Safari Trip

Safari Highlights:
1. The zebras (I think they were my favorite).
2. The lions that were at most fifteen feet from our car.
3. The cheetah that walked next to us.
4. Seeing five of the 16 rhinos that exist in the Ngorogoro crater (especially since there are only 2000 in the world including the ones in zoos).
5. Learning that members of the Massai tribe really do drink milk mixed with cow blood (Nick you were right).

Wow, our safari was so awesome and I am so thankful and happy that I was able to experience it. We left Friday afternoon after our work and headed out first to the Terengeri National Park. The vehicle that we were in is a large SUV where the roof can be unhatched and raises about two feet up. So when we entered the park we lifted the roof up so that we could stand and take pictures but we still had protection from the sun (which was nice since we were in the direct sun all day). Inside the car was spacious so we had lots of room and it had a cooler so that we could always have cold water.

When we arrived at the park we stopped to use the restrooms and as we were walking out we noticed a large group of elephants about 100 yards away so we knew it was going to be good. On our first game drive we saw all kinds of animals. We saw elephants, zebras, giraffes, baboons, and lots of birds. Although, I am not much of a bird person so I didn't find them that interesting. But there were these little birds some were blue and some were green and they were the most vibrant color so they were kinda cool. But the landscape alone in this park was just amazing. We were driving around in a savanna area but off in the distance you could see the outline of the mountains. The grass was tall prairie grass that was a little dry but then there were flat top trees everywhere that were just so cool. The landscape also included ant hills that were about five feet high made from the really red dirt that was in the park. Kinda scary to think that there are that many ants but I in fact believe it. I don't think I have seen as many bugs in my life as I have here so it is a good thing that I use by bug spray. We continued to drive until the sun went down and then we went to our lodge for the night.

The next morning we got up really early and meet out guide at six to do a sunrise game drive. It was overcast out which was kinda disappointing because we were unable to see the sun come out but we did see the biggest elephants I have ever seen in my life. We went back to the forest area where there is more vegetation so naturally the animals can be bigger and right in front of our car we saw three elephants. They were no lie, as tall as our vehicle. Our driver was saying that since they are further back in the forest area of the park they were seen less often and therefore a little more aggressive. This you could definitely tell because as we pulled up they all flapped their ears out to show they weren't happy. We kept our distance a little, took our pictures, and just observed them for a little bit. Since there weren't that many animals out that morning we headed back to the lodge for breakfast and then out for the day. The rest of the morning we spent driving around Terengeri and saw more of the same animals. The animal that we were seeing the most seemed to be baboons and they were everywhere but kinda cool. The baby baboons would cling onto their mothers and get a piggy back ride around. While the younger baby ones would swing through the trees and play until they got stuck and a parent had to help them out. Once we finished up here we headed out of the park and on to Lake Manyara.

As we were leaving the park we had a lot of extra food from our box lunch we took to go so we stopped and gave it to some Massai children. The Massai people that live in this area mix so much with other people and tribes that they aren't as stick in their traditional diet. Therefore as we stopped to give them food they were all just grabbing at it. There is little to no farming around them and markets are kinda far away so it made me wonder if the children got enough to eat. We did the best we could and then we were on our way.

As we pulled into Lake Manyara the surroundings were completely different. The beginning of the park was rain forest full of baboons and elephants. As you continued more into the park the vegetation changed and turned more into savanna. Just a little ways into the park we spotted some lions laying off in the distance but we weren't really all that close to them. When they are laying in the grass it is really hard to see them and really feel like you got a good look. Just a little past there we noticed on the side of the road a python snake which was huge and quite disgusting (Hayley you would have died). We continued to explore that park and saw a little zebra family with a young child nursing from its mom and then the dad close by. I then noticed that attached to the mama's zebras leg was a rope and that she was clearly limping. I asked the guide about it and he explained to me that poaching was still a big issue for them. Continuing on we stopped at the hippo pond where are you allowed to get out and walk around. Do you find it ironic that you are allowed to get out and walk around with the hippos when they are the animal responsible for the most human deaths. Anyways as long as you don't get in the water with them or between them and the water you should be fine. While we were standing there was saw two hippos that we fighting with each other that was kinda cool. During the day they stay in the water and can hold their breath for up to six minutes but during the night they can walk up to 20 km. Once we were done here we went to our lodge for the night which was right outside of the park. The funny thing about the lodges is that you also have the option to camp on a safari. So if you camp you literally set your tent up in the front yard of the lodge which is kinda funny. Camping would have been fun but it would have required that we have two cars and gas is so expensive that it would have actually made our trip more expensive.

