Unfortunately I have not been able to post anything for a
number of days, as our internet is scarce and slow, and due to us being so
busy. We have been up to some amazing stuff since my last post, though!
Let's see, on Thursday, May 4th, we went to a small town to
record an interview with a known elder and storyteller in the area. However, a
translation error caused to her to leave our interview prematurely, without
getting a local story told to us. We did still get her answers to many of our
questions before that, so it was no major loss.
I was operating the main camera for this one
Some banana beer being made. Apparently it is very strong
Then we piled back into our cramped little van and visited a
Maasai (one of the more prominent tribes in Tanzania) cultural center / museum
/ snake park. We were lead through the dark and decorative museum by a nice man
dressed in his traditional Maasai attire, all while he described tribal
practices and traditions of his culture. It was quite fascinating (even though
ensuing discussions on female / male circumcisions raised more than a few
eyebrows in our group). All in all, certainly a very memorable experience.
The Maasai guide was very animated during his interview
Though we did not get to see the snake part area, we did get
to a different one just yesterday (but more on that later).
Friday morning, we interviewed the students we had come to
know well and whom had been so very welcoming, attentive and friendly to us.
Their stories, as they had been all week, were delightfully humorous and
insightful.
Afterwards we all were paired up with a Tanzanian student to
help us get into our traditional outfits for the dance we were going to
perform. Dawning our face paint, grass skirts and beads, we got on stage and
showed a room full of faculty and locals and our own instructors the dance we
had been practicing. I'd say we did a good job (even though my lack of dancing
skills made things a challenge, I had a wonderful tiring time).
Later that evening we had a party with free drinks and
delicious chicken and goat for a BBQ. We had a blast and shared in some dancing
and laughs with our newest friends.
On Saturday, we woke up to a treat when they gave us
champagne during breakfast to celebrate our time there and our departure, as
this was our last day at the college in Arusha.
We all said some emotional goodbyes as we packed our luggage
onto the bus to take us away.
Before getting to the airport, we stopped at a small marketplace
where our bargaining skills were put to the test. Some of us got fabrics, some
bracelets and wood carved figurines. Typically, as the only guy in the group, I
also bought a knife I thought looked cool.
For what seemed like the first time, we got through the
airports without a single setback or complication. So relieved.
Arriving again in Dar Es Salaam, we joined up with another
group of NSCC students. They have plans to maintain a solar power water pump
project at the VETA college in Mikumi, another region in Tanzania, which we
were headed to next.
They were all sociable and clearly excited to be a part of
their project and to be here. It was nice to see some familiar people and to
give them advice from our experiences so far. To help with the bonding /
icebreaking processes, we all went out to eat at a beautiful quaint restaurant
that had decorated umbrellas in every direction. The food was brought in and
essentially piled in front of us on a tray. We were each given a rolled up form
of sponge-like bread that we broke off in pieces, which acted as both utensil
and part of the meal. It was fun to see everyone try the food and experience
something new together as we ate family-style. It was definitely one of the
more memorable meals I have ever had.
And of course, we got to see another group's reaction to the
bats, allowing us to think back on our first night in Tanzania and how far we
have come since then.
After that busy day, it was good to relax with a hot shower
(the last one I'd have for a long time) and a pretty comfy hotel bed.
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