The Start of Rainy Season

Although I was anticipating rain for the entire time I was here (thank goodness that wasn’t the case!), it just began this week. And it rains HARD! It rains almost everyday for a couple of hours, and then the sun comes back out in full force. In Northern Tanzania (Kilimanjaro, Arusha, Moshi, etc) it has been raining a lot more than here in Bagamoyo, and there have been reports that at least 70 people have been killed because of the flooding. Many of the houses outside of the cities are made with just hardened clay, logs, and grass roofs, so they don’t hold up in the really bad rains. It hasn’t been bad here in Bagamoyo yet, but people are anticipating it any day now.

Below are pics of the rain. The first two are at the base where I live and the last one is a typical "middle-class" clay house in Bagamoyo. The homes in Bagamoyo are considered middle-class I think because they hold up better in the rain because of the tins roofs.

The Giant Baobab Tree

These trees, called baobab trees are all over Tanzania... this one is HUGE though and is thought to be over 400 years old.

The Women of Bawodene

I can hardly believe it’s been over a month since I’ve been here! I feel like time has flown by, but at the same time I feel so at home here it feels like I’ve been here for much longer than just a month. At this point I’ve gotten to know some of the women at Bawodene pretty well—they are teaching me lots of Swahili and getting a kick out of hearing me say things. They tell me my accent sounds very Tanzanian and joke that I should just stay here. Initially, most of the women assumed I was Tanzanian, specifically Nyakyusa (a tribe from the Southern region of Tanzania I think, although I haven’t had the chance to read this yet). Whenever I meet someone new the women love to see the person’s reaction when I ask them to speak slowly and tell them I’m not Tanzanian. People always think we’re playing a joke on them and find it so amusing that I’m American.

We laugh a lot—mostly though, I think they are laughing at my inexperience with and questions about how they do the things they do everyday to live and to generate income like: processing cashew nuts (especially since I didn’t even know which trees were cashew nut trees), making baskets (they taught me a little), making jewelry, sewing, drying and preserving the fish, making coconut oil… the list goes on and on.

The women of Bawodene continue to amaze me—they are probably the most welcoming and friendly group of women I have ever met (next to my Sorors!:). Despite having dealt with things in life that I can’t even imagine, they are still smiling and optimistic and happy with the things they do have. It’s amazing to me how they all pitch in to help each other with things. They are all from very different backgrounds—different tribes, different beliefs (especially in the case of the Massai women), some are extremely poor while others are able to afford to attend secondary school and college—yet they all help each other with everything as if they are all family. When someone is successful at something, or someone sells something, all the women are happy for that person. I have yet to see any jealousy or negativity toward the women who are more successful.

As for the work I’m doing, I’m doing mostly office work and helping then get organized on the business side—helping them run the Bagamoyo office, helping them “advertise” and market their products locally and to tourists who are coming to Bagamoyo more and more. I’ve been taking lots of pictures of the women doing their crafts to include in brochures, the Bawodene website, and funding proposals.

Below are some pics of the women doing their thing... and trying to teach me to sew, LOL. The last pic is of the oven used to smoke and dry the fish…

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Bats!!!

Today there was a bat in the bathroom! Umm, a BAT!!! Thank goodness I wasn’t the one who discovered it… I think it just would have been all over for me… Another volunteer, Lindsey (she’s the one feeding the monkeys in the previous post and the one holding the bigger crocodile in the “I like my Fingers” post), was in the bathroom but then came charging out with the most terrified look on her face! Now Lindsey tends to be the braver, more curious one in the group— she picks up just about any little critter she wants to get a closer look at: frogs, beetles, moths, whatever…

So when Lindsey is afraid, me and Liara almost don’t even want to know what it is… I’d actually rather not know, LOL. I walk around as if a lot of the things here just don’t exist... it’s easier that way and I think it’s the only way I’ve been able to survive! I knew there were bats here—LOTS of them actually cause I see them every night… but they don’t bother me, and I don’t bother them. This goes for most things: the bats, the chickens (although I’m not afraid of chickens, I certainly don’t want one to approach me, LOL.. they just randomly walk all around town), the goats that roam around, the GIGANTIC bugs, the mice, the oversized wasps & dragonflies, and a number of insects I’ve never even seen before coming here… there’s a little bit of EVERYthing!

Anyway, Lindsey comes charging out of the bathroom and doesn’t say a word. She tells Liara to go look in the bathroom (Liara is worse than me!) and they start screaming and making so much noise that the security guard (who sits by the front gate to the house) came running into the room. Once he saw what was causing all the commotion, he just laughed. He simply got a napkin (yeah, a little thin little napkin!) scooped up the bat and set it free outside. The staff is still laughing at us about this one… it’s ok though, we get laughed at a lot for the “little” things we are afraid of…

Umm, sorry... there will be NO pictures of the bats!!

Safari @ Saadani Nat'l Park

Today Lindsey, Liara and I went to Saadani National Park for a safari. It was great! None of us had been on a safari before, so we really didn't care that Saadani is the smallest national Park in Tanzania. (Serengeti is much farther away from Bagamoyo than I realized, so I won't be going there after all.)