The next day we spent at the Ngorogoro crater and the best way that I can describe it is as a large Noah's Ark. You start at the top of the crater and are looking down into the bowl area and it is just so lush and green because it has year round water supply. As you get down into the crater there are just hundreds of zebras and wildebeest walking around everywhere. Anyone who goes to the crater will at least see some animals, although they don't have many elephants because there are very few trees. The crater is where we saw the most unique and rare animals. There are only 2000 rhinos in the whole world, included the ones in zoos, and 16 total in the Ngorogoro crater and we saw five so we considered ourselves pretty lucky. We also saw a cheetah that was walking about 20 feet from the car. As the cheetah was walking around you could tell that the other animals around had their eye on her and were watching where she went. The zebras were slowly retreating away. We also drove by a pond that was covered in flamingos which was neat. The most exciting part of the crater was that as we were leaving we noticed three lions laying right next to the road. There were two cubs and the mama lion. A little further away were two male lions. But our guide opened and closed his door a couple of times which got the lions to stand up and walk so we were able to really see them. They weren't my favorite because I feel like they are every ones favorite but they were pretty cool.

Overall the trip was awesome and we were able to see a lot of really great animals. This week we have some fun programs going on. Tuesday afternoon we are going to visit an orphanage and then after dinner we are going to seeing a cultural dance and getting our "shaky shaky on" which is what they say when they dance. Then Wednesday we are going to Arusha for the Rwanda Tribunal Trials and to go to a Massai market. Thursday we have free and then on Saturday some people who are only here for three weeks, the minimum amount of time, will be leaving. Time really is flying by. Take care and I will post again soon. Miss you all.

Chagga Tribe Tour

So this Wednesday we didn't have to go to our schools and instead we got to take a tour of the Chagga lifestyle. We started out by going to a blacksmith where they made spears that they actually used for hunting. We then went and saw the chagga caves. The chagga and the massai are two tribes that live in this area and they were always fighting each other. The chagga claim that the massai always stole their cattle and their women. So the chagga built caves underground that they could hide their families and cattle within. They gave us a tour and these things were just little crawl holes and then slightly larger rooms where the people were housed. At the beginning of the cave there was a little hole where the watchmen stayed and protected everyone. Each day they changed the password to get in and if you didn't know it you were killed. Just past the watchman there was a little cave where they stored the dead bodies and then each night they carried the bodies out. After the caves they took us to a Chagga market which was quite the scene. There were women everywhere selling everything from shoes, clothing, scarves, bananas, and minerals for the cows. The market was packed full of people. There were people carrying around live chickens that they had bought, I assume for dinner. More bananas then I have ever seen in my life. Piles of shoes, many of which were just single shoes. There were people and things everywhere and it was much more hectic than Mexico. It was quite a sight to be seen. After that we went to a waterfall that was gorgeous. There was a small hike from the pool at the bottom of the falls up to a pool which was a little higher. I decided to take the hike and it was well worth the view. I do have some pictures of this which I can share when I get home but unfortunately we were unable to take pictures in the market. We concluded the day with some banana beer which I still find kinda gross.

The past couple days in my school have been going well. I am starting to get the hang of things a little bit more, but man these kids can tire you out. The biggest challenge is the fact that we don't speak the same language. But past that it is hard that some of the students know how to add and subtract and some are just trying to recognize the numbers. The age and skill just varies so much that it is hard to teach them all at once.

The food here is okay but nothing that special. We have spinach (not at all the same as what we have), ugali, and fresh fruit with every meal. Other regulars are rice, potatoes, and cole slaw salad. The food isn't bad it just isn't that great.

This weekend we are going on a safari so I am really excited for that. I will update the blog when I get back. Sorry that I haven't put up pictures but I don't have the ability to do that here. You are lucky if you can write a whole email without the internet crashing on you. Anyways hope all is well and I will write again soon.

Week two Day one: A Death!!!

Today I experienced a death! As I was setting up chairs in the classroom this morning my students pointed out that there was a lizard, about seven inches in length, in the back of the room. Three of the students went outside and got little twigs to try and push it out the door so I figured they were taking care of it and I could keep setting up for the day. Once I had set up the classroom I walked outside to see the children with rocks in their hand standing over a smashed lizard body. The students decided that once the lizard was outside they should just kill it with rocks which surprises me since they catch bugs for pets. Once this disaster was over things went much better and they actually listened while I tried to teach them. We counted noodles today and then put them on a string to make a necklace.

