Thursday, December 4, 2008
The culmination of my Semester in Africa
It is crazy to think that my study abroad program in East Africa has culminated today. This morning I woke up to a room full of packed suitcases. When I headed to breakfast everyone was sitting at the tables chatting in a somber manner. With only minutes left as a group everyone was feeling nostalgic and wishing the trip was not quite over. After breakfast ended the students heading to Nairobi on the morning bus brought their bags to the reception area of the hotel and we all said our goodbyes. We hugged and professed how much we are going to miss one another even though we all know we will be seeing each other in a month. It is crazy to think that I will not wake up next to the same people I have been spending all my time with tomorrow. My emotions are mixed; i am sad about the trip ending, but am beyond excited about returning home and seeing my friends and family.
These last few weeks my head has been filled with these mixed emotions. There have been times when i have been so exhausted of wearing the same three outfits, continuously being dirty, and having flies EVERYWHERE! But I have always been able to check myself and appreciate every moment of my time here. It is weird having a chapter such as this one end because I know I will never experience anything quite like it again. I may return to East Africa one day, but my trip will never be like this one. I will never make so many close life-long friends in such a short time. I feel blessed to have met so many amazing people this trip, both my fellow students and the Africans we interacted with.
My worldview has changed greatly and I honestly feel like a more educated and well-rounded human being because of this trip. There have been many tough times, but looking back all the hardships and bumps in the road seem so insignificant. What really matters is that i experienced these bumps and was able to overcome them and therefore grow.
Lastly I would like to thank all of you readers for tuning into my blog. It has been great reading your comments these past few months. Your comments have gotten me through these hard days because even though i am so far from all of you, i have still felt connected.
Although this trip is ending, I know the memories I have had here the stories will last me a lifetime. What I have experienced here in East Africa will always be apart of who i am and I feel blessed to have had these experiences.
Thank you all for your love and support, see you December 11th!!!!!!
These last few weeks my head has been filled with these mixed emotions. There have been times when i have been so exhausted of wearing the same three outfits, continuously being dirty, and having flies EVERYWHERE! But I have always been able to check myself and appreciate every moment of my time here. It is weird having a chapter such as this one end because I know I will never experience anything quite like it again. I may return to East Africa one day, but my trip will never be like this one. I will never make so many close life-long friends in such a short time. I feel blessed to have met so many amazing people this trip, both my fellow students and the Africans we interacted with.
My worldview has changed greatly and I honestly feel like a more educated and well-rounded human being because of this trip. There have been many tough times, but looking back all the hardships and bumps in the road seem so insignificant. What really matters is that i experienced these bumps and was able to overcome them and therefore grow.
Lastly I would like to thank all of you readers for tuning into my blog. It has been great reading your comments these past few months. Your comments have gotten me through these hard days because even though i am so far from all of you, i have still felt connected.
Although this trip is ending, I know the memories I have had here the stories will last me a lifetime. What I have experienced here in East Africa will always be apart of who i am and I feel blessed to have had these experiences.
Thank you all for your love and support, see you December 11th!!!!!!
Bomestay Day two
I awoke at 6:30 to beams of light shining through the cracks of the boma's walls. Each stream danced before my eyes as smoke from the fire raised upwards. The noises of the morning were filled with the sounds of cows moving out of the boma's interior and into the surrounding grasslands. When i finally got the urge to sit up, my host family was circuled around the fire drinking their morning cup of chai. Once they noticed me sit up they handed me a a morning cup of chai as well as a few peices of chapati.
Soon after I finished my chapati my host-mom summoned me to come with her and fetch water. We grabbed two containedrs, one small the other big, and headed towards teh river. As we got closer to it I was able to make out who the Mzungu sitting on the banks were. To my delight Sonia and Mika were at the river resting while their host families filled up their water jugs. We all shared our experiences from the past night and morning. Collectively we all got very little sleep. First nights in new environments ares never very good in terms of getting good sleep. The fact that the beds were an inch too short for my legs didn't help either. But because I was so excited about the first days activities I hardly noticed my own fatigue.
