The only difference...

I always see posts that say: "The only difference between tattooed and non-tattooed people is that the tattooed don't care if you're tattooed or not." This is true. As someone with tattoos, I can say that I honestly do not care if you have 0 tattoos, 1, or resemble Kat Von D or the lizard man.

Lately, I've been thinking that the only difference between heterosexuals and homosexuals is that the homosexuals don't care if you're homosexual or not.

And yet, these people who are being much more accepting of those unlike them are the ones who get things thrown at them or told that God hates them. These are the soldiers who make sacrifices yet have "church" groups flood their funeral with "God hates you" posters. These people, that society and unfortunately, mostly polluted "Christian" society has labeled as wrong or sinners. They are the tattooed, gay, pierced, transgender, wrong political party, etc. and everything else that has been deemed wrong or unholy.

Recently, one of my brothers, Corey, posted about how he saw two men sporting "God hates you" t-shirts in the gay district of New York City where Corey has been volunteering with a laundry love project. He talked about how this is so heart breaking because it's not what true Christianity is about. He's right, Jesus called his disciples to love as he loved. To sit with the prostitutes, tax-collectors,etc and everyone who was cast aside.

Corey mentioned that he didn't go over and speak with them because he was afraid he would act in anger and since they were obviously demonstrating enough unjust anger and hate.

I have no idea how I would have reacted in this situation but I started thinking about it more and more. I can only hope that I would have stood next to them and held a God is love sign. That I would have have had the courage, faithfulness but yet also peacefulness that would allow me to just stand there. To be quiet instead of being loud. I wouldn't have to say anything because I'd be saying enough just standing there.

As most of you know I am fairly hot-headed myself so the likelihood of me being peaceable enough to manage this is unlikely. However, as I travel, not only out of the country, but also in my walk of faith I have found that God is changing me. He is forming me as only he can. I came back from Tanzania, a much more mellow person with a much better picture of God's call for her life. So maybe, just maybe, someday, I will be able to be more quiet. To be silent when I all I want to do is speak, rightly or wrongly justified. To have no words when words would just be useless, when a simple act of love would speak volumes more.

God gave the greatest act of love and sacrifice for me, maybe, just maybe, I can share a minute fraction of it with the world.

Nawapenda sana (I love you all very much.) As frustrated as I have been and as much as I have been missing Tanzania, God reminded me that he is still growing me and still has a purpose for me here. Ahsante Baba, Mungu ibariki.

And the Kili Saga continues...

Two weekends ago I decided to do the Kilimanjaro day hike again because I enjoyed it so much the first time...and a little of me wanted to show off to the newbies. (;

I'm amazed at the difference 2 weeks can make. On the first hike we had perfect weather, sun shining and the hike is mostly shaded by trees so it's fairly cool...you're still totally drenched when you get to the first camp. It was relatively safe, aside from a few stubbed toes no one really had any injuries or falls. As we were hiking we saw several other groups coming down the mountain. The only ran we saw all day was at the end of our hike right before we got into the Dala Dala.

Hike 2 was a completely different experience. It was about 10 degrees cooler and there was mud everywhere. We slipped and slid all the way up and all the way down. Everyone was constantly watching their feet and we still had some twisted ankles. This didn't work out so well for me because I was carrying my backpack in front of me (everyone was calling it my baby!) Well, I was slightly concerned by the fact that my baby smelt like a burger (my lunch) and I couldn't see my feet. And...I'm not sure how my pregnant friends do it...not being able to see your feet is a scary thing! (<3 to a.m and e.w!)

This weekend was a little rough for everyone around the house...all of the newbies were busy sunning (and burning!)in Zanizibar and for those left at the house we had 5 goodbyes this weekend alone! Many teary goodbyes to Vivian, Sarah, Lisa, Marissa and Jess...living in a house like this really makes you feel like family and it was sad to see our dadas (sisters) leave! It really hit us Sunday morning when it was just Amy and I eating breakfast because there were only 3 left in the house (with the newbies away) and Bibi was at church.

