The final countdown

     Its almost 10:30 pm in Dar es Salaam, and the seven of us are sitting on the bed in Caitlin and Paul's hotel room, waiting for 1 am when we will head to the airport and begin our trip home.  Its been a successful final few days here in Tanzania, and getting ready to leave is a bit surreal. Lets recap:
     We arrived in Dar around noon on Monday, headed to our hotel and got settled in before heading out to find lunch. The place where we had originally intended to eat was closed for the month (thanks for nothing, Ramadan) so after lots of walking around the bus streets we ended up in a tea room where all they served was goat curry. Fun. It was definitely an authentic experience, to say the least. After lunch we walked back to the hotel and relaxed until our driver came to take us to a local mall for some window shopping and dinner. There wasn't much to see in the mall, but dinner at a fun fish place was the source of good food, fun American 80's power ballads and a bathroom with a real toilet (no paper but you take what you can get). A quick pit stop for dessert was followed by another hole in the wall market, then we all came back to the hotel for a good night's sleep.
     Yesterday we drove about 2 hours away to the town of Bagamoyo.  A former trading center and place of deportation for African slaves on their way to the middle east, it later became the site of the first Catholic mission in East Africa.  We toured around the old town for a while, had lunch at a restaurant playing American music videos (I love Wiz Khalifa) and stopped to look at some paintings at a shop owned by our tour guide's friend. The highlight of the day for me was probably seeing the Cross Cultural Solutions homebase in Bagamoyo, and meeting three volunteers staying and working there. CCS is the organization I went with to Ghana last spring, and I definitely had a positive experience. It was fun to meet other people from the states, and to hear a little about what they're doing in Tanzania.
     Today we decided to go to the beach, so we packed up our rooms after breakfast, checked out of the hotel (except for one room- hence the crowded bed scenario) and headed off to the White Sands Resort. A pit stop for a loaf of bread, peanut butter and some fresh fruit gave us our lunch, and we spent the rest of the day lounging in the sand and swimming in the Indian Ocean. It wasn't as hot as I would've liked, but at least I wont be sitting sunburned on a plane for 20+ hours. We showered and had dinner back at the hotel, then our last class with Paul. We're currently getting our Olympics fix (its not swimming so I dont really care) and waiting for our driver. Just over 25 hours (ignoring time zones because thats just confusing) and I'll be home in Pittsburgh!    

Picture Attempt: Take 2

 The group at the Equator

 Our present!

 My loves Miriam and Ednis

 Radio FADECO

 Some village children

 Off on safari!

 My favorites

 Lots and lots of zebras

Close encounter with a "tembo"

Dear Dad

     If you've been following my blog for long you'll remember my Mom's last words in the airport were reminding me that I had said it would be a miracle if I made it on this trip. (If you dont know what I'm talking about, read my airport ramblings) Well my Dad, always the profound one in the family, used his final moments to tell me that anytime I saw an antelope to think of him. As random as this seemed at the time, I can now say I thought about him a lot these past few days! 

 

     So much has happened since Tuesday I hardly know where to begin. Leaving Misha House and Karagwe was bittersweet, and saying goodbye to Egbert and the staff was hard for all of us. We got on the road early Wednesday and made the 2 hour, only semi-paved drive to Bukoba where we would spend the day sitting on the beach of Lake Victoria. An overnight ferry ride across the lake later, we arrived in Mwanza and were greeted by the sunrise and James, our safari driver. We got breakfast at this great restaurant, stopped to look at the natural rock formations there in town, and made our way to Serengeti Park to begin our safari adventure.

     IT WAS SO COOL. We started a little slow- lots of antelope (enter Dad) and zebras but little else. But don't feel too bad for us! Before long there were giraffes (my favorite), monkeys, lions, buffalo, wildebeest, hippos, birds and all kinds of animals all around us. The best was probably when a herd (herd? pack? bunch?) of elephants crossed right in front of us- we got some great pictures.  We drove around till about 7, then headed into the campsite. Our tents were all set up and we were met by our chef for the night, Emanuel.  A yummy dinner and lots of chai later we all headed to bed. We woke up around 5:30 and went for a sunrise game drive before breakfast- the highlight of which being the hyenas we stumbled upon right as the sun came up. They were even laughing, a sound we're pretty sure we heard overnight outside our tents too. Emanuel made us great breakfast and then we packed up the car to head out. A flat tire and few hours later, we left the park and were on our way to Arusha.

     Our six and half-ish hour drive took us through the Maasai plains and past a crater considered the Cradle of Life before getting us to Arusha around 7:30. There were some room issues to resolve before a late dinner at our hotel and heading to bed. This morning we slept in a bit (8:30 is sleeping in, right?) Then headed to the market for some shopping. Haggling with the store owners reminded me a lot of the Turkish Bazaar, and the call to prayer echoing from the nearby mosques makes it even more like Istanbul. We have our last class with Caitlin this afternoon, then one more day here before moving on to Dar on Monday. I'm looking forward to the rest of the adventure but also getting antsy to be home! 

Hello, Goodbye

Today we're saying goodbye to FADECO, Roida Café, Egbert, Fahim,
Morris, and Karagwe in general. Tomorrow we'll begin our hellos to
Bukoba, an overnight ferry ride to Mwanza, the start of the safari
overnight adventure, the Maasai markets in Arusha, and a flight to Dar
es Salaam. There has been unrest and rioting in Zanzibar after a
ferryboat sank last week, so at the warnings of the State Department
we've cut that part of our trip. We're all pretty bummed we wont get
the chance to lay on the gorgeous beach, but an extra day in each
Arusha and Dar will be fun too. Just about one week until we head
home!