After fetching water we returned home for a cup of ugi. Ugi is a porridge like food that is one of the Maasia's staple foods. As I sipped it down out of the coup I couldnt help but gag down small bits at a time. I am not a fan of drinking substances with chunks in them.
All homestays consist of numerous moments where you are either forced(through respectful obligations) to eat a whole plate of food you don't like, or drink a cup of a substance you can barely get down. This is why it is so easy to gain weight on homestays!
When I finished my ugi we walked past a few bomas to a boma that was in its construction phase. This boma turned out to be a new boma for my family. For approximately an our I helped my mom work on the house. I found out that in between the sticks and cow dung, Maasai put the branches with leaves inside as insulation. I helped her stick brances in between the sticks until we rean out. When we ran out we headed into the nearby forset and cut down some wood for fire. In the forest we met up with Sonia and her host family again. In the forst we ran around and out cut down firewood. Once enough was collected we harnessed a peice of cowhide around it and place the cow hid strap on our forehead with the wood resting on our lower backs.
At two the translators roundes us all up to discuss whether there were any issues facing us, as well as to give us an oppurtunity to share our experiences. It is amazing how much one can find to share with their friends after being separated for only 24 hours.
When i returned home I sat on my bed and observed my family. As I sat there taking in everything and everyone I had a hard time fathoming the fact that I was in a Maasai boma, not just visiting, or stopping by, but living there.
Soon after I finished my chapati my host-mom summoned me to come with her and fetch water. We grabbed two containedrs, one small the other big, and headed towards teh river. As we got closer to it I was able to make out who the Mzungu sitting on the banks were. To my delight Sonia and Mika were at the river resting while their host families filled up their water jugs. We all shared our experiences from the past night and morning. Collectively we all got very little sleep. First nights in new environments ares never very good in terms of getting good sleep. The fact that the beds were an inch too short for my legs didn't help either. But because I was so excited about the first days activities I hardly noticed my own fatigue.
After fetching water we returned home for a cup of ugi. Ugi is a porridge like food that is one of the Maasia's staple foods. As I sipped it down out of the coup I couldnt help but gag down small bits at a time. I am not a fan of drinking substances with chunks in them.
All homestays consist of numerous moments where you are either forced(through respectful obligations) to eat a whole plate of food you don't like, or drink a cup of a substance you can barely get down. This is why it is so easy to gain weight on homestays!
When I finished my ugi we walked past a few bomas to a boma that was in its construction phase. This boma turned out to be a new boma for my family. For approximately an our I helped my mom work on the house. I found out that in between the sticks and cow dung, Maasai put the branches with leaves inside as insulation. I helped her stick brances in between the sticks until we rean out. When we ran out we headed into the nearby forset and cut down some wood for fire. In the forest we met up with Sonia and her host family again. In the forst we ran around and out cut down firewood. Once enough was collected we harnessed a peice of cowhide around it and place the cow hid strap on our forehead with the wood resting on our lower backs.
At two the translators roundes us all up to discuss whether there were any issues facing us, as well as to give us an oppurtunity to share our experiences. It is amazing how much one can find to share with their friends after being separated for only 24 hours.
When i returned home I sat on my bed and observed my family. As I sat there taking in everything and everyone I had a hard time fathoming the fact that I was in a Maasai boma, not just visiting, or stopping by, but living there.
Bomestay Day One
The way one feels before a homestay no matter what country one is in, is unanimous regardless of how many homestays one has done. Whether i am walking or diving to my homestay, I am always filled with a mixture of uneasiness, excitement, anxiety, and occassionally a wish that it will be over soon. When in a group setting before a homestay, I have noticed that everyone is very quiet, although the quietness is often broken by awkward giggles. Feelings of anxiety are shared by all! I believe this is because we cannot imagine what an experience will be like, it is very hard for us to process it. Our inability to process what is going to happen causes us to feel uneasy and in some cases uncomfortable.
