestations made me more determined to take my long-awaited dip.  Besides, who plans a lake excursion, in a storm, in Africa, abutting an international flight departure?

Was it a pretty miserable voyage in the midst of that torrential downpour? You bet! The good thing, however, is that I had just spent 3/4 of an hour intentionally assessing the temperature of the lake water, and ascertained that it was actually warmer than the angry deluge falling from the sky.  Once again, contemplating the equator, I told myself:

" At least, when I jump in, it won't be a shock to my system!"

After disembarking, we were led to an open-sided hut where hot tea was waiting to warm us up from our exposure to the lake winds and cold pellets of rain.  Up and over a walkway, we observed the families of rescued chimps as they ate, played, and interacted with each other - our guide relaying the stories of how some of them came to reside on Ngamba Island.

45 minutes to get there.  45 minutes to watch the chimpanzees.  It was now time to head back to Entebbe.  Feeling both resolute and optimistic, I shed my skort, tee-shirt, and rain jackets, re-secured my life vest, and re-boarded our motor boat for the second crossing of Lake Victoria. 

As I walked past the captain, I couldn't help myself:

"I'd really like to jump in at the equator!  Can you please let me know when we're there?"

Eyeing me, skeptically, (Think:  "Liability!"), he cautioned that the conditions were less than ideal for swimming due to the water's roiling from the passing storm.

Pulling away from the island, Barry engaged the compass function of his phone and kept track of our longitude and latitude as we motored back across Lake Victoria.

"We're getting closer," he reported to me.

I looked at the two men captaining our boat, and noticed that they, too, were keeping close tabs on our location.

As the numbers on Barry's compass were decreasing, my heart rate was increasing.  Why?  I had been so excited about this - for months!

Was I having second thoughts?  Was I worried about the storm-ravaged lake water?  Was it because no one else seemed to know (or care?) about swimming at the equator?

"Ok - we're almost there!", Barry informed me.

Looking back at the captains, they watched as I rose from my seat.

Moving to the edge of the boat, I gazed down into the murky water, thinking:

"This seems like a bigger 'drop' than it did when I first climbed aboard!"

One foot on the rim....

"Now!", I hear the captains shout.

Second foot on the edge of the boat....

.....and JUMP!

The trepidation I had felt dissolved as my body collided with Lake Victoria.

I was finally swimming at the equator!  Nothing felt different, except my sense of accomplishment and knowing that, sometimes, my stubbornness is an asset.  Perhaps I shall now refer to it as "determination", which has a much nicer connotation!

Forgetting, momentarily, that I had just leapt off of a boat into Africa's largest lake, and was solitarily treading water in its midst, I looked at our vessel, which was much further away than when I first sprang from it.  The current was pulling me away.

Flipping onto my stomach, I tried to breaststroke back to the boat - to no avail.  Next, freestyle - pulling and digging with my arms, kicking my legs furiously to cut through the opposing force of the water.

Finally, closing the gap and nearing the boat, whose edge was too high for me to grasp, two hands reached down towards the water.  My hand found the captain's.  Barry's fingers found mine.  Lifting me just enough to fling my foot over the rim, I tumbled in, exhilarated!

Shaking, but unsure whether it was due to my "fait accompli" or the cold, I returned to my seat, the woman who had protested our stop at the equator, impatiently checking her watch.

As we made our way back to the dock, where our adventure had begun, the chill that permeated me seemed inconsequential when I stopped to think about the 8000 miles and yards of red tape it had taken to arrive at this juncture.  When doubt crept into my mind as our proximity to the equator grew nearer, I allowed myself to feel and acknowledge it, before summoning my gumption to follow through with what I viewed as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Fear, uncertainty, and apprehension can sneak up on us, even when we are looking forward to a particular event.  They can be uninvited "guests" at any turn, for any reason.  It has become apparent, however, that regardless of whether we are contemplating a swim at the equator or any other myriad of moments that require us to merge moxie with misgivings, sometimes, we must take a leap of faith.  

We just have to secure our life vests and jump in!

© Cre8ive Writes, LLC  2022