And then there was one

So we left Nungwi and went back to Stonetown. Jill, Taryn and I walked around the town and ran into our friend Dave from Nungwi. We (4) ate a bit at the fish market in Foridani gardens. I (the non fish eater among the group) ate baracuda...and liked it! There was a variety of potatoes, baracuda, crab, shark, mussels, and sweet banana. We then walked to Mercury's which is named for Freddie Mercury of Queen. We listened to some live music but we thought it would be local music instead he sang a medly of Elton John and such. Not exsactly local...ha ha.

The next morning we packed up and went to our new hotel. We found some new area's to shop in. We bought a lot!

That afternoon Jill left us for Dar and then she was off to Moshi. We were down to two. Taryn and I walked about the city and did some sight seeing. We saw some neat sights and learned about the stonetown local history. We made friends with a shop owner who brought us coffee in the store and brought us to his house to use the bathroom. He was a very nice man named Rasheed who ran an antique store. From there we ran into another friend we had made at the fish market and organized a ride on a vespa.

On Tuesday we woke up to pouring rain so we did not get the vespa. We walked about the town again and then went to Prizon Island just off the coast of Zanzibar. We went snorkling until I bumped into a jellyfish (luckly not the tenticles) so I jumped back in the boat only to realize there were no tenticles on the jelly! We went onto the beach then walk into the reserve for the giant tortises. We had an opportunity to feed and pet them...but not ride them (that was posted on many signs there). We had a wonderful time with the tortises and wandering the historical island.

We rode the dhow back and went for dinner. On Wednesday we rode a dala dala (local trucks/buses) to jozani forest. We hung out (excuse the pun) with red colobus monkeys. They were all around us and we had the rare opportunity to see a pregnant one and a new mom with her baby attatched. We found this rare since they only have one baby every 2 years. We took lots of pictures and video of them. Very cool animals. We went for lunch at the forest restaurant which was a 2 hour undertaking! We had a bit of time after to walk through the forest...much a which is overgrown. We also walked to the boardwalk and had to cross part of it what was not yet done...that was dangerous...but fun! We walked a bit of the way back to stonetown but them flagged down another dala dala. We were the only wazungu on the bus and we had many funny looks. We went to our favorite restaurant for dinner (yes we have a favorite already) called the ETC plaza.

Taryn boarded the ferry to Dar this afternoon to get on her plane to Amsterdam. So now there is one...I am the lone mzungu left from 14! Taryn and I had many adventures...and misadventures here and loved every minute of it! Thank you for all of you who have shared our adventures. I have a day and a half left before I head home. I am happy to see familiar faces again but am sad to leave the wonderful country of Tanzania. 'til next time!

Ginger

our interesting adventures in Zanzibar...

We know mama safari will worry so here is the latest!...it is long but fairly entertaining!

We are in Zanzibar and loving the beach. We left Dar and took a ferry to Stonetown. The ferry was interesting since they just pile your luggage at the back of the boat in the open part so when you go in the boat you are not quite sure you will see it again..ha ha. We did, however, get to go
outside and sit at the very front of the boat with our legs hanging over and watch the sea. It was a beautiful ride. We arrived in Stonetown and were bumped, shoved, and shuffled off the ferry. We agreed it was not a bad as we had heard. We went through customs and walked to our hotel. We had a nice guide to walk us there. His name is Matt (we named him that though because he is mute and didn't tell us his real name) Matt looked out for us and arranged for us to have a ride the next day because we wanted to leave Stonetown.

The next day we went on a spice tour since Zanzibar is known for its spices. It was interesting where all the spices come from and look like to start off since it is very different from what we see in the store! We even saw Ginger (or Tangawizi as it is called in kiswahili...also what I have been called all trip!) We had a part of the tour where we tasted all kinds of local fruit and most were delicious. There was one however that they say "smells like hell but tastes like heaven" I believe they only tell tourist that to make us try it because it did not taste like heaven however it did smell like hell...or worse! It took a while to get that taste out of mouths but we did go straight to lunch. They had a small pavillion set up for us, where we ate on the floor in groups of
five. We left lunch and went to the slave caves. These were caves close to the coast where they held slaves before sending them off in boats. It was a sad place. We headed from there to the beach. We walked through some cool rocks and climbed down some stone steps to reach a private beach with clear light green water. The water was warm and extremely salty! We had a great time swimming and wandering the beach.

