Mambo!
So I made it to Tanzania successfully. Elias is one of the drivers and he picked me up from the airport with another driver. The drive to the homebase from the airport took over two hours. I think I could have walked back faster. The traffic was horrendous!! And this was at 8pm at night. I also found is strange that there were so many people on the streets of Dar at night. Even once we got out of the city it was still very crowded with people walking or selling things or just hanging out. I wish it had been light so I could have seen my surroundings better. I was very happy to reach the homebase. Edna, one of the housekeepers gave me some leftovers from dinner and then showed me my room. I'm staying in a room with 3 girls who have been here for a few weeks already: Tracy, Stacey, and Jen. Jen and Stacey are sisters from Canada and Tracy is from Arizona. They have taught me a lot so far about Bagamoyo.
Sunday and Monday (today) have been filled with orientation. We had a Swahili lesson and a guest speaker from the hospital talk about Malaria and the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The HIV/AIDS rate is higher in Bagamoyo than any other part of Tanzania.
And let me tell you, this place is pretty damn rural. I'm still amazed that I'm connected to the internet right now! It's a small room with five computers and it's right next door to the homebase which was clever since I'm sure CCS volunteers are the main users.
The homebase is nice and the staff is wonderful. Zik is the head of the Bagamoyo program and Didas' title is logistician however he does a lot of things for us. Everyone here in Bagamoyo is so polite! Well mostly. We get a lot of stares from the local people, rightly so I suppose. The children are so friendly and love giving high fives or showing us the few English phrases that they have learned. Today we walked through the Monday market as well as made a trip towards Baga Point to a small tailor shop to buy some fabric. Pili is the wife of the man who runs AMAP (Sahidi) where I will be volunteering and she has a shop where she makes dresses and bags and things so if you bring her fabric, or purchase it in her shop she will make whatever you want, for very cheap by American standards. Also all of the proceeds go towards supplies and food for AMAP. Sahidi and Pili have a 2 and a half year old son who they renamed Barack when Obama was elected. People LOVE Obama here!
I found out that I will be working with fairly young children, contrary to my prior belief. Sahidi runs 2 programs, the morning one, when we volunteer, is for street children. Some of them are orphans, some come from single parent families. They are between the ages of 4 and 7 usually. They go to AMAP from 8 am until about 11:30 am and we teach them basic things like the alphabet, or some English words or basic math. They also get to eat some porridge, and for some this is the only food they get all day. So tomorrow we start our volunteer placements. Jen, my roommate who has been here for a while, volunteers at AMAP so she will be able to show me the ropes, which is good. Freddy, who also arrived on Saturday will be volunteering there as well. Today we met Sahidi and he seems very friendly! The other program is in the afternoon for young adults and aspiring artists. They receive training and marketing skills so they are able to profit from their artwork.
The house is soo nice for Bagamoyo standards and I can't really complain. There is no internet but it prevents me from wasting too much time on here. There is no hot water, but believe me, hot water is the last thing anyone wants by the end of an excruciatingly hot and humid day (the humidity is out of control!). Also there's no water pressure but that's no different than my New Brunswick apartment. There's only 4 new volunteers staying in the main house. Amanda (who also goes to Rutgers), Hannah (who was here last summer), Sarah, and myself. The 15 other new volunteers are staying in the Summer House which is about a five minute walk. The advantage? They have air conditioning. The disadvantage? They have to walk to the main house for all of the meals and activities. So basically they only use the AC at night and I haven't really had a problem sleeping, as long as you stay really still and don't get tangled in the mosquito nets.
Speaking of mosquites I already have 5 bites. But Ive been using bug spray and taking my malaria pills religiously so I'm hoping they don't result in malaria. The rest of the group is visiting the hospital in Bagamoyo right now, however I opted out because they said it's much different from America and we might be shocked by what we see. Sounds like a faint session to me. I don't even like American hospitals.
Today I am going to get a cell phone. Mostly to contact the other volunteers and the staff but occasionally for long distance calls. The phones are about 35 shillings (about $25 USD) and then you buy the minutes as you go but those are also really cheap. I think they said it's a half a shilling per second, and a shilling is like nothing. It will be much more convenient when we are traveling on the weekends and also to contact Terri, who runs the Baobab Home. She called me on Sunday to see if I could go on an outing with her but I couldn't because we've been too busy with orientation things. But the 3rd and 4th week we have a lot of free time so I'm hoping to be able to visit them and help out.
