I'm home.
It feels so strange to say those words. After spending three weeks in a third world country, a country that makes up 7% of the entire world hiv/aids population, in a district where 4 out of 5 individuals aged 25-35 will die of the disease, I am back home, in my comfortable house, in my comfortable clothes, just waking up out of my comfortable bed.
Bittersweet isn't the word, but it's the first word that comes to mind.
I don't want to make it sound like I am ungrateful or unhappy to be home. If anything, my trip to Bagamoyo has taught me so much about being appreciative about all that I have; my family, my friends, my material belongings... everything. In March, when I decided I wanted to go on this crazy adventure, I admit now that I initially wanted to go for the wrong reasons. I felt trapped in a life that I didn't think I was experiencing to the fullest. I was struggling with relationship problems of every kind, and as I made the final decision to somehow raise the money to go to Africa, I honestly wasn't thinking of the good that I would be doing. I was thinking of an escape route out of what I considered to be a horrible life.
But as the months passed and my time became consumed with working out the details of the trip, the fact that I was actually leaving for three weeks to volunteer was no longer lost on me. I became as educated as I could about the program I was going with and the area I would be staying in. Before long, I realized that this trip didn't have to be a way for me to run away from my personal demons; it could be a way of facing them. With donations from everyone ranging from family to total strangers, this trip became something bigger than just myself; it became about everyone who even remotely decided to support me, financially, emotionally, or otherwise. It became obvious to me that no matter what I did on my trip, I would learn more about myself and become a stronger person, but what I really wanted to do was make everyone at home proud of me; I wanted to take a part of each and every one of you along for the ride.
It was important for all of the volunteers at the CCS house to reflect Americans (and in some cases, Canadians) in a positive light. We knew that different countries had conflicting views of the kind of people Americans were, and we really felt it was our job to make sure that we left the Tanzanian people with a positive image of the kind of people living back in our country. All 47 volunteers were there representing their supporters; I was there representing you.
Although I have tried to keep this blog updated as often as possible with as much detail as possible, it was simply impossible to fill you guys in on everything I was doing, experiencing, and feeling. It seemed that, with every breath I took in Bagamoyo, there was something to be learned, and the lessons I have taken home are truly innumerable. Even when I was struggling with random illnesses- from food poisoning to culture shock- I wouldn't change my experiences for a second.
I have gained an entirely new outlook on my life. My perspective has been drastically changed as I have learned so much about human nature and the strength of the human spirit. I have become more open minded as I have learned about different cultures and religions. A part of me has adopted Tanzania's laid back, calm attitude: hakunah matata.
I have learned that always seeing your glass as half empty is no way to live your life. Dwelling on petty, insignificant problems is a waste of time, energy, and a perfectly good day. I have learned that you can't control others, and you should never, ever, let them control you.
I remember the first lesson I learned on my trip, I realized on my plane ride there: Things are never exactly as they seem. As I have admitted, my original intentions for taking this trip were to pack up and run away, without dealing with any of my problems. In the end, though, I feel like this trip is the first thing I have actually had the courage to push myself to do on my own. If you asked me a year ago whether I could ever see myself in Africa, my answer would be a definite no. But now, not only have I gone to Africa, I have every intention of going back, and continuing with volunteer work all over the world.
I never could have imagined the great effect this trip would have on me. Not only do I feel as though I have confronted the demons I tried so hard to avoid, but in the process, I found something I am truly, completely, one hundred percent passionate about. I can only move forward in my life from this point, and I am using this experience as a jumping off point for my future. The second I returned home I knew what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. My goal now, after I graduate, is to continue schooling to receive my master's degree in either international business or human rights & social justice. I will do everything I can to continue my life on this path.
I want to thank you all again for your donations and support that got to me to and through this trip. You have all done so much more than gotten me to Tanzania for three weeks; you have helped me find what I truly believe it my calling, and I will be forever thankful.
Africa is just the beginning.
[And of course, I haven't forgotten about the pictures! I have uploaded them at: http://www.photobucket.com/kozonasky ]
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Friday, June 13, 2008
WELLLL hello.
