trip of a lifetime. part one.

10:00 on the dot. I’ve been waiting for this moment for the past year and a half. My loyal taxi driver, Peter, met me at the bar to take me to the airport. Peter has taken me to and from the airport to meet guests a few other times, he knows I like to be early and sit in the humid mosquito infested waiting area and pace back and forth like I used to do in the hall outside my bedroom on Christmas morning. I think he was a little tired of this scene so he pulled over at a bar and said simply, ‘I buy beer now.’ We had a drink and chatted, I eagerly checked my phone every 30 seconds to see how much more time we had. I was counting down the minutes, squirming in my chair trying to finish my beer as fast as I could so I could get him back in the car and back on the road.

Finally at the airport, I stood in front of the automatic doors, teased with the open close open close open close. Each time they opened I stood a little taller on my toes, willing them to be close to the exit. Just when I couldn’t stretch any further, I finally saw him zipping up his bag. My daddy. And then close behind, my mom. High pitched sounds and tears came out of me and I rushed forward to meet them at the gate. It was exactly like I had imagined it a million times, seeing my parents for the first time in a year and a half.

Our trip started out right with a birthday-treat-stay for Rebecca and Sarah in the ritzy (not joking, this place is fancy) Holiday Inn. Cameron was able to join us too and we celebrated in style on the rooftop bar with late night appetizers. Having all my best girlfriends and my parents together on such a gorgeous night was the perfect beginning to the incredible adventures we were about to have.

The first day was spent in Dar es Salaam, catching up on some sleep, wandering around, and going to a soccer match between Tanzania’s two national teams, Simba and Yanga. We were escorted to the game by Peter’s friend, who I’m pretty sure enjoyed the backward running-holding hands picture with my dad on our way out of the stadium more than he enjoyed the game itself.

We spent one night in Moshi, one of my favorite towns in Tanzania, before climbing in one of the most rundown-are-we-really-going-to-make-it-there taxi’s we could find for the ‘quicker, easier’ ride to Arusha. We finally made it to Arusha to start our safari after multiple police checkpoints that we barely squeaked past, my dad eating exhaust fumes coming up from the floorboards in front of him, and 5 phone calls to our Safari driver apologizing and convincing him that ‘we’re almost there, I promise!’ We met Gordon who was waiting oh so patiently for us, and after a quick stop at the enormous shoprite to get some snacks, we were on our way.

First stop. Crater forest tented lodge just outside the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater. The drive there was beautiful, we stopped at a viewpoint for Lake Manyara, and climbed higher and higher into the wall of the Rift Valley until we descended again to reach the outside of the crater. The camp was breathtaking. We took in the view from our front porch for a while before heading out on a hike through a nearby coffee plantation with a local guide. He took us by rows and rows of organic, locally grown coffee plants and into factory where the little white beans get dried, shelled, and separated by grade with a machine that is owned and operated by villagers the local Catholic mission. Dinner was amazing, 4 courses accompanied by red wine and a bon fire afterward.

The next morning we headed into the Ngorongoro crater to start our safari. The crater is beautiful with a unique ecosystem, it was formed when a giant volcano exploded and collapsed on itself 2 or 3 million years ago. Within the first few hours we saw wildebeest, zebra, elephants, hyenas, ostrich, vultures attacking a wildebeest carcass, a wildebeest get stuck in a marsh, and a ‘black rhino’ from afar (Gordon our driver said it was a black rhino, which are very rare, but I’m not totally convinced…). We took a lunch break at the lunch break spot where we could get out of the car and stretch, and eat our boxed lunches. We disregarded the warning Gordon gave us about the huge swooping crow-vultures that will attack you if you eat outside, and proceeded to eat outside…until I got attack swooped by a crow-vulture and ran screaming back into the safety of the safari car. I could hear Gordon laughing a mile away.

We pulled out of the crater after lunch and headed northwest towards the Serengeti. Less than a half hour outside the crater we saw two giraffes stretching to eat off a tree near the side of the road. Soon after that, we passed a herd of camels that looked very out of place. Gordon said they were an import animal. A few more hours of driving over volcanic ash and rock and we arrived at the Olduvai Museum, which boasts the origin of mankind and gives an introduction to the fossils, tools, and footprints that were found at the site verifying the existence of humans in East Africa 3 million years ago. Back in the car and on the incredibly bumpy, rocky, dusty road into the Serengeti. It was a long drive in, but we managed to get through the gate in time to see a mama and baby elephant, two lions perched on a boulder, and a cheetah (or a leopard I’m still not sure which is which). We made it to Kati-Kati Camp in time for one of the most spectacular sunsets I have seen thus far in Tanzania.