We returned from our trip to head out in a bus for the eastern coast of Zanzibar. We weren't sure where we were going to stay but ended up in jambiani at Mt. Zion. This is where Nancy and Molly had stayed before joining our Peace House trip and Zion remembered them. This was a great place...it is a beachside hotel with thatched roof bungaloes and it is run by local rastas. They had posters of Bob Marley everywhere. They were very funny and easy going. We really enjoyed the people there. In the morning we went snorkling. The conditions were a bit rough and many of us drank a lot of salt water. Either way it was a fun ride out there on a dhow and a good swim. We returned to lay on the beach and be lazy.

Rob and Jessica left us the next morning...and now our group is down to Three. The three of us (Taryn, Jill, and I) made a quick decision to leave Zion and head north. We packed quickly and headed for the northwest coast to Nungwi. After checking a lot of expensive hotels we settled on the Union. We are again on the beach and loving it! We spent that night at a place called the choa with some very interesting locals and met some new friends. We had a blast until a group decided to go for an evening (or early morning as it was) swim. While they were swimming a dog came and snatched up our keys and ran with them. We discovered this about 2:30 am and started to search...unsuccessfully. We then had a local guy help us find the night gaurd on duty. He eventually found a key that worked and let us in. We were very tired and all layed down but wouldn't it be my luck that after I lay down my bed collapses! We were laughing so hard at this point...and a knock came at the door...the night gaurd could not find the key for the other guy who went swimming and the night guard was trying to break down the door! We eventually convinced him not to bust the door in but instead give the guy another room. It was a long but very entertaining night.

The next morning Dave (the other guy) found his key washed up on shore but no luck with ours. We took off on a boat early in the morning to go snorkling off the coast of a private island. The coral reefs were magnificent. I could not believe how many different kinds of fish we saw.... Taryn even saw a Puffer fish! We ate lunch (with our fingers) on the beach and layed in a sun a bit then headed back on the boat home. A bit later we decided to try a beautiful terrace for dinner. We watched the sun set over the water and our waitress forget our food. 3 and a half hours later we had no food and no drinks and walked out. We went back to Chao's to eat. Another eventful night! Entertaining to say the least!

We are being lazy today then heading back to Stonetown later for some more sightseeing. Missing everyone and hoping all is well in your lives!

Ginger

The Whole Group!

Front, L-to-R: Jessica, Ginger, Taryn, Jill

Back, L-to-R: Helen, Julie, Nancy, Janine, Rob,

Carrie, Terry B., Karen, Terry M., Cathy

(click on photo to make bigger)

Headmistress and Administrator

Theopista Seuya and Mark Hillman - the two great minds and incredible individuals who lead Peace House Secondary School.

Teaching Seminars

The biggest part of our trip was planning and leading a two-day seminar for Tanzanian teachers. Over 140 of them attended, and had the opportunity to receive instruction (and some hands-on experience) in 8 different topics, each topic led by one or two of our group.


Unfortunately I don't have photos of every classroom - I will be getting copies from the other teachers - but here are many of the volunteers, hard at work in their classrooms, sharing their knowledge and experience with the eager Tanzanians.


Carrie from Minnesota speaks on differentiation in the classroom. Cathy from Chicago leads a group on the benefits of student clubs.
Jessica from New York teaches about the center of gravity in this science activities session.
Jill from Minnesota helps the teachers form - and try to untangle - a human knot in this games group.
Julie from New York talks about developing respect and trust in the classroom.
Nancy from Massachusetts leads the group in a session on Lesson Planning.New York Rob talks about bird behavior in the science activity session.

Taryn (half of Team LA) greets every participant before leading a session on math activities.
Terry B., from Minnesota, cheers as another human knot starts to untangle.Terry M. from Chicago offers ideas on how to form student clubs in Tanzanian schools.

Missing from my photos are Janine from Chicago, sharing her expertise on higher order thinking skills, Ginger from California who led the math sessions with Taryn, and Helen from Chicago who was the all-round helper, photographer, videographer, and gopher. I will get pictures of them and add them as soon as possible!