And yes, Lo/Marie/Ashtyn/Jill the Beatles reference is for you :)

Here comes the bride (don't worry, not me!)

What do you get when a bad 80s style prom meets My Big Fat Greek
Wedding meets a Baptist revival meets… I don't even know? If you
guessed a Tanzanian wedding ceremony, email me and maybe I'll bring
you some great present from the market today. (Maybe.) The past few
days have been a flurry of research with FADECO, working on class
assignments and wedding festivities, so please excuse the lack of blog
posts. I'll try to recap as thoroughly, and yet succinctly, as
possible.
Thursday we met with the chairperson of the district's albino
community, and spent the morning interviewing him about the current
state of relations between albinos and the rest of the population.
(And using FADECO's free wifi, but that's besides the point) There is
a history of violent attacks and grave robberies on albinos, as witch
doctors claim their limbs and other body parts can bring economic
success or health benefits to the one who possesses them. It was sad
to hear him talk, and say he was even scared to come to town to meet
with us, and we all left wondering what could be done to improve the
situation in the future.
After lunch we had class, and then headed to town for the second (but
the first we attended) of the wedding related ceremonies. The "send
off" is an important event in the life of the couple as well as the
town, as it celebrates the bride leaving her family and community and
joining those of the groom. Its an hours long event, including a
honking, cheering, waving parade through town, a dinner (served at
like, 11 pm) and the presentation of different gifts to and from both
of the families. The outfits are ridiculous, the vehicles are
dangerous, and loud and high-pitched cheers of "i-ei-ei-ei-ei-ei!"
punctuate the entire process. I was originally supposed to ride
standing in the back of a pick up truck with about 20 cheering women
in shiny blue evening gowns, but Caitlin and Paul quickly vetoed that
plan as too dangerous so I ended up sitting 5 across in the back of a
car. After parading through town we ended up at a reception hall
where we would spend the rest of the night dancing, eating and
singing/laughing along with the random Mariah Carey and Enrique
Iglasias.
Friday morning we visited another secondary school, this one far
outside of town and one of the best in the region. We met with the
headmaster (who said we should know Swahili but didn't know English
enough to tell us) and a class of students who were all really nice.
In the afternoon we went up for the wedding, which was actually a lot
like the send off but with an hour and a half church service- all in
Swahili but officiated by an Austrian priest? We didn't get home until
after midnight so we've all been dragging a bit today. This morning we
shopped in the local market and in the neighboring village, and the
rest of the day is ours to relax before visiting our friend Fahim's
farm and having Paul's class tonight. Tomorrow we'll wash clothes in
the morning and hike in the afternoon. We're all enjoying our last few
days here, but excited to head out on Wednesday for the safari and
last leg of the trip!

Give em what you got

      Today I was given a chicken.

     I guess if you really want to be specific its a rooster, but when you’re being handed a mess of flapping feathers you’re not too concerned with technicalities.  We started the morning by getting picked to go to a nearby village and talk to people who have been affected by the radio FADECO outreach programs. It was really interesting to hear some of the stories from women who have been to Dar es Salaam and received surgeries because of the work being done by this group.  After some Q&A time they announced that they had gifts for the visitors, and a group of women stepped forward carrying buckets of beans, peanuts, and- you guessed it- a rooster. Seeing as it would be rude to refuse a gift we now have yet another voice to add to our all night symphony around here. (or dinner?)  We also met a woman who has been living in the village since having her surgery, but is actually from a town a few kilometers away. Her previous condition had left her pretty isolated from her community and she didn’t have the 5,000 Tanzanian schillings (1,580 TZS= 1 USD) it would take to get back home, so Courtney and I pitched in to give it to her. She was really grateful and it felt good to make some kind of difference in her life.  

     Today marks two weeks left for our time here and I know it will fly by. To commemorate the occasion (and because I don’t feel like writing complete sentences) here are some lists:

5 things I’m excited for:

- attending a Tanzanian wedding Friday

- going on the 2 day overnight safari

- relaxing on the beach at Zanzibar

- touring a spice plantation in Stonetown

- shopping in the Massai market

4 things I miss at home:

- toilets. Enough said.  

- naps in the hammock

- understanding people when they talk

- real pillows

3 things you wouldn’t expect:

- we’re often kinda cold here (evening 50-60s aren’t uncommon- how are the 100s, DC?)

- all our coffee is instant (Tanzania has amazing coffee and we’re here drinking Nestea??)

- we have hot showers (even though the water pressure stinks)

2 things I wont miss from here:

- the dust covering everything

- rice and beans twice a day

1 thing I will miss from here:

-

     That last one is to be continued, I think. Who knows what I will do and see and discover in the next two weeks that will really make me miss it once I’m home? I’m excited to find out- and I’ll of course left you know!  

Pictures or it didnt happen

Seeing as its the middle of the night back at home I hope you are all sound asleep (and not being woken up at all hours by roosters...) On another note, here are some pictures for your enjoyment! (and by some pictures I mean one. This internet stinks.) Happy birthday to Georgie, my big in DG, and Delphine, the Rwandan girl I sponsor through World Vision.