Throw Down Your Heart

Today was a long and wonderful day. We had a planned field trip out to Bagamoyo, which is a more rural town about an hour north of Dar es Salaam. We spent the morning at the Kaole ruins, which is one of the oldest coastal settlements in East Africa. We had an archaeology professor from UDSM with us to tell us about the history of the town. It was one of the first sites for trading with the Middle East and Asia, and where the Asian influence began to flow into Africa. This influence is still seen today, with much of the coast population considered Muslim. A few centuries later,Bagomoyo area became a major slave port. Slave traders went into the mainland to capture people, and walk them 500-700 kilometers out to Bagomoyo, where they were auctioned and then shipped to Zanzibar, and then onto the home countries of the slave traders. Eventually Dar es Salaam began to develop, and traders and colonists set their sites there instead of Bagomoyo, for its more ideal bay for fishing and a port. Today Bagomoyo is a struggling little city, with many people moving from the mainland to the coast, and native residents fighting for jobs and money.


So we started our day at Kaole, and after checking out the ruins, we walked back into Bagomoyo to get lunch at the Traveler's Hotel. While our lunch was being prepared, we went down to the beach to stick our feet in and relax after a very long walk. Turns out there was a school group there on a field trip, and we got to play with a large group of children on the beachI tried out some of my Swahili on the kids, and they thought it was great! I'm slowly picking up more vocabulary.

After lunch, we walked to the first Catholic mission in Tanzania and East Africa, and visited their museum. It had some interesting exhibits on the beginnings of Bagomoyo, the German colonization of Tanzania, and the slave trade in Bagomoyo. There was also a giant baobab tree planted on the mission grounds that was planted in 1868 when the mission was opened. It was the best baobab I've seen, it still had its leaves and everything - baobabs aren't in season right now, and look kind of gross without any leaves on them.

We then walked back to the daladala stop through town, and walked through the neighborhood streets. People in Bagomoyo, and much of Dar es Salaam and Tanzania live in houses with mud walls and palm-frond or tin roofs. Many of them are decrepit and falling apart, and hardly an acceptable place for someone to live. Seeing those houses, and seeing the smiling faces of the children playing in front of their homes made me truly realize how unimportant material things are. If these people can be so content in this state, how can someone like me who is so privileged to be able just to go to college, ever be unhappy with life? It was definitely a moment today when my brain clicked, and I truly appreciated how blessed I am to have the life I do, and how much I really ought to appreciate it.

Mzungu!

Today has been one of my best days here in Tanzania thus far. Swahili for the past few days has been great, I feel like I'm picking it up well. This afternoon after our ethnomusicology seminar, four of us joined our student guide, Batista, to visit a Catholic mission that houses orphans, the elderly who have noone to care for them, and people with mental disabilities. We got to visit all the people staying there, and it was a truly incredible experience. The kids were the most fun to visit, they were so excited to see us and hold our hands, and we got to talk and play with them for a bit. It was so touching, and just so much fun!

The neighborhood that surrounds the mission is also full of children, and when we walked down the streets the kids would shout "mzungu!" at us, which means white person or foreigner in Swahili. They would run up to us and hug us and hold our hands, and they were so cute! It was a really rewarding day, and I feel great right now. But at the same time, we got into real neighborhoods in Dar es Salaam, and got to see how most people really live, and it's heartbreaking. I feel a mix of joy from meeting the children and seeing their happiness, and sadness at the realization that people truly live in such horrible conditions. But this is why I chose to come to study here in Tanzania, because I wanted to shove myself into something uncomfortable and out of my experience, and I think I've been successful in this regard.

The Indian Ocean is Like a Bathtub

I know I update a lot, but the past week has been filled with so many adventures!

So on Saturday we took a trip downtown for the first time. We rode the Dalla Dalla and then a bus to central Dar, and then walked to the National Museum. They had simple exhibits, but it was really interesting. My personal favorite was the one on evolution in Africa, as this past week was the 50th anniversary of the discovery of Austrolopithecus boisei in Tanzania. There was also a great section on tribes of Tanzania, and I got to look at musical instruments and read some information on them as well, which is really helpful for my upcoming research project. The picture is of our whole group on the steps of the museum.


After the museum, we walked along the shoreline, and I got to see the Indian Ocean for the first time. The color is really beautiful. We walked along the beach to the big fish market, and walked through the market. It's bustling with activity, and everyone was so excited to talk to us. Wherever we go, whenever people find out we're from the US, they usually reply with a very enthusiastic "Obama!". It's really fun. They sell all sorts of fish and different shells and trinkets from the sea there. We then walked through downtown to get to the Jambo Inn, which is a well-known hotel for backpackers going through Dar, and ate at the restaurant there. I had some delicious chicken curry. The hotel is in the Indian section of the city, so it was particularly yummy. Once lunch was over, our director showed us where the textile market is, and some of us purchased some fabrics. I bought myself a Kitenge, which is a long piece of printed fabric, that you can wear just on its own, or you can have it made into a dress or other piece of clothing. They also sell Khangas which are printed fabric that look more like tapestries, with a border and some sort of saying printed on the bottom.