The Tanzanians were effusive in their appreciation. Ongoing professional development for teachers is almost unheard of in Tanzania, and never has such a broad collection of information been offered free of charge. Thanks to those who supported each American teacher, we were able to bring this group of Tanzanian teachers together for two days, and feed their minds as well as their bodies, at no charge to them. They can't wait for us to do it again! Neither can we.

The Rugby Game

One evening we got to watch an international Rugby Game -- the Tanzanian National Team vs. the National Team of Mayotte (a French island between the mainland of Africa and the island of Madagascar.) Some of us watched closely.
And the action was very close!Here "Team LA" sits with the daughter of one of the PHS teachers, who came along for the game.
And some of the group preferred watching from the restaurant!

School Site Photos

These are from our very first day, and our group wasn't even complete as the last two arrived a few hours later in the day. We visited the school site and listened excitedly as Mark & Carla explained the construction process, and the vision of the school.

Here Mark talks about the school in general, in a Banda built by volunteers last year. Behind him is some of the guest housing.
And here Carla talks about the classrooms in the main building of the school.
Here's the group under the biggest tree on the site - a beautiful Candelabra Tree (thanks, Terry and Carla, for reminding me of the name!)
Thinking back to that day, when we were still learning one another's names, it all seems so incredibly long ago!

A Few Photos

Well, I am back in Minnesota and can start uploading some photos ... these are just a few of mine, and I am about the 9th best photographer in the group, so don't get too high of expectations.

These four are from the Maasai Village experience. First, some of the women with their beaded accessories:

A Maasai child ~
This is our guide, I am guessing at how to spell his name ... Lection. He told us it means "rich man" and that he feels rich inside because he is getting an education and learning to work as a guide. Here he is telling us about the medicinal properties of this tree bark.
And finally, here is the Guest Bathroom.
More photos coming!

-Karen

on our own!

The five lone soldiers making our way through Tanzania! Ginger, Taryn, Rob, Jessica, and I have continued on in our journey through Tanzania but without our fearless leader mama safari! We made it to Dar yesterday on a very nice bus! It actually wasn't too bad, just very long. Then we took a short, but very expensive cab ride to check out some hotels. We ended up staying at the cheapest one and have decided that it would be the last time in the cheapest hotel. We really did not enjoy sharing our room with cockroaches, it really felt a little like what I imagine a jail cell to feel like, so it was great, I don't think it's quite like the accommodations Julie is at! :) We are heading to Zanzibar on the ferry today. Yea beaches! It has been an adventure, I hope everyone made it home safely! HAVE A SUPER DAY!
Jillian D.

What an experience!

Jambo Everyone!

I wrote when i arrived, and tomorrow the Peace House trip comes to an end. What an experience it has been. I feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to learn about Tanzania in such a rich and unique way. From visiting the Peace House school site, to visiting prospective students, to seeing an orphanage, sitting in on a first grade class, working and developing relationships with so many wonderful Tanzanian teachers, learning about the Maasai culture by spending 2 days and 1 night in a village to seeing so many beautiful animals while on safari the last three days.

We are all feeling exhausted, but blessed to have had all of the opportunities that we had over these past 2 weeks.

Also, i feel so lucky to have been on this trip with 13 wonderful people. Each and everyone has touched my life, has made me laugh and has added something special to my experience.

i can't wait to share details about all i have done and seen when i return in 11 days. Tomorrow i'm off to Kenya to meet Howie!

Nakupenda (I love you)

Julie

Turn Yourself Around

Less than 48 hours ago, we climbed into our vans to head out of the city of Arusha. We headed west - past the PHS site, past the Rugby Club, past the school where we held our teaching seminars. We turned north and started climbing in elevation until we were driving up a mountainside on a dirt road that was little more than a goat path through the brush.

Soon the only structures we saw were stick and mud bomas - the round huts built by the Maasai tribe of northern Tanzania. The only people we saw were Maasai, dressed in the traditional purple and red robes, except for the occasional touch of imported used clothing g from the States. We saw a child in a hooded winter jacket, a man with a Vanderbilt University sweatshirt, and a toddler in a sweatshirt (and nothing else) so dirty it was difficult to discern the familiar gloomy face of Eeyore, from Winnie the Pooh, on it.

