My Journey to Tanzania Africa: Zanzibar

Zanzibar - quite the place! It confirmed some of my thoughts before going but I also changes many after being there 4 days. My initial thought was that it was going to be a beautiful island with very conservative people and ideals. What I didn't expect was there to be soo many tourists! Which really shouldn't have surprised me because I have been the typical tourist to an island a few times. I guess what it was was probably the fact that Dar dose not have many and so therefore I was use to being the only white person around and not catered too. In Zanzibar the tourist industry is very dominate and noticeable. The food was not anything local, they were hundreds of tourist shops everywhere that didn't bargain prices...it was weird. Not what I have gotten use to living in Dar. At the same time the island and its people are very beautiful.

The first day we got there we meet up with some students in there 4th year of secondary school (there are 6 years). They should us around their school and stone town in Zanzibar. It was great to be able to converse with them and talk about their dreams and way of seeing things. It was also fun to have them asking us questions and trying to explain why I am not married, but 22. This is very difficult to explain...especially because woman are not looked at being independent and especially unmarried in their twenties. That means that there is a reason why I haven't been married and it is not because I choose too. I have had this conversation twice since I have been here and it is even harder explaining it to girls then boys!

Later that day we got to our hotel we where staying at and it was very nice! It was right on the beach! I got up in the morning and watched the sunrise and went for a run on the beach with some of the boys. That was fun and felt good because I am not getting the opportunity to workout much! Friday we went to a spice farm. That was really interesting and fun. We all tried to guess the different spices and most of the time we were wrong. They village made us Zanzibar king and queen palm garb! We also got to try all the fruit grown on the farm! We even had a local family cook us lunch! It was delicious!

Saturday we went to a village, the size of Sidney MT (6000 people). It was very interesting to hear how they work together and tourism is affecting them. It was also weird to compare this town to my home town. Similar and different in so many ways! This village is right on the beach and their main source of income is seaweed farming. We where suppose to help them bring in a harvest but the tide didn't get low enough so we where unable. On the other hand we where then able to stumble upon this man working on his home. He struck up a conversation and we learned that is a well renowned medicine man on the island! It was amazing to listen to (translated) his stories.

Friday night we went to the Zanzibar music festival. That was an interesting experience to say the lest. It was sad to think that this was the only experience of Tanzanian/Africa some people will ever get! There where rasta boys (what people think of when they think African - dreads, pot, free, earthy, etc). All they were there for has the white European and American girls. It was kind of disgusting! The music was fun and a cultural experience in its self. The night we where there there was a woman's group from Somalia, a man from Kamaru that played a great guitar, and the 3rd group was this rap/reggae group from South Africa and they where weird!

Saturday we had to ourselves to hangout at the beach go back to stone town and look around and do some shopping! It was fun a day and Sunday we headed back to Dar! I was excited to get back!

Here are the pics, enjoy! (some of the pics are a little out of order - sorry about that!)

waiting for our flight out to the Island!

Austin got to ride co pilot!

Zanzibar

Lab equipment at local school we visited on the Island

The only science lab in the school for over 2000 students!

Science Projects!

The only computer lab - pretty rarer commodity to have and it only has 5 computers for the whole school!

Teachers Lounge

Library

Courtyard of the school

all of us headed to stone town with our guides!

One of the few churches on the Island located in the harbor of stone town

Front of the church

organ

slave trade monument

Slave trade chambers - under ground and I could barely stand up in them!

Hassan showing me around stone town. The crazy part is that he has never been here!

Stone Town Harbor

Hassan and Me on the beach!

Hassan wanted a picture of himself eating chicken! I don't quite understand why - but I said I would send him all the pictures he is in!

Kim Sandwich!

All the class leaders from Form 4 that guided and practiced their English with us! We tried to practice our Kiswahili but we failed miserably!

The hotel we stayed at in Zanzibar!

I love you all my KD sisters! I left this on the beaches of Zanzibar for you!

Yes we all bought the same conga! But isn't it pretty!

Waiting for the sunrise!

Spice Tour!


pili pili ho ho - very hot chili pepper! Don't try without milk!

Eliot in traditional tie!

Local boy on the Spice farm showing us the natural make-up!

This man is climbing a coconut tree! and he is signing to let everyone know that comes near things could start falling from the sky! He does this by wrapping rope around his feet! Then its just up up up!