Long letter to my family on Tanzania
Familia yangu (my family),
Wow Family!! It’s been a while and I miss you all sooo very much!
Habari zenu? (How are you all?) Really I don’t know where to start! (I thought of writing most of this in both Kiswahili and Eng. but you all just tell me what you want next time and if you need more details on gaps in between msgs. I love Kiswahili so much I wanna teach everyone!
😉 I know some of you would be perfectly fine with that;) Baadaye! (Later)
So, I just came back from my wiki mbili safari…which actually just describes a journey of two wks…(Safari really just translates to journeyoriginally, when used in Kiswahili; we all know what the word has been westernized into and used to describe today.) We take a really important critical view of Tourism as a part of my program (Wildlife, Ecology & Conservation Field Study by School for International Training (SIT)) here; I appreciate completely knowing both sides of the coin, and the struggles with humanity National Parks and conservation has partaken.
So, I visited two national parks of Tanzania (Tz) this time and I was really excited for Ngoro Ngoro, it’s celebrated and recognized as the “Crater of Africa” and is normally extremely blossoming with floral fauna and diversity of animals…I was told it was best and most beautiful of all of Tanzania. It was incredibly interesting since it was something I’d never seen or even considered much before. A crater of vast, vast land in the form of a circle that descended several thousand miles (which we had to descend by truck) from where we initially stopped to view it. (The pic is shown of me with a background of plains below me [i’m wearing a purple/green body wrap 😉 sorry I had to point out my fav colors.]
As I am here, Tz is currently facing the worst drought that it’s faced in at least a decade, if not several. So, while beautiful, it was namely vast lands of brown and tanned grass that is normally bright green (I later got the chance to visit this National Park during the rainy season and it was an incredibly different experience!). We descended down, into the crater and it was the first time I saw lions interacting…mating to be exact! We went to the Hippo pool for lunch and the biggest birds would threaten your food as they’d sweep down on you (I fell backwards trying to take a pic as one swooped down on me and I got a pic as I was falling of the wing span:)! Very exciting event! Lol)
We were there 2 nights and zebras were at our bathroom and elephants hovering at the neighboring bathrooms. It was surprisingly very cold and rainy! Interestingly and amazingly, we camped at a very high altitude where we were amongst clouds. Watching the clouds break in the morning with the sun pushing through, was thrilling. The differences in altitudes there (and everywhere) is so amazing considering the small space with such diversity of landscape (& therefore everything else! Animals, particularly birds, and floral fauna).
You could also see the Maasai people living as (ng’ombe) cow herders, or pastoralists as they are sometimes called, right outside the park — where they once lived inside before the government made the park exclusive to human inhabitants. On our path from the Ngoro Ngoro Crater we experienced Olduvai Gorge, where a number of famous archaeological studies have taken place and much has been revealed of the evolution of humankind; this is where Lucy resides. We then stopped by what’s known as the Shifting sands which move about 3,000 kms every year in the same hill formation before reaching The Serengeti National Park. Maasai peoples believe that God moves the sand as all people must move according to their nomadic nature. It was really interesting as you touched the sand it showed a growing split to the top and then ran back down like water.
Now, the Serengeti was pretty amazing, and I wasn’t prepared for the fortunes and blessings I would receive with the intimacy and diversity of animals there! I was able to hover directly above families of lions. We were spoiled with seeing leopards lying in trees and I recognized their tails as being most beautiful, revealing and unique to them…otherwise the look very similar to cheetahs to me. They both walk through the plains shuffling with their rhythmic backward rolling of the shoulders with each forward step! I saw an alligator I believe which can actually grow to be a ton! And live 100yrs! Whoo! I saw a small one though and brown and gold geese, classified as Egyptian geese. Our last night we were most spoiled, after spending a whole evening looking for cheetahs the night before… We were on our way back from enjoying a set of the GIGANTIC rocks that made music and the blessed space of Maasai warrior preparation (before they were kicked off the land for the park) we saw a stunning cheetah pass right before our cars and into one of the best sunsets ever (we’re 3 degrees from the equator). Everyday I’d hope to see a new animal and I was thrilled beyond my belief each time.
