Grace’s Kilimanjaro Hike. Photo © Eliya Yohana, Climb for a Child
I would like to thank everyone for choosing me to climb Mount Kilimanjaro for the second time. I had such a nice experience. This time it was my job to accompany Grace and make her feel comfortable. It was something that I would have done for anyone and that I wanted to do for a long time. The act of helping Grace gave me so much comfort in my heart.
Grace was a patient, gentle, shy, timid person, and she didn’t talk much to people while we were there, even me sometimes. Her silence was difficult sometimes. One day she was very quiet. We had to figure out what the problem was by ourselves. Which was okay, I know I would be the same or even worse in her situation.
That night I talked to her and told her that I understood how she felt being in front of many people. I told her my story from when I was new at the Climb for a Child Organization. At first I was really shy and afraid of people. I comforted her, and I saw some changes. It made me feel happy inside. In the coming days she and I were talking normally, sharing snacks, learning each other’s backgrounds and making fun stories, which I really enjoye
I feel like Grace would’ve not made it to the top without me because without me there would be no one to encourage her, talk to her and make her feel comfortable. Helping others makes me feel a sense of responsibility and makes me feel more confident.