Ah, so the title of this blog. All the Tanzanians here pronounce my name Mah-jee (with a soft J) and the word for water here is Maji so basically they remember my name by thinking water. I don't mind it. It could have been a worse word. Like oh, in Swahili your name means prostitute. No thanks!
I'm looking forward to starting our volunteer work tomorrow but I'm slightly concerned about being able to communicate with the children since they don't speak very much English and my Swahili skills are lacking, to say the least. But Sahidi speaks both languages so I think it will be okay. Plus I'm not the first American volunteer they've had.
Alright, that's all for now. I know I forgot to mention so many things but I feel rushed because I'm paying for internet and also dinner is soon!
OH! speaking of dinner, the food is pretty good here! Robert is the cook along with another woman whose name I forget right now. They spend all day cooking and preparing food for us! But still I know I'm going to be craving American food regardless. They don't have very much cheese here. Or milk. Or ice cream. Serious dairy deprivation. Also there aren't really any grocery stores to buy snacks. Oh well, I guess eating healthy is better.
Hope you are all doing well!
I'll blog soon about my volunteer placement.
<3
May 31, 2010
May 28, 2010
Swiss Cheese
Hello!
So, as many things in life go, my trip to Tanzania has not gone as planned so far. But before you start to cry out of pity for me, let me explain! Because right now I'm sitting in a lovely air conditioned hotel room for which I didn't have to pay a dime and to my right I have 2 meal vouchers for food! Don't fret.
This is what happened. Mama Nej took me to the airport... yesterday it was (my days are already all mixed up, it feels like the same day still). Then I got a really expensive and not that delicious italian sandwich and waited to board the flight. Everything went smoothly, we all got on the airplane and then out of no where (actually out of the northwest to be more precise) a storm hit! It was pouring and thundering and lightning and air control temporarily stopped the departures. So we waited for about 2 and a half hours on the immobile plane before finally taking off. So I knew right away I wasn't going to make my connecting flight. This knowledge was reinforced by the book I am reading "The Geography of Bliss" where the author explains how prompt everything is in Switzerland. At least the disappointment came early!
So we took off around 9:00 pm and everything went well... no crashes or anything. There was one screaming child but it was far away enough that it didn't bother me. I was able to sleep a little... maybe 2 hours? There was a really nice woman from NJ/Connecticut across the aisle and we chatted a bit. She was vacationing in Zurich with her sister for a long weekend. Luckily there was no one in the seat next to me so I was able to spread out a bit.
We landed in Zurich at about 10:20 am (4:20 am US time), 2 hours after our scheduled arrival. It took like 4 minutes to get off the plane and then another 10 to get to terminal E where my flight would have been. It was kinda sad to know that had my first flight been on time, I would have made it to my second flight no problem. But oh well! I went to the transfer desk who sent me to another transfer desk across the airport at which point I met a lovely young man who was able to help me. He told me I had two options:
1. I could take the 9:30 am flight tomorrow morning and either stay in the airport or pay for my own hotel. or
2. I could hop on a 5 pm flight to london, an 8 pm flight to Nairobi, and then some other flight from there to Dar es Salaam which would get me into Dar es Salaam at 9:20 in the morning.
After a few minutes of contemplation I decided to go with option 2 for two reasons: I wouldn't have to stay in the airport overnight or pay for a hotel, and I would be in Dar es Salaam before 3:30 which is when CCS requests us to arrive. Also, I could say I'd been to 5 countries in 36 hours, how cool right?! So the guy went to book the flight and he called someone else who told him that I couldn't do that, I suppose because one or more of the flights was booked. But they also said that they would pay for me to stay in a hotel and take the 9:30 am flight to Dar es Salaam. So they booked me at the Radisson which is surprisingly nice for being booked by the airline. And it's literally right next door, I didn't even have to go outside to get here because there is a tunnel under the street. AND free internet access. But stupid me, I only broughgt the right adapter for Tanzania so I only have as much time as my battery allows. Oh well. I will probably lounge around the room a bit, grab some free dinner at the airport, take a well deserved shower and hit the hay a little early tonight since I basically skipped Thursday night.