For the two days leading up to the Maasai homestay I was very nervous. No less nervous than I was before my Nairobi homestay or Tumbe homestay, but nervous nevertheless. Even though this is my third homestay in East Africa and my 7th in my life, I am still nervous before every one. I can say however that I was the most excited for the Maasai homestay. I have been intrigued by their culture for many years and the fact that I get/have the oppurtunity to live wtih them still amazes me.
After a long anxious day of wating for word that we were heading to our homestays, Timoti the coordinator, arrived on motorbike and told us to grab our bags. I grabbed my north face day pack which was filled with; a warm beanie for my newly shaven head, two water bottles, cold medicine for my new convenient cold, warm socks, sleeping bag, a toothbrush and toothpaste, and lastly sunscreen and headed on the path. When we all were ready some local men handed us each a walking stick and we headed off to the appointed area where our homestay mothers were supposed to meet us. As we walked along the road everyone was silent, far more quiet than I have been accustomed to us being these past few months. After less than ten minutes a line of women wearing brightly colored clothing could be spotted in the distance. As we neared them we all began to giggle, ironically our giggles were echoed by those of our soon to be hosts. They too attempted to break the anxiousness we all felt by laughing. As we neared them we formed a line directly in front of them and they came to shake our hands saying Supa (hello), response Ipa. This interaction was of the same formula as the good game handshakes that culminate most sports games.
Before I knew it I had shook the hand of the last woman in line and soon another women was grabbing my hand and stick, pulling me forward. She was to be the host-mom for the next three nights. The same process occured with everyone and soon we were all walking off in twos in the direction of our perspective bomas. On the walk there the Maasai women looked us up in down, giggling, and saying things we could not understand to one another. At the begginning we all seemed to be going in the same direction, but soon we all split off, two students going to bomas relatively close to one another.
Soon I arrived at a compound boundaried off by large acacia branches. My host-mom led me through the main gate and into our bomba. The boma I am living in does not resemble those I have seen depicted in books, or in my class readings. It is a rectangular structure, instead of a circular one, and is made of cow dung plastered onto branches used for support. Its roof is flat with dirt on top. There are even sprouts of grass on top of it giving it a hobbit like essence.
As I entered the house I took a right and soon was in the open chamber area. Inside this area there are three sleeping areas, a small fire pit, and a shelf where pots, gourds, and salt is stored. This chamber area is sectioned off from the area where the cows are kept by small twigs placed close together. Inside the Boma there is also an area where the calves are kept. The inside of the boma is quite dark, and when the fire is lit, smokey. My first hours inside the boma resembled the first hours of inside the bomba resembled the first hours of all homestays, awkward smiles, giggles, and enthusiastic attempts to communicate. Luckily we had translators who came around to aid us in communicating with our families. This made things a lot easier and way more practical. Without the translators we wouldn't have been able to communicate at all. Most Maasai adults do not know Kiswahili, and all do not English. With Kiswahili as our lengua franca I am forced to practice, rack my bran of all the words I know. Sadly they sum up to around 35 words making my interactions with people very amusing.
After drinking an entire cup of tea with fresh milk my bladder began to call. I asked the translator where the restroom was. She resonded that there wasn't one, and that I should go behind the house. Conveniently my bladder called at the same time as my host-dad and brother were returning with the cows. So instead of peacefully being behind the house, I was forced to hide behind two bulls, and pray that no one moved them. When i finished and walked around them a crowd of young kids stood starring at me with looks of amusement, obviously knowing what had just taken place. This little account of my first bathroom experience , I hope gives you all insight into what life in a Maasai boma has been like this first day.