In addition to the sadness we had a little excitement this weekend. Four of us spent Saturday morning in town, walking around and for those who were leaving, doing some last minute shopping. As we were walking to Union Cafe to join  our friend Jess (before she left) we were suddenly stopped by a riot outside a store. All we could really see was a big man waving a huge pole around, several people grabbing each other and we heard a lot of screaming. The best we can figure is that the man with the pole was trying to rob one of the clothing stores. This was made much more scary by the fact we couldn't really understand what was going on because of the language barrier...I guess we're really not in Kansas anymore.

After the weekend of goodbyes and the excitement from Saturday we decided we needed a quiet afternoon Sunday before saying one last goodbye. We spent the day poolside at the gorgeous Impala Hotel. I had fried rice for lunch that rivals some of the Chinese I've had in America. 

We're looking forward to a nice quiet week at our placements and will be traveling to the hot springs on Friday before the next round of goodbyes.

Asante sana na nawapenda! (Thank you--for following my blog-- and I love you all!)

Mnabe (Land of the Father)

Saturday morning seven of us went to a coffee farm. Near the farm there is an incredible waterfall called Mnabe which six of us trekked over to. (One in our group is not too fond of heights and much of the path over to the waterfall looks over steep ledges.) When we got to Mnabe we were completely blown away, we had already been to one beautiful waterfall but Mnabe took our breath away! At the bottom of the fall there is a shallow pool where a lot of people go swimming...the water is very cold and I was the only one in our group who was brave enough (or crazy enough) to go swimming!

We sat and had our meal enjoying our view of the waterfall and Oscar, whose father owns the coffee farm, gave us a little of the history. First, he explained that his tribe cannot go swimming in the pool or in many other rivers because water is considered there holy place. This particular spot, Mnabe, is especially sacred because it is where the tribe first offered sacrifices. It is called Mnabe, land of the Father, because their tribe believes that anywhere that sacrificial blood is split, the Father's presence remains. (Our other guide, Mussa, was teasing Oscar and says that he only tells this story because he cannot swim while Mussa, "swims like a fish." However, this "fish" was too chicken to go swimming in the pool with me despite much assurance that he would be "in in a minute."

After we enjoyed our meal by the falls and I enjoyed my dip... we headed back to the farm to make our own coffee.  (After this tour I will never look at coffee the same way again!) Thanks to my Ugandan Gold friends, I knew that ripe beans are red and even though it is past the harvesting season, Oscar showed us what some ripe beans look like. After the first level of the bean is peeled off they are soaked in water for 7 days and the beans that float are discarded while the others can move on to drying. The beans are sun dried for a few days and then they have to peeled again. (Oscar uses a wooden basin and long stick that reminds me of butter churning. Without the basin,  it would take all season just to peel the beans! ) When the final bean is revealed it has to be roasted before it can be ground and made into coffee. Interesting fact: the less you roast the bean, the more caffeine it has.

After the long process, all of us took a turn at each step, we got to enjoy the delicious coffee! This is probably the smoothest coffee I have ever tasted, nothing beats having it fresh off the fire! Oscar also made us "coffee candy" which is just sugar and coffee grounds but it tastes wonderful. He even shared some with his young nephew, apparently this is pretty common on family coffee farms.

Sunday was a big day in Moshi...it was the day of the Kilimanjaro Marathon, Half Marathon and 5K. Three of us decided to register on the way back our coffee tour. Saturday night we made Team Mzungu shirts "pole pole" (slowly slowly) and tried to pump ourselves up to wake up at 5AM the next morning. Around 3AM we woke up to monsoon like rain and Zeus-like thunder. Again, I was the only one brave enough to, and crazy enough, to participate so I represented Team Mzungu and ran the 5K solo. It was an incredible experience, Moshi was packed with people from all over the world, I met a French women, a few Canadians and several Africans. I also get to come home and brag about how I ran in Tanzania!

We're all a little sleep deprived so hopefully this blog makes sense but I thought I needed to post since it had been a while and I had promised a new one...

Nawapenda!

No Scissors For You!