It's weird being all alone over hear. Not really scary or depressing, just weird. I don't think I've ever been this far from anyone I know. I'm completely surrounded by strangers! Some of which have been very kind to me along the way.
Looks like I won't be needing the airplane pillow and blanket I stuffed into my backpack in the case of sleeping in the airport. Woohoo!
I guess there were a decent amount of delayed flights because I saw a lot of people FREAKING out. This one lady, clearly American, was supposed to be in Athens and was screaming at the poor airport worker. I feel bad for the airport people that have to deal with frantic assholes all the time. I myself am guilty of some frantic behavior in the France airport last year. But this year I haven't been worked up all that much. After all, they won't let me fly the plane so there's not a whole lot I can do to control what time I get to Tanzania. I already called the program when I was still in Newark and they said they would be there at 8:10 tomorrow night to pick me up. Then there's the 2 hour drive to Bagamoyo.
Now I just need to figure out how to set an alarm or get a wake up call from the front desk. Missing tomorrow's flight would be a very very bad thing. Hopefully I can blog again soon upon my arrival to Tanzania!
This is what a delayed flight looks like.
This is what a free hotel room in Zurich looks like.
This is what my wildest dreams look like (it's a ginormous wine tower in the lobby).
This is what an ominous or perhaps hopeful sign looks like.
So, as many things in life go, my trip to Tanzania has not gone as planned so far. But before you start to cry out of pity for me, let me explain! Because right now I'm sitting in a lovely air conditioned hotel room for which I didn't have to pay a dime and to my right I have 2 meal vouchers for food! Don't fret.
This is what happened. Mama Nej took me to the airport... yesterday it was (my days are already all mixed up, it feels like the same day still). Then I got a really expensive and not that delicious italian sandwich and waited to board the flight. Everything went smoothly, we all got on the airplane and then out of no where (actually out of the northwest to be more precise) a storm hit! It was pouring and thundering and lightning and air control temporarily stopped the departures. So we waited for about 2 and a half hours on the immobile plane before finally taking off. So I knew right away I wasn't going to make my connecting flight. This knowledge was reinforced by the book I am reading "The Geography of Bliss" where the author explains how prompt everything is in Switzerland. At least the disappointment came early!
So we took off around 9:00 pm and everything went well... no crashes or anything. There was one screaming child but it was far away enough that it didn't bother me. I was able to sleep a little... maybe 2 hours? There was a really nice woman from NJ/Connecticut across the aisle and we chatted a bit. She was vacationing in Zurich with her sister for a long weekend. Luckily there was no one in the seat next to me so I was able to spread out a bit.
We landed in Zurich at about 10:20 am (4:20 am US time), 2 hours after our scheduled arrival. It took like 4 minutes to get off the plane and then another 10 to get to terminal E where my flight would have been. It was kinda sad to know that had my first flight been on time, I would have made it to my second flight no problem. But oh well! I went to the transfer desk who sent me to another transfer desk across the airport at which point I met a lovely young man who was able to help me. He told me I had two options:
1. I could take the 9:30 am flight tomorrow morning and either stay in the airport or pay for my own hotel. or
2. I could hop on a 5 pm flight to london, an 8 pm flight to Nairobi, and then some other flight from there to Dar es Salaam which would get me into Dar es Salaam at 9:20 in the morning.
After a few minutes of contemplation I decided to go with option 2 for two reasons: I wouldn't have to stay in the airport overnight or pay for a hotel, and I would be in Dar es Salaam before 3:30 which is when CCS requests us to arrive. Also, I could say I'd been to 5 countries in 36 hours, how cool right?! So the guy went to book the flight and he called someone else who told him that I couldn't do that, I suppose because one or more of the flights was booked. But they also said that they would pay for me to stay in a hotel and take the 9:30 am flight to Dar es Salaam. So they booked me at the Radisson which is surprisingly nice for being booked by the airline. And it's literally right next door, I didn't even have to go outside to get here because there is a tunnel under the street. AND free internet access. But stupid me, I only broughgt the right adapter for Tanzania so I only have as much time as my battery allows. Oh well. I will probably lounge around the room a bit, grab some free dinner at the airport, take a well deserved shower and hit the hay a little early tonight since I basically skipped Thursday night.
