Simisola Oyeleye

Dispatch seven is written by Carson Phillips and Simisola Oyeleye. Simisola just graduated in Biopsychology. They both write about the last two days in Botswana and Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. The picture in Simisola’s piece is about her astonishing experience in Victoria Falls.

Enjoy, Nesha Z. Haniff.

Mosi-Oa-Tunya, the Smoke that Thunders and the Double Rainbow

As a child, I sought rainbows eagerly and saw them rarely. I can probably count the number of rainbows I saw on one hand, and I remember vaguely, after a rainstorm, the rainbow colors dancing on oil slicks on the road. But I had never really seen an actual rainbow.

I had no idea what to expect from Victoria Falls. I was by no means a nature enthusiast or a lover of water, but I expected something beautiful. What I did not expect was to be immediately struck by its beauty. One of the first sights I encountered was a rainbow, spanning the sky boldly. Suddenly, I felt as I often did as a child, immersed in a curiosity, awe, and fear of the world that was then so new to me. I continued along the falls, with an anticipation that I had not possessed before when Victoria Falls was but a vague idea in my mind. Over the powerful, intimidating, unending waterfalls were these bright and promising rainbows. When I saw a double rainbow over one of the waterfalls, I felt weak. It was as though I had finally discovered a treasure after years of searching fruitlessly. I finally found what I was looking for, years after I had given up my dream of finding it. I was overwhelmed with excitement, for not only had I found something valuable at an unexpected time, but it exceeded my expectations.

I knew, after seeing the double rainbow, that I had to continue. The majority of us had planned to walk throughout the entire falls, including through a section that would soak us. Even though I did not want to be besieged by water, I walked regardless—and all I could see was the mist rising from the falling waters, but I could hear the thunder of the falls, and I realized why the original name of the falls was Mosi-Oa-Tunya, the smoke that thunders. I did not expect to be drowning in rainbows at Mosi-Oa-Tunya.

A double rainbow was not a discovery I was expecting, especially after years of seeing rainbows as near mythical entities. However, I made more discoveries during my walk through Victoria Falls. It was during this trip that I realized how close we were to the end of our trip, and how grateful I was to share this experience with this particular group of people. I felt a closeness with the members of POA that I rarely felt with people outside my immediate family and a select few friends. We had shared this undertaking, this experience that made our bond like the double rainbow. I had been waiting for such a bond for my entire life, had given up on it years ago, and when I finally found it, it exceeded my wildest dreams and hopes for friendship.

SimisolaOyeleye
Pedagogy of Action Team Member 2012