The other day, one of our housemates Amy came back from placement and told us that one of her kids had fallen off the swings and split his head open. After much prodding from Amy one of the other teachers took him to the  hospital. (Until that point, the teacher had just been blotting the child's head with a cloth.) The school could not afford a taxi, so the boy and teacher set off walking to the hospital. Mind you, it's about a half mile just from the school building to the compound's entrance. Thankfully, the boy and teacher returned to school while Amy was still there and the boy's head was successfully stitched up. The good news in this Amy informed us as the teacher had informed her was that the boy did not need scissors. At this point, we all looked at Amy like she was nuts until she told us scissors=surgery. Thankfully, I haven't had any blood at my placement. I think it helps that we have no outdoor space which really is a shame for the children but has limited injuries.

Every day we are reminded of the differences between education systems in Tanzania and Education in the United States. And yet, even with the limited resources, most schools and orphanages here do more with their few resources than schools in America do.

Yesterday we did a day hike on Kilimanjaro, tomorrow we'll all be dying at placement. Kilimanjaro is incredible, every day I am amazed by the beauty of Tanzania. The hike was not at all like our we thought it would be, our surroundings looked like a rain forest and we were in the shade for almost the whole climb. There are different levels of vegetation, the first they call the rain forest, second is the heather forest and the third reminded me of Arizona with cactus looking plants and craters. (I don't remember what the third level was called.) Even as we got closer to Camp Marangu, our day hike destination, we were still mostly covered by shade. We ate lunch at the campground and then walked around the Maundi Crater. It's beautiful and at certain points you can see cities in Kenya.

Every once and a while on the climb we would cross porters who were running down the hill with huge loads on their heads and water barrels in their arms. It still amazes me that everyone can carry such large things on their heads, most do not even hold them. Even the children walk around with baskets on their heads.
If you are doing the full hike and staying at a camp ground, you need water barrels because the water point is about 30 minutes from each campsite.

On the way down, I pretended I was a porter (minus the luggage) and ran down a lot of it. Even without carrying anything, it is no easy task. You constantly have to be looking up and down, up so you don't crash into anyone or anything and down so you don't trip. There are ruts and stones everywhere and it's hard to get into a grove. Once you do it is very rewarding but there is a lot of bracing yourself...the porters put me to shame, they make it look so easy!

We had the perfect day for climbing, clear blue skies dotted with just the right amount of clouds. We had no rain our entire hike and it only started raining when we were leaving which was perfect because it cooled us down before our hour ride back to Moshi.

When we returned to Karanga, our CCS house, we had 2 new housemates, Christiane and Kelcey. Everyone was very sad to say goodbye to our housemate Sara who left last night but the new additions were very friendly. This morning at breakfast we met the other 4 housemates and everyone clicked. It's going to be a little hectic with over 20 bodies in the same house but it's a wonderful group of people.

Siku njema na Nawapenda (Good day, love you all!)

Sangria Soup

The Sangria in Zanzibar is so thick that it's like having a cup of fruit soup rather than actual sangria but... it's probably the best Sangria I've ever had the pineapples were delicious!

Zanzibar certainly was an adventure. The first adventure began Friday night when we landed and we found out that our friends luggage with all our liquids(ie sunscreen) had not come through because they had run out of room on the plane. (Let me give you a little insight into how airports work in Tanzania...you are more likely to get your luggage if you fly to 3 different cities rather than if you only fly to one, when you have connecting flights you have to get off and go through security twice just to get on the same plane you were just on, a small bag of chips costs about $5.)

Okay, so we figured we'll just buy sunscreen at the resort..no problem right. Wrong, a bottle of sunscreen costs 35$ and increases based on the level of SPF--the highest costing was about 50$, we opted for the $35. Well, I'll spare you the long version but the sunscreen didn't work and we all came home splotchy and fried.

I just had to vent a little...Zanzibar really was incredible. Friday night upon arrival at our resort we swam in the gorgeous blue-green ocean that feels like bath water. We took lots of pictures and celebrated the fact that we someplace so beautiful with a delicious buffet dinner and several drinks. (Did I mention that the resort was all inclusive?!)

Saturday we spent most of the day around the pool, looking out at the gorgeous ocean, swimming and enjoying some more cocktails from the swim-up bar. After we realized how burnt we were, we moved to the shade and continued enjoying the view. We had a fantastic dinner and ended the night with music, dancing and the sound of several birthday celebrations around the resort.

