While touching a live cheetah might be out of the norm for most people around the world, Noble LaRocco Masi had the experience of a lifetime during his recent mission trip to South Africa, which included being able to touch a tame cheetah.
Masi took part in the mission trip with Boy Scout troop 8880 of Chapel Hill, of which he has been a member since the sixth grade. Masi’s troop consists of 14 members, including adults, who all helped run a one-week camp that orphans, some of whom had AIDS, could attend instead of going to school for a week. Their goal in South Africa was to create an environment where these orphans could have fun together and learn about Christianity.
Masi and his troop went for 10 days and stayed in the capital, Pretoria, which is in the interior part of South Africa. The area is very poor, isolated and has dilapidated shacks. The majority of the population was black South African, although there were some white South Africans. It was unlike anything Masi had ever seen before, and changed his perspective on the world, especially on South Africa.
“It had ghettos the size of states, spread out all over, and they didn’t like the white people in the area,” Masi said.
A normal day for Masi, as well as for the kids in the camp, would start with waking up when the dawn light first came through the window. Next was taking a shower, which the kids had never experienced before. Then breakfast, chapel and solo time, which was individual Bible reading with the kids.
They attended four periods a day, like a school, as well as having a free period. Masi was in charge of team building activities; they would end the day with evening chapel, dinner and cabin time.
“Taking care of the kids was a lot of fun. It was very demanding, but it was fun at the end of the day,” Masi said.
During his trip, Masi got to go on a safari, allowing him to see many of the exotic animals for which Africa is known. These animals included ostriches, antelope and zebras. Unfortunately, the safari was cut short because of rain. Masi has many favorite memories from his trip.
One new food that Masi tried during his time overseas and enjoyed very much was pap. Pap is the staple food of the country and is similar to North Carolina’s grits. It is made out of corn that the people grow themselves. Masi also noted with surprise that South Africa has many different varieties of Coca-Cola, a wider selection than is available in the U.S.
Lying outside in a hammock for the night, known as hammocking, is very popular in South Africa. Masi got to experience this on his trip, with a surprise ending.
“We were sitting by the campfire talking about politics and we heard hippos in the bushes nearby, behind the fence,” Masi said. “Hippos are the most aggressive animal in Africa, and we were like, ‘Oh, it could break down the fence and kill us,’ and we all got really scared.”
Masi said that he and his troops were fearful of the hippos until they went and asked a local citizen, who told them that hippos only ran through the camps when there were no people around.
While Masi got to try new foods, see exotic animals and bring back exciting memories to share, he learned life lessons as well and returned a changed person.
Keith Brown, Masi’s Boy Scout troop leader, said of the orphans, “The kids there don’t have anything, yet they’re happier than you guys.”
Masi said that his mission trip made him appreciate what he has in America more than he had before.
“I am very glad I went,” Masi said. “It changed my life a little bit. You never get the feel for what it actually is until you go. I don’t think I could explain it to anybody properly.”
– By Dana Walker