Nobody Said It'd Be Easy

I have learned a lot during my first two weeks in Tanzania. I have learned how to hand wash my clothes, how to make eggs, how to haggle, how to identify tracks, and how to eat rice every day.

But I think the most important lesson that I've learned, is that when you're a girl abroad, you can never let your guard down. I let my guard down when I went to a local market on Saturday and, as a result, my phone (mkono) was stolen. While there is a good chance that it fell out of my pocket, it is more likely that it was stolen, because from the moment I got out of the car, I was constantly surrounded by guys trying to sell me things. While I was telling someone "No, I don't want to buy anything" someone else could've grabbed it out of my pocket. There was also a guy who held pants up to my waist and kept saying "So simple. So simple." He could've taken it out of my pocket, too, when he pulled the pants away.

In retrospect, I should've left my phone at camp. I took it with me because one, it's habit and two, I wanted to take pictures of the market. I bought a pay as you go phone to use during my last two weeks so I still have a way to communicate with my family. Maybe it will be good for me to be without a smart phone for two weeks. It will definitely remind me of the caution I need to take in life. I am not invincible and I am not excluded from horrible/awful events in life. 

Besides being (obviously) upset by losing my phone, I was mad because I didn't want the event to ruin the outlook I had on the last two weeks of my stay. Because, in honesty, when I was retracing my steps at the market trying to recognize vendors, I looked at everyone with contempt, and I didn't like that feeling. Ninety-eight percent of Tanzanians are incredibly kind and friendly, but it is a poor country and theft is common. Even if I had dropped my phone, there was no way someone would go out of their way to try to find and return it to the owner. 

No one said going to Tanzania would be without its hardships. It definitely hasn't been the easiest thing I've done in my life, but for good or bad, this trip will always be with me. 

Kwaheri! 

Christmas in July

Visiting the Maasai bomas was very interesting. As soon as my group got to our boma, the men and women started singing and dancing. They separated the guys from the girls and gave the girls big necklaces to wear, while the guys got wooden staffs. We probably danced for 15 minutes or so. Though I couldn't understand the words to the song and had to be lead around by the mama holding my hand, it was very fun! After the singing and dancing, they showed us inside their huts. The huts are very small and dark, and there is really only enough room for beds. Next, they showed us how they milk their cows. The Maasai are known to drink cow blood, so they shot a cow in the neck (it is still alive!) so that they could get some of its blood. Next, they showed us how they build their huts. First they make a frame out of branches from trees and then they insulate it with a mixture of cow dung, dirt, and water! We then had a chance to ask them questions. My question was how they charge their phones because everyone in Tanzania has cell phones, even tribe members, but electricity isn't everywhere. It turns out they go to Mtu wa Mbu and pay a small fee to charge their phones. The Maasai then had a chance to ask us questions. They wanted to know where we were from and if we were all related! Finally, the mamas laid out their jewelry and some of us bought some (guilty).

When we got back to camp, we had lunch and all of us shared our experience. We all went to three different bomas and each visit was unique in its own way. Next was the goat slaughter so I promptly left camp to go to the tailor's! My dress wasn't ready because he lost electricity for awhile, but we went to the duka next door and I got a passionfruit fanta (our duka has run out of them!) Passionfruit fanta is super delicious and I wish it was something that we sold in the States. Defintely going to be something I miss when I leave.

Dinner, of course, was a special occassion because of the goat and it was one of the student's birthdays. Birthdays aren't really that big of a deal here, but they have a really cool way of brining out the cake. We basically start as a conga line and there is a lot of jumping (my legs were super sore) and there's singing, but I wasn't entirely sure what was being sung. My banda mate's birthday is in August so I can't wait to do it again for her birthday!

Today we drove to Karatu (which was the first time for many of the second session students) and learned about soil management. We practiced making contours on some farmland and it turns out the marks we made will actually be used by the owners of the land so that they can prevent soil erosion. It was nice to actually be able to help!

Later today, most of us are going back to Karatu because a big, monthly market is going on. I'm in the market for some fabric that has elephants on it so I'm excited to go! Hopefully by now I'll be used to being a mzungo!

