Zanzibar

--journal excerpts from our recent trip to the spice island--

07\09\12

Our first trip to Zanzibar.  Six weeks in Dar has left us looking for an escape.  We've booked tickets on a Coastal Aviation flight to Stone Town.  Fifteen minutes in the air but a world away.  We're hoping to follow our noses through the labyrinthian streets.  We have no other plans.

Dinner of pwanza (octopus) and peli-peli perch before touring the Forodhani Park nightly open-air food market.  Tasted grilled casava (dry, caked entire esophagus) and falafel (also dry) before moving on to the beef simosas and Zanzibar pizza (crepe-like dough filled with beef and a fresh egg, grilled on both sides) before retiring to the Khole House for the night.  First impressions - this is going to be fun.

08\09\12

Narrow streets, incredible, intricately carved wooden doors adorn many houses.  We weaved around scooters, bicycles and small children, as well as women displaying the full spectrum of arabic attire: from merely a hijab (head scarf), to the full body covering leaving only eye slits.  Men uniformly wear billowing thawbs that blow and ruffle as the breeze whistles around the corners.  Locals are very encouraging once they see that we can speak a small amount of kiswahili, but most still initiate conversations with the somewhat less than sincere and never actually used "hakuna matata," as that is what most tourists expect.

We made our way to the Africa House for rooftop sundowners, looking west towards the mainland.  The sun was blisteringly hot and we were thankful when it finally set.  Termites hatched in the billions, driving almost all of our fellow patrons indoors or elsewhere.  We took the prime seats and endured the harmless flying insects as we listened to the bats feast and looked for the first stars.

Soon, a huge bird flew directly between our heads, having just crossed the channel from the mainland.  The first place to land for it happens to be down the hallway of the hotel.  I chase it with my camera, and photographed an Africa Barn Owl just before it finds a back door and flies out into the night.
We walked to the Forodhani Market again and ate more Zanzibar pizza, falafel (better this time), octopus and lobster before hot grease burned Stacy's foot and I got ripped off by a man who took my money without brining me a bottle of water that I thought I was paying for.  We regrouped as we watched locals diving off of the dock into the dark sea before retiring again to Khole House.

09\09\12

Slept in a bit.  Headed to the fruit and veggie market and the spice market.  Colors are indescribable in these places.  Every shade of every color is represented, and it's all seen through sunlight filtered by a hundred tattered plastic tarps of many different faded colors themselves.  Occasionally a beam of pure sunlight will illuminate a mound of fruit or a pile of beans, highlighting them above everything else.  

Stace refused to cross the threshold of the meat market doorway, as the buzz of a million flies found its way to our ears above the constant sound of cleavers hacking away at innumerable carcasses.  The fish market was less frightening, but the live animal market was enough to have us thinking of becoming vegetarian.  We purchased saffron, a few coffee varieties, dried vanilla pods, cloves and a few curry powders from the most persistent of the vendors before continuing west through the town.

We spoke with some carvers, painters, cobblers and clothiers.  Anything can be made for you upon request for reasonable prices.  We picked up a watercolor painting of a streetscape, and few kitenges to make dresses out of later, as well as a carved wooden picture frame.

Stone Town is uniquely beautiful and very quaint.  We may not return to this part of the island until we've seen the rest, but it was a perfect weekend escape.

Tafadhali sema pole pole (please speak slowly).

Kiswahili is of Bantu (African) origin. There are borrowed words from other languages such as Arabic. The word "Swahili" was used by early Arab visitors and it means "the coast".

Tonight was the first class of our Basic Swahili Course, LANGUAGE WITH LOYCE. Loyce is a teacher who comes highly recommended within the school community. She is a funky woman with a lot of energy. This evening she had us role playing, knocking on doors and offering one another our chairs (kitis?)

Greetings are a huge deal in Tanzania and in general a good way to respect a foreign culture.  Coming from the BVI, we are very accustomed to saying Good Morning, Good Afternoon and Good Night whenever we walk into a building or pass a stranger on the street, so it seems like a good place to start.  Luckily, Tanzanians are very welcoming when it comes to our attempts (complete with many mispronunciations and choppy grammar). It seems as though they respect a willingness to try, and in return they are happy to help you learn.