Sunday we woke up quite a different color from the day before but after some amazing omelettes and chocolate croissants we returned to our favorite spot on the beach and enjoyed our view for the last time. We checked out around noon and our tour guide took us to Stone Town.

Stone Town is impossible to describe...we thought we'd be able to navigate it alone but it's a maze of streets and buildings that all look similar. Our first stop was the old Slave market were we were taken down into the old cells and shown the conditions the slaves lived in. Let me just say that learning about slavery in history class desensitizes you to the term slave trade. After seeing the cells and hearing what people were put through, I will never think of the slave trade in the same way again. Slaves were kept in underground chambers for 2 to 3 days before entering the market. These chambers were designed to separate the strong from the weak. About half of the slaves never even made it to the market, they died of suffocation, starvation and various disease. The chambers would be uncomfortable for 10 men but they held 50. There was no light source no ventilation and the bathroom was a tiny alley in the center of the room that was only cleared when the ocean was high enough to bring water through and empty it.

After the market we visited a church whose center has a mark for where the actual whipping post used to stand. The church has a lot of history especially pertaining to the slave trade and those who stepped in to stop it. I wish I could remember more of it, but the hot Stone Town sun made my brain a little fried! (; One interesting thing is that the hold a Christian service every Sunday at 8AM in English...it\s mostly for tourists but that is still pretty cool! After visiting the Anglican Church, we walked around around and discovered new places. One of the most interesting things was seeing Freddie Mercury's old house. We also saw the house and grave of one of the leaders in the slave4 trade. He had a nickname something like tapa tat for the sound of the gun he would use to kill the weaker slaves. Very sad history but it was interesting to get a perspective other than what I have learned in history classes. One of the last stops was a famous hotel known for it's Sunset bar that looks out on the water, it is a popular hotel for tourists and celebrities. We didn't see it at sunset but I can't even imagine because the view in the middle of the day was breathtaking!

Tomorrow we are going to Arusha to visit a court there and see a hearing. The court was established in the 1990s after the second genocide in Rwanda, around 800,000 people were murdered, mostly Tutsi. Since it's creation, many of the leaders of political and radical groups responsible for the genocide have been persecuted and imprisoned. The trial we should see tomorrow is a criminal trial but I don't know it's nature.





Tutaonana Baddaye, Nawapenda

You had me at Mambo!

Mambo, mambo, mambo, poa, poa, poa are words I hear around me quite frequently. And if you're really serious...poa kichizi kama ndizi! (Mambo is a casual greeting that pretty much means how's everything, poa is cool and poa kichizi...is cool like a crazy banana!)

While my class only greets me with good morning teacher, this is the greeting I hear and use the most often. This is what I say to my fellow volunteers when we get up in the morning. This is how I greet the little kids in the street who wave and are fascinated my the mzungu (white person.) We greet the staff, our fellow placement teachers and most of the townspeople with Mambo.

The past weekend, when we went on our Safari, our chef David had a shirt that said: You had me at mambo and our group decided we all wanted one. We often thought David was cooking for a group of 15 rather than 6 but we somehow managed to finish most dishes (cocunut rice, pumpkin soup, several vegetable salads--just to name a few)

Today we our skipping our placements and going on a cultural learning tour. We are going to be hiking around and in the Chagga caves and to the Kilasiya Water Falls. After the water fall, we visiting the Chagga Market, a traditional Chagga house and the Chagga live museum. Previous volunteers who have already gone said it will be incredible.

I'm sorry I haven't posted any pictures yet, the connection is slow and they are hard to upload but I am going to try again before leaving for Zanzibar this weekend.

Just an FYI for some of you-- I am doing a ten week program in Tanzania with Cross Cultural Solutions. It's a really cool organization that strives to give you a unique cultural experience while you are also serving the community in some way. (It's the same group that Brittany went to Costa Rica with.)

Well, the bell is ringing so I must be off but I will post more after this weekend!

Kwaheri!

I'm good at sharing my life story with strangers...

Which is why within a few hours of being in Tanzania I had met 2 Germans, a French woman and several East Africans. They knew all about my exciting flight adventure and I knew a lot about their lives as well.

