Farewell Beach Fire

This was the perfect way to spend my last night in Bagamoyo, Tanzania! Some friends I hung out with arranged a beach fire for my departure, and it was probably the coolest thing I've been a part of. (It's tradition here for friends to throw a beach fire when another friend leaves for a long trip, moves away, or in remembrance of someone.)

There was lots of drumming, dancing, singing, acoustic guitar, more dancing, and even more drumming. The powerful sound of the drums, the singing, the stars, the sound of the waves, and the smell of the ocean and of burning coconut wood made the whole experience feel a little surreal. I kept thinking wow, this time has gone by so fast! Next week I will actually be back in America...

Don't get me wrong, I knew I would be elated to see my family and friends, but I also knew that I would miss it. Now that I'm back I can say I miss it much more than I thought I would. I had gotten a lot more attached to the people in Tanzania and Bagamoyo in particular than I realized… Feeling a sense of community everywhere I went... Not worrying about my personal safety at all, even when walking around town late at night (and there are no street lights, you have to use a flashlight)... Being around people who are so grateful for everything, and so welcoming... I really miss it.

I felt like I was a part of the community and part of the family there... Like if I decided to move there, or if something happened and I had to stay there, I would have been taken care of. I would have a community of people who would treat me as their sister, their aunt, their daughter, their granddaughter… People really did view me as a part of them. Some of that likely has to do with me being of African descent, but even in talking to others who aren't, they also felt this incredibly strong sense of community. People in Tanzania were always eager to teach us about the language and their culture, which in a sense is also part of my culture. I can't even count the number of times people said to me "welcome home" when I told them this was my first trip to Africa from America.

Would I go back? Most definitely. As much as I’d love to, I'm not sure that I will be able to go back for another 2 months, but I can definitely see myself going back and working with the amazing women at Bawodene... seeing the impact that volunteerism has on that community in particular... and seeing how the town of Bagamoyo develops.

Would I recommend this to someone else? Definitely. I think volunteerism, international volunteerism, is important and can be life-changing. This has been an experience that has challenged me in ways I never imagined... probably ways I needed to be challenged. It hasn't always been easy, but it’s definitely been life-changing.

To my new family in Bagamoyo: Thank you for making me always feel so at home in Tanzania. I will miss laughing with you, learning from you, cooking with you, and dodging bats with you (well, me dodging bats while you laughed!). To the other volunteers: I had a blast getting to know all of you and wish you all the best! Finally, to my friends and family here in America, thank you for taking this journey with me!

Baobab Secondary School for Girls

I was asked to give another talk to a small group of girls at Baobab Secondary School for Girls in conjunction with a program that my friend Cleng'a was doing. When we arrived at the school, we met with the headmaster who told us how excited the girls would be to hear from a woman. He said that the students were very excited to have visitors. (Cleng’a has visited this school before to teach music and dance and to do performances.) The headmaster went on to say that some teachers were preparing the auditorium and that the school would be ready for me in just a few minutes.

Hmm, I thought... the school would be ready for me? I thought this was just going to be a small group of girls?

As he continued to speak to Cleng’a (in Swahili) I kept hearing him say ‘hundred’ (that’s a word I know in Swahili!) and Cleng’a kept looking over at me. Cleng’a and I had discussed the day before that the group should be about 30 girls so that it would be more like a conversation as opposed to a lecture. He somewhat hesitantly revealed to me then that the administration was probably going to want to have about 50 girls, so I agreed. But now, sitting in the headmaster’s office, it seemed that he had invited many more than 50 girls to this talk...

"So," I asked "exactly... how many girls are you expecting to come?"

He responded, "We just learned that you are leaving Tanzania next week, and we don’t know when the girls would have another opportunity to hear from someone like you, so... we just invited the whole school."

"So... umm, how big is the school?" I ask.

"Well," he responds, "some of the girls will be working on a project, so... you’ll probably only have about 400 of them".

WOW, 400! This was MUCH larger than I anticipated or was prepared for! I think I had a mini-panic attack in my mind as I sat there and he continued to talk while I thought about what the heck I would talk to 400 girls about?! Now, I’m perfectly fine with public speaking as long as I have time to mentally prepare myself for it, but this talk with 400 high school girls was about to happen in like 5 minutes! There was no way I could do what I had planned for 30 girls with an auditorium full of 400!