Greetings can go on and on... How are you? How is your work? How is your home? How are your children? How is your cart? The easy answer to all of these questions is Nzuri (good). So I've got that one down.

Try out some phrases... 

When entering someone’s house or a room/gate etc.....

A: Hodi! Hodi! (use when you want to enter someone’s house or a room)

B: Karibu (welcome)

A: Asante, Hujambo? (Thank you, How are you?)

B: Sijambo. Habari za leo? (I’m good, How is your day?)

A: Nzuri (good) Njema (ok) Nusu Nusu (so so/ half half)

B: Karibu kiti (Welcome to the chair… take  seat)

A: Asante (thanks)

Habari za nyumbani (How is your home?)

Habari za kazi (How is work?)

Habari za hapa? (How are you doing here?)

Mzima? (Doing ok?)

Mzima (I’m doing well) or  Hapana Mzimba (Not well)

Salama? (peace?)

Salama  (peace) ß this could be said as you meet or as you depart

Formal Greeting (say this to an elder.) 

a. Shikamoo (I respect you elder)

b. Marahaba (I accept your respect)

a. Hujambo?

b. Sijambo. …..

Mama Doris taught me 'Shikamoo' in the art room. Doris has been the Art RoomTechnician/ for over 20 years at IST. She knows the ropes and inner workings of the school... so I say "Shikamoo Doris" out of respect when I see her in the morning.

Hapana (no)

Ndiyo (yes)

Hapana Asante (no thanks)

Hamna shida (no problem)

Getting to know one another…

Jinalangu ni Stacy (My name is stacy)

Nawewe? sounds like nawayway  (and you?)

Ninatoka Maricani (I am from America)

Jina lako nani? (What is your name?)

Mimi ni (I am a….)

            Mimi ni mwalimu (I am a teacher)

Mimi ni mwalimu a sanaa (I am a teacher of art)

Mimi ni mwalimu wa sayansi (for matt... I am a teacher of science)

Mimi pia (Me too!)

Unasemaje  (How do you say….)

Unasemaje kwa kiswahili (How do you say in Kiswahili?)

Tafadhali sema pole pole (please speak slowly)

If you like a food in a restaurant you could say….

Chakula Kizuri (it’s very good/delicious)

 Or

Chakula ktamu (it’s very sweet)

The Two Year Recap

Life tends gets in the way of documentation, so it's been a while. I've recently been inspired by some very thoughtful blogs and I'm thinking that it's time to start posting again! Who knows, maybe this will be the first and last for a another two years. Only time will tell. 

As our experience in the BVI came to a close, we had little to no transitional stage. In turn, we have been slowly deconstructing and reflecting upon the memories we have made and the people who played a large part in the sweetness of those memories. We were extremely lucky that we had the chance of spending three years in such a beautiful environment, but more importantly, we are thankful that we were able to share our experience with many friends and family. Brothers, sisters, parents and best friends were constantly en route to the Caribbean to relax, explore the fishing, sailing, paddle boarding, take in a full moon party or bottle feed our neighbor's goats. Since the last post, we've experienced small supervisor roles in the school, held art shows, personal project exhibitions and re-worked school curriculum. We drank just the right amount of painkiller cocktails, met a handful of new teachers who have become lifelong friends and fishing partners. We have traveled throughout the states, climbed mountains in Yosemite, 

explored unspoiled islands, stayed in eco-lodges with composting toilets, hiked to the bottom of a volcano in Dominica, dived some gorgeous reefs, camped on beaches, caught a lot of bone fish (not me), became cat people and stomached a lot of rice and beans. I had an unforgettable trip to Puerto Rico with some very dear girl friends, lost loved ones, ran a marathon and said goodbye to the BVI for now. On our short break between jobs we were able to travel to Mexico with Matt's family for the trip of a lifetime and spend one mentally refreshing week with my closest friends, sister and parents in Lancaster, PA. We went on some long bike rides, ate homemade ice cream, went to the market and took it all in. Then we packed it up to head to Tanzania. The last few months have consisted of a lot of teary goodbyes and unforgettable send offs and family reunions.