For the two days leading up to the Maasai homestay I was very nervous. No less nervous than I was before my Nairobi homestay or Tumbe homestay, but nervous nevertheless. Even though this is my third homestay in East Africa and my 7th in my life, I am still nervous before every one. I can say however that I was the most excited for the Maasai homestay. I have been intrigued by their culture for many years and the fact that I get/have the oppurtunity to live wtih them still amazes me.
After a long anxious day of wating for word that we were heading to our homestays, Timoti the coordinator, arrived on motorbike and told us to grab our bags. I grabbed my north face day pack which was filled with; a warm beanie for my newly shaven head, two water bottles, cold medicine for my new convenient cold, warm socks, sleeping bag, a toothbrush and toothpaste, and lastly sunscreen and headed on the path. When we all were ready some local men handed us each a walking stick and we headed off to the appointed area where our homestay mothers were supposed to meet us. As we walked along the road everyone was silent, far more quiet than I have been accustomed to us being these past few months. After less than ten minutes a line of women wearing brightly colored clothing could be spotted in the distance. As we neared them we all began to giggle, ironically our giggles were echoed by those of our soon to be hosts. They too attempted to break the anxiousness we all felt by laughing. As we neared them we formed a line directly in front of them and they came to shake our hands saying Supa (hello), response Ipa. This interaction was of the same formula as the good game handshakes that culminate most sports games.
Before I knew it I had shook the hand of the last woman in line and soon another women was grabbing my hand and stick, pulling me forward. She was to be the host-mom for the next three nights. The same process occured with everyone and soon we were all walking off in twos in the direction of our perspective bomas. On the walk there the Maasai women looked us up in down, giggling, and saying things we could not understand to one another. At the begginning we all seemed to be going in the same direction, but soon we all split off, two students going to bomas relatively close to one another.
Soon I arrived at a compound boundaried off by large acacia branches. My host-mom led me through the main gate and into our bomba. The boma I am living in does not resemble those I have seen depicted in books, or in my class readings. It is a rectangular structure, instead of a circular one, and is made of cow dung plastered onto branches used for support. Its roof is flat with dirt on top. There are even sprouts of grass on top of it giving it a hobbit like essence.
As I entered the house I took a right and soon was in the open chamber area. Inside this area there are three sleeping areas, a small fire pit, and a shelf where pots, gourds, and salt is stored. This chamber area is sectioned off from the area where the cows are kept by small twigs placed close together. Inside the Boma there is also an area where the calves are kept. The inside of the boma is quite dark, and when the fire is lit, smokey. My first hours inside the boma resembled the first hours of inside the bomba resembled the first hours of all homestays, awkward smiles, giggles, and enthusiastic attempts to communicate. Luckily we had translators who came around to aid us in communicating with our families. This made things a lot easier and way more practical. Without the translators we wouldn't have been able to communicate at all. Most Maasai adults do not know Kiswahili, and all do not English. With Kiswahili as our lengua franca I am forced to practice, rack my bran of all the words I know. Sadly they sum up to around 35 words making my interactions with people very amusing.
After drinking an entire cup of tea with fresh milk my bladder began to call. I asked the translator where the restroom was. She resonded that there wasn't one, and that I should go behind the house. Conveniently my bladder called at the same time as my host-dad and brother were returning with the cows. So instead of peacefully being behind the house, I was forced to hide behind two bulls, and pray that no one moved them. When i finished and walked around them a crowd of young kids stood starring at me with looks of amusement, obviously knowing what had just taken place. This little account of my first bathroom experience , I hope gives you all insight into what life in a Maasai boma has been like this first day.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Bomestay
Maasai Boma Homestay, 3 nights 4 days
Chopping wood
My homestay brothers and I
Out in front of the boma
Mika and I carrying water on our headsSafari II
Wildebeest kickin it with an eegret in Ngorogoro Crater
Eating some giraffe bones we found lying on the side of the road
Dorky Safari tourists!
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Safari
This is a surprise post!!! As we were driving from Yaeda Valley to Ngorogoro Crater we pulled over on the side of the road at a gas station and our leader Thad told us we had 30 minutes to use the computer. My heart skipped a few beats!