The adults we saw wore intricate jewelry. The Maasai are known for their beadwork, and they wear beaded accessories all over their bodies. Anklets on both feet. Cuff bracelets on both arms - some as narrow as one-half inch, others covering nearly wrist to elbow. Necklaces of all lengths, colors, and styles. But the most elaborate pieces are reserved for the ears. Men and women alike pierce and stretch their earlobes, as well as pierce the sides and tops of their ears, so that 3 or 4 or 5 pieces of jewelry can be displayed on each ear.

Our host village for the experience was called Elewai - named for the thorny bushes which grow abundantly on the mountainside. The village welcomed us with open arms, huge smiles, and eager handshakes. With the exception of our guides, they spoke no English, but we understood they were happy to meet us and share their lives with us during our stay. The children clustered around us - some shyly, some eagerly, wanting to hold hands, wear our sunglasses, and - exhibiting their past experience with Westerners - wanting us to take their pictures and then show them the display. In a place with no mirrors, their delight in seeing themselves and each other knew no bounds.

Our group was split in two. One group spent the first day with the Maasai men, the other with the Maasai women. On the second day, we switched.

The group with the men learned how boys mature into manhood. At age 15, boys can become warriors. This is when they pierce their ears using a sharp knife, and when they are allowed to go in to the forest with the other warriors for what seems to be times of bonding or retreat.

Warriors can hunt, and during the time of being a warrior (age 15 - 40) each man has the experience of killing a lion as a sort of rite of passage. Our group hiked from the village farther up the mountain to a forested area, where we visited a campsite where warriors would stay. We were offered the chance to participate in a traditional warrior meal. We learned about medicinal plants the Maasai have learned to harvest and use. And we watched the warrior camaraderie as we whispered to one another, "can you believe it - here we are, American city-dwellers, on a mountain in Africa with Maasai warriors." Really, it was too much to grasp.

With the women, we learned beading, and each had the opportunity to make a bracelet, necklace, or anklet. Our work was very simple - listening to the chatter and laughter of the women as they tried to help our attempts was both humbling and motivating. We also had the opportunity to purchase beaded items they had made, and though they spoke no English and the only words we had learned in Maasai were hello and thank you, the women were hard bargainers who knew enough to get as much out of these white people as they could!

On our night there, we sang and danced with the villagers. They use no other instruments than their voices and the stomping of their feet. The beadwork jingled as they moved, and they sang and danced in turn - first the men, then the women, then the men again. The men performed incredible jumps, moving straight up and down, rising head and shoulders above the crowds. The women wore broad beaded collars which swayed back and forth rhythmically with the slightest movement of their shoulders. They encouraged us to dance along, putting the collars on our women and cheering with each attempt made to dance along.

Then, after quite awhile of their dancing, they asked us to sing. We wanted to find a song that had a corresponding dance, or at least movements; that everyone in the group knew, and that had a cheerful, upbeat melody and rhythm.

So.

Led by our kindergarten teachers, 15 Americans, on a mountainside lit only by the full moon and a sky full of bright stars, surrounded by Maasai men, women and children in traditional dress, with goats braying in the distance, sang "If You're Happy and You Know it."

Once again we were incredulous at what we were doing.

We followed our first number with rousing renditions of the Chicken Dance Song, and Row, Row, Row Your Boat. They didn't understand the concept of singing in rounds, and they laughed that one group was still singing when the rest of us were done. We sang America the Beautiful, but they seemed to prefer the lively children's songs, so we sang the "months of the year song' to the tune (and with the motions) of the Macarena, and then finished the set with an all-encompassing version of the Hokey Pokey.

We were exhausted, filthy, and possibly emotionally overwhelmed by the end of the experience. But we had made intercultural connections, shared ourselves, and learned more from experiencing two days in the lives of the Maasai than we ever could have in books or on TV.

We saw children covered with flies, stepped into the tiny huts plastered with mud and dung where up to 15 people sleep in an area smaller than many American closets. We used a guest bathroom - an outhouse of sorts with a wooden box built over a pit in the ground, surrounded by plastic sheets and a door that didn't really close. We passed around Purell after watching the Maasai blow their noses on the same unwashed hands that grasped ours in friendship. We experienced a way of life that is shrinking in today's world, and that which few outsiders are privileged to see. We witnessed a culture that has endured for centuries. Our hearts and minds were changed.

We put our whole selves in, now we have taken our whole selves out. Our world was turned around. And that is truly what it's all about.