This will be my last post before I leave for home tomorrow. Glad im not flying today, since its FRIDAY the 13TH. yikes.
Picking up where I left off in the last post- in Zanzibar, while we were in stonetown- before we left for bagamoyo, we went to eat at mercury's.... freddie mercury's restaurant. it was really cool! right on the water, it was beautiful, and there were pictures of him all over- freddie was a total fox. our menus had his biography on the front page! ha. We took the ferry home after that, which was interesting. Sarah, Casey and I sat outside on the top of the ferry, and we sat next to a man who works for the UN in human trafficking. It was really interesting- He is here for a conference to establish a solid definition of what human trafficking is, because different countries have different ideas.... we got into talking about what people in america believe it means, and we described it as individuals being taken against their will and sold for profit to participate in activities like sex slavery and child labor. he seemed to take our opinions to heart, which was nice.
We got back to bagamoyo, and nothing too exciting really happened until wendesday- we went to a crocodile farm. GUESS WHAT I DID WHEN I GOT THERE!!!! held a crocodile. It was a baby one, about the size of my arm, but it was so cool! everybody else was freaking out and I was dared to hold it so everyone else could touch it while i restrained it.... i would have done that even if it wasnt a dare. i got pictures! the crocodiles there were HUGE- they looked fake, it was crazy. There was also a random horse there, too, apparently it was the owner of the crocodile farm's... it was the first horse ive seen since ive been here, which i thought was strange. but i spent most of my time playing with the horse than i did paying attention to the crocodiles! after i held one, of course.
Another cool thing about Bagamoyo I keep forgetting the mention is the huge muslim population- 95%. since ive gotten here, ive noticed telephone poles around the village with megaphones at the end of them... and every day, about 5 times a day, there is this bizarre moaning/singing being emitted from the speakers. its really creepy! we had no idea what it was or what it meant, but we found out that it is a muslim calling for prayer time, so the community knows when to bend down and pray. i dunno, thought that was interresting.
another weird thing here is the peoples relationships with animals. there is a lot of animal abuse here, especially among dogs. it has been so sad to see... people beat them and avoid them and are petrified of them, and wont let them come near them.. none of us americans understood why, since they are such great pets at home. the women at my placement explained to me why they are hated so much here though, again having to do with muslim/islam... if a dog comes near, touches, or licks a muslim, that individual is not allowed to pray, and is considered doomed to hell. so technically, dogs are against their religion. they are allowed to keep them as gaurd dogs- my placement apparently had 5, which i found out the hard way one day, ha- but they are not allowed in a house or really around people.
today was my last day of placement, and i am not going to lie, i cried. it was so hard to say goodbye to the woman i have been working with the past three weeks... they are the sweetest women, and they have taught me so much about africa, tanzania, and islam in general. they have opened my eyes to so much, and i will never forget them... it seems unfair that i only taught them batik and some english, compared to all i have learned from them. as a going away gift, they bought me two conga's today to wear around my body and head. they both have traditional swahili writing on them... one says, "the work of god is no mistake" and the other says "best wishes to you". im getting teary eyes just thinking about it.
i also finished getting everyones presents! i HOPE i got everyone covered, ha. everything i got it totally original, traditional stuff- nothing touristy... i did it because i felt like this way, people can have part of a country with them, not just a memory of a trip they didnt go on.
one last cool thing i did was get a necklace made out of a tanzanian coin. this was a mess to do because its technically illegal, since it required drilling a hold in the center of 200 shillings (roughly 18 american cents) to put on a necklace. obviously this is defacing government property, which is a huge no no anywhere you live. im not allowed to wear it here, but i cant wait to put it on back in the states. it has cool lions on it! so much better than american coins.
well, i guess this is my sign off until im back home on sunday. thank you so much for following my travels here! i have so many more stories to tell with the pictures i post when i get back... and trust me, there are a lot of them... so hang in there a few more days, and you will be able to see everything i have been experiencing the past few weeks!
miss you all.
This will be my last post before I leave for home tomorrow. Glad im not flying today, since its FRIDAY the 13TH. yikes.