Once I got back home we had a cultural lessons and learned how to carry things on our head. The women walk through the streets caring large buckets of water from the stream back to their homes. I was not brave enough to carry the bucket of water because I did not want to soak myself but I did try to carry the bananas. They took a whole big thing of bananas on the stem from the tree and balanced them on my head. I wasn't good enough to walk with no hands like the women here do but I did manage to just hold on with one hand. I was impressed and I think have a new skill to add to my resume. Well it is 8:30 here and no lie I think I am going to bed. Talk to you all later.

Now it is time to play

Finally the weekend has arrived!!!! The first week of teaching little children was very overwhelming and I was glad for a break.

Friday night we went to a bar called "The Watering Hole" which is owned by two people from Georgia who are here working in an orphanage. Just about the only people in the bar were people here doing mission work and not locals. The reason we went was because they served American style food and we were ready for something different. (Grant: I did not order the hamburger but you win the bet. So how about Neu's or the Chicken?) The coolest part about the bar was the car that they sent to come and pick us up. It was a safari suv and on the back it had this bench that was a little high so that you could see over the car. The driver let us ride on the bench since we had so many people and it was really cool. All the people walking on the street stared and waved at us. The breeze on the car ride there made us cooler than we have been all week. (Dad: We do not have AC. If we did we would be royalty here.) We spent most of the night at the bar but we have an 11 pm curfew put in place by Tanzania officials so all night isn't really that much time. About 10:20 we decided to let the people know that we were going to be needing a ride home soon. At 11 the truck showed up to get us so we were five minutes late for curfew but the guard was up waiting for us. We had good intentions of being on time but Tanzanian people live on their own time schedule.

Today we went and took a tour of the coffee plantation, if you could call it that, and the waterfall. On the way there we passed these Chagga tribe women who were carrying full bunches of bananas on their heads. We then passed other women that were in their full tribal clothing carrying hoes balanced on their heads, it was kinda neat. The hike to the waterfall took us over an hour but it was only about a mile and half. But the waterfall was in the rain forest which is the first level of Kilimanjaro and it was really pretty. When we got to the waterfall there were only five of us that had ever brought a bathing suit but we felt that we needed to get in. (To my Italy travel group: Did I not learn in Greece to not jump in foreign bodies of water because they are always FREEZING?) The brave five people with a bathing suit jumped in and swam to the back so that we could be under the waterfall area. Other than being really cold it was absolutely gorgeous. After that we proceeded on to the coffer plantation which was kinda a trick. Our tour guide lives along the trail that we took to the waterfall and his family grows and makes coffee. So at his home we learned the process of making coffee and then got to try some. I still don't like it. The most interesting part of the day is that the people here making something called banana beer and it only stays good for one day. So at our tour guides home his family was sitting around enjoying their banana beer which we tried. It might have been the most disgusting thing I have ever seen and it kinda looked like banana throw up. Overall the hike was a good adventure but I am really tired. We don't get that much sleep here probably because we stay up way to late at night talking about the craziness of our day. Well that is all for now it is time to go out for the night. Talk to you all soon.

To answer your questions about bathroom issues: I use toilet paper. But I only go to the bathroom in the compound because outside of our house it is just a hole in the ground.

Week One

Trip Highlights (If that is what you call them):
1. I got my first mosquito bite so I now probably have malaria.
2. Any thoughts I ever had of teaching are LONG gone.
3. Dad to answer your question about the air conditioning, I guess I can say that we are thankful when our electricity works which is about half the time.
4. I now have a new name, Muzungu, which means foreigner or white person. As we walk down the street everyone just calls out Muzungu.
5. I can now take pills without having to break them in half.
6. A couple of us laid in the sun today with a machete to our left and a pig running around to our right.

