Nearly a year later

I realize its been quite awhile since I last updated this blog, but I promised I'd post a few pics of my Maasai homestay and the Zanzibar trip.. and better late than never right? Its been nearly a year since I've returned to the states and my entire Tanzania trip is now only a part of my memories. Traveling last year was a great experience, though intense and difficult at times. I'll cherish the memories forever. I hope you enjoy the photos! Oh, and I also decided to include a picture of me working at Voyageurs NP last year. I'm working there again beginning of next month until the end of Sept. I'm very very excited to once again be giving tours and talking with visitors!! From one adventure to the next.

"The universe is full of magical things patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper." -Eden Phillpotts

Myself, the boat captain, and a visitor on a tour to Kettle Falls Hotel. Voyageurs National Park has preserved the hotel for its historical importance- at times over 500 people would visit, including loggers, miners, fishermen and 'special' ladies during the early 1900s; also a controversial dam nearby caused a long-lasting battle between a rich man and an environmentalist. Now, park interpreters enjoy leading tours to the hotel.

A beautiful sunset scene of a beach in Zanzibar. A reminder of our touristy ending to the Tanzania trip. It was a very quiet beach as is evident by the photo.. there were usually at least a few people floating down the beach but this evening must have been particularly quiet. If I remember correctly, the photo was taken the very last night of my stay in Tanzania and Zanzibar. The very next night we flew home. A good ending to a crazy adventure.

Ngala and me sitting on his family's land. (I've now known Ngala since Nov. 2003!) Jason and I spent three days with Ngala and his family. He is wearing traditional Maasai clothing. I am also wearing a traditional Maasai necklace and bracelet, both gifts. Ngala and his family were very kind and welcoming to Jason and I. Notice the bomas in the distance.. and the tree with the unusual method of storing extra wood poles, interesting.

Inside of the boma

The inside of the Boma (see definition below) that Jason and I slept in for three nights. An interesting time sleeping there.. no bugs really, an interesting smell of course, and a bit of a leaky roof right above the bed.. but its all part of the experience. Normally the bed is made with sticks and a cow hide, though to my great surprise the bed they provided us with a mattress, foam of course like in the rest of the country but a better sleep. We ate our meals-cans of beans with some bread and pb- at the little table and stools, again a complete surprise as the table is probably one of the few that the family owns. Ngala's family was very generous to us and seemed to very much enjoy hosting us for a couple days.

This is a group of Maasai men. They often sit on the small stools or on their sticks (the man on the far right in the bright red is sitting on his long stick) then chat all day (or so it seems). Maasai men have various respect and responsibility depending on status level. Some of the younger men in the picture are most likely responsible for guarding the cattle, sheep, and bomas at night. (Boma is the word for their homes, such as the hut in the background which is made of mud, cow dung, and sticks with a straw roof. )

zanzibar

i've been wanting to update for awhile now but have been busy traveling around tanzania. jason and i spent the last couple days relaxing on the beautiful beaches in north zanzibar, a place called Kendwa... swimming in the Indian Ocean, laying on the beach, and drinking umbrella drinks.. it was wonderful. we're back in Stonetown now the main city in zanzibar), finishing up all the last minute shopping. then heading to Dar es Salaam tomorrow. its so hard for me believe.. but i'm boarding a plane tomorrow night and flying home!! overall, this trip has been a great experience, though quite hard at times. the last few weeks of traveling have been enjoyable, but i'm ready to go home. i miss some things from home- hot showers, my own cooking, easy transport, a good pillow (!), and of course, all my family and friends back home. see you all soon i hope!! oh, once i get home i'll put up a few pics of our maasai trip and zanzibar. Tutaonana! (see you later!-- usually means see you in a day or so :)

Safari

hey all! so as you'll notice from the pics below, we just returned from safari. we visited Lake Manyara National Park, Serengeti National Park, and the Ngorogoro Crater Conservation Area. its was awesome.. beautiful and relaxing. i think i could just sit and watch some of the african wildlife for hours. this trip was more like finishing a checklist of all the big species and we did good, saw all the Big Five- lion, leopard, buffalo, elephant, and rhino- plus tons of other animals. today we're returning to Bangata (the village of my previous homestay) for a one night visit. then this weekend we are visiting my Maasai friend's home, should be a good experience. his family is quite traditional, which means we'll experience a lot of Maasai culture as well as all the hardships of living in the bush (including no running water, no electricity, and no latrines). hope all is well with everyone!