On to the real fun: we studied Elephants every morning! (my focus group at least). We learned of their actions of protection, order of spacial reference from each other, their gender roles, their mating preparations between genders (mainly amongst the males). And our special study question centered around the babies:)!!! They were adorable! Walking under the mothers often! They’re the best and arguably the most important (Keystone species) of the Savannah. The largest land animal and with some of the greatest abilities and tactics to survive! Did you know that they paved the way for the routes to water sources for all animals (including humans!)! And those paths are now responsible for most paved roads in the world!! It’s true! Can you believe that?
More fun facts? Just let me know! I’ve also been helping out indefinitely with the kitchen crew on all our trips and sharpening my cookin skillz…mmm hmm;)!
We moved to Lake Natron (considered the heart of Maasailand in Tz because of the water sources) and the fun Started with Maasai culture! Before our homestay there, I chose to perform a small group presentation on the importance of various ceremonies and practices of Maasai culture and survival Maasai language/greetings for our class. Maasai are pastoralists, “People of Cattle,” who are semi-nomadic, they herd the cows to follow the grass or to follow resources for the cattle. “Emorata,” male circumcision as a series of rites of passage into warriorhood, is the most celebrated ceremony of the entire culture and may take up to seven years to complete an age group of warriors.
We were able to experience an incredible focus group on female circumcision within their village, after our homestay of three days within their “bomas’.” Our homestay allowed us to stay within the bomas (a collection of Maasai homes, each built of tree branches, rocks, mud and a roof of hay, fenced in by thorn tree branches) built by the strong women that served as our mamas (yeyo). The bomas serve to keep all the wives and children of one Papa within close proximity, about 4–9 wives each, from what I was able to experience. I was the only student in my boma and it was furtherst out; I lived right next to a beautiful volcanic mountain that serves as all Maasais’ Mountain of God “Oldo Nyo Lengai.” We spent our days making jewelry (out of the threads of plastic weaved bags, beads and beans or grass…some pieces of which I may’ve collected for you all 😉 or fetching firewood or water (a two hour walk both ways with donkeys as transport, in the dust storms — my most memorable act of my time there). It was amazing to be in their company and experience the difference in culture and beliefs. There was much singing throughout the day as entertainment and a bit of dancing; dancing (a jumping style for warriors, jewelry shaking for girls) every night serves as an important tribute of sex for the warriors and the young girls before they are circumcised and married (It’s very important that they’ve experienced sex before marriage — that “their meat is cooked” LOL, as it was put). I spent the last night singing the old-school r&b songs that were played on the radio of the boma to the top of my lungs as my house’s entertainment.
The day after ending our homestay we took a two hour group trek through the volcanic mountains to the start of the river and the incredible waterfalls there. The start of the river had water shooting out of different parts of the walls that rose to something like 1,000 miles high. We were at the start of the Rift Valley Wall. Amazing. From then on, I’ve been writing papers and now have started my Independent research project which I decided to do on Access to Higher Education. I’m following six families and their students that are achieving higher education as case studies to learn of the barriers, perceptions, and options of funding understood by the families, students and administration. Each family is from Bangata, the subvillage of Mt. Meru that I lived in as my first homestay and where I’m staying now. I also follow the students to their respective schools in order to gain the perspectives there, which will take me to the city of Dar Es Salaam on the East coast of Tz. I plan to compile what I’m able to find of what options for funding are truly available and make these truths more available to the community with whom I am living and working. I’m also working to personally find scholarships for the students I’m following.
Wow, I’ve given every bit of my heart:)! It took me a while to compile it all for you:)! Hope you feel informed and updated! Love and miss you all and please send me your updates! Please attempt to contact me more if you can ;). And please give my greetings to everyone:)!
Thanks a bunch! (Asante sana Kabisa)
Peace, Love, Blessings:)! (Amani, Upendo, Baraka)
Baadaye (later),
Aprili (April in Swahili)