It's a Sign!

Dala Dala

Living Well

It's Monday morning about 9:30. It's very chilly and overcast like most mornings, but it usually clears up and the sun comes out to shine. I think I could get used to this weather. I hear that it will get hotter in a couple months though, but nothing like what it would be on the coast. I'm battling with very slow and unpredictable internet to post pictures and emails, but I'm still managing; power has been going out about 3 to 4 times a week also. No big deal. We're starting our second week of classes today and this morning we are giving a second presentation concerning gender identity and other gender issues(presented last week for Health Issues class). The structure of classes is very different here, but I think I'll adjust okay. I think I'd rather give written responses to our readings instead of oral responses because I feel I can be more concise in my explanations. I guess I could write a response and read it aloud, but it's probably good practice to remember the issues and present them. So far I'm really enjoying my Health Issues in Africa class, and of course my Cultural Identities Music course. We'll be learning more traditional drum rhythms, singing and dancing, and also the cultural diverisity in expression from many ethnic groups in the East African region. (e.g. I didn't know that the Maasai traditionally don't use any drums in their music, they create rhythms vocally.) Our teacher Seth Sululu says that by the end of the program we should be able to identify geographically where certain musics of Tanzania are from. I hope he's right.

On top of the school activities, I have been spending time with my friend Azizi, who works at Via Via cafe, and other friends I have met through him. Last night he invited us to his place for nyama choma and vinywaji(roasted meat and drinks; barbeque). My colleagues made other plans, but I accepted and crammed into a dala dala(small mini-vans for public transport) and went to his place. I was met at the street near Maasai Camp club and we walked up the hill to his place. The terrain is beautiful: very green, many corn and banana plants, and other fruit bearing trees; also, many chickens wandering the dusty roads and several homes scattered on the hillside. We had a great and relaxing evening listening to music and reasoning amongst ourselves. They seemed to enjoy my company very much, and of course I appreciated theirs as well. I will inevitably be spending more time with these friends. Charles, who I met at Via Via, also a friend of Azizi, has invited me to record in the studio tonight because he wants me to sing and play guitar on a track. He is very intersted in the conservation issues and wants to sing about it. How can I say no to that? We have very similar tastes in music, and as long as I finish my school work, we should have a good session tonight. I'm excited to create some good noise along side new friends in a new place.

Street Scene Near Lake Manyara National Park

20 Liters!!!!

Arrival and Realization

After just 5 days in Africa my perspective has noticeably changed. I notice that there seems to be an innate connection with any place we go because we naturally familiarize ourselves with our surroundings. On the long and bumpy bus trek from Nairobi to Arusha, I was thinking of the quote, "wherever you go, there you are" (don't know who said it). This quote made me realize that we are connected to people and places anywhere we go, and every place is very real and tangible. It's kind of silly but true that before I arrived in Africa, there was a sense of anticipation of an experience resembling a story book or movie. Our minds are filled with sensationalized information of unknown places, and I think we subconsciously use that information to form a concept of what we want to expect. The reality though, is that I feel nothing of that sort. My eyes, ears and nose are sensing very real surroundings in a very real place and it's comforting to understand that Arusha is just another place on the globe where people interact and live. I understand that the conditions and culture are different than anywhere else I've ever seen, and within that is the excitement of this experience, but so far there is nothing surreal about my adventure. I guess the realization has already hit me. It's amazing that I am actually in Africa, but the reality is that I am trying to just be in a new home for 4 months.

The road from Nairobi was long, dusty and bumpy, but I really do appreciate my itinerary on route to Arusha by road. Seeing the baren landscape with scattered bushes, sisal plants, goats, mountains and people was a beautiful and perplexing thing to see. The ability to survive within a landscape of such harsh conditions must be an endless challenge, but to the people here it is just life. I know that is a somewhat obvious thing to say, but it's quieting and sobering to witness a place so grand and desolate that is home to so many people living in such a minimalistic way. The border crossing into Tanzania was a bit strange and very unorganized; I'm not sure what I actually expected. I met a friend on the bus who is from Ohio originally but is now living in Tanzania, and she was a bit helpful in telling me what forms to fill out and just explaining things. Nothing too stressful, but a very unfamiliar experience. Upon arrival in Arusha after about 7 hours on the bus, I was met by Lucy and Asheri, two members of the Arcadia in Tanzania staff. We had dinner together that evening and we walked to the Arusha museum of natural history where our classes are held. Later that evening I walked to Via Via cafe to meet up with my new friend Rachel(from the bus) and her friends. It was a fun night and an extremely full day. It was a very exhausting travel experience from the air travel to the bus, but there was a great exhale after having a shower and sitting down for dinner before going out to unwind with a few drinks and some fun people.

It is now the 10th of August and we have just completed our first day of classes after orientation. Orientation was fun, but we basically did the "tourist thing". We went to Lake Manyara national park and visited one of the largest Maasai camps in East Africa. Visiting the camp was a bit strange because we were there just to see where they lived and to take some pictures. We saw their school that was built by the government and walked through the camp only a little.....and then we left. Not a very enriching experience, but through my music class, I look forward to our visit to a traditional Masaai ceremony in which we will be much more involved. I think we will feel much more welcome and it will only be with the two other students who are enrolled in the class.

My colleagues are all great people and we are getting along well. There is one other girl who is about the same age as me and everyone else is about 20. We are all from different backgrounds and places, but I think we make a pretty good balance. Sometimes I feel a bit exposed when we walk through the streets as a group because we definitely stand out as Wazungu; not blending in even a little gets a bit annoying. There are actually a lot of foreigners here in Arusha. It is probably one of the most diverse places in all of Africa given it's multicultural qualities due to the amount of volunteers, NGO's, and UN workers. We are not the only Wazungu walking around, but I feel much more comfortable sometimes walking by myself or with one or two others. It's just nice to not feel like such a target for hecklers. So far I think I have adjusted pretty well to the area given the few days I've been here. I have definitely been using my Kiswahili and have been meeting several people and having more of a social life already than the others, but everyone is enjoying themselves and adjusting just as well I think. We are a fun group and have been having a lot of laughs together. We'll definitely all have more stories to tell very soon.

Bus Trek - Nairobi to Arusha (short clip)