For the past 3 weeks we have been travelling around rural Tanzania exploring its vaste natural beauty. We started off in Ole Sambu, a village north of Arusha, covered in typical Savannah brush and inundated with African wildlife. Because Ole Sambu is a village and not a park reserve we were able to get out of the trucks and walk around. On my first day walking around we came upon army ants raiding a termite mound. I felt as though I were watching the Discovery Channel, and kept waiting for David Attenborough to comment on what was going on. AS we walked around our guides carried rifles just in case we came upon an animal. At one point we came upon some Elephants and had to tip toe around them, downwind (so they couldn't detect our scent). Once past them we continued on and came upon some warthogs. It is truly amazing walking upon animals in their natural habitat verses driving up to them, no matter how close one is able to get. One night I got to sleep in a tree house in the middle of the savannah with three of my friends. When i got to the so-called tree house i was shocked to see that it was instead a tall bush with no pegs to get up to the plank on top. To get up we had to climb from branch to branch until finally we were up above, looking out on the vaste beauty of Tanzania all around us. The night i spent up on top of this bush was definitely one of my most memorable.
Next we headed to Tarengiri National Park. Tarengiri is on the same land as Ole Sambu, but is preserved by the government meaning there is no agriculture or pastoralism on the land. In Tarengiri we learned about all the bird, animal, and plant species there. I have actually come to be really interested in identifying birds, Brenda i know you are excited!!!
After Tarengiri we headed up to the Nou forest. In the forest we went on several epic hikes. One of which was to an amazing waterfall!!
After the Nou we headed to the Yaeda valley, a place inhabited by the Hadza hunter-gatherers. For the past week we have been hunting with them and gathering berries. It is amazing that they still live in a way that all of our ancestors lived millions of years ago. THeir society is fascinating, my anthro head has been exploding! Old old man even taught me how to make an arrow!!!
love you all, sorry this isn't longer, everyone is in line for a computer!
can't wait to be home with you all, and don't worry i am healthy and very very happy. xoxo
For the past 3 weeks we have been travelling around rural Tanzania exploring its vaste natural beauty. We started off in Ole Sambu, a village north of Arusha, covered in typical Savannah brush and inundated with African wildlife. Because Ole Sambu is a village and not a park reserve we were able to get out of the trucks and walk around. On my first day walking around we came upon army ants raiding a termite mound. I felt as though I were watching the Discovery Channel, and kept waiting for David Attenborough to comment on what was going on. AS we walked around our guides carried rifles just in case we came upon an animal. At one point we came upon some Elephants and had to tip toe around them, downwind (so they couldn't detect our scent). Once past them we continued on and came upon some warthogs. It is truly amazing walking upon animals in their natural habitat verses driving up to them, no matter how close one is able to get. One night I got to sleep in a tree house in the middle of the savannah with three of my friends. When i got to the so-called tree house i was shocked to see that it was instead a tall bush with no pegs to get up to the plank on top. To get up we had to climb from branch to branch until finally we were up above, looking out on the vaste beauty of Tanzania all around us. The night i spent up on top of this bush was definitely one of my most memorable.
Next we headed to Tarengiri National Park. Tarengiri is on the same land as Ole Sambu, but is preserved by the government meaning there is no agriculture or pastoralism on the land. In Tarengiri we learned about all the bird, animal, and plant species there. I have actually come to be really interested in identifying birds, Brenda i know you are excited!!!
After Tarengiri we headed up to the Nou forest. In the forest we went on several epic hikes. One of which was to an amazing waterfall!!