Ok, I thought to myself... you can do this. Don’t freak out... you talk in front of people ALL the time.

Cleng’a went first and taught the girls a song and told some jokes. The room roared with laughter as he got them all excited and introduced me. I looked out at the crowd of girls all looking up and staring at me and they were perfectly silent and waited for me to speak. I took a deep breath (which lasted probably a few seconds longer than it should have, LOL) and began to speak. As I began to talk my nervousness went away. I told the girls I was very happy to see so many girls at the school and to my surprise they responded, and said “thank you” almost in unison. I asked if anyone had questions, but only one hand went up. Oh no, I thought... they’re bored...

It didn’t seem like it was going that well, cause only a few of the girls seemed responsive. But then I decided to get down off the stage and walk around the auditorium. Maybe they would talk back more if I was a little closer to them?

As soon as I got into the audience, the girls swarmed me! They were all smiling and excited and full of energy and asking tons of questions.

Madam! Madam? Can I ask you a question? Sister Aisha, come to this side please! Madam, this way! Come over here!

I walked around the auditorium and sat with groups of about 40-50 girls at a time, while Cleng’a taught dances and songs to the rest. As soon as I would sit down in a new spot, a new group of girls would gather around... one would adjust my chair while a few others would make sure I had enough “breathing” room by telling the other girls not to crowd me. I could hear some of them saying "let her breathe, let her breathe!" At one point I heard one of the girls tell her friend "please don't hurt our sister, she looks squished!"

"Why weren’t you guys asking me all these questions when I was on stage?" I asked them. "Sister Aisha, we couldn’t hear anything you were saying, plus you were talking too fast!" They all laughed. Although secondary school is taught in English and the girls understand and speak English extremely well, I guess my American accent coupled with the size of the room just made it very difficult to hear.

The day turned out to be really good. Again, these girls were obviously very bright and asked almost identical questions as the girls from the Bagamoyo Secondary School talk. I talked to the girls for over an hour. Many of them had tons of questions about going to college, financing their education, and what they should study. One said she loved to take pictures but needed to practice, so I gave her my camera to use for the rest of the day. It didn't even dawn on me until after I had gotten back to the home-base that I blindly handed my camera into a crowd of 400 girls... I wasn't worried at all about not getting it back.

When it was finally time to leave, Cleng’a had to literally take my hand, pack up my bag for me, and lead me out of the auditorium. The girls trailed closely behind and were hugging me and waving as I left. I wish I had thought to visit girls in high school before now... not that I now consider myself an inspirational speaker (still far from it!) but many of the girls just really need to be encouraged. I think that's something anyone can do...

Talking to the Girls @ Bagamoyo Secondary School

The day after my first visit to Bagamoyo Secondary School, Sophia told me that the girls I talked to were asking her tons of questions about me, and were looking for me to visit the school again. She asked if I could come and talk to them to encourage them. I certainly don’t consider myself an inspirational speaker by any means, but I figured if there was anything I could say that would encourage even one of the girls, then I would do it.

I went to the school armed with a skeleton outline of some things I could talk about and my photo-book with pictures of my family, friends, some former students, and my life in America. There were about 25-30 girls whose ages ranged from 17-26. They sat on the edge of their seats and listened intently as I (re-)introduced myself and told them why was in Tanzania. When I told them I was working with a women’s empowerment organization, they all clapped and cheered and were very excited! I asked them questions to gauge what they knew and wanted to know about my life in America, and I asked them about life growing up in Tanzania. Mostly though, they asked me questions and prompted me to talk about specific things.

All of the questions were excellent and many of them really made me think. I told them they could ask me any question they wanted to about me or my life, and I would be honest with them... and boy did they ask!

Do you know what country in Africa or which tribe your family is from? Why not? Who do you think will win the presidential election? What do you think of Barak Obama? Are men and women treated equally in America? Why isn’t HIV/AIDS as big a problem in America as it is here? How do you protect yourself from it? Should we avoid having boyfriends while we are in school? Should we marry before or after finishing school? Why aren’t you married? Is interracial dating/marriage accepted in America? Have you ever dated outside of your race? Is homosexuality really legal in America (it’s illegal and prosecutable in Tanzania)? Is there apartheid in America because it seems really segregated on television? Is there poverty like this in America? What’s the biggest difference you see between Tanzanian and American culture? What is the education system like there? Are there really free schools?
