So far the past four days have been more of an adventure than you could ever imagine. I am teaching English and math to a class of about 20 kids that range in age from 2 to 6. The kids sit in plastic chairs, similar to our cheap lawn chairs, and there are only about 12 chairs so the kids fight and hit each other to get a chair. They have no desks so instead they put their papers on a bench that is in front of their chairs. All of the children can count to 20 in order but when you point to a number and ask what it is they don't understand. They know the alphabet but only when it is in order. The teaching isn't going well for me at all but I am good at the break time. I have been taking bubbles for the children and they love them. But they eventually get bored and decide that it would be more fun to dump dirt into my shoes. I am currently trying to learn the names of the students and it is alittle difficult because they all look alike. They all have buzzed hair and uniforms that they wear everyday, I am pretty sure they each only own one uniform that they wear everyday. Some of the kids are really sweet but some of them not so much. They kick and hit each other a lot and all the teacher says is stop which does not seem to work. Most of the children here really want to hold your hand and hang all over you, which grosses me out since they use their hand to wipe when they go to the restroom. Everyday when we get back from placement we all share stories and there are some really good ones. One of the volunteers is teaching at prison and one of his students dad works as a guard there and over the weekend he shot a monkey; it was all of the prison gossip. Another volunteer DJ was teaching in his classroom the other day when a chicken just walked in through the door. He said the students just sat there as if it was no big deal while he tried to get the chicken out. Kandice was walking to her placement and on the way she passed a machete sitting in the middle of the road as all the children walked by. Apparently leaving machetes around is just a common thing.

This weekend we are taking a hike through the rainforest to a coffee plantation and some waterfalls, which should be fun. But the following weekend we have planned a three day safari. We got a really great itenerary which includes a sunrise and sunset game drive so I am really excited. I am safe and taking care of myself. Miss you all!

Arriving in Tanzania

I have safely arrived in Tanzania and I don't even know where to begin. I got on the plane leaving the US and I was shaking due to the fear of uncertainty. I had no idea what I should expect or what I had gotten myself into. The flights were long but I made it eventually. When we arrived in Kilimanjaro we walked across the tarmac from the airplane because it was so small it didn't even have gates. One of my bags, containing all of my toiletries and medicines didn't arrive so hopefully it will come in today. The drivers were there at the airport waiting to pick us up and the drive to the house was full of interesting events. First of all they drive on the other side of the street as us, who knew. There were people all along the sides of the street walking or hanging out in little huts. But if you looked up in the sky you could just see a blanket of stars. (To the bears: Don't worry there is no big dipper spilling food since I am on the other side of the equator) But the most interesting part of the drive came when we were stopped in the middle of the road by a man with a machine gun, I think it was that moment that I realized just want I had gotten myself into. I think he just wanted to know where we were going and where we were coming from, but he was much scarier than the border patrol people in Texas. The two women in the car with me at the moment are a little older and they noticed I was a little shocked, to try to calm to moment the offered my chocolate but that didn't even work. The home that we are staying in is quite nice. I have two roommates, both about 30, but our room is big enough for four people. Once we got here we all pretty much just went to sleep we were tired after all of our travels. Are first day, today, was an adventure for sure. We went into town today to exchange money, get a small tour and just walk around with the directors. Then after lunch we had free time and decided to head back into town, but this time we were going to walk. The walk ended up taking over an hour and by the time that we arrived in town we were literally covered in dirt, but we did make it. Then we just went to a cafe and had a drink. But on the way back we decided to take public transportation, a dalla dalla, which is a bus. There were probably 15 people on the bus and it was so crowded. We assumed that the bus was full and that there was no way more people could fit the next thing you knew there was a man sitting on lap and so many people around me I could hardly move. (You cav guys think you can fit a lot of people in a vehicle but the dalla dallas have you beat!) We got off the bus a little distance from the home because we were going to stop at the supermarket. As we got off we noticed the CCS van in the parking lot. The directors were sitting in the cafe next door so we sat and had a beer with them. I had a beer named Kilimanjaro and it was pretty good. Overall the day was a HUGE adventure and I think I can say that I have truly lived now that I have had the awkward and uncomfortable experience of a dalla dalla. Tomorrow is another busy day of orientation and then on Tuesday we begin our placement. Wish me luck because I don't know how I can teach a whole classroom of 26 children for 5 hours a day. Miss you all!
Laura

Preparing for Departure!

The bags are packed, the shots have been received and I am about to start my grand adventure. I will be leaving Friday January 16th and after 21 hours of flight time I will be arriving at my new home for six weeks. I am not sure what to expect of the community, the volunteer work, the home I am living in, the food, or the weekend excursions but I am ready for the challenge. I don't know how frequently I will have internet access but I hope to post as often as possible. Enjoy the blog and the stories of my travels. Take care!