The next few days of safari did not disappoint. A few highlights: heading out after breakfast for a game drive and spotting three giraffes silhouetted against the morning horizon; the hyena eating a wildebeest tail while cooling off in a mud puddle; hippos playing in a pond; beautifully crooked, tall, twisted, or flat Acacia trees; a huge elephant family coming up from a marsh and slowly meandering across a field and passing between the safari cars; the dark thunderstorm we watched crawl across the plains kicking up dust in front of it as it soaked the fields and flooded the roads; white wine and laughing.

We soon moved on to Lake Natron at the foot of the Ol Doinyo Lengai Volcano, about an 8 hour drive from our camp in the Serengeti. But the scenery on the way was well worth the hours, changing from dry flat plains with small bushes, to lush forest and grassy hills about every 5 kilometers.

The Lake Natron area is in the heart of Masaai land. The Masaai are a pastoral tribe who live simply and take pride in their heritage and unique culture. A serene, quiet place, I felt like we were in bubble, so far removed from the crazy, loud, dirty world I wasn’t in a hurry to return to. I learned how to light a fire without matches, and we hiked back into a canyon covered in volcanic rock to a group of waterfalls coming out of the rock above. The hike was short but pretty challenging and our Masaai friend had to give my mom and I a hand up and over a few places. We swam for a bit, and started back down towards the camp and out of our tranquil camp and back to the real world.

the world map project

A few months ago, I approached the Headmistress at our Primary School in the village about painting a World Map on the of the walls at the school. She agreed, and with the help of a few teachers, a few Peace Corps Trainees, and the adorable standard 7 students we painted the world...

msukuya

After 4 months at my current site, I was still without a counterpart. I had met a few hopefuls but didn't really connect with anyone who I was excited about working with and who was worthy of receiving the prestigious title of "alli's counterpart…." It was a sunny day in the middle of May, I was walking back to my house from visiting a friend when this short guy with big ears stopped me. "Hi. My name is Msukuya, you do health stuff here right? I just got back from this seminar and was wondering if you could help me teach a few of the things I learned," he said. We sat down and he told me a little bit about the week long seminar he attended and how he wanted to start teaching at the Primary School. We got along right off the bat. He had finished Form 4 the previous year and was elected by the village government as one of two people to get involved with a local NGO working in the community.

We started teaching the following week. Msukuya was a natural in the classroom and the students were captivated by him. We worked on lesson plans together and he learned to adapt his lessons for various ages and time periods. At first he refused to teach if I wasn't in the classroom with him, but after time he gained confidence and skills to work through the lessons by himself.

After getting to know Msukuya's personality, his work ethic, and learning that he was involved in the drama group while he was in Secondary School, I decided to take him to Community Theater Training. He was a perfect choice, with his interest in educating the community about health issues and his outgoing personality I knew he could do great things with the skills he could learn at the training. He was a leader in the group, a natural on the stage, and kept telling me how grateful he was for the experience. Since returning from the training, Msukuya has organized a group of girls and boys to learn more about HIV and Behavior Change Communication to start teaching in our community. They call themselves the ‘Dream Campaign’ and meet twice a week. They have goals to go out and teach in schools in and around our community, and to perform in the community during World AIDS Day on December 1st.

A few weeks ago he expressed interest in applying for a volunteer position at the clinic. If he was accepted he would be helping to weigh babies and work in the Maternal and Child Health clinic each day. I encouraged him to apply and he was accepted for the position. He is waiting to start but excited about the opportunity to continue educating others and volunteering his time.

Msukuya is more than a co-worker, he’s one of my best friends. He can read my moods like only my mother can, he listens to my frustrations and celebrates with me when things go well. He thinks I’m a fabulous cook (which is hilarious considering he’s referring to Kraft Macaroni & Cheese), and we spend hours sometimes reading books in my courtyard.

On our way to Community Theater Training I asked him why he was so interested in learning and teaching about health and volunteering in our community. He told me that out of the 9 children his mother and father had, 4 have already died of AIDS - the most recent being only last year – leaving his parents to care for 8 orphans (his siblings’ significant others had also been killed by the virus). He blinked away tears as he looked at me and said, “I just want to help it not happen to other families”.

I'm not sure I’ve had much of an impact in any of his successes in these past few months. I think the support I’ve been able to provide was simply being in the right place at the right time. But I do know that without him I'd be wandering around Sepuka like the mangy dogs trying to figure out where I belong. We've helped each other to work towards our goal of improving our community and the livelihood of our villagers and I can’t wait to see what the next year has in store for us.