It's weird being all alone over hear. Not really scary or depressing, just weird. I don't think I've ever been this far from anyone I know. I'm completely surrounded by strangers! Some of which have been very kind to me along the way.
Looks like I won't be needing the airplane pillow and blanket I stuffed into my backpack in the case of sleeping in the airport. Woohoo!
I guess there were a decent amount of delayed flights because I saw a lot of people FREAKING out. This one lady, clearly American, was supposed to be in Athens and was screaming at the poor airport worker. I feel bad for the airport people that have to deal with frantic assholes all the time. I myself am guilty of some frantic behavior in the France airport last year. But this year I haven't been worked up all that much. After all, they won't let me fly the plane so there's not a whole lot I can do to control what time I get to Tanzania. I already called the program when I was still in Newark and they said they would be there at 8:10 tomorrow night to pick me up. Then there's the 2 hour drive to Bagamoyo.
Now I just need to figure out how to set an alarm or get a wake up call from the front desk. Missing tomorrow's flight would be a very very bad thing. Hopefully I can blog again soon upon my arrival to Tanzania!
This is what a delayed flight looks like.
This is what a free hotel room in Zurich looks like.
This is what my wildest dreams look like (it's a ginormous wine tower in the lobby).
This is what an ominous or perhaps hopeful sign looks like.May 25, 2010
packing...
All of this and some other things need to fit into one carry-on sized suitcase and one normal sized backpack... hmm, looks like im going to have to narrow it down a bit.
May 24, 2010
I've been doing a decent amount of driving the last few days and it has given me time to contemplate my fast approaching trip and think about what I am most looking forward to, so I decided to put together a list because, well, lists are awesome. Some of these things a lot of people would think of as hassles which is probably why most people don't travel to Tanzania very often...
I'm looking forward to.................
- Not wearing make up for an entire month (or very little).
- Having crazy hair because I won't be straightening it.
- Having no cell phone and therefor be unable to text anyone.
- Having limited access to the internet.
- Having lots of time to read good summer books.
- Surviving on chai tea and veggies and other healthy things.
- Learning how to deal with food cravings.
- Walking to every destination within walking distance.
- Living by the ocean.
- Searching for awesome souvenirs for my family and friends.
- Deciding what personal belongings to leave behind in Africa so I have room in my suitcase to bring home these souvenirs.
- Being missed.
- Mastering the skill of going with the flow.
- Being barefoot as much as possible.
- Making new friends and hearing their stories.
- Using charades, smiling and laughing as a means of communication when there is no other option.
- Meeting Terri, Caito, their children, and the kids at their orphanage (hopefully!).
- Bringing them the much needed cloth diapers.
- Sleep deprivation.
- Learning how to live in a place completely different than anything I have ever known.
- Taking wonderful pictures.
- Weekend adventures.
- The opportunity to teach others as well as learn from them.
- A break from all this craziness to experience a different kind of craziness.
I'm sure there's a bunch of other ones but these are all that I can think of for now. In 72 hours I will be at the airport, hooray!
I'm looking forward to.................
- Not wearing make up for an entire month (or very little).
- Having crazy hair because I won't be straightening it.
- Having no cell phone and therefor be unable to text anyone.
- Having limited access to the internet.
- Having lots of time to read good summer books.
- Surviving on chai tea and veggies and other healthy things.
- Learning how to deal with food cravings.
- Walking to every destination within walking distance.
- Living by the ocean.
- Searching for awesome souvenirs for my family and friends.
- Deciding what personal belongings to leave behind in Africa so I have room in my suitcase to bring home these souvenirs.
- Being missed.
- Mastering the skill of going with the flow.
- Being barefoot as much as possible.
- Making new friends and hearing their stories.
- Using charades, smiling and laughing as a means of communication when there is no other option.
- Meeting Terri, Caito, their children, and the kids at their orphanage (hopefully!).
- Bringing them the much needed cloth diapers.
- Sleep deprivation.
- Learning how to live in a place completely different than anything I have ever known.
- Taking wonderful pictures.
- Weekend adventures.
- The opportunity to teach others as well as learn from them.
- A break from all this craziness to experience a different kind of craziness.
I'm sure there's a bunch of other ones but these are all that I can think of for now. In 72 hours I will be at the airport, hooray!
May 20, 2010
More pre-departure news!