Today is also Christmas (Krismasi) in July here at camp. We are doing a secret santa after dinner and we will have a bonfire! It was a really good idea by one of the students and we are all pretty excited for it.

Kwaheri na Likizo Furaha! (Bye and Happy Holidays!)

Elephants and Monkeys and Goats, Oh My!

We have had a very busy week here at Moyo Hill Camp! On Monday, we went to a village nearby called Kilimatembo (Elephant Hill)! We split into groups and went on what is called a transect walk. During our walk, we wrote down everything we saw, which was mostly farmland. We also talked to a few of the farmers and asked them what they grew, why the chose to grow it, and what sort of problems they faced. I didn't expect to learn about agriculture while I was here, but it was very interesting. One of the farmers wanted to ask us questions before we could ask him any. He wanted to know we were here in Tanzania, what we were studying, and what we hoped to accomplish while we were here. I think that he thought we were truly there to help, but in reality we were only there for an assignment. I wish we could help, but as students, we don't have the time, money, or resources to be able to make a difference (though I wish we could).

Side note: I went to town after lunch and picked up my pants. They are super cute and I can definitely see myself wearing them all the time! I also bought some nutella, which is probably my best purchase since being in Africa!

On Tuesday we went back out to Maasai land to identify different vegetation. It was a lot like our poop assignment, except I didn't have to touch any poop! Again, we had a Maasai person walk with us to help identify the different trees. He told us their Maasai names and what use the trees were to them. Mostly they were used as fencing or building material. They had a lot of date trees, so they ate the fruit, and they had a couple trees where they used the bark as a cure to sickness. They really had a use for every part of the tree so that it didn't go to waste. It was very hot and dusty out on the plains and I think brought back more dirt with me to camp!

Yesterday we drove 2 hours away to Tarangire National Park, a park that boasts having the highest concentration of elephants per square kilometer than any other place in the world! So you could say I was very excited for the trip. The park definitely didn't disappoint! I think we saw our first elephant within the hour. It was a lone female and she was shaking the tree she was at.

I don't know why she was doing it, but it was pretty cute. We saw a lot of animals (giraffes, vervet monkeys, zebras, wildebeests, a black momba, and a quick glance at some lionnesses from far away!) but mostly my pictures were of elephants! I don't regret anything. Here are some of my favorites:

I didn't have the chance to get a good picture of a baby! The tall grasses usually hid them so I'm glad you can at least kind of tell that one of the elephants is a baby in the last picture!

We had lunch at a picnic site, but the place was surrounded by vervet monkeys trying to steal food!
One stole a banana right out one of my classmate's hand. Another stole a sandwich in a plastic bag from another classmate. And then another stole another banana! These monkeys have no fear. One jumped over me as I was trying to take a picture:

The monkeys are such a nussiance, that sometime you have to throw rocks in their direction to get them to stay away. But one guy went as far as chasing a monkey, even after it was already running away, down to throw rocks directly at it. There always has to be one ignorant person wherever you go. His family was basically asking for it: they were chopping up fresh fruit in the middle of a national park. Of course it would attract monkeys. It was one of those times where I definitely preferred animals to humans.

We have a paper due tonight so most of us were working on it last night when we got home. We all gathered into the dining hall and tried our best to get something done. Luckily I was finished, I was just trying to edit my paper, but most people were just starting theirs. We are really are college kids, waiting until the last minute to get something done. In their defense, it doesn't feel like we're at school here. There are too many fun things to do!

Today we had another game drive at Manyara Ranch. But it wasn't nearly as exciting as Tarangire was. I think the most exciting thing that happened at the ranch was the fact that we saw a cow with massive horns:

We were there for about two and a half hours and then we left. On our way back, we stopped off at a Maasai market (not the same one we went to on Sunday). As soon as we got out of the car, people were trailing us, trying to sell us jewelry and shirts and fabric. One woman actually started putting bracelets on my arm! I understand that they are trying to earn a living, but after saying hapana asante (no thanks) ten times, you would think they would get the picture. I think what bothers me is that they would never do that to a local person. But because of the fact that I'm a mzungo (foreigner), they think it is okay to harass me. Like one guy kept following us around the market. At first it is nice to have the attention, but after awhile, it really starts to get annoying!