Picking up where I left off in the last post- in Zanzibar, while we were in stonetown- before we left for bagamoyo, we went to eat at mercury's.... freddie mercury's restaurant. it was really cool! right on the water, it was beautiful, and there were pictures of him all over- freddie was a total fox. our menus had his biography on the front page! ha. We took the ferry home after that, which was interesting. Sarah, Casey and I sat outside on the top of the ferry, and we sat next to a man who works for the UN in human trafficking. It was really interesting- He is here for a conference to establish a solid definition of what human trafficking is, because different countries have different ideas.... we got into talking about what people in america believe it means, and we described it as individuals being taken against their will and sold for profit to participate in activities like sex slavery and child labor. he seemed to take our opinions to heart, which was nice.
We got back to bagamoyo, and nothing too exciting really happened until wendesday- we went to a crocodile farm. GUESS WHAT I DID WHEN I GOT THERE!!!! held a crocodile. It was a baby one, about the size of my arm, but it was so cool! everybody else was freaking out and I was dared to hold it so everyone else could touch it while i restrained it.... i would have done that even if it wasnt a dare. i got pictures! the crocodiles there were HUGE- they looked fake, it was crazy. There was also a random horse there, too, apparently it was the owner of the crocodile farm's... it was the first horse ive seen since ive been here, which i thought was strange. but i spent most of my time playing with the horse than i did paying attention to the crocodiles! after i held one, of course.
Another cool thing about Bagamoyo I keep forgetting the mention is the huge muslim population- 95%. since ive gotten here, ive noticed telephone poles around the village with megaphones at the end of them... and every day, about 5 times a day, there is this bizarre moaning/singing being emitted from the speakers. its really creepy! we had no idea what it was or what it meant, but we found out that it is a muslim calling for prayer time, so the community knows when to bend down and pray. i dunno, thought that was interresting.
another weird thing here is the peoples relationships with animals. there is a lot of animal abuse here, especially among dogs. it has been so sad to see... people beat them and avoid them and are petrified of them, and wont let them come near them.. none of us americans understood why, since they are such great pets at home. the women at my placement explained to me why they are hated so much here though, again having to do with muslim/islam... if a dog comes near, touches, or licks a muslim, that individual is not allowed to pray, and is considered doomed to hell. so technically, dogs are against their religion. they are allowed to keep them as gaurd dogs- my placement apparently had 5, which i found out the hard way one day, ha- but they are not allowed in a house or really around people.
today was my last day of placement, and i am not going to lie, i cried. it was so hard to say goodbye to the woman i have been working with the past three weeks... they are the sweetest women, and they have taught me so much about africa, tanzania, and islam in general. they have opened my eyes to so much, and i will never forget them... it seems unfair that i only taught them batik and some english, compared to all i have learned from them. as a going away gift, they bought me two conga's today to wear around my body and head. they both have traditional swahili writing on them... one says, "the work of god is no mistake" and the other says "best wishes to you". im getting teary eyes just thinking about it.
i also finished getting everyones presents! i HOPE i got everyone covered, ha. everything i got it totally original, traditional stuff- nothing touristy... i did it because i felt like this way, people can have part of a country with them, not just a memory of a trip they didnt go on.
one last cool thing i did was get a necklace made out of a tanzanian coin. this was a mess to do because its technically illegal, since it required drilling a hold in the center of 200 shillings (roughly 18 american cents) to put on a necklace. obviously this is defacing government property, which is a huge no no anywhere you live. im not allowed to wear it here, but i cant wait to put it on back in the states. it has cool lions on it! so much better than american coins.
well, i guess this is my sign off until im back home on sunday. thank you so much for following my travels here! i have so many more stories to tell with the pictures i post when i get back... and trust me, there are a lot of them... so hang in there a few more days, and you will be able to see everything i have been experiencing the past few weeks!
miss you all.
Monday, June 9, 2008
So much to say!
Well I am back in Bagamoyo and feeling better- so I want to take this opportunity to say more about cultural stuff here, because despite my bad luck with getting sick, I am having the time of my life.
