And so it is just beginning. I spent 3 weeks in Washintong DC before I left the states getting to know the other 27 folks I'll be travelling with for the year. Also getting to know a little bit about the US. Realizing that I know so little. I got to meet with people from the World Bank, Coop America, African Wildlife Foundation, The Beehive Collective, Iraqi Veterans Against the War, the Institute for Policy Studies, the Folk Life and Cultural Heritage Museum and the Smithsonian... I think theres more, but you get the picture. Lots of phenomenal, and not so phenomenal people from all across the board, all doing really big work, some inspiring, others disheartening. I have to admit, I cried all through the World Bank visit. Email me if you want to know more, haha, I think it would take pages to explain everything that made me cry. Overwhelmed by how deeply rooted someone (or an institution) can be that they have such huge blinders on, and just how skewed/injust/outright lies the information can be. And coming from an institution that has so much impact on so many people. Anywho, I don't have the energy to put a World Bank rant in here right now. So.... DC was great. I got to see Libby alot. I miss everyone like hell. DC was actually a fun city.
And then... Dar es Salaam.
After flying for 27 hours and stopping in London and Nairobi, Kenya, finally touched base in Tanzania. We stayed at the Y in the city and took classes at the University of Dar es Salaam (a major progressive hub for east africa in the 70s through today), alot of amazing thinkers have come out of that university. The city was huge and noisy and dirty and all the things I expected. Not much room to romanticize when I'm trying not to get killed crossing the street. It was a very bizarre dynamic, staying inside the thick walls of the hostel and then the beachside open air classrooms at the university. (Just so you know, when I say university, it definitely doesnt look like Wesleyan- alot of the roads arent paved, the bathroom is squat-style hole in the ground). We had the first day off and a bunch of us went to Coco beach, just outside the city. In town less than 24 hours and I'm bargaining with taxi drivers trying to charge us double. Dar was an interesting experience, struggling with the artificiality of the insular community I've been dropped into (travelling with the same 27 people - 24 of which are girls, wasn't exactly a draw for the program), also struggling with language. Kiswahili is difficult and not having a structured time to study it has made it nearly impossible. I can have some very basic conversations and thats it. Which severly limits my chances to connect with people.
Last Sturday we took the ferry to Zanzibar (it was a three hour ride). Good break, being on the water reminded me of home. I'm staying in historic Stonetown and completely romanticizing the hell out of it. I would love to spend 6 months or more here, and yet we only get 2 weeks. Its just so complex and theres so many things I want to understand. Its literally a labrynth of alleyways. I'll upload pictures. Everything is about 3 stories high, and the roads are about 6 feet wide at the most. Theres always people in the street, shutters open, clothes lines etc. So many spices and new foods. We came in during Eid, the end of Ramadan, so its besically a huge party for four nights in a row. Everybody gets dressed to the nines and goes to these massive fairgrounds, like Times Square on New Years Eve. It was a pretty intense experience. Here I am trying to be culturally appropriate and where my Khanga when I'm out of the house (2 pieces of brightly colored cloth with messages on them, one goes around your waste, the other over your head) and everybody else has like beaded headscarves and highheels and silk dresses. It was insane. I'm sure I looked a fool, one of like 4 white people, and definitely underdressed, but I had an amazing time, and my host brother was awesome and very protective.
We spent the last 3 days travelling to Kizimkazi, Jozani and Jambiani looking at issues of conservation politics and resource conflict. Intense awesome expereince, got to be in homestays. One of which was on the msot beautiful beach I've ever seen in my life. Teal green water, lime white sand. Zanzibar is basically built on an old coral reef, so all of the sand is from calcium carbonate and the houses are all built with coral rocks and palm thatched roofs. Visited a seaweed farm and talked about gender issues in the village, went swimming with dolphins (well, i stayed in the boat, it was freakin cold, and emily saw a shark) and talked about negative impacts of tourism in the area, and land rights issues. I don't know, I'm trying to summarize what I can't even sort out in my own head.
Basically Zanzibar is beautiful. I'm completely intellectually constipated. Meeting phenomenal people. Rethinking everything. Romanticizing, and yet missing everyone real bad.
Thats all I can say for now.
More updates to come soon!
|