Overall though, Tanzanians are super friendly. It just so happens that the vendors are the most annoying!

Tomorrow we are going to learn more about Maasai culture and actually get to visit some Maasai families at their bomas (villages). When we get back to camp, there is supposed to be a traditional goat slaughter. Living in America has allowed me to be very removed from the meat industry, and as much I understand the importance of such a sacrifice to Tazanians (eating meat is very rare for them), I do not think I will be staying around for it. My banda mate said she was there when they did it last month and told me that the sound was the worst part and had to leave. So I think during that time, I'm going to go to town and pick up my dress I had the tailor make for me.

We see so many goats and cows on the road when we drive, and I just don't think I can watch one die. I always thought goats were kinda bleh before coming here, but now I think they are so cute and I kinda want one!

Here's to another eventful day in Tanzania!

Kwaheri!

It's Been One Week-Barenaked Ladies

It's crazy to think that one week ago, I was going to the Columbus airport to leave for Tanzania! The week flew by!

We went to the Manyara plains on Saturday to look at poop! We almost weren't going to be able to because a car check was set up right before the entrance and the guards there didn't want to let us through unless we paid them. Kioko told us this is because Tanzania is poor and once they saw that we were students, they thought that we would be able to pay, even though the area was open for everyone else for free.

Once we got passed that obstacle, we got into groups and a local member of the Maasai tribe was assigned to us so that they could help us identify the tracks. Our guy was my age and his name was something like "Maasia" if I'm going by phonetics. He was very quiet but super helpful. All he knew in English was the names of the animals' tracks we were looking at, but he taught us those names in Maasai. For example, cattle is engitet (in Swahili, it's n'gombe).

The plains are really beautiful. They kind of just go on forever. And you really can't tell where Lake Manyara ends and the sky starts. They sort of just melt together.

Some grazing engitet

Members of the Maasai

After we were done, the Maasai did their famous jumping dance for us. They all chant and then take turns jumping as high as they can. The picture I got wasn't that great. The setting sun makes it dark. I have a video, but, unfortunately I can't upload it!

Yesterday was our first nonprogram day. Breakfast is normally at 7:30 but it was at 8;30 yesterday so I got to sleep in, something that was really needed! We then went to one of the local villages called Mtu wa Mbu to go on a waterfall hike. The first part of the hike was through a field of banana trees, and from there it got increasingly harder. I mean, it wasn't really that hard, but there was a lot of jumping from rock to rock and crossing streams of water. It probably only took us 20 minutes to get to the waterfall.

Miwaleni Watefall

Got my first O-H-I-O pic!

That waterfall was extremely pretty and sitting by it after sweating through my clothes was very relaxing! Some of the students climbed to the very top of the waterfall, but I stayed below because I was feeling a little light headed. There will be more waterfalls to climb in my life!

After the hike, the group split in half. Some of the students went to another village called Karatu to go to a lodge that had a pool and the other half of us stayed in Mtu wa Mbu. First we went to a pizza place and I had a really good margherita pizza. It cost 10,000 shillings, which is about 5 dollars, but it was more expensive than some of the other pizzas because cheese is sort of a delicacy here. 

After lunch, we walked down to the Maasai market. 

Right away, vendors were pulling me into their stalls, and telling me that they'd give me a very cheap "mwanafunzi" (student) discount. When you were done in one stall, a stallowner was already waiting to pull you into his stall. There really wasn't that much difference between the stalls: they all had paintings and carvings and fabric and jewelry, but they all thought they would give you the best price. Once you showed the smallest interest in something, they wouldn't stop trying to sell it to you. Usually I would ask them the price of something (shingapi?) and they'd say, "which one?" almost as if they didn't set a price until you picked an item. The prices aren't set at the market so I learned how to haggle very quickly! Once they gave me their price, I cut it down by half, and we worked our way towards a middle ground. A few times I walked away because I didn't like the price and they'd come up to me and say "no you can have it." It was definitely a stressful, but very interesting experience. I didn't like how fast my money was going (although I did buy all the souvenirs I sought out to buy for friends and family), but it was fun and I learned a lot! 