One of the more interesting things I have experienced first hand is mob justice- something i briefly learned about here before i came, but got the chance to see the other day. A few nights ago, before Zanzibar, us girls were sitting outside at night, probably around 730, inside out home base just talking. All of the sudden, we heard this massive ROAR of people coming from outside the gate; it was ridiculous. at first it just sounded strictly like shouting, but as we ran outside our protective gates to see what the fuss was, we realized that at LEAST 150 people were running down the road with torches and spears, screaming "THIEF!" Our Tanzanian security gaurd explained that this often happens in bagamoyo when there is a crime; when something happens and a citizen witnesses it, he has to scream to get others attention to catch the criminal themselves, because police are not affective here. So apparently, a man stole from a local store and they were literally chasing him out of the town to kill him! Ridiculous, I can't believe I experienced it... I tried to take a picture but it was too dark, unfortunately. It was definitley a sight to see.
And now for a better update than what I said earlier about my trip to Zanzibar- Once my Friday night of hell was over, the rest of the weekend went very smoothly. Saturday like I think i said, was just spent on the beach relaxing and looking around local shops. I was able to get a HUGE(seriously, its like three feet long), AWESOME painting of giraffes for my apartment for only 25,000 shillings, or about 23 dollars us- bargained down from 100! For some reason, I'm awesome at bargaining here, so all of my friends have me go with them whenever they shop to get them better prices on things, ha.
Sunday we left for home, but before we left we went on a tour of stone town, which has a lot of history. As you guys may or may not know- Bagamoyo and Zanzibar are famous for their role in slave trade- it was a huge spot for middle eastern countries, and some of america, to buy slaves. We were able to take a tour inside of what is now a church, but what used to be where the slaves were kept before they went to market. And let me just say, wow. I cried hearing the history of the place and seeing everything for myself. Apparently, before the slaves were sold, their prices were established by severe whippings- the market workers would whip all of the slaves for hours, and the less the slaves reacted, the more they were worth when they were sold, so if they showed pain or cried at all, their prices significantly dropped and their risk of being killed increased. Children were decapitated in this place... honestly, I have never heard anything like the stories the tourguide told us. He also explained how intermarrying between slaves was strictly forbidden, as well as producing children--- so a lot of the time the men were crudely castrated to prevent any 'accidents.' Women were made into sex slaves for their owners, and so on. We were taken to the basement next to see where slaves were kept, and it was too much to mentally take in. It was a concrete room with two bizarre slabs of concrete for beds, no bigger than a small bathroom at home--- and this room housed 75 to 125 slaves all at once, at any given time. The window they had was no more than a 3 inch hole in the wall. There was another room the same way. Hanging from the ceilings were the chains used to restrain 'bad' slaves, and they were also used to whip them. You could still see blood stains on the concrete.. it was horrifying. It really hit me, because this didn't happen that long ago at all... and America took part in it. I still cant get over it. I dont think I ever will.
On a lighter note, I was able to get more gifts to bring home to friends and family. I am especially excited now about my Aunt [Barbara's] present. I am having it specially made, and I can't wait to see how it turns out. I really hope she likes it! If she doesn't, I'll totally take it, ha.
I should probably also mention I got ridiciulous sunburn on my legs and they look like they are tye dyed because of how i applied sunscreen. oops.
My placement has been going pretty well, I have been steadily teaching the women a mixture of english and batik with the help of Pascall. Today was unfortunately different, because Pascall's brother in law died. Death is a very serious subject [obviously] here, but they take it very hard and extreme. Since she had to deal with making arrangements, I was left with the women. It turned out to be a lot of fun. I took their picture and the women (all muslim) took the scarf i was wearing around my neck from zanzibar and wrapped it around my head and neck in the traditional islamic way. It was interrestin... I have pictures, ha. It was interreesting to hear the womens storys- One woman is 30 years old and has 6 children already! Crazy.
My internet time is up so even though I didn't get to say everything I wanted to I have to stop here... sorry. Miss you all!
