Shamba

It's been awhile since I last wrote - and in that time I was busy becoming a rural farm girl instead of chilling in the city of Stonetown! "Shamba" means countryside/rural/farm in Swahili and is basically used to describe everywhere besides Stonetown in Zanzibar. Let's see...

Two weeks ago, we stayed in a town called Mangapwani, which translates to "Beach of Light". It was beautiful and very aptly named! We stayed at a community education center called Creative Solutions Resource Center, and I got to practice my interview skills by going to fish auctions and talking to the local fishermen. My group was lucky enough to go out on a "Boati" and interview the fishermen on the job. It was an amazing experience! I also got to work with translators for the first time, and learned that I definitely don't understand as much Swahili as I need to conduct research! Mangapwani is also home to amazing beaches, caves, and sunsets. Everyday after class we would go to the beach and explore the many caves in the crystal clear ocean! I really liked it there - and also loved living in a house with all of my classmates! I might end up doing my final Independent Study Project there.... but I say that about every place we go so we'll see!

This past week, we left Unguja and flew to Pemba: the "other" Zanzibar island. It's more rural and also more scenic. While there, we got a crash course in the Natural Resources of the islands - there is a lot going on in terms of the environment! I got to see different types of house construction (mostly mud and sticks). I also learned about charcoal production, which is a huge industry in Zanzibar and the main form of cooking/heating. I also visited a rubber plantation, a salt production plant, and an essential oil distillery. It was so interested to see how these resources are made because I honestly never really thought about where my rubber bands, etc. came from before. The rubber process was my favorite to learn about and is actually pretty sustainable. They use the sap from rubber trees and then press it, dry it, smoke it, and ship it off. I also got the opportunity to visit Ngezi Forest and do a little hiking!! It was a beautiful place and was interested to compare the management approaches here to those in the US. The forest is managed by the community and from what I could see was working wonderfully. In addition, we visited a working farm and learned about agriculture which was super interesting!

Pemba also consisted of homestay number 2. I've come to terms with the fact that I'm just not a homestay girl... I like my space and freedom too much! Nevertheless, I still learned a lot from this homestay. It was interested to get a taste of more rural living. Something that surprised me was actually how connected and in tune they were with the rest of the world. Everyone has TVs and cell phones and life is actually pretty similar to everyday life in the US, just with a few more difficulties and a lot less organization. We got to cook with our families and I'm learning some fun recipes! But also seriously lacking in the vegetables department - the diet here basically consists of fried bread. Maybe some beans. And a whole lotta fish.

I've definitely been able to go outside more recently which is awesome! I could feel myself getting antsy and restless in Stonetown and the shamba was a welcome change to the routine! From here on out we are traveling a lot - I'm excited to see more different parts of the islands and even make it to the mainland! I've been missing home a little more than I expected but I'm trying to be here in the moment and focus. It's important to cherish my time here and treat it as more than a vacation away from ordinary life. Sometimes I have to remind myself that this IS ordinary life, which is crazy! The culture shock still hasn't worn off because this place is so different from anything I've ever seen... but it's good because it keeps me on my toes! :)

P.s. I got the chance to visit the hospital when I was in Pemba to see a homestay family member, as well as the Public Health Facility on the island. Don't have time to talk about it now but let's just say - we have it SO GOOD in America... no matter how much people complain, we are so lucky!!

P.p.s Monkeys really creep me out. They are too much like people and I get the feeling that they are smarter than me. And I don't like them at all.

T.I.A.

The past few weeks I have had a lot going on! It's been really fun being in Stone Town and starting to feel like a local. Walking down the street, people recognize me and I recognize them. I've been able to practice my Kiswahili a lot, and people really appreciate that we are trying to learn their language.

Last weekend was my 21st birthday! We went snorkeling and then all had dinner at a homestay house - then off to celebrate! Exciting to have a birthday in Africa - but I didn't get to show my ID anywhere because there really are no rules.

Sauti za Busara is a huge 4 day music festival here in Zanzibar which occured this past week. It was amazing - probably the most fun I've had since I've been here! Four days of dancing, listening to music, and letting go after stressful weeks of classes. The artists were all so much fun, and it was great to have the opportunity to see everyone let loose and just enjoy life!