After the Nou we headed to the Yaeda valley, a place inhabited by the Hadza hunter-gatherers. For the past week we have been hunting with them and gathering berries. It is amazing that they still live in a way that all of our ancestors lived millions of years ago. THeir society is fascinating, my anthro head has been exploding! Old old man even taught me how to make an arrow!!!
love you all, sorry this isn't longer, everyone is in line for a computer!
can't wait to be home with you all, and don't worry i am healthy and very very happy. xoxo
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Pembe Abwe
Last Monday a dhow(boat) picked us up in the village of Kendwa. Kendwa is a ten minute walk along the beach from Nungwi with even clearer ocean water. We trekked our 100 lbs bags through the sand to the boat and climbed aboard. The boat i rode on was a typical sailing dhow with a sail and a motor. Half-way through our 4 hour ride to Pembe Abwe the motor ran out of fuel and we sailed the rest of the way. At around 1 pm we arrived in Pembe Abwe at our camp sight for the next week. In Pembe Abwe we conducted our Coral Reef Ecology class. There were 10 bandas, small houses made of coconut palms and wood, that we stayed in for the week. In my banda we had a small shower and a toilet one reached by walking down a few stairs. Neighter of these rooms had coverings over them, yet neither of them had coveringsover them. If someone walked into the banda and took three steps they could easily see you in doing your business in either room. If we had had things to hide before this segment of the trip they are no longer hidden, to say the least we all got pretty comfortable being partially dressed around one another.
A usual day at Pembe Abwe consisted of us waking up at 6:45 heading to the main banda for a breakfast of toast, eggs, and fresh fruit. After breakfast we all load up into three boats, the dhow i took, a smaller one, and my favorite a speed boat. Everyday my friends and I run to the speed boat with our snorkle gear in hand. The boat takes us to a reserve called Maziwe where we snorkle. In our snorkeling we look for some indicator species; lobsters, clams, snapper, butterfly fish, groupers, and parrot fish (my favorite). They are the indicator species we are studying in order to do a reef check in the area on. After snorkeling for 2 hours we head back to camp for lunch. Lunch usually consists of bread, vegetables (cucumbers, peppers tomatoes, onions and carrots), and cheese (until we ran out three days in :(. After lunch we have two and a half hours to rest, do our class work and hang out until our class at 4. I usually play soccer along the beach with a bunch of friends, i have a fatty blister on the bottom of my foot (dont worry dad i am cleaning it out every day and bandaging it, no infections!!!). At four we have a 1-1.5 hour class on the different coastal ecosystems and organisms in mainland Tanzania. After class we have from 5-5:30 to rest until dinner at 7. During this time I usually work out, lunges and abs, with two of my friends and then go up to the tree house on the property and play cards. By dinner time we are all starving and gorge ourselves of the rice, fish, salad and dessert!!! We have dessert here!! its so exciting, lol.
On Friday of our week in Pembe Abwe we conducted a transect of the reef. In our transect, I was in charge of counting the fishes i saw in 5 meter incriments. We had 1 minute per 5 meters, and the entire transect was 20 meters. I felt like a legitimate scientist! After the transect we had two hours to explore the reef on our own. It was amazing snorkeling around for hours looking at the life of underwater creatures go on before our eyes. I found myself swimming above one peice of coral for up to 20 minutes watching fish eat algae, chase one another, basically just live their lives. Some times i lucked out and an eel stuck its head out from behind some corals to check me out. My favorite moment was when some dolphins came up right near where we were snorkeling and poked around us. They are such amazing creatures!
Today is my last day in civilization, tomorrow we head out for our four week safari around Tanzania. I will post when i get back to Nairobi. Love you all! P.s i love your comments.