It was immediately obvious that this was an extremely bright group of young women. Even though I had only met them a few days prior, I was so extremely proud of them.

(For those of you who teach, the girls and a teacher expressed an interest in having pen-pals, so if you’re interested just email me and I can give you the info.)

Changing Perspective

As I'm nearing the end of my time here, I find myself thinking a lot--reflecting on my time here and my life back home in America. I remember when I first arrived and saw how different things were... The initial drive from the airport to Bagamoyo (about an hour long) on the unpaved, incredibly bumpy and eroded, dirt/sand roads, while seeing goats and chickens and cows walking around definitely made me wonder "Why the heck did I want to do this again?!?" Everything just felt so different that I wasn't sure if I would adjust, or if I even made the right decision.

I remember my thoughts as I walked into my room at home-base for the first time... seeing my twin bed, my mosquito net, and my fan, and then realizing that I had just tracked tons of sand and dirt all over the floor and on my bed (from my shoes, feet and bags) and saying to myself “Ok Aisha... try to have an open-mind about this...”

I remember my surprise when I realized that all of our food was pretty much stored outside and that cooking and food preparation for the most part is all done outdoors too (look at some of the pics from the Swahili Cooking post)…

Then there was the instance I almost got attacked by a rooster (ok, I might be exaggerating just a little here, but I swear that rooster was charging right for my shins!), and the time I got chased by a cow (this picture is evidence!)... There’s waking up every morning at the crack of dawn to the sound of above-mentioned rooster... Having to dodge lizards and GIANT beetles during the day and BATS at night... Feeling like it is at least 150+ degrees outside (although it's probably really only 80 something most days) and not having A/C... at all... Having to walk everywhere in the scorching hot sun and feeling like I will never stop sweating... not even at night... not even in my sleep...

Hand-washing my laundry and trying to time the hang-drying between the torrential downpours... Not being able to brush my teeth with the convenience of clean, running water, and feeling like I never quite rinse all of the toothpaste out of my mouth (The home-base has running water, but none of the water in Tanzania is drinkable, so I brush my teeth by filling up a cup with water from the cooler and taking it to the bathroom... more cumbersome than it sounds)... Not having hot water (for showers)... Not having reliable electricity and not having consistent, reliable access to email/internet (there were several times I was in the middle of uploading pictures or blogging and the power went out and there are times when the internet is down in the whole town for days at a time)...

I remember trying to convince myself “Ok... I can ‘rough-it’ for a couple of months… this certainly isn’t going to kill me...”

I think about all of these things and they make me laugh now... none of these things concern me anymore and to be honest I don’t really miss any of the conveniences any more. None of these things have anything to do with happiness, and I realized I shouldn’t let any of them affect my mood; there are so many things in life that are more important.

It’s so easy to focus on things we don’t have. Especially in American culture cause we’re bombarded with commercials and billboards and ads telling us all the “new & improved” things we need. Or we see/hear what someone else has then discover that we “need” it too. I’ve never considered myself a materialistic person, but I can certainly admit that I too have gotten caught up in the “what do I need next” mentality at times. I don’t always realize just how many blessings I already have in my life because I’m sometimes so busy focusing on my next goal. Even here in Tanzania, when I initially felt like I would have to adjust to life without so many conveniences, I realize that I have a pretty posh life here compared to the average person in this community. I’m really not “roughing it” at all...

I have a mosquito net and take anti-malaria meds daily. Many people here do not have either. Although malaria is curable and really shouldn’t cause as much devastation as it does, many people here die from it because they don’t have access to (affordable) health care. Several volunteers have gotten malaria (the meds don’t prevent it, but reduce the chances of you getting it) and none of them has been sick for more than a couple of days because we can afford the treatment for it...

I have running water here, which is something that many in this community don’t have. I can recall a conversation with a friend who said he spent the entire morning just going to get water for his and his roommate’s shower...

I eat 3 (very tasty, healthy, and well-prepared) meals a day and have as much filtered water (from the water cooler) to drink as I want. I don’t have to worry about eating contaminated food or drinking contaminated water. A couple of times I have felt really awkward leaving from hanging out with friends to go and have dinner at the home-base (meals are served @ specific times), knowing that they wouldn’t have a dinner even close to what I was having...

