Catching Up

So, it's been a while since I last posted anything on this blog, almost two weeks, in fact.  So much has happened so quickly in this time that I feel as if I am in a fast-forward phase of the Tanzanian experience.  I was already beginning to notice while yet on Zanzibar how much the thought that I will likely never return to see and experience  all the wonders and people of this exceptional country again was foremost in my thoughts.  Whenever, I passed a street vendor, peeked into a small dark store, walked down a narrow cobblestone street, played with Fahdila's children, rode the Kiembe Samamki daladala home, drank the superb coffee at Kilimanjaro III, or ate another meal of roasted fish, I thought, "This may be the last time."  It was if everything I saw was emphatically outlined in black, just as I used to outline the completed drawings in my coloring books when I was a child.  The color saturation is on high, and the focus is so sharp it cuts deep engravings in my mind.  I love this country more than all the other 36 or so I have visited or stayed in.

And now, we have been back in Arusha for almost two weeks, and the days continue to zoom past so full of color, noise, and even smells that my mind cannot capture them quickly enough.  The relative coolness of Arusha compared to Zanzibar is an enormous relief.  The comfort and quietness of the Kundayo Apartments are soothing.  Reuniting with our friends here--especially Ray and his family--is deeply satisfying.  Yet, behind all the joy and contentment is my awareness that this too will change all too soon.  If I could have any wish, I would wish that I were once again 22 and just beginning my love-hate relationship with Africa--though I would somehow want to avoid erasing the fantastical experiences of the past 40 years.

The students have all begun their internships, and there is a much better range of places where they have been placed than we had in 2012.  This time, the assignments range from working with the local ASPCA, doing donkey and dog clinics and vaccinations, to researching for Carbon Tanzania, a carbon offset organization.  In between, are Elimu Community Light, Inherit Your Rights, Compassion, the African Cultural Heritage Center, and Juvenile Detention. Best of all, each student loves his or her placement and is actively learning not only about the specific focus of an organization but also about the undercurrents and problems which occur in operating an NGO.  I envy their opportunities to learn so much that can never be taught in a classroom.

For the weekend, we traveled to Longido for a visit to a Maasai boma (family group).  Elizabeth, whom we had met on this same trip in 2012, made all the arrangements since it is her father's boma, and her mother, siblings, aunts, and cousins live there.  Seeing the vast differences between Elizabeth's life as a university graduate and the life of her extended family, which still lives a traditional nomadic life, makes me wonder how a person can change so much and yet slip seamlessly back into a lifestyle hundreds of years old.  Saturday was spent doing almost nothing except sitting will the people, watching a goat killed and roasted in our honor, petting the many donkeys and calves, and holding silky soft baby goats. One of the major activities was frantically beating off the zillions of flies.  With improved rains, came more animals and prosperity, which means much more poop and accompanying flies. My major accomplishment for the day was swallowing only one fly. Unfortunately, my camera battery went dead, so I was unable to photograph much of this inaction.

Elizabeth introducing us to her family

Tea time at the boma

Young warrior who helped with killing the goat for us

The boma and Mount Longido

Carrying in our gifts

Cuddling baby goats

Then, as evening fell, we adults went back into Longido to spend the night in the Lutheran guesthouse there, leaving all the students to spend the  night in the boma, where they would sleep on the ground in a dung plastered hut with only a cow skin "mattress."  Elizabeth had made certain that the evening meal would be good and filling and even have vegetables, which the Maasai traditionally do not eat. Except for being very cold and needing to huddle together like a litter of kittens for warmth, the students had a great time.

Elizabeth and her son, Osi

Sunday morning, our bus driver picked up the students and brought them into the guesthouse for breakfast and showers before we went back for church at the same Lutheran church we had attended in 2012.  This time, however, there was no excitement with a sheep being led into the church mid-service, but two baby goats, one pure black and one pure white, wandered inside and all over the altar area before exiting out the front entrance. No one paid any attention to them.  The audience was mainly female, but the choir had men in it and the beauty of Maasai singing was simply ethereal.  I thought about how the Maasai have no musical instruments, and how their voices replace the need for accompaniment, even with drums.

Just before we reached the church, the students spied a mother dog with a litter of very young puppies, and the minute the bus stopped, most of them went straight to the dogs.  There were 11 puppies in the litter, enough for everyone to hold and cuddle several.  It's been interesting for me to observe how much time the students spend taking pictures of themselves and themselves with animals.  Perhaps they do take photos of other people and the scenery, but if so, I haven't seen them do it.  It's selfies and groups making strange faces and gestures for the most part.  Their whole worldview centers so tightly on themselves that I wonder if even the intensity of these months can shake and break down some of their self-obsession.  And, I should not get started on the topic of how entitled some students feel:  they will argue that they deserve an "A" even though they do not do excellent work.  I'm not a sciologist, but I think that there is far too much emphasis on making a child believe he/she is "special" even if he/she is a perfectly lovely yet ordinary child.

Sunday night, after we had returned from Longido, one of the host families had all of us to their home for a dinner party.  It was a lavish affair with tables set up in the courtyard and a catered buffet dinner.  We all enjoyed the excellent food, happy conversations, and eventually dancing.  The family's Bibi (grandmother) even pulled me into the dancing, and we did a bit of bootie shaking together. Then, in honor of a student's birthday, there was an elaborate cake--a really exceptional way to end a very, very, generous gift of friendship.

Buffet line

At our tables

Birthday girl and cake

The cake!

Ready to dance

Dancing with the chefs

Now, we're half way through another week in Arusha, and on Friday morning, we will leave on safari for  five days.  Having visited many game parks in several different countries, I'm not so interested in seeing more of the same animals again as I am in watching how excited and happy the students are when they see their first giraffes, lions, zebras, and wildebeests.  Our travel agent here somehow manages to book us in Serena hotels, which are the top lodges at the parks, so the students get a few days of true luxury, too.  It must seem like a fairy tale come true to them.

For now, I will focus on eradicating the last vestiges of the cold I have had this week.  I want to be at my best when we leave for Ngorongoro Friday morning.