Yesterday a few of us woke up early, and went with a local student who we've befriended to an orphan education center. It was about an hour walk there, so we got to see a little more of the city. They teach classes there for orphans so they have an opportunity to get an education, without school fees or book fees. It's a really neat institution. All the kids were at church because it was Sunday morning, so we're going to go back later this week to meet the kids and teachers, and see if there's an opportunity to help out. Batista, the University student, is also going to take us to an actual orphanage on Wednesday afternoon that houses young kids ranging from babies up to teenagers. I'd personally like to see if I can volunteer there, because I'd love to work with younger kids.

We went back to the University and then all got ready to go to the beach. Because public beaches aren't really safe, especially for tourists, we took public transportation to a resort beach at a hotel called White Sands Hotel. There was a small entrance fee, but the beach and resort were really nice, and it was a lot of fun. Besides getting to swim at the beach, we also got use of the pool. The water in the Indian Ocean is incredibly warm! The sand is really fine, too, and feels so good under your feet. Unfortunately there was quite a bit of trash in the water, mostly washing up on shore and not really out in the water where we went to swim, and I can only assume this is a fairly common occurrence in Africa. There's trash everywhere on land, and I guess it's not that surprising to have it wash up on the beach. We spent basically the whole day there, and it was so relaxing. It's quite a chore to get out there, though, so I don't think it will be a frequent outing for me, unless we can find one that's closer and easier to get to.

Today we started our first day of Kiswahili classes, and I'm so excited to finally be learning the language! We have 4-hour intensive courses every weekday for the next two weeks, and hopefully I'll pick it up quickly. I'm already feeling good about how it's going to go. It's very different from English or Spanish, which makes it difficult, but it's much more simple in structure and pronunciation. Today we learned pronunciation and greetings. Next week the class will be taught completely in Swahili, so we're going to study vocabulary every night so it's not such a shock when there's no English! It's a really fun language to speak.

Almost a Full Week

I can't believe it's already Friday, and we've been here almost a whole week, and at the same time, I feel like we've been here ages. We all seem to be adjusting very well, to the culture and how to get around, despite our language barrier. It's hard to communicate, but people here are so kind and understanding, that they don't hold it against us in any way. I know I'm extremely eager to begin Swahili courses on Monday, and we start with four hour intensive courses for the beginning so hopefully I'll gain some good knowledge of the language so I can start communicating. I've already learned the simple essentials, like greetings and farewells, some numbers, and how to order certain types of food. Even this doesn't help me a ton, though, because there are probably 100 different ways to greet people, and different for every situation depending on time of day and who in particular you're talking to. I'm eager to get comfortable with the language, as I hope it will help me get a better grasp on the culture and the people here.

Yesterday we visited the US Embassy in Dar. I had expected a large building with some sort of fence and lots of security, but it turned out to be a very highly guarded complex of sorts. The inside was very well manicured and beautiful, definitely like stepping out of Tanzania for a while. We met with a woman who works there and she explained what the embassy does in Tanzania, and also explained different things that Americans are doing in the country, like volunteers, researchers, and Peace Corps members. It was all very informative and interesting.

That afternoon we started our first course, Research Methods, which is taught by the director of the program. The course is intended to prepare us for our research projects which we'll work on in the field, so we'll know what we're doing when we're sent out to do interviews and collect data. Swahili courses start on Monday, and soon thereafter we begin Human Evolution and Ecology of the Maasai Ecosystem. Orientation itself is basically over, other than a field trip tomorrow, and I'm really glad. It's been informative and fun, but I'm really ready to get the ball rolling and start learning and taking classes. I'm really enjoying everybody on the program, here, we all get along very well and everybody is really intelligent and fun to talk to.

During our free time this week, we've been slowly venturing out and trying new things. Last night a group of us got on a Dalla Dalla and rode down to near the city center, and ate at a nice seafood restaurant. We met Abe's sister, who's here for school at a different University in the city to work on her master's degree. She studied abroad in Kenya, so has a good grasp on Swahili, and has been hanging out with us occasionally and helping us out. Dinner was delicious, and because we were out a little later, we had to negotiate a little to find our way back. We ended up taking the bus and the Dalla Dalla, but it took a bit of figuring out. We met a guy on the bus named Vincent who finished his undergrad. and is interested in coming to the US to do his master's degree. He was really interesting and very nice, and helped us find a Dalla Dalla back to campus.