A usual day at Pembe Abwe consisted of us waking up at 6:45 heading to the main banda for a breakfast of toast, eggs, and fresh fruit. After breakfast we all load up into three boats, the dhow i took, a smaller one, and my favorite a speed boat. Everyday my friends and I run to the speed boat with our snorkle gear in hand. The boat takes us to a reserve called Maziwe where we snorkle. In our snorkeling we look for some indicator species; lobsters, clams, snapper, butterfly fish, groupers, and parrot fish (my favorite). They are the indicator species we are studying in order to do a reef check in the area on. After snorkeling for 2 hours we head back to camp for lunch. Lunch usually consists of bread, vegetables (cucumbers, peppers tomatoes, onions and carrots), and cheese (until we ran out three days in :(. After lunch we have two and a half hours to rest, do our class work and hang out until our class at 4. I usually play soccer along the beach with a bunch of friends, i have a fatty blister on the bottom of my foot (dont worry dad i am cleaning it out every day and bandaging it, no infections!!!). At four we have a 1-1.5 hour class on the different coastal ecosystems and organisms in mainland Tanzania. After class we have from 5-5:30 to rest until dinner at 7. During this time I usually work out, lunges and abs, with two of my friends and then go up to the tree house on the property and play cards. By dinner time we are all starving and gorge ourselves of the rice, fish, salad and dessert!!! We have dessert here!! its so exciting, lol.
On Friday of our week in Pembe Abwe we conducted a transect of the reef. In our transect, I was in charge of counting the fishes i saw in 5 meter incriments. We had 1 minute per 5 meters, and the entire transect was 20 meters. I felt like a legitimate scientist! After the transect we had two hours to explore the reef on our own. It was amazing snorkeling around for hours looking at the life of underwater creatures go on before our eyes. I found myself swimming above one peice of coral for up to 20 minutes watching fish eat algae, chase one another, basically just live their lives. Some times i lucked out and an eel stuck its head out from behind some corals to check me out. My favorite moment was when some dolphins came up right near where we were snorkeling and poked around us. They are such amazing creatures!
Today is my last day in civilization, tomorrow we head out for our four week safari around Tanzania. I will post when i get back to Nairobi. Love you all! P.s i love your comments.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Fishing trip
Fat Fish
Everyone Kickin it in the boat
Swimming outside of the boat in the middle of the Indian Ocean. We saw hella turtles and dolphins!
Me diving off the boat
Photos from the Sunset Boat Ride
My new amazing SHIRT!!! In photo, Maisha, Me, and Sara
On the Sunset Boat ride
The Sunset
Sonya (shorty) and IPictures from Nungwi
Our reading nook on the beach in Nungwi
View from the nook
Baracka Bungaloos
View from water of Baracka
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Nungwi
This week my friends and I are in Nungwi, a village north of Stonetown. Nungwi is composed of white beaches with surreal topaz blue waters. We are staying at the Baracka Hotel, a small bungalo that costs $12 per person with breakfast included. A regular day in Nungwi consists of sitting on the beach, reading, playing soccer, and chatting it up with locals in Swahili. Yestarday a friend of ours took us out on a boat for a sunset cruise and snorkeling trip. It cost each of us $18, and included music aboard the boat and an entire King fish! It was quite a feast and a party. When we stopped to snorkle we all took turns jumping off the boat into the water below. As one stood on top of the boat you could see the fish swimming around. The boat we rode on had a top level to it where everyone was able to sit, sing/play drums and guitar, and dive into the crystal clear water below. It was truly worth all the money!!! Today I am in Stonetown again, a friend of ours from here sister died, so we took a Dala Dala (less sketchy Tanzanian version of a Mutatu) to see him. Later tonight we will take this bus, imagine a pickup truck with a raised wooden cover above it where people store their fruit and bicycles, and beneath that level there are seats. Under the canopy everyone sits huddled together while the wind buzzes past ones faces. This form of public transportation beats AC Transit 1000/1.
I will post some Nungwi pictures soon!
Much love, and keep commenting on teh posts, I love hearing from you all!
I will post some Nungwi pictures soon!
Much love, and keep commenting on teh posts, I love hearing from you all!