…more from my guest author…

Sepuka was straight out of the Lion King.  I even scampered around the boulders that dot the flat landscape.  I felt like a gecko running, weaving, and jumping my way through the gigantic rocks.  The rocks I tackled by myself for low and I wasn’t able to climb to the highest points like I had imagined.  One of the evenings Alli took me up the “real Pride Rock which dwarfed the little mounds I was running on the previous afternoon and we watched the sun set.  It was absolutely gorgeous.  We descended and went back to the house and sat in the courtyard and watched the stars, seeing the stars without any light pollution is something that doesn’t happen all that often.  Even in rural Kansas you can still see a large city at 40 or 50 miles away.  The stars in the Tanzanian interior were without peer.

Day to day activities during our time in Sepuka were always different and never boring.  There was constantly something to do.  One morning we spent painting the flowers off the concrete walls of Alli’s courtyard.  Another afternoon was spent watching a soccer match and playing basketball with Alli’s counterpart Msukuya and his friends.  Alli provided me with a grand tour, stopping at the small sit-downs and shops along the way.  We went into the homes of Alli’s coworkers that work at the health clinic and the primary school.

I even went out and played volleyball with young men who are involved with Alli’s after work program.  She set up a daily/nightly volleyball match to keep some of the younger men out of trouble and from frittering away their money.  It was pretty awesome to see a handmade net and had chiseled dirt court and play a game (with mostly correct rules) with a group of a dozen young men.  It was even more fascinating and impressive that none of them had played the game before and this routine didn’t exist until Alli implemented the game into the town.  She created something entirely positive that was nonexistent before her arrival.  I was really proud of her and she should be proud of herself.  I attempted a “Piga Smash!” also know as a spike, but failed miserably and had the guys laughing after my whiff.

We were invited to a Muslim wedding and walked a few kilometers to the married couple’s house where we posed for photos on the bed (which sounds weirder than it was…).  I asked Alli why the bride to be didn’t look to be enjoying herself – she had say on the bed dressed to the nines and looked down at her feet with a frown for the entirety of the time we were there.  Alli explained that it is customary for the bride to show no emotion on her wedding day before joy or excitement would be interpreted as expressing her eagerness to have sex with her husband.  We ate dinner with them and some of the other guests and then went on our way.

The last night in Sepuka the doctor and nurses threw a party for me across the street from Alli’s house.  We spent the evening eating and drinking and dancing.  They set up a PA system and had the audio turned up to level “11” for the entirety of the evening.  The musical selection was a bit slim and being an American I think they busted out the Shania Twain cassette especially for me.  I was thrilled.  All joking aside though, a night of dancing was a great stress reliever and I completely dropped my inhibitions.  Anyone that knows me understands that I’ll occasionally get out on the dance floor, but it’s fair from one of my favorite past times.  However, on this evening I danced my little heart out until my feet hurt and my brow was covered in sweat.  There was a dance circle where we took turns strutting our stuff and at one point the doctor cleared the floor and implored Alli and I to show them how we dance in the states.  So there we were surrounded by Tanzanians as we spun about and stepped in out of beat time for a few Shania tracks – definitely not a situation that will soon be forgotten!

                 

The following day we loaded up and went back to Dar for the evening to meet up with Alli’s friends for cocktails on the roof of the Holiday Inn in downtown before catching a ferry for the island of Zanzibar.

Zanzibar was awesome.  We snuck through security upon arrival with Alli saying something in Swahili and me attempting to hide from customs behind a post.  Somehow it worked and they were satisfied that both of us for citizens of Tanzania and I didn’t need to pay the fee for a visa.  I promptly bought a pair of impeccably crafted knock off Ray Bans and went to find our resort.  The first few days and nights we spent in relative seclusion on a self-contained resort that butted up against the Indian Ocean.  Much time was killed by the pool and chasing sand crabs (well I chased sand crabs while Alli drank margaritas by the pool…) .  We happened upon an outfit from South Africa shooting the final episode of a reality television show called “Charlie’s Cake Angels.”  Supposedly the show is supposed to be the next best thing and documents a group of women who create extravagant cakes.  Who knows, maybe we’re in the background in some of the scenes, but I can’t find any information online confirming the show even exists.  We had dinner on the beach one evening and more or less tuned out and did nothing for a few days.  It was a welcome relaxation from the hectic travel schedule.

                 

Zanzibar’s Stone Town district is heavily slanted toward tourism, but was really awesome.  The streets are like a labyrinth, very narrow and winding.  Many of the doors are hand chiseled and have very ornate patterns and decorations on the entire surface.  We purchased gifts for me to bring back to the states and explored.  We drank can juice and ate the catch of the day in the wharf area and watched the local island boys run and jump off the pier and dive into the bay as the sun went descended past the horizon.