One of the more interesting things I have experienced first hand is mob justice- something i briefly learned about here before i came, but got the chance to see the other day. A few nights ago, before Zanzibar, us girls were sitting outside at night, probably around 730, inside out home base just talking. All of the sudden, we heard this massive ROAR of people coming from outside the gate; it was ridiculous. at first it just sounded strictly like shouting, but as we ran outside our protective gates to see what the fuss was, we realized that at LEAST 150 people were running down the road with torches and spears, screaming "THIEF!" Our Tanzanian security gaurd explained that this often happens in bagamoyo when there is a crime; when something happens and a citizen witnesses it, he has to scream to get others attention to catch the criminal themselves, because police are not affective here. So apparently, a man stole from a local store and they were literally chasing him out of the town to kill him! Ridiculous, I can't believe I experienced it... I tried to take a picture but it was too dark, unfortunately. It was definitley a sight to see.
And now for a better update than what I said earlier about my trip to Zanzibar- Once my Friday night of hell was over, the rest of the weekend went very smoothly. Saturday like I think i said, was just spent on the beach relaxing and looking around local shops. I was able to get a HUGE(seriously, its like three feet long), AWESOME painting of giraffes for my apartment for only 25,000 shillings, or about 23 dollars us- bargained down from 100! For some reason, I'm awesome at bargaining here, so all of my friends have me go with them whenever they shop to get them better prices on things, ha.
Sunday we left for home, but before we left we went on a tour of stone town, which has a lot of history. As you guys may or may not know- Bagamoyo and Zanzibar are famous for their role in slave trade- it was a huge spot for middle eastern countries, and some of america, to buy slaves. We were able to take a tour inside of what is now a church, but what used to be where the slaves were kept before they went to market. And let me just say, wow. I cried hearing the history of the place and seeing everything for myself. Apparently, before the slaves were sold, their prices were established by severe whippings- the market workers would whip all of the slaves for hours, and the less the slaves reacted, the more they were worth when they were sold, so if they showed pain or cried at all, their prices significantly dropped and their risk of being killed increased. Children were decapitated in this place... honestly, I have never heard anything like the stories the tourguide told us. He also explained how intermarrying between slaves was strictly forbidden, as well as producing children--- so a lot of the time the men were crudely castrated to prevent any 'accidents.' Women were made into sex slaves for their owners, and so on. We were taken to the basement next to see where slaves were kept, and it was too much to mentally take in. It was a concrete room with two bizarre slabs of concrete for beds, no bigger than a small bathroom at home--- and this room housed 75 to 125 slaves all at once, at any given time. The window they had was no more than a 3 inch hole in the wall. There was another room the same way. Hanging from the ceilings were the chains used to restrain 'bad' slaves, and they were also used to whip them. You could still see blood stains on the concrete.. it was horrifying. It really hit me, because this didn't happen that long ago at all... and America took part in it. I still cant get over it. I dont think I ever will.
On a lighter note, I was able to get more gifts to bring home to friends and family. I am especially excited now about my Aunt [Barbara's] present. I am having it specially made, and I can't wait to see how it turns out. I really hope she likes it! If she doesn't, I'll totally take it, ha.
I should probably also mention I got ridiciulous sunburn on my legs and they look like they are tye dyed because of how i applied sunscreen. oops.
My placement has been going pretty well, I have been steadily teaching the women a mixture of english and batik with the help of Pascall. Today was unfortunately different, because Pascall's brother in law died. Death is a very serious subject [obviously] here, but they take it very hard and extreme. Since she had to deal with making arrangements, I was left with the women. It turned out to be a lot of fun. I took their picture and the women (all muslim) took the scarf i was wearing around my neck from zanzibar and wrapped it around my head and neck in the traditional islamic way. It was interrestin... I have pictures, ha. It was interreesting to hear the womens storys- One woman is 30 years old and has 6 children already! Crazy.
My internet time is up so even though I didn't get to say everything I wanted to I have to stop here... sorry. Miss you all!