So I have some exciting new updates! Well, they're exciting to me, they might be boring to you, i'm not sure. I've been in contact with Terri from the Baobab Home and her sister Becky, who lives in New Jersey. I've decided to take an entire extra suitcase with me, filled with supplies for the orphanage. Becky said what they do is buy old suitcases at garage sales and use those to transport things so the person doesn't have to worry about bringing the suitcase back. I'm a bit nervous about lugging two suitcases with me but I will be able to check the bags all the way through so I don't need to worry about them in Switzerland, assuming I make my flight. And then in Dar es Salaam, the Holiday Inn will be picking me up from the airport so they can help me carry them which is good. And besides, how can I turn down an opportunity to bring much needed items like cloth diapers to an orphanage in Tanzania just because I might have a little trouble? Becky is going to pack the suitcase with everything and weigh it to make sure its under the 50 pound maximum and we're going to meet up at some point next week so she can give it to me.
In other news, we had our CCS conference call this week. There were about 10 volunteers on the call and our adviser, Sharon, who actually was also my adviser for Morocco. The conference calls are always awkward because we don't know each other yet and no one wants to talk. Also, there was a horrible echo coming from Sharon's phone and it made it really difficult to understand her! But I got some useful information. Hannah, who was in Bagamoyo for 5 weeks last summer and is returning for 12 weeks this summer, said that there are no dairy products in Bagamoyo so the diet change can be disruptive. She said she already cut out dairy from her diet so her body can get used to it before arrival. I think I will attempt to do the same thing although I probably won't be 100% successful. I haven't been drinking milk or eating any yogurt or anything so that's good. Hannah also told me that the students at AMAP (where I will be volunteering) are mostly in their twenties. I think it will be a really cool and different experience to work with adults! Also, Terri said that her orphanage is in walking distance from where I'm staying so if Immigration allows me to help out there, it will be very easy to get to!
I also found out today that there is now a 9:30 am flight on Saturday! So if I happen to miss my Friday 9:30 am connecting flight I won't have to wait the entire weekend in Switzerland, I can just hop on the flight the next day. Although my hotel room would go to waste and I would miss the 3:30 departure time of the other volunteers, it would still be better than waiting for days or paying for a flight to Dubai.
These are some of the things I've learned since my last post and I am soo excited to get to Bagamoyo! I've found some pictures on the CCS Flickr site posted by some one named Emily Michelle. I'll post them to give you guys an idea of where I'll be staying and such, in case I can't post pictures when I'm there!
One of the CCS homebases in Bagamoyo.
In other news, we had our CCS conference call this week. There were about 10 volunteers on the call and our adviser, Sharon, who actually was also my adviser for Morocco. The conference calls are always awkward because we don't know each other yet and no one wants to talk. Also, there was a horrible echo coming from Sharon's phone and it made it really difficult to understand her! But I got some useful information. Hannah, who was in Bagamoyo for 5 weeks last summer and is returning for 12 weeks this summer, said that there are no dairy products in Bagamoyo so the diet change can be disruptive. She said she already cut out dairy from her diet so her body can get used to it before arrival. I think I will attempt to do the same thing although I probably won't be 100% successful. I haven't been drinking milk or eating any yogurt or anything so that's good. Hannah also told me that the students at AMAP (where I will be volunteering) are mostly in their twenties. I think it will be a really cool and different experience to work with adults! Also, Terri said that her orphanage is in walking distance from where I'm staying so if Immigration allows me to help out there, it will be very easy to get to!
I also found out today that there is now a 9:30 am flight on Saturday! So if I happen to miss my Friday 9:30 am connecting flight I won't have to wait the entire weekend in Switzerland, I can just hop on the flight the next day. Although my hotel room would go to waste and I would miss the 3:30 departure time of the other volunteers, it would still be better than waiting for days or paying for a flight to Dubai.
These are some of the things I've learned since my last post and I am soo excited to get to Bagamoyo! I've found some pictures on the CCS Flickr site posted by some one named Emily Michelle. I'll post them to give you guys an idea of where I'll be staying and such, in case I can't post pictures when I'm there!
One of the CCS homebases in Bagamoyo.
May 17, 2010
We'll put a distance the size of the ocean... again
Jambo!