We visited a local watering hole called “Freddy’s.”  This wouldn’t be notable except the namesake of the bar was none other than Freddy Mercury!  The bar was decked out with photographs of the singer and it was awesome in the most ridiculous way possible.  My only regret is that I didn’t purchase a shirt as a keepsake.  We had a wonderful dinner at an Indian restaurant our last night on the island and the last night of the trip.  We sat in the upper level of the open air restaurant and took our time eating, filling the off time with conversation.  We must have been in there for 3 hours and it went by in an instant.  I feel like in the states we often rush our meals and look at dinner as a means to an end, but it was nice to just sit about and take everything in and enjoy eachother’s company.

All in all it was a wonderful trip and I would encourage anyone considering traveling abroad to consider the often overlooked continent of Africa.  I can’t speak for the other countries seeing as I only visited one, but Tanzania was beautiful, cheap, and at trip I won’t ever forgot.  I’m owe a lot to Alli for her hospitality and assistance in making this trip happen.

(for more pictures check out this album Alli posted on facebook….)

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.199545316761116.48473.100001169467484&l=fcc19b86c7&type=1

...and now a word from a guest author...

Anyone reading this blog post has more than likely already discovered that I went to Tanzania to visit Alli for two weeks. She’s asked me to write a guest blog post here for any followers to read. I’m fairly certain the only reason she asked me is because she knew I would say yes and she obviously isn’t doing much updating. The trip to Dar was a pain. I’m never scheduling another trip that has more layovers and changes than actual time in flight. I don’t care how “cheap” of a flight I book. I brought a wheelchair for Jemsi, a little boy with cerebral palsy whom lives next door to Alli. American Airlines and South African Aitrways were amazing in dealing with the chair through the checked luggage. I wasn't charged at all for the wheel chair and it was very oversized and not collapsible. We all constantly hear stories about airlines overcharging and being sticklers about checked luggage so I was a bit concerned that getting the chair onto the plane might be difficult. It turned out to be easier and cheaper than checking luggage. Maybe the fat cats do have a heart. However, once I arrived it was all worthwhile. I had forgotten to bring US paper currency for my visa when I arrived which forced me to wait in for almost everyone aboard my plane to be processed and then I was allowed to outside (escorted by an armed guard) to the ATM machine and currency exchange booth. That’s where I was first able to see Alli. I was drained from the flights, but in a pretty good mood – just a bit out of my element. I hardly remember the conversation we had, I’m sure it was based on getting my money and then my visa. We were able to exchange a kiss and a hug which was both amazing and awkward. I’d waited 12 months to plant one on her and yet, I wasn’t too sure that public displays of affection were allowed or commonplace in Tanzania. For a moment though, I didn’t really give a shit. Later, Alli would explain that things are much more laidback in Dar than in the rest of the country in regards to relationships and displays of affection. Fortunately I’ve never been really clingy or physical in public anyway, so this was a pretty easy social norm for me to abide by.

We made it to the hostel called the “Econo Lodge” that was situated in downtown Dar, about a 30 minute bus ride at night (without traffic) from the airport. We made it to the hostel rather easily and with little fanfare. Alli is convinced the Econo Lodge is actually the same as the U.S. chain, but I’m absolutely sure it is not. The only thing the Tanzanian Econo Lodge and the chain of “real” Econ Lodge hotels have in common are guests, cleaning ladies, beds, toilets, and showers. The last two items were reason enough for me to celebrate at the time. I had anticipated the hostel would be some sort of roach haven without any basic amenities, but those were baseless assumptions that I had crafted from my ignorance of Dar. Obviously, we weren’t staying in the Ritz, but I had no problems with our temporary digs or any other place we rested for the night throughout the remainder of the trip.

We had street food for dinner. I was hesitant to eat anything too risky because of the lack of any decent meal the prior 2 days I spent in transit. South African Airlines is a great airline – I have no gripes with them at all, but airplane food is airplane food. I ended up choosing some form of chicken wings that tasted fine, but I stared at whatever Alli ordered (some rice dish) and wished that I would have went that route. Prior to receiving our meal we were brought a basin and pitcher for us to wash our hands. I found it peculiar that one would was their hands with unclean water before eating, it seemed unnecessary. I must say the ritual of hand washing was alluring though; it didn’t matter if my hands weren’t clean by Western standards because I was in another culture experiencing the way they do things, which is a large portion of why I decided to make the trip. And seriously, how many of us wash our hands before we eat anyway?