Tomorrow we're taking a field trip to the city center (finally!). We're going to the National Museum and probably to the market a little bit so we know what's in the area. We'll probably get a chance to actually see the Indian Ocean, as well. I can't believe the first week is over!

Karibu, Tanzania!

Well, I made it all in one piece, if not totally exhausted and jet-lagged. But I love it already, and the last three-ish days are a total blur. I got in on Sunday afternoon, and happily both my bags arrived with no problem. The flying I did to get here was absurd, and I was so tired and so sick of being by myself when I arrived, so it was immediately wonderful to see and talk to other people. The director, Chet, picked us up at the airport and drove us to our dorm at the University of Dar es Salaam. I have a very simple room with a bed, desk, and closet, which is all you really need when you think about it! My roommate is from the University of Chicago, and we seem to get along fairly well. In fact, everybody here on the program is getting along, and we all seem to be clicking and bonding really quickly. We're already a very tight-nit group, which is making the transition so much easier. It's much easier to be confident and less stressed and scared about the newness with people to lean on and do things with.

We've gotten a good grasp on the campus, and have eaten mostly at the cafeteria, but branched out a little and tried a few places around campus as well to get an idea of what's out there. We learned more about the schedule of the program and our classes, too. Turns out that we're in the field for 6 weeks, but for the first 3 we're going on safari. For three weeks! It's unbelievable, and I really can't wait. Our classes sound great, and I really can't wait to start taking Swahili. I'm already extremely sick of pointing and grunting to communicate with people here. I feel like such a tourist - although I understand I kind of am at leat for the beginning of this experience. The trees here are incredible, and there are all sorts of crazy animals just running around. I've already been woken up by screaming monkeys and incredibly loud frogs just in my few nights here.

Yesterday we rode the Dalla Dalla into central Dar. Dalla Dallas are a type of public transport here in Tanzania that run around the city, and are marked on the front with their route. It costs about 250 Tanzanian shillings to ride one anywhere, which is about 20 American cents. It's a fantastic way to get around. They're run-down, kind of sketchy vans that fit a lot of people, they just pack everyone in. We took the Dalla Dalla to the Village Museum, which is an open-air musem with 20 actually constructed huts from various tribes around Tanzania. It was very informative and interesting, and afterwards we got to see a dance and music performance which was fun. Then we rode the Dalla Dalla back out towards school, and stopped at the Mwenge wood carvers' market. They have absolutely beautiful artwork there, and I'm definitely going to visit it again to make some purchases once I have Swahili skills to bargain. I just know that because I can only speak English, and I'm very apparently a foreigner, that I'm an easy target to get ripped off. We walked across the street to the mall, and checked that out. It's a good place to get comforts from home, as well as necessities like shampoo, toothpaste, etc. We went to dinner there, at a nicer place that had meals similarly priced to the US. It was really delicious and a great time.

Tomorrow we're going to visit the American embassy, which will be an interesting time. We're planning on getting into the city and maybe checking out the beach this weekend. We've all been roasting this whole time, and we're ready for a refreshing cool-off. This semester has started out great, and I can't wait for the adventures to come!

Bon Voyage!

My bags are packed and I'm ready to go!

Downfall? I get on a plane at 8:35 tomorrow morning, but don't actually arrive in Tanzania until Sunday afternoon. So much flying! I'm incredibly excited, though. I probably won't get a chance to update from Dar for a few days if not a whole week, but I'll try and get something up as soon as I'm there. I'm so pumped!

The Adventure Begins

So I don't actually leave the country for another 14 days, but the adventure is already starting. So in order to get everything ready to go, I'm getting my medications in order. This means I have to get four months worth of medications so I don't have to worry about the hassle of finding a pharmacy that will fill my prescriptions correctly while I'm over there. And of course, the insurance company is making this as difficult as possible. But they're only filling my Malaria medications for one month, because that's a normal amount to fill. And you can get two advances on prescriptions per year, so in that case they can give me 90 days worth of medications. Again, not enough. So we're in a battle with the insurance company, because it's absolutely necessary that I have four months worth of Malaria medications. If anyone is going to get bit by a Malaria-filled mosquito, it's going to be me. Luckily we've got two weeks to figure this debochle out, but it's definitely a very annoying road block that I was hoping wouldn't be a problem.

Sheesh.

Title

This is where I'll be posting for the next four months, writing about my adventures and interesting daily interactions. To start, before I leave, an explanation of the blog's title. The Swahili proverb "Dunia duara" literally means "the earth is round". It's traditionally meant that you shouldn't be worried by the little things, because after all, the earth is round! It's a reminder to myself that while in a different, and possibly scary and new, place, that I shouldn't let the little things bother me. It's also a reminder that the earth is round, and we're all connected. We're all part of the human family, and while culture and traditions may be different and new, we're all part of this family, and we can always remember that the earth is round. Dunia duara!