I don't even know where to start! I'm currently sitting in an outdoor cafe called the Green Garden, drinking a mango smoothie. The past week and a half have been insane! I'm so overwhelmed with everything that is happening that I find it hard to believe that I'm in Africa! Zanzibar is so exciting! Every corner brings a new discovery and I never know what I'm going to find next! Getting here was the first adventure. It was so nice to have Lily to travel with and after bonding over hours of movies, strange bathrooms, confusing customs, and my first marriage proposal (I said no...), we finally arrived in Zanzibar! Everyone in the program slowly started arriving, and they are all great! I've had the opportunity to explore Stonetown many times. It is unlike any place I've ever been! The first thing I noticed is that the people are AMAZING. Every person I've met so far (and you meet a lot of them - everyone stops and talks to us!) has been so welcoming and helpful. For example, every time I ask someone for directions, instead of just telling me where to go, they stop what they are doing and walk with me to show me where it is! Time isn't an issue for anyone - it's all about creating relationships with people, which is one of my favorite things about this country so far. Another great thing is the food! Since most people here are Muslim, there is a lot of food that represents that culture. Samosas, curry, and delicious fresh fruit that makes the Indian food stand at UVM look pretty weak.
We've spent the past week getting oriented in every way possible. We've been snorkeling, swimming with dolphins, taken a tour of a butterfly center (!!!), drank my first legal drink (Kilimanjaro beer - If you can't climb it, drink it!), and talked with locals A TON. Yesterday we went to a village called Paje and met with the sheha (cheif) of the village to talk about education and water/power supply. It was so enlightening and the coolest part was that we had a conversation in Swahili!! In Kiswahili class, I am called Eshe, so that's what I'm known as to everyone in my program. We've been cramming the swahili lessons in (four hours a day) and I feel like I'm learning so much! I can actually have conversations with people I meet. There are so many opportunities to practice and the locals love it when we speak to them in their language. They call us "wazungu" which means "white person" or westerner. However, we explain to them that we are wanafunzi (students) and not tourists, which gains us a little bit of street cred.
Zanzabarians have a phrase, "pole pole," that they always are saying. It means "slowly slowly", and our director Helen (also an awesome lady - mom, she knows U2!) tells us that this is how we must ease into things here. It is such an overwhelming culture and so much to understand that is different from America - but it is fascinating! We are going to our homestay families on Sunday, for which I'm both nervous and excited! The internet usage is limited here but I'll try to post again when I get a chance! Until then, pole pole and hakuna matata!
We've spent the past week getting oriented in every way possible. We've been snorkeling, swimming with dolphins, taken a tour of a butterfly center (!!!), drank my first legal drink (Kilimanjaro beer - If you can't climb it, drink it!), and talked with locals A TON. Yesterday we went to a village called Paje and met with the sheha (cheif) of the village to talk about education and water/power supply. It was so enlightening and the coolest part was that we had a conversation in Swahili!! In Kiswahili class, I am called Eshe, so that's what I'm known as to everyone in my program. We've been cramming the swahili lessons in (four hours a day) and I feel like I'm learning so much! I can actually have conversations with people I meet. There are so many opportunities to practice and the locals love it when we speak to them in their language. They call us "wazungu" which means "white person" or westerner. However, we explain to them that we are wanafunzi (students) and not tourists, which gains us a little bit of street cred.
Zanzabarians have a phrase, "pole pole," that they always are saying. It means "slowly slowly", and our director Helen (also an awesome lady - mom, she knows U2!) tells us that this is how we must ease into things here. It is such an overwhelming culture and so much to understand that is different from America - but it is fascinating! We are going to our homestay families on Sunday, for which I'm both nervous and excited! The internet usage is limited here but I'll try to post again when I get a chance! Until then, pole pole and hakuna matata!