Saturday, June 7, 2008
WOW
NEVER thought id say this... but i want to go home.
i had a little break down last night. again, i have to make this quick because im at an internet cafe and i only have 12 minutes left, but i wanted to contact home because ive been freaking out. i am in zanzibar for the weekend, we arrived on thursday night (after our dala dala, which is the bus, to the ferry broke down, and after the ferry guy wouldnt let us on because he thought our passports were fake and we had to convince him to let us on) and before i go into my drama let me start out by saying this place is BEAUTIFUL- think of cancun but ten times better, with less people and less commercial. the water is crystal clear and its warm and the hotel is very nice, despite the fact that our TOILET has been BROKEN since we got here.
we decided to come here this weekend as a celbration for casey's, my friend and fellow volunteers, 22nd birthday. last night we drank and im not sure exactly what happened- but from my reaction, we think someone slipped something in my drink. all of the sudden in the middle of the night, i couldn't breathe, i literally couldnt take in air... and my body felt really heavy and i was leaning on a chair to support my weight because i couldnt keep myself up. i ended up getting sick A LOT, it was so terrifying... i kept blacking out when i went back to my room and waking up and crying hysterically wanting to go home. i feel better today, but im extremely dehydrated and my stomache is still crazy so im glad to be going back to home base tomorrow.
i am having a lot of fun but being here is extremely hard. it has made me realize i take so many things for granted back at home. its difficult to be in a place, a third world country, and stay strong... for as many wonderful things we have all seen and experienced, we have seen twice as much terrible things and poverty. its a lot to take in, especially with getting sick (and im not the only one who has been having health problems here).
im sorry this post isnt very excited but im just really homesick right now. tomorrow we go on a tour of stone town, and we are going to try to go to mercurys,which is freddie mercury's restaurant here in zanzibar. we dont know if it will be open though, since there has been an island wide power outage for the past three weeks, so things are all working on generators including our hotel... the power goes out from 12 midnight til 9 am, and 3-6 in the afternoon. its crazy! none of the island has any power at these times, and they dont espect to get full power, meaning not powered by generators, for at least 20 days. i cant imagine that happening in america.
ok, love you all, gotta run back to the girls. hope youre all having a good weekend!
i had a little break down last night. again, i have to make this quick because im at an internet cafe and i only have 12 minutes left, but i wanted to contact home because ive been freaking out. i am in zanzibar for the weekend, we arrived on thursday night (after our dala dala, which is the bus, to the ferry broke down, and after the ferry guy wouldnt let us on because he thought our passports were fake and we had to convince him to let us on) and before i go into my drama let me start out by saying this place is BEAUTIFUL- think of cancun but ten times better, with less people and less commercial. the water is crystal clear and its warm and the hotel is very nice, despite the fact that our TOILET has been BROKEN since we got here.
we decided to come here this weekend as a celbration for casey's, my friend and fellow volunteers, 22nd birthday. last night we drank and im not sure exactly what happened- but from my reaction, we think someone slipped something in my drink. all of the sudden in the middle of the night, i couldn't breathe, i literally couldnt take in air... and my body felt really heavy and i was leaning on a chair to support my weight because i couldnt keep myself up. i ended up getting sick A LOT, it was so terrifying... i kept blacking out when i went back to my room and waking up and crying hysterically wanting to go home. i feel better today, but im extremely dehydrated and my stomache is still crazy so im glad to be going back to home base tomorrow.
i am having a lot of fun but being here is extremely hard. it has made me realize i take so many things for granted back at home. its difficult to be in a place, a third world country, and stay strong... for as many wonderful things we have all seen and experienced, we have seen twice as much terrible things and poverty. its a lot to take in, especially with getting sick (and im not the only one who has been having health problems here).
im sorry this post isnt very excited but im just really homesick right now. tomorrow we go on a tour of stone town, and we are going to try to go to mercurys,which is freddie mercury's restaurant here in zanzibar. we dont know if it will be open though, since there has been an island wide power outage for the past three weeks, so things are all working on generators including our hotel... the power goes out from 12 midnight til 9 am, and 3-6 in the afternoon. its crazy! none of the island has any power at these times, and they dont espect to get full power, meaning not powered by generators, for at least 20 days. i cant imagine that happening in america.
ok, love you all, gotta run back to the girls. hope youre all having a good weekend!