Finally, the complete my very busy day yesterday, I did my laundry for the first time getting here! Hand-washing clothes is definitely a struggle and I'm glad I don't have to do it every time I wash my clothes. I think I might have put too much detergent in though, so I don't know if I got all the soap out in the end! I'll let you know if I get really itchy! 

Kwaheri for now! 

Animals and Poop

 We did our first game count yesterday and it was AMAZING. Safaris are a lot more tiring than one would think though. We were in the park from 8:30-6 and by the end of the day, I was exhausted even though I sat in a car all day. We saw a lot of animals though. Among them were baboons, blue monkeys, vervet monkeys, elephants, zebras, wildebeests, warthogs, water buffalo, giraffe, hippos, dik-diks, Thompson's gazelle, impala, hornbills, ostrich, flamingos, and more!

We saw at least 40 giraffes!

A hiding elephant!

Zebras

Lake Manyara National Park from above

Me (in the center) and some of my other classmates

Lake Manyara National Park from within

Unfortunately, I can't post many pictures at once because our internet can't handle it. I'll post more pictures when I get back to the states though! Driving through the park was definitely an unforgettable experience. It was beautiful to see such exotic animals in their natural habitats!

Today we go to Manyara Ranch to practice tracking techniques. To prepare, we looked at a lot of animal dung in class today! We even passed it around. I think I've touched enough poop for one lifetime. 

My battery is about to die so kwaheri for now! 

Brr, It's Cold in Here!

Unfortunately, I have no exciting pictures today. After tomorrow I definitely will though. We are taking our first trip to the Lake Manyara National Park where we will spend the entire day counting animals and observing giraffes for our upcoming projects!

Yesterday was our first real day at camp. We had two sessions of class. During the first session, we met our professors and learned about their interests. There is Bridget teaches wildlife management, Kioko who teaches ecology, and Mwamhanga who teaches policy.

We had a break between the two classes so we ate lunch and I went intown with some of the other students. Some of the girls from the first session took us to the local tailor. I found this really cool fabric that has giraffes and zebras on it so I asked the tailor to make pants out it! I also bought fabric for a shuka. A shuka is just fabric that the Maasai wrap around themselves to keep them warm. I slept with it last night and it was super cozy. Unfortunately, it is winter in Tanzania, and despite the close proximity to the equator, it will be getting colder throughout my stay.

On our walk home from town, we passed a group of school girls who were excited to see that one of us had our iPhones out. They like taking pictures on them. Lily, a girl from the last session, said  I they don't always takes pictures (picha), sometimes they just like to change the camera settings! The children here get extremely excited to see us, and they usually say hi and ask us what our names are.

We resumed classes and started learning about conservation in Tanzania and Africa in general and we were already introduced to our first assignment. It doesn't seem too difficult--we have to look at habitat choice of the animal of our choosing (big surprise, I'll probably choose elephants).

By 3 o'clock, the sun came out and most of us sat outside to soak it up. The sun doesn't seem to be out too much, but it comes out, you can definitely feel it. I think the weather is the most surprising part about Tanzania so far. I definitely thought it was going to be warmer. And in the mornings it might be nice to have a warmer jacket. I guess I just got caught up in the idea that because Tanzania is in Africa, it would be blazing hot 24/7.

Kwaheri for now (and I'll be back with pictures)!

It's Rough, It's Dirty, But It's an Adventure!

After ~24 hours of travel, I have finally made it to Tanzania!

The airport(s) weren't as bad as I thought they would be. I got stopped by TSA on my first flight because I didn't know I had to take out my laptop when it went through the scanner. But besides that, the rest was easy peasy.

I've decided that someone must really hate themselves if they decide to travel from the states to Tanzania. The plane rides nearly killed me! The flight to Amsterdam was 6 hours, while the flight to Kilimanjaro was 8! Surprisingly though, Royal Dutch Airlines has pretty good food (plus free movies)!