Today was the last day of my homestay. It ended up being a great experience - uncomfortable at times (okay, most of the time...) but I learned a lot and my family really took me in as one of their own. We had a homestay farewell party and my family dressed me up in Zanzibari fashion and my sister gave me henna! It's cool to have a family to be able to go back to in Stonetown - both this semester and beyond.

Finally, today marks the end of Kiswahili class! After 60 hours of intensive language learning, we had our written and oral exams today. I think I aced them! Now we just have to get out there and practice since we won't have the classroom setting to learn in!

As I learn about the culture here, I can't help but share some of it. Alas, here's my rant of the week:
I've been learning a lot about education in Zanzibar - formally and just through interacting with my homestay and local people. Many times, I find myself astounded by the things that aren't issues here that seem so obvious to me. For example, after two weeks in my homestay family, I have yet to find a trashcan/somewhere to put trash in my house. They simply throw their wrappers or whatever on the ground when their done and then sweep it out into the street. This is just one example of the great conflict between humans and the environment. The sewage pipes run straight into the ocean, and no one (at least from what I've seen) is even concerned! When I tell locals that I'm studying the environment, I get blank stares that seem to say "why?".  I keep thinking how sad it is that they just don't know about environmental issues, but then I think about how much I also don't know regarding culture here. The concern here lies more in surviving day to day life than trying to save the whales, for example, but it is all connected. The fishermen here need fish in the ocean to feed their families, but one day there won't be any fish due to overfishing and pollution. Its frustrating to see people hurting their environment so freely, and therefore hurting themselves. Maybe once greater issues of human welfare (another problem alltogether) are addressed, then the environment can start to be taken care of too.

Access to education here is seriously lacking - my homestay siblings go to school for maybe 4 hours a day... but no one is regulating if they are there or not. The usual classroom ratio is 150 students to 2 teachers with no resources. School is also expensive - even public school requires a monthly fee. Since it is government regulated, one failed exam can get you kicked out of school permanently. If you do make it the whole way through to university, the government has the right to tell you what to major in and what job to get based on the needs of the country. Kind of ridiculous!


ANYWAY, fun fact:  they don't use toilet paper here (rule number 1 - don't eat with your left hand!). But hey, TIA. This is Africa.

Trust in the process

After being here for about two weeks, I can definitely see my feelings starting to shift. It is still exciting, stimulating, and engaging, but there is a hidden side to this place that isn't 100% positive. Don't get me wrong, I really like it here and am learning new things from the locals everyday, but its not all rainbows and butterflies like it seemed to be at first!

The first few days of my homestay have proven to be a challenge. Staying in the comforts of a hotel with all of my friends in my group is quite different than living with a Zanzibari family, as I've been doing for the past 5 days. My Zanzibar family consists of a single mom with five kids all under the age of 15. Since I've been here, one of the kids has had the flu, malaria, and stomach illnesses, while another one has cerebral palsy and can't eat, walk, or talk on his own. It's been a shock to my system to see this family go about their daily lives and I find myself feeling awkward - especially because of the language barrier. They are extremely welcoming, though, as everyone here is. It gets better everyday as I get more comfortable... I'm learning a lot from them and hopefully as time goes by it will become an even better experience!

Another thing that has become less charming as time goes by is the lack of attention to timeliness people have here. Multiple times, we've been sitting in class waiting for a lecturer, only to have them show up 45 minutes late, or one time, not at all. Its interesting because we are on an American program where everything is scheduled out, and Zanzibar time doesn't really match up with that schedule. I'm not a very patient person (never have been) and I'm definitely learning a little more every day to just let things go! I have to remember that I'm not in America where everything is go, go, go and take advantage of that difference!

Finally, I've lately been shocked by some of the guys here. As my director told us, "Zanzibari men think they are God's gift to women." I have found this to be completely true! They love to talk to the girls in our program and sometimes it's a little disturbing. DON'T WORRY though, we are super safe and I've gotten really good at ignoring them!!

If this post sounds depressing at all, it's not meant to be! All in all, I am having a great time and there really are hakuna matata! I'm pretty much in class all day, errday... but there is still plenty of time to explore. I just wanted to show the other side of things instead of just writing "THIS PLACE IS AMAZING" every post! I'm missing America a little bit but we're told to "Trust in the process" so that's what I'm doing. Seems to be working so far! This coming week: 21st birthday celebrations, a music festival, snorkeling, and more homestay excitement!

Hopefully pictures will come soon - the internet is too slow to load anything substantial though!
:)