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Hiii
Cant talk for long--- wh is it im always updating when i have little time? but i am feeling a lot better today, thank god.
today was very interesting... at my placement i had to teach batik to four women who did not speak a word of english.... i should probably mention i had to teach them IN SWAHILI! Pascall, one of my mentor's, gave me a booklet of like ten handwritten pages of notes in swahili that i had to learn in english so i could teach the women in ten minutes. obviously this didnt work! so i literally took the note pages and copied the swahili onto the blackboard... it was interesting, but the women were all really nice and wuold laugh at me when i would make a spelling mistake (Pascalls notes were hard to read)... i guess its a lie when i say the women didnt speak english, because they DID ask me several times if i was married... they were extremely disappointed when i told them no, ha. but after teaching for like 3 hours i went back to the home base, and from there we went to a traditional healer!
he was so cool- really old, but very interesting. he was telling us via a translator what it takes to be a traditional healer.. they write nothing down, all of the medicene combinations, etc are in their head... and they treat everything! even bad spirits, which they talked a lot about. he told us he has been a healer for 50 years! he has three wives and 12 children... how nuts is that? we had to take our shoes off when we went into the healers house but it was filthy- so i kind of cringed a little when i took my shoes off, and one of my program manager's kept asking if i was frightened, haha. i took some pictures, the medicenes were awesome- he showed us what he gives to women to treat menstral cramps and diahrea, and a brush made out of mule hair to fight away bad spirits- and everything was made out of tree and plant roots! apparently the healers spend months in the forest, which i thought was interesting.
after that i went with a few of the girls down to th ebeach where there is a street filled with art shops, and we hung out with the rastas there. ive made friends with them in the beginning of my trip, they are a lot of fun! always saying hakunah matata, haha. i met a new guy, i cant spell his name, but im pretty sure hes in love with me... becasue he told me he was in love with me. i talked to him for about a half hour, and then we shopped and talked to the others for awhile now... another rasta is going to teach me how to carve ebony wood to make a figurine/sculpture next week, and another is teaching nikki how to paint, so we are coming back when get back from zanzibar, which we leave for on thursday.
OK, gotta go. talk to you later!
today was very interesting... at my placement i had to teach batik to four women who did not speak a word of english.... i should probably mention i had to teach them IN SWAHILI! Pascall, one of my mentor's, gave me a booklet of like ten handwritten pages of notes in swahili that i had to learn in english so i could teach the women in ten minutes. obviously this didnt work! so i literally took the note pages and copied the swahili onto the blackboard... it was interesting, but the women were all really nice and wuold laugh at me when i would make a spelling mistake (Pascalls notes were hard to read)... i guess its a lie when i say the women didnt speak english, because they DID ask me several times if i was married... they were extremely disappointed when i told them no, ha. but after teaching for like 3 hours i went back to the home base, and from there we went to a traditional healer!
he was so cool- really old, but very interesting. he was telling us via a translator what it takes to be a traditional healer.. they write nothing down, all of the medicene combinations, etc are in their head... and they treat everything! even bad spirits, which they talked a lot about. he told us he has been a healer for 50 years! he has three wives and 12 children... how nuts is that? we had to take our shoes off when we went into the healers house but it was filthy- so i kind of cringed a little when i took my shoes off, and one of my program manager's kept asking if i was frightened, haha. i took some pictures, the medicenes were awesome- he showed us what he gives to women to treat menstral cramps and diahrea, and a brush made out of mule hair to fight away bad spirits- and everything was made out of tree and plant roots! apparently the healers spend months in the forest, which i thought was interesting.
after that i went with a few of the girls down to th ebeach where there is a street filled with art shops, and we hung out with the rastas there. ive made friends with them in the beginning of my trip, they are a lot of fun! always saying hakunah matata, haha. i met a new guy, i cant spell his name, but im pretty sure hes in love with me... becasue he told me he was in love with me. i talked to him for about a half hour, and then we shopped and talked to the others for awhile now... another rasta is going to teach me how to carve ebony wood to make a figurine/sculpture next week, and another is teaching nikki how to paint, so we are coming back when get back from zanzibar, which we leave for on thursday.
OK, gotta go. talk to you later!