Most of our time in Dar was spent relaxing, shopping, and eating. I was able to visit the Peace Corps headquarters/offices which was a pretty cool experience. It was here that I pieced together the wheelchair without the assistance of any hand tools which were confiscated in South Africa. I met a few ladies on the administrative staff and attempted to design a flyer for an upcoming event. Alli an her crew took me down to a shopping area that offered all sorts of amazing (presumably) handmade goods. Hopping in and out of the open air marketplace booths looking for gifts to purchase was great…for a little while. Eventually, Ben (a volunteer and friend of Alli's) and I ended up sitting on a bench waiting for the ladies to conclude their shopping adventure: Hardly any different than the cliché in the states. We ate dinner and lunch at a few sit down joints that weren't terrible but not memorable either as I can't remember what I ate or the names of the establishments. It was Alli had the 50th Anniversary of the Peace Corps banquet to attend which was a pretty important event for her and the other volunteers involved. During the time I spent alone I read a bit, journaled, and ventured a few blocks out of the Econo Lodge to try and buy cigarettes. I found myself lost rather quickly, overpaid for my smokes and had to ask about 5 different people how to get back to the hostel. The remainder of the evening I watched Al Jazeera in the lobby with some locals and relaxed in the room.



Dar was mysterious. I think that is the only way I can describe it. As a complete outsider with absolutely no Kiswahili to speak, I found the city to be a big surreal playground. I was overwhelmed the first morning after eating breakfast and wandering into the streets, but the anxiety dissipated and I was eager to explore. Fortunately Alli and her friends were there to babysit me for the entirety of my stay in Dar, otherwise I think my “exploring” would have been rather expensive and my understanding of the citizens minimized. There has to be a conduit to breakthrough the language barrier. Not only so that I don’t get ripped off on a pack of smokes, but also so I could begin to understand the Tanzanians that call Dar home. What are they doing today? What are you peddling over there? How much are those knock off Ray Bans? Where are you from? Why are you here? Is our interaction normal? What do you think of me? What are you notions of where I come from? None of those answers could be answered without the interpretation from Alli. It was great to have a tour guide that was skilled enough to help me maximize my stay. If I had gone to Tanzania without knowing the language or being accompanied by someone who knew the language then I would have done the “touristy” tour of Kilimanjaro, a safari, all the while staying in the comfort of a Holiday Inn or an overpriced all inclusive resort. These were the thoughts that were starting to form in my head as we made out way out or Dar and toward Singida, then onto the village Alli calls home. I would soon learn how completely lost I would have been without her and gained a smidgen of understanding about how difficult it must have been to try and transition into life in the interior of Tanzania alone.



I have to admit that I was a bit skeptical of what village life would be like. When I decided to make the trip and up until I arrived in Tanzania part of me thought that staying in hotels and resorts might be more comfortable or a better way to spend a vacations. I thought that maybe the trip should like a traditional R&R vacation. I was unsure how I would handle no electricity or running water and being in an unfamiliar and remote location. Those small worries of the unknown dissipated a day or two into the trip when we were in Dar. I became more eager to visit Alli's site and get out of the city. From the moment we arrived in Singida and then moved onto Sepuka I felt 100% comfortable. Every person I was introduced to in Sepuka seemed genuinely excited to meet me and great me and I have to say I shared the same enthusiasm. Alli had mentioned that the cultural norms in Tanzania were quite different than in the states when dealing with public social settings. Tanzanians are rarely outright rude or express any emotion other than happiness when greeting and making small talk. I assume a portion of the reason that I felt welcome in her village and didn't feel like and outsider was due to that, but I'm certain that the greetings and enthusiasm I encountered should be credited more so to the villagers being excited to meet someone new and to have an opportunity to share their country with me.



I suppose my assumptions and notions about village life in Tanzania were just the typical and ignorant type that most people who have no connection to a country in Africa have. I pictured hungry children with stomachs sticking out and extreme poverty. What I found wasn’t to the extreme that I anticipated. Obviously the majority of people I met in Sepuka were far from wealthy and life there doesn’t compare to what we take for granted here in the states. But, I as surprised to find far more infrastructure than I anticipated and many more smiling faces. I guess I thought it was going to be a really depressing place, but in actuality it wasn’t depressing at all. Life there is just different than what I consider normal and people make due with what they have. The juxtaposition of my life compared to their life resonated with me and put a lot of things into the proper perspective. I take many things for granted and after visiting I’ve been more aware and tried not stress of insignificant little things...



...check back next week for part 2 from ben's trip to tanzania...