Monday, October 20, 2008
Stone town
The streets of Stowntown
The streets of Stowntown
People on a boat off the coast of Zanzibar
View from hotel in Stowntown
We are currently in the village of Nungwi on the north side of Zanzibar. It is free week, and 11 of my friends and I came up to Nungwi to relax. It is paradise here, we are staying at a hotel right on the beach with breakfast included for $12 a night! Its pretty sweet! Today at 4 we are going on a sunset boat ride, snorkeling trip with dinner and beer included for $18. I will post pictures again as soon as i can.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Photo Recap of the past few weeks
Ft. Jesus in Mombasa
View from the Fort
Another view over the Forts wall.
The sickest tree house ever!!!!
Photo Recap of the past few weeks
Gede Ruins
Henna in Tumbe
The streets of stonetown
My house in TumbeWednesday, October 15, 2008
Photos From Tumbe
This past week we travelled to the Island of Pemba for a three day homestay in the village of Tumbe. To get to Pemba we travelled by boat. Sadly the boat we were supposed to take, a two hour speed boat, was out of service due to a strike. Instead we were forced to take a ferry that took from 7 pm until 6am to cross the same distance of Ocean. It was an epic journey, as we boarded the boat I felt as though I was a refugee leaving my homeland to seek refuge somewhere else. There must have been 2,000 people on this ferry, a number far exceeding its normal capacity. In our first class cabin, which consisted of chairs and not much else, the floors were covered with mothers and their children sleeping in any space they could find. The concept of a fire hazard did not exist. Half way through my journey I had to use the bathroom, as I tip- toed between people sleeping on the floor I felt as though I was walking through a feild of land mines. I was so scared I was going to step on some small child and squash them. After many hours we finally arrived in the port of Pemba. A van was waiting to take us to the small rural village on the North side of the Island. When we arrived in Tumbe I could not believe my eyes. As the first white people to ever village this village, everyone came out to greet us. Children gazed up at us with huge eyes watching our every move. Our names were called off and our natives came up to claim us. My native was the headmaster of the secondary school. From the place where we were greeted my host father and I headed back to his house on a small mo-ped. As we drove down the main road people stood on either side waving and shouting KARIBU TUMBE (welcome to Tumbe). This hospitality did not stop the entire time I was in Tumbe. From the second I arrived I was brought from house to house to see everyone, I swear I met every person in the village. Because there were only 23 of us to live with families, we had to visit everyones house to make it up to the families who didn't get to host. One of my favorite parts of my visit was walking along the beach helping women plant seaweed called Mauni, a major export for the community. Most men fish and most women in the community plant Mauni and rice. Due to this I ate more rice and fish than i ever have in my whole life. In Tumbe people eat with their hands, more specifically their right hand. The left hand is used to wipe ones behind, and the right hand is used for everything else. At first it was quite difficult remembering this as well as using my hand at all! By the end of the trip I had it down as much as I possibly could.
Before I knew it the homestay was over, yet it never really felt real at all. The whole time i was there i felt like i was in some movie. This trip/homestay was one of the most interesting and educational aspects of our trip thus far. In fact it was the most educational homestay I have ever done thus far in my life. I lived with an incredibly rural family, one that washes dishes with sand, catches and harvests all their food, doesn't have electricity, and sleeps on a straw mat on the floor. The inhabitants of Tumbe have lived there their whole lives and many of them have never even ventured off the Island of Pemba itself. As the first white people they have come into contact with we were given the unique experience of breaking down their stereotypes of white people. It truly was an amazing experience I wish lasted longer!
The Ferry
My host brother in Tumbe, two friends, myself and my host father.
View of the beach from the village we stayed in.
On the ruins of a mosque right outside the village.Saturday, October 11, 2008
Some more pictures from the last couple of days
Outside of the Mambruri Mosque College. I am behind Amira, the women with the white shawl over her head.
The group under the arches of a palace at the Gede ruins in MalindiPhotos of Riruta
Driving down the streets of Riruta
A view from the sidewalk of a typical shop in Riruta
Mama Kenya (left) and Mama Sara(Right) walkingon the path I took to school everyday.
The dinning room table of my house.
Mama Kenya and I in the living room. Check out my sick pants!
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