Monday, June 2, 2008
Yikesss
I have to make this quick because I don't have much time left in the internet cafe, but ill try to make it quick:
this weekend was awesome. we went on safari and we saw SO MUCH! TONS of elephants, impalas, baboons (who were constantly humping, i have awesome pictures, ha) and their adorable babies, zebras, giraffes, buffalos (um, one had a stand off with our van, it was terrifying), warthogs, wildabeasts, hippos, crocodiles... just about everything! we saw a lion once, but it was late at night when we saw it, so we couldn't get a good look at it since it was dark. words cant describe how amazing it was- we literally could touch the animals, thats how close they were to us- but i took lots of pictures, which ill upload as soon as i can.
i also want to mention that i got my grandmother her present from the safari gift shop, which is awesome, and i got THE BEST PRESENT ever for my sister. i dont want to mention waht it is because she reads this but im so excited to give it to her, i cant wait. ill be shopping for everyone elses presents this week!
the only bad part about this weekend was that i got food poisioning yesterday (this is probably going to be a disgusting paragraph, so im warning you in advance). the food is good here, but its really hard to digest- not to get graphic, but i havent gone to the bathroom since last wednesday, which is not healthy AT ALL. my stomach has been in absolute knots, and its extremely hard to the touch, which is scary considering im not exactly known for my tight body, ha. at lunch at the safari yesterday we all had pizza, which was a horrible choice because it made all of my symptoms a hundred times worse- and right after that, we had to pile into the small van to drive 8 hours (yeah, the drive was 8 hours, not 4... not pleasant) so that didnt exactly help either. i talked to my program manager and shes afraid that my body is poisoning itself, so im going to take a laxative tonight to see if i can feel any better tomorrow. gross, i know, sorry, but its hard for me to move, thats how much pain im in- so i couldnt just not mention it. dont freak out anyone, im okay, im not dying of malaria, i just... want to go to the bathroom. BAD.
other than that, i dont know what to talk about! today we have batik lessons which is painting with wax on fabric, but since im already doing that at my placement along with teaching marketing, it might be a little dull, but itll be cool to do it with my friends this time. okay, my minds drawing a blank so im gonna go. byeeee!
this weekend was awesome. we went on safari and we saw SO MUCH! TONS of elephants, impalas, baboons (who were constantly humping, i have awesome pictures, ha) and their adorable babies, zebras, giraffes, buffalos (um, one had a stand off with our van, it was terrifying), warthogs, wildabeasts, hippos, crocodiles... just about everything! we saw a lion once, but it was late at night when we saw it, so we couldn't get a good look at it since it was dark. words cant describe how amazing it was- we literally could touch the animals, thats how close they were to us- but i took lots of pictures, which ill upload as soon as i can.
i also want to mention that i got my grandmother her present from the safari gift shop, which is awesome, and i got THE BEST PRESENT ever for my sister. i dont want to mention waht it is because she reads this but im so excited to give it to her, i cant wait. ill be shopping for everyone elses presents this week!
the only bad part about this weekend was that i got food poisioning yesterday (this is probably going to be a disgusting paragraph, so im warning you in advance). the food is good here, but its really hard to digest- not to get graphic, but i havent gone to the bathroom since last wednesday, which is not healthy AT ALL. my stomach has been in absolute knots, and its extremely hard to the touch, which is scary considering im not exactly known for my tight body, ha. at lunch at the safari yesterday we all had pizza, which was a horrible choice because it made all of my symptoms a hundred times worse- and right after that, we had to pile into the small van to drive 8 hours (yeah, the drive was 8 hours, not 4... not pleasant) so that didnt exactly help either. i talked to my program manager and shes afraid that my body is poisoning itself, so im going to take a laxative tonight to see if i can feel any better tomorrow. gross, i know, sorry, but its hard for me to move, thats how much pain im in- so i couldnt just not mention it. dont freak out anyone, im okay, im not dying of malaria, i just... want to go to the bathroom. BAD.
other than that, i dont know what to talk about! today we have batik lessons which is painting with wax on fabric, but since im already doing that at my placement along with teaching marketing, it might be a little dull, but itll be cool to do it with my friends this time. okay, my minds drawing a blank so im gonna go. byeeee!
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