One layover in Ethiopia and twelve enormous boxes later, here we are, in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Our new home is located in one of the school's apartment complexes a few blocks from the Indian Ocean in the largest city in Tanzania, called Dar es Salaam. We co-exist with other teachers and families and find that it's a safe and inviting little community. This is slightly different from our last home, which was a rustic, sea side villa owned by a lovely Caribbean man nicknamed 'Gunsmoke'. This apt. complex is located on the Msasani Peninsula which is largely an ex-pat and embassy stomping ground. The disparity here is extremely eye opening. Dar is the country's richest city and we are here making our home in this gorgeous walled apt. complex,  complete with askaris (guards) and two bedrooms next to the sea side mansions of ambassadors and diplomats from across the globe. On the other end of the spectrum, and a few blocks away, six families are co-existing in a six bedroom mud hut with a shared outdoor kitchen. More surprisingly, it seems that most of these people are happy. They have little to nothing in terms of material items, they are in danger of malaria, they have little clean water supply, but they are smiling.

Here's a little Dar background for you-
The Republic of Tanzania is a country located in East Africa. Dodoma is the official capital of Tanzania, but Dar is it's main coastal city and Tanzania's commercial capital and major seaport for the the country. Dar was the political capital until 1996. As we were exploring downtown Dar, we were checking out the different government buildings, including Karimjee Hall, where the first president Julius Nyerere was sworn in in 1962.

In the 19th century, Dar was called Mzizima (Swahili for "heathy town") and was a coastal fishing village. In 1886 a sultan from Zanzibar began building a new city close to Mzizima and named it Dar es  Salaam ("haven of peace"in Arabic).

It has since been a part of German East Africa, and then captured by the British during WWI. The country gained independence from colonial rule in 1961. The name Tanzania comes from the names of the two states, Tanganyika and Zanzibar, that were united in 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar (later renamed Tanzania).


We hit the ground running with school orientation, safaris, bike exploration, dinners, apartment changes, lesson planning, learning names of new friends, students, parents, co-workers and birds. Hopefully we will soon begin to understand Swahili. We start classes this week.

I personally feel rejuvenated by the massive amount of culture, love of life, beautiful patterns, fresh vegetables, and interesting life experiences that surround us here. Our senses are on overload, and once again, I feel the need to document everything. Matt and I are keeping a handwritten sketchbook containing stories and drawings... so hopefully from that, I will be able to organize my thoughts into blog posts and artworks.

Here are a smattering of inspiring pictures from facebook and our sketchbook-

I would highly recommend our Tour with a group called Investours. A micro-finance/tourism duo that works with tourists to show them the inner workings of Dar es Salaam, while giving the proceeds of the tour to a hardworking entrepreneur who has applied for one of their interest free loans. The woman in the red received a loan for a manual sewing machine last weekend.

Shopping for some beautiful Kangas/Ketenge (you will see more of this in up and coming posts)

Children of Tanzania loving a good glamour shot... and get so excited to see the picture. 

Matt acting cool in the background.

A balancing act. One of the many items I've seen carried on one's head.

Earl Grey the Art Room Cat. He keeps the rats and snakes at bay. 

Having him around makes the art studio feel like home. 

Most children love him... a few fear him.

Loads of fresh veggies and fruits at our fingertips. 

I've been making some really strange soup concoctions lately. Today's experiment included spinach, carrots, beets and cauliflower. 

A magical school bus on safari.

Awesome creatures. Giraffe= Twigga in Kiswahili. The twigga is our school mascot.

 When they run, they appear as though they're galloping in slow motion.

 A little bee eater. We went birding at Dar es Salaam University for five hours with a bird guru Andrew Mjembe who helped us to identify  (and knew the bird calls for) almost 60 species of birds.

A dhow at Kunduchi, one of the beaches North of the city. A dhow is a traditional sailing vessel with the sail mounted at an angle to the mast. These boats are used in the Red Sea or the Indian ocean... they have a long, thin hull, used for carrying heavy items like fruit, fresh water or merchandise. We took a large dhow on a day trip with grade 6 to an island (Bongoyo) and we had a lot of green faces and one barfer. It's a very 'rolly' ride. 

Sunset at Mikumi Park (while having sun downer drinks at the hippo pool)... yes there were hippos in there!