The park was so peaceful and quiet... I guess I never thought about what it would sound like, but it was incredibly quiet. All you could hear were birds chirping and the wind blowing the tall grass and the leaves in the trees...

We saw giraffes, zebras, warthogs, buffalo, redbacks, waterbacks, tons of colorful birds, wildebeest, monkeys, baboons, and more. The only thing we didn't see were the elephants... believe it or not we couldn't "find" them!

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Traditional Swahili Cooking

The food here has probably been the best food I have had in a loooong time, thanks to our chefs Edda and Robert!

Today we learned to cook a traditional Swahili meal. My jobs: the coconut rice and the Afrikan Salad. Sounds easy right? Just salad and rice? Well, everything is done manually here (and not just cooking but everything else too), so you don’t buy things already chopped or already pre-cooked or already ANYthing, LOL. The rice took quite a long time, because I had to sift through it (manually, remember?) to pick out any stones or grass or other things that didn’t look edible. Then I had to wash it off—but we can’t drink the tap water and washing rice for 25 people with water from the water cooler isn’t easy! Then of course, the coconut milk… umm, we had to make it! We started with whole coconuts, cracked them open, scraped the insides out (with a tool I’ve never seen before), then soaked the shreds in warm water to make coconut milk. Coconut milk is used in almost every dish here… I think that’s one of the secrets.

Next the salad. This actually was pretty easy except everything has to be rewashed after it was cut—so the cucumbers, red onions, tomatoes, shredded carrots (manually shredded), and green peppers all had to be rewashed (because they were initially rinsed with tap water). We did this with warm filtered water and vinegar, which actually gives the salad a nice taste too. Then we seasoned the salad with just salt and lemon juice (freshly squeezed, of course!). This salad is so good... not the mention healthy for you.

Other things on the menu: fried calamari, chapati, freshly baked coconut bread with cashew nuts, fish, and a spicy tomato sauce with chopped veggies (I always forget the name)—then fresh pineapple, mango, & papaya for desert (we have these with every meal).

Everything here is so fresh. Nothing is processed or contains preservatives and I can really taste the difference. I will definitely miss the food when it’s time to leave… I’m trying to get as many recipes as I can!

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The Slave Market

In Stonetown we saw the site of the former Slave Market of Zanzibar… this was really hard for me experience.

Whereas in the U.S. the slave traders & owners were predominately from European countries, in Zanzibar they were predominately Arab and Indian. It was interesting to hear about how the history of slavery in Zanzibar affected and continues to affect race relations there. The Black/Arab issues of inequality, access, education disparities, socioeconomic status, etc. sounded very similar to Black/White issues in the U.S… which makes sense considering the comparative histories.

Upon entering the chambers where they kept the slaves, I suddenly felt overwhelmed. Listening to the tour guide explain how the Africans (mostly from Eastern and Central Africa) were treated while sitting in the holding chamber was extremely emotional. As much as I already know about how horrendous slavery was and some of the horrible things that were done (esp being an African American Studies major in undergrad), I still was just completely overwhelmed. I didn’t hear anything I didn’t already know, or see anything I didn’t know existed, but reading about it in a book is one thing… seeing an actual whipping post, a “disposal hole”, iron collars (like dog collars), chains cemented in the walls, and actually going inside of the holding chamber is something completely different.

In this pic, I’m sitting in the holding chamber for men. This chamber would hold 50+ men, likely curled up in the fetal position (I wanted to be in the picture so you could get an idea of size).

This pic is of the female chamber. It’s slightly bigger because the women needed to get in and out easily so that the traders (men) could have “access” to them whenever they wanted. The women’s chamber held 75+ women.

This is covering the “disposal hole” where deceased slaves would be thrown away.

This sculpture (by some students from Bagamoyo Arts College, I think) shows how iron collars were used.

This experience was really painful, but I’m also glad that I had the opportunity to actually see these things… it made it so real. Especially knowing that that’s a part of my own family history (likely not via Tanzania though, more likely via the West African Trade) was just overwhelming. Looking back at the pics, I think this was the only time I wasn’t smiling since I’ve been here…

Zanzibar Island (Stonetown & Nungwi)

Now this place felt like a vacation! The beach… white sand… beautiful sunsets every night… and a room overlooking the Indian Ocean...

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The Village Healer / Witch-Doctor

After the crocodile ranch we went to a village, Mlingotini, to visit a traditional healer/witch-doctor. (There is typically a difference between a traditional healer and a witch-doctor, in that a healer only manipulates energy/spirits for good, while a witch-doctor will use if for good and evil. If someone has a better understanding of this please let me know so I can re-word what I’m saying… Danielle, do you know?). I’m not completely clear if this person was a witch-doctor as well, but he was definitely a traditional healer.

Anyway, we drove outside of Bagamoyo town into the village, which was an experience in and of itself. Just seeing the houses and how people in “the village” have so very little really opened my eyes even more to the poverty around me. (And I was remembering that the women I work with @ Bawodene are from the villages, so they too are extremely impoverished).

Most of the houses were made from stones and clay and had grass roofs... if it rained too hard it seemed that they would just be destroyed. Yet, people were still smiling, saying hello as we rode by in the van, laughing with each other in the street… not complaining… still trying to share and offer what little they did have.