As a girl growing up, I didn’t have to deal with what the girls here have to go through just to be able to go to school. I had access. In fact, I was encouraged by pretty much everyone in my family to go to school and learn everything I could (especially by some of my older relatives who did not have the opportunity to have a formal education in the segregated, Jim Crow South)...

This experience and my interactions with the people in Bagamoyo make me realize what’s really important in life. Sure it’s nice to have nice things, and it’s nice to have conveniences (like hot water, A/C, etc) but life should be more about people, more about relationships, and more about how we can make things a little easier for someone else.

People here appreciate life. They don’t let anything prevent them from enjoying life despite the things they may not have. People here appreciate friendships and community and they make time for each other... they make time for friends and family no matter what. When walking around town, I always stop no fewer than 3 times to have conversations with people I don’t know and have even found myself a few times sitting in peoples homes having conversations (in my broken Swahili!). People often welcome guests into their home and it’s extremely rude to refuse, even if you only stay for a few minutes. People have often interrupted what they were doing just to help me find directions to walk somewhere and many times they have just walked with me.

When it’s time to leave, I’m really going to miss it here... I came here to volunteer and have learned some really valuable life-lessons in the process...

Cashew Nuts are a LOT of work!

95th & Stony Island vs. Bagamoyo

If you are familiar with the intersection at 95th and Stony in Chicago just before you get on the expressway, then you will appreciate these pics (this goes for STL and NYC too)… the first two guys are selling everything: dishes, underwear, balloons, hats, toys, socks… whatever you need. Ahh, feels like home, LOL! There have definitely been other things that have reminded me of home, but every time I see one of these it makes me laugh...

...however, this last guy is selling machetes… umm yeah, m-a-c-h-e-t-e-s! I hope these aren’t for sale like this in the U.S.!

(It was definitely alarming at first to see men, women, and sometimes children walking around with random machetes, but they’re used a lot here for pretty much everything: gardening, chopping down trees, building houses, etc.)
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Bagamoyo Secondary School

Today I went to Bagamoyo Secondary School with Sophia (the vice-chairperson of Bawodene who is also a teacher). What an experience!

Bagamoyo Secondary School was built in 1972 and was one of the first secondary schools in Tanzania. The school was originally intended for boys, and even now there are very few girls at the secondary school level. Girls have a much harder time persisting with their education here. The demands of their families, early and sometimes forced marriage, female circumcision and other traditions, and abuse often inhibit girls from continuing their education.

The Second Head Master for the school (I met with him, and he seems like a really cool guy who really cares about trying to make a difference for the girls in the Bagamoyo area) told me that last year of the 800+ students at Bagamoyo Secondary School, only 48 were girls.

As Sophia and I approached the classroom, we could hear the chatter of students without their teacher, but as soon as we rounded the corner and entered the room there was complete silence. Immediately, as if on cue, the entire class (of all boys) stood and said “Good morning, Madams”. (Secondary school is taught completely in English.)

After introducing me to them as her friend, Sophia asked the class to guess where I was from… Kenya! She has a Kenyan smile! Nyakyusa tribe! She has eyes like Ugandan! Kilimanjaro! Chagga tribe!

When it was finally my turn to introduce myself, the entire class laughed with surprise when I revealed that I was American. As I went to sit, one boy rushed to brush off my desk, another grabbed my chair before I could sit down and tilted it forward to remove the sand from the seat, and another came over to adjust the distance of the desk from the blackboard. They were the sweetest and most respectful boys!

Later, as we were walking around the school, we came across a group of girls, so I stopped to talk to them. Again, they were extremely respectful. I asked them about their lives, any challenges they faced in being able to come to secondary school if they were comfortable talking to me about them (although there was no one else around, we were outside, so the girls seemed somewhat cautious in telling me some things), and I ended by telling them that I was very happy to see them and that I was so proud of them. Their faces lit up!

All of the students have such an appreciation for education and were so extremely respectful of me and the other teachers (who are almost all women) that it did make me wonder where the disconnect happens... something obviously happens outside of school that makes some of these boys become the men who abuse their wives, force women/young girls into unwanted marriages or demand that a women be circumcised before marrying her...

The teachers say though, that it is more common for this behavior to happen in the villages in areas that don't have formal education systems accessible to teach alternative ways.

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