So i realized a few times through out this past year that I never updated my blog when I got home from Morocco last year. Probably due to the excitement of arriving home safely and seeing my family and and friends and Ben. And then the memories started to fade a little and writing about the trip home seemed like too much work I suppose. Or perhaps I just didn't want to remember the trip home, I'd rather believe that I just snapped my fingers and there I was. Regardless, this is what I do recall from that (very long) day. We woke up at a ridiculously early hour (5 or 6 am which was midnight back in the states). Mohamed and Abdellah were both gone for the weekend and basically the only person around was the security guard who didn't speak very much English. The man who was supposed to drive us ("us" being Lacey, Liz and myself) to the airport didn't arrive on time. I don't recall how late he was but it was late enough where we had to contact poor Mohamed at such an early hour to give the guy a call. It was also late enough to cause me to start in with extreme anxiety about arriving home. But he finally arrived and we arrived at the small airport in Rabat with enough time to check our bags and board the plane. The person checking my bags asked me for the Newark airport code. You're the one who works here can't you look it up or something? is what I wanted to say. But instead I just gave him "NWK" which seemed the most logical. I later found out it was EWR (that doesn't correspond very well to Newark!!).
So we boarded the plane. I was seated all the way in the back row, which was fine because there were two entrances, one in the front of the plane and one in the back. And then I realized the back entrance wouldn't be used during our exit at the Charles DeGaulle airport. I literally had the most inconvenient seat ever for a short layover. The layover being only an hour and 15 minutes or so. It took a ridiculously long time to get off the plane, and then we had to wait for a bus to take us to a different terminal. By this time I was a crazy person because the bus was taking forever and none of the airport people were willing to do anything in order to help us reach our flight. The bus finally came and stopped at every terminal before ours. And then once we got to our terminal, we weren't even close to our gate. We were literally running through the airport. And Lacey had packed most of her souvenirs and many of her belongings into her GINORMOUS carry on and was lagging behind. So I swapped with her so she could carry my moderate sized one and we sprinted through the airport. LUCKILY we made it to our flight with only seconds to spare, the last people getting on the plane before it took off. And right before we left, an airport worker came on our plane and asked me for my luggage ticket (at that point I realized NWK was not Newark's airport code). So not only did we make it on the flight home (sweaty and panting) but so did our luggage! How wonderfully lucky.
And then when we arrived in Newark we had to go through customs or whatever which took soo ridiculously long, and felt even longer knowing that my wonderful family and my wonderful Ben were waiting for me just a few rooms away! And we drove home and I was exhausted and my mom's cooking, which is normally delicious, was the best thing I had ever eaten. And sprinting through the airport in France was completely necessary and worth it. And that's what I remember from that crazy and long trip home.
And now, here I am, nearly a year later, about to set sail on my second great adventure: Bagamoyo, Tanzania. I am going again with Cross Cultural Solutions, however this time I won't have the comfort of my best friend, or anyone I know for that matter. I also won't have internet access in the house where I am staying. Nor will I have the luxury of a 75 minute layover. This time, I thought I'd really test my running ability. My layover is in Zurich, Switzerland, and if my first flight arrives on time I will have 50 minutes to make it to my next flight. Believe me, the anxiety has already set in and I still have 10 days before I leave. And the real reason for this crazy short layover is because I need to fly using Continental and their partner airlines. And the only option was to fly Continental to Switzerland and then Swiss Airways to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. I guess there's not a huge demand to travel there. If I miss my flight, there is not another flight to Tanzania via Swiss Airways for the entire weekend. So that means I either have to wait a couple of days and miss orientation and my first few days volunteering or I have to hop on a flight to Dubai, and then another flight to Tanzania, which would get me there just in time to meet up with the program and the other volunteers. Either way, if I miss my flight, my hotel room will go to waste, so I'm really really really hoping that I can make it!!!
Enough about flight anxiety though! Whenever I do finally arrive in Bagamoyo, I will be volunteering at the African Modern Arts Park and Training Center for Street Children. I'm still a bit unclear about what my duties there will be. I know that these children live at the school and are provided with free education and two meals a day. They take courses in English, Art History, and Art. I believe most of them are 12+ since they are currently working on opening a school for 6-12 year olds. I hope that I can be helpful in teaching them! I think it will be a fun placement, and much different than my orphanage placement in Morocco, which I adored.
