Submitted photo

Cheyenne Shaffer, who grew up on a Mercer County farm near Princeton, Mo., recently returned from a six-week visit to Tanzania in east Africa. Part of the trip was devoted to a short hike up the slope of the 19,563-foot Mount Kilimanjaro, shown in the background.

Rural Princeton, Mo., native Cheyenne Shaffer recently tried scaling Mount Kilimanjaro.

However, it turned out to be a short climb. After all, not everyone is physically able to reach Tanzania’s famed 19,563-foot peak.

Ms. Shaffer enjoyed adventures on the mountain and elsewhere in the east African nation as part of a six-week international volunteer program called Cross-Cultural Solutions. She was based out of Bagamoyo, a coastal city 46 miles from the capital of Dar es Salaam. She returned home to Connecticut earlier in the week to resume a job with a political organization.

A desire to learn how Tanzania is dealing with the HIV/AIDS crisis and natural curiosity about life in a foreign land were among the reasons that fueled her interest. Cross-Cultural Solutions, for example, arranged a student debate on HIV/AIDS.

“I tried to go in with an open mind,” Ms. Shaffer said. “I’ve always known I wanted to go to Africa.”

Tanzanians were hospitable and generous toward her, but a majority of the population is poor. Children would shout “muzungu” (white person) at her and others in the program.

“I heard it a thousand times a day,” she said.

Ms. Shaffer kept a daily blog for her family and friends, retelling her encounters with residents and noteworthy events that occurred during the trip.

Her effort to see at least some of the heights of Kilimanjaro did yield vivid landscapes.

“It was beautiful,” she said. “I was only hiking for two days. To get to the top takes about six days.”

She required a team of assistants — including a guide and a porter to carry tents and equipment — to make the trek. Some of those who accompanied her were as young as 16 years old.

“They were running up and down the mountain,” Ms. Shaffer said.

Black-and-white colobus monkeys hanging around in trees and blue monkeys also were treats during the visit.

“I really didn’t realize how many there are,” she said. “For the most part, they ignored us.”

Ms. Shaffer’s other Tanzanian experiences included being stung by a jellyfish and eating communal style from a large plate on the ground. Helping fashion a large Christmas tree from white paper, green paint, green pipe cleaners, green sequins and construction paper ornaments was another project.

Ray Scherer can be reached at rscherer@npgco.com.