Even in the midst of all the flight craziness...I still had some remarkable luck. On my flight to Switzerland I shared my row with the very charming and amusing Joseph who offered me his shoulder to sleep on and ended up sleeping on mine. In Zurich when my boarding pass wouldn't scan and I was nowhere to be found in the system, two ladies let me get on my flight anyway. On my flight to Dar Es Salem, I shared my row with Hussien who helped me practice my Swahili and got me somewhat caught up on Tanzanian culture. And in Dar Es Salem when I thought I was about to freak out because I was alone in a foreign country, I met two said Germans who let me share my life story with them.

Tanzania is an incredible country, I think all the volunteers would agree that we are amazed every day. We are amazed by our placements, the people there are so friendly and their English is incredible. We are amazed by the people in our community, Tanzanians are very laid back and everyone is very welcoming. We are amazed by the beauty around us, the views of Mt. Kilimanjaro, the mango and avocado trees, the rich brown dirt.

I've only been in Moshi for a week but in some ways it feels like a lifetime, the community is so welcoming and I feel very comfortable. The hardest thing has been learning the language and getting used to cultural norms. For example, greetings are very important  and there are several ways you can greet someone: Shikamoo, Habari, Jambo, Mambo....etc. There are certain greetings for elders and ones that are less formal. Sometimes it feels as if everything is swimming around in my head. You think you'll be able to answer the most basic question and yet when you are greeted you freeze. However, everyone you meet is very accommodating and helps you practice your Swahili.

At my placement, Step-Up Learning Center, I work with 3-4 year olds. I am amazed by the English they speak and their eagerness to learn. Schools and classes are very different in Tanzania though, like the people, everything is laid back. I never know what to expect. Some days I go in and only teach for 10 minutes out of the 3 and a half hours I am there. Other days, I teach for the majority of the time. We play games, sing songs, and do a lot of repetition. One of my favorite things is that all the students call me teacher. When I walk in "Good Morning Teacher," When I ask a question, "Yes Teacher," etc. I can hear the chanting in my head. One of the hardest things to see is corporal punishment, it is not uncommon for a teacher to hit the child with a ruler or their hand. Although I was prepared for a lot worse, it still shocks me when  I see it. Most of the volunteers are  trying to work with their placements to implement time outs and other punishments as opposed to hitting. (9 out of 13 of the people that live with me are at schools. )

My home, Karanga house, is beautiful. Every morning I have a view of Kilimanjaro off the balcony. I am usually awakened by the sounds of dogs, monkeys and sometimes a rooster. There are flowers and plants everywhere, sometimes when I walk around our back yard, I feel like I'm in a rain forest. We have avocado trees and mango trees so they are incorporated into almost every meal. Kaka Primo (brother Primo) our chef makes amazing soups: leek pumpkin, banana. We've had banana fritters, chicken, spicy pasta, guacamole, green beans and peppers...and the list goes on and on. Today we told Primo that we'd like to try mango fritters or pineapple fritters so we'll probably have them at a meal tomorrow. Don't ever come to Tanzania if you want to enjoy American fruit...I'll never look at a mango, pineapple or banana the same way again.


This weekend six of us went on a safari and again, being amazed was something we all agreed on. We saw thousands of zebras, wart hogs, impalas and wildebeests. We also saw several lions, hippos, rhinos, flamingos, elephants and giraffes. One of the coolest things was when we were at the bottom of our crater on the first day of the safari and the lions would come up to the jeeps and sleep in their shade. I was less than 20 feet away from several female lions, about 15 feet away from a mama and baby elephant and less than 100 away from many of the other animals. 



On the way back from the Safari we stopped at a Maasai village. The Maasai are a semi nomadic tribe in Tanzania that go back and forth between 2 villages every six months. They do not eat any plants, nor do they do any farming. They have a steady diet of milk, meat and blood. The Maasai, like many other tribes, make beautiful jewelry and painting. After meeting the Maasai, visiting with them inside their homes and dancing with them, we did some shopping. Although there are several people in the tribe with various artistic abilities, any profit from their craft is shared for the good of the tribe.


Well friends, I hope this gives you some insight into my life in Moshi...I will try to post once or twice a week to keep you all updated.

Tutaonana baadaye na nawapenda. (See you later, I love you all)