my favorite african wildlife- the cheetah. we were watching it hunt for food (though didn't see it catch any). its built to run fast with a back like a rubber band, it has a long tail helps it maneuver sharp turns, and legend has it that the black streaks on its face are tear marks for all the cubs that it loses (only about 1 in 4 cubs survive, most are killed by predation). 

a typical day's work.. well not really. Jason, our cook, and our guide fixing our safari jeep after we broke down in the middle of the Serengeti. No worries, it didn't take too long! 

this mother elephant became nervous and upset (the ears are pushed out to make her look bigger) after some nearby baboons were fighting and filling the forest with their shrill screams. the mother was protecting her young, which is standing next to her on the left. later, the young was hiding between the mother's legs for safety.  

Mlimakala (the principal of the college where I stayed for two months) and I deep in conversation in his living room on the last evening before I said goodbye. i spent many hours chatting with him in this room, then joining him for dinner in the dining room next door.  

saying goodbye to Msinga

After a stressful week of communication problems and more scary dala-dalas, I said goodbye to all the Roots & Shoots people I've been working with in Moshi. It was sad to leave, but I was ready. And today.. I'm off to feed my boyfriend to the lions, or that's what he thinks. Safari will be awesome and I've been looking forward to this break for a long long time. Large animals and beautiful landscape!!

back in Dar es Salaam

hey! so I'm back in Dar.. the huge, hot, dirty city. the pictures below are from my two week stay in Musoma, way up by Lake Victoria in northern TZ. things in Dar are going well. it rained quite a bit last night so maybe the rainy season has started. the power cuts are still quite regular, though not at all on any schedule. i don't really enjoy dar, but it is nice to relax a bit by the ocean. (don't picture a beautiful beach..there's quite a lot of garbage all over the beach, therefore to most of us volunteers the ocean look nicer from farther away, so i enjoy sitting on the balcony of the house that looks out at the ocean). i'm also attempting to write some final reports. and.. Jason arrives in Dar tomorrow! i'm soo excited!!! so in the next month i'll be volunteering for one more week, then traveling around the country for three weeks.

a picture taken at the site of that baboon project I mentioned earlier. this day (march 15) we trekked up to the top of the hill where the Roots & Shoots groups are planting more foods for the baboons to eat so they won't eat the farmer's crops as much. (I also learned that the farmers took revenge on the baboons and started burning patches of the hill, and thus the baboon habitat.. this seemed to only make matters worse for the farmers and the baboons did not leave as they may have hoped) anyways.. we got to the top of the hill, sat on a large rock, and after awhile the baboons sat on a rock similar to ours but opposite us and just stared at us while we stared at them. i could have continued this staring contest all day long! 

me and Diana sitting at Bibi's (grandmother's) house. Diana is about 4 years old I believe. she and I spent hours playing almost every day I was in Musoma. our favorite games were echo games (using various sylabbles and other random noises) and catch-me games. we also just enjoyed laughing at eachother. Diana, i miss you so much already! 

a picture of the Roots & Shoots group at the Nyankanga Primary School working on the fuel-saving stove project. (I'm not sure why they are all boys, but I think there are also girls working on the project.. Deus will you let me know?) the woman on the far right is a teacher at the school and the guy in the light blue shirt and pants closer to the center is Deus, the Roots & Shoots Regional Coordinator (and a great friend of mine, he enthusiastically showed me around Musoma the entire time I was there) 

Musoma

Just wanted to let you know that I arrived safely in Musoma.. about a week ago. Since then I've been very busy visiting Roots & Shoots groups and spending time with the regional coordinator and his family (all very very nice). The groups in Musoma seem quite active and have two awesome on-going projects: a baboon project which involves rebuilding the local habitat to prevent them from damaging so many crops, and a fuel-saving stove project. I'm currently in Mwanza, about a 3 hour bus ride from Musoma, also visiting some clubs. Its good for me to be able to see how Roots & Shoots works throughout the country. I've decided it sometimes works very well, and sometimes not at all. But I suppose that's the way things go sometimes. More on the awesome Musoma projects later, and hopefully some pictures as well.