When we landed in Kilimanjaro around 7:30 local time yesterday (7/13), the sun had already set and a mob of people flooded the tiny airport trying to get their visas. It probably took me 30-40 minutes to get mine. When we had all found our bags, students who were part of the first summer session greeted us outside. We took an hour drive to a hotel in Arusha. This was the view from my balcony:

After arriving at the hotel, we had a quick dinner and most of us went to bed. The honking cars from the street below woke me up in the morning. In Tanzania, there are pretty much no rules when it comes to driving and car accidents are the 5th leading cause of death in the country! After eating breakfast, we found this little guy (aka a vervet monkey) on the roof: 

After breakfast, we drove 2.5 hours to camp. We mainly drove through the Arusha region, and there was always something interesting to look at! We passed coffee farms and plots of corn; herders with their cow (n'gombe), goats (mbuzi), and donkey (punda); mountains on mountains on mountains, and the Lake Manyara National Park (we go there on Friday so hopefully I'll get to post some pictures of it then)! 

Moyo Hill Camp is amazing! It's kind of like we have our own little world in here: we have a dining hall, a water cleaning facility, classrooms, bedrooms, and a library. It's extremely beautiful and peaceful here. The sun filters through the trees and birds are constantly chirping. This is what my room (banda) looks like: 

All of our bandas are named after animals. Chui means leopard. There is also tembo (elephant), simba (lion), kifaru (rhino), and nyati (buffalo). My banda mate is really nice. Her name is Emily, but most people call her "Birdie" because, I guess, during the first week during the last session, someone told her that she reminded them of a bird. She's fairly shy, like me, so I think we will get along just fine!

Our first day of camp consisted of a tour of the camp, icebreakers, and some orientation. Tomorrow is our first day of class. I kind of forgot that I came here for school, so it was weird hearing about syllabi and office hours! All of students from the first summer session say that the classwork is fairly manageable, so I'm looking forward to learning in a non-stressful environment!

All the students here are super cool. Everyone pretty much loves elephants so I already think very highly of them! We all come from different parts of the United States and we all have different interests so I think it will be an exciting four weeks getting to know these guys! Two of the students are actually from Tanzania. One of them, named Emanuel, told me that his daughter is named Abigail! I asked him why he chose that name, and he said that the Bible was his inspiration because he thought Abigail was a very wise woman. He showed me a picture of her and she's really cute! I'm very glad to know that there are Tanzanian girls named Abby too!

I'll try to post pictures and write about my experiences as much as a I can, but the wifi here is very limited and the power goes out every now and then. We aren't allowed to upload a billion pictures at once, but you can follow me on Instagram (popeadot) and I'll try to post one individual picture a day!

Kwaheri and usiku mwema (good night) from Tanzania!

FYI

Just a friendly reminder (from the Big Apple) that I  have more posts that what shows on the first page! There should be a button that takes you to next page at the bottom!

Thanks for following me and my journey!
Kwaheri!

And Then There Were Two and a Half (Days)

Today is July 9th. It's 76 degrees, cloudy and rainy (big surprise for us Ohioans).  

Today is July 9th, which means tomorrow is the 10th. July 10th means I have to start taking my malaria medication. Beginning my malaria medication means that there are only 2 more days until I leave...

aldfadlfja'djfjgdsfdklfjal;df (imagine that's me internally screaming because that's what I've been doing the past week). 

At this point, fear, anxiety, panic, and a whole host of other negative emotions have taken over my current state of mind. I had thought that I had already accepted and understood the gravity of this experience I'm about to embark on. But I guess I haven't, because it's currently crushing me like an avalanche. 

I'm hoping that when I finally on a plane and we're taking off is when a wave of calmness will wash over me.  

To keep myself distracted, I've been practicing my Swahili, reading Game of Thrones, watching House, and obsessively packing and repacking (and repacking) my suitcases to make sure that I meet the weight limit. 

I honestly thinking the packing has been the most stressful part of this journey. I have been asked to bring a lot of (heavy and space-consuming) supplies with me, and unless I want to pay an extra 160 dollars to check another bag, I cannot exceed 50.5 lbs in luggage (mizigo). Talk about a real challenge. I'll basically be wearing the same five outfits and will only have a travel sized hairbrush. But hey, I guess it could be worse. 

I'm very much looking forward to the sun and warmth and dry heat that Tanzania has been promising me as opposed to the clouds and cold and humidity that has ruthlessly oppressed Ohio all summer. 

Here's to hoping that I finally get to experience beautiful weather in couple of days! 

Kwaheri and 2 more days!