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Once we reached the house, we each had the opportunity to ask questions of him about ourselves or our future. One girl, Christina, has an immense fear of water, so she asked about it. The witch-doctor told her she had a spirit, called “Mymuona”, attached to her. He recited some lines (all in Swahili… we had a translator), had his assistants take her down to the ocean for a ceremony, and said she would be rid of “Mymouna” the next day—said she wouldn’t be able to stay out of the water.

He then proclaimed to be able to read our thoughts (with the help of the spirits), and tried to reveal information about whatever it was we were thinking of. I guess you could say it kinda worked for me, but again, I honestly didn’t feel it was specific enough… it was very generic and general information that could have applied to pretty much anything I was thinking.

I think the key to this is probably similar to any other belief system. They say in order for you to obtain any useful info from the “healer”/”doctor” you have to believe… otherwise it won’t really be effective and you won’t get a lot of information (or be healed, or whatever you’re visiting for). Granted, I’m positive there is some science behind some of the herbs used in this practice, but for the most part the requisite of believing in it first makes sense to me… I think it’s that way with most things… if you don’t have faith in something and really believe in it (this goes for religion too, I think) then it won’t work for you… Unfortunately, Christina’s “Mymouna” is till with her… she hasn’t been swimming yet…

At any rate, it was interesting to learn about another belief system. I have to admit though… it was a bit eerie…

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I like my fingers!

Crocodile Ranch… who knew there was such a thing? Anyway, yesterday we visited a crocodile ranch, and had an interesting time to say the least. First of all, those who know me also know that I am NOT a big fan of things that aren’t my size, i.e bugs, spiders, mice, etc. If it isn’t my size and especially if it’s not cute and furry, I want no parts of it!

So we get to the ranch and learn all about crocodiles: what they eat, how often they eat, the mating process, etc. etc. I’ve never really been a fan of the Discovery Channel or of “Discovery Channel-like” things (although Planet Earth was excellent, and I highly recommend it… the BBC version though), so I’d be lying if I said this activity was “fun” for me. I can think of a certain person though (umm, Devon:) who would have l-o-v-e-d this session, LOL!

Anyway, after learning much more than I cared to about crocs, the tour guide started taking them out of the pens so that we could hold them. I must have missed the part in the introduction where he said we were going to do that… or maybe I just wasn’t paying attention because I was kinda freaking out! I was NOT interested in holding a CROCODILE!!!! …but I couldn’t be the only one to chicken out, so after MUCH laughter and many deep breaths I held a tiny baby croc. You’ll see in the pictures though that others held ones that were much bigger…. umm, NO THANKS… I like my fingers, LOL!

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Making Batiks

Today we had batik making lessons. Pics below.

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The night of the drum

It’s hard to believe I’ve been here for over a week already, but at the same time I feel like I’ve definitely had more than a week’s worth of experiences! This past weekend I went to a performance at the Bagamoyo College of Arts which was absolutely amazing. There was dancing, drumming, mime, modern dance, and a crazy balancing act (I don’t know what to call that…). The cutest little girl, Sabeela, came and sat next to me, and chatted with me throughout the performances. She laughed and smiled SO big at everything... and I have to admit, it felt good to have a “conversation with someone, albeit a toddler, LOL, who I could understand. My Swahili is coming along, but I have a loooog way to go…

So anyway, after the performance a bunch of Bagamoyo College of Arts students and volunteers went to hang out at a “bar” (it was really just a giant circle of chairs outside of a stand that sold drinks) just talking and laughing and celebrating a successful show. There were probably about 35-40 people altogether. A couple of students brought their drums and had some impromptu drumming sessions and tried to teach us to play some simple rhythms…. They make it look so easy!

I was getting tired after that and wanted to walk home, but one of the students told me that I would regret it if I didn’t stay for the “fire”. I wasn’t sure what he meant but he promised it would be an experience I would never forget. He was right… it was SO cool! We walked to the beach (Bagamoyo’s right at the Indian Ocean), made a bonfire, and the students had a CraZy jam session!!: playing the drums, playing the flute, dancing around the fire, singing chants, and singing songs about life in Tanzania and being happy no matter what your situation. Just imagine dancing around a fire on a beach in Africa… the smell of coconut wood burning, hearing the drums, singing with that many people… It was probably the most beautiful experience I have had in a long time… people were just friendly with each other and took the time teach me the dances and chants (in Swahili) so that I and the other volunteers could participate. There was absolutely no arrogance, no selfishness… no one was being left out, and they really treated us like family. Sure, they seemed to be especially proud that I, a Black American, was there, but they welcomed all of us and wanted to teach all of us about their culture. I really felt like I was among old friends… I videotaped some of it because it, but couldn’t even get more than 45 seconds of footage at a time because whenever someone would see me standing by myself they would come over and check on me, LOL. It was just amazing. I’m afraid to post the video clips though, because I think I’ll shut-down this little internet café!

Those in Ithaca and Chicago, please remind me to show you this… it was really amazing. If I figure out away to post the video clips, I will.

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