A few years ago I heard of this woman named Terri Place who is from New Jersey and who started an orphanage in Bagamoyo, called the Baobab Home (www.tzkids.org). She is a huge inspiration to me, and I have contacted her about possibly visiting her orphanage and helping out some days. However, I learned that the visa situation is complicated and subject to the whims of the immigration officers. Basically, I might not be allowed to volunteer in two places while I am there (who limits the amount of volunteer work someone is allowed to do?!!) But anyway, Terri is going to talk to her husband Caito who is from Tanzania and who knows more about the visa process. I really hope we can work something out! Also, I will be meeting up with Terri's mother before I leave in order to bring a few items to the orphanage for her. Shipping is very expensive and probably unreliable. Unfortunately I won't have enough room in my suitcase to bring a box of cloth diapers.
And that's where I am at this point. Being bored in New Jersey while I wait for the arrival of May 27th and for the craziness and adventures to begin. I will be updating this blog periodically while I am over there but I'm not sure if I will be able to post pictures since I have to go to the internet cafe for access. Cross your fingers and pray for me!
So i realized a few times through out this past year that I never updated my blog when I got home from Morocco last year. Probably due to the excitement of arriving home safely and seeing my family and and friends and Ben. And then the memories started to fade a little and writing about the trip home seemed like too much work I suppose. Or perhaps I just didn't want to remember the trip home, I'd rather believe that I just snapped my fingers and there I was. Regardless, this is what I do recall from that (very long) day. We woke up at a ridiculously early hour (5 or 6 am which was midnight back in the states). Mohamed and Abdellah were both gone for the weekend and basically the only person around was the security guard who didn't speak very much English. The man who was supposed to drive us ("us" being Lacey, Liz and myself) to the airport didn't arrive on time. I don't recall how late he was but it was late enough where we had to contact poor Mohamed at such an early hour to give the guy a call. It was also late enough to cause me to start in with extreme anxiety about arriving home. But he finally arrived and we arrived at the small airport in Rabat with enough time to check our bags and board the plane. The person checking my bags asked me for the Newark airport code. You're the one who works here can't you look it up or something? is what I wanted to say. But instead I just gave him "NWK" which seemed the most logical. I later found out it was EWR (that doesn't correspond very well to Newark!!).
So we boarded the plane. I was seated all the way in the back row, which was fine because there were two entrances, one in the front of the plane and one in the back. And then I realized the back entrance wouldn't be used during our exit at the Charles DeGaulle airport. I literally had the most inconvenient seat ever for a short layover. The layover being only an hour and 15 minutes or so. It took a ridiculously long time to get off the plane, and then we had to wait for a bus to take us to a different terminal. By this time I was a crazy person because the bus was taking forever and none of the airport people were willing to do anything in order to help us reach our flight. The bus finally came and stopped at every terminal before ours. And then once we got to our terminal, we weren't even close to our gate. We were literally running through the airport. And Lacey had packed most of her souvenirs and many of her belongings into her GINORMOUS carry on and was lagging behind. So I swapped with her so she could carry my moderate sized one and we sprinted through the airport. LUCKILY we made it to our flight with only seconds to spare, the last people getting on the plane before it took off. And right before we left, an airport worker came on our plane and asked me for my luggage ticket (at that point I realized NWK was not Newark's airport code). So not only did we make it on the flight home (sweaty and panting) but so did our luggage! How wonderfully lucky.
And then when we arrived in Newark we had to go through customs or whatever which took soo ridiculously long, and felt even longer knowing that my wonderful family and my wonderful Ben were waiting for me just a few rooms away! And we drove home and I was exhausted and my mom's cooking, which is normally delicious, was the best thing I had ever eaten. And sprinting through the airport in France was completely necessary and worth it. And that's what I remember from that crazy and long trip home.
And now, here I am, nearly a year later, about to set sail on my second great adventure: Bagamoyo, Tanzania. I am going again with Cross Cultural Solutions, however this time I won't have the comfort of my best friend, or anyone I know for that matter. I also won't have internet access in the house where I am staying. Nor will I have the luxury of a 75 minute layover. This time, I thought I'd really test my running ability. My layover is in Zurich, Switzerland, and if my first flight arrives on time I will have 50 minutes to make it to my next flight. Believe me, the anxiety has already set in and I still have 10 days before I leave. And the real reason for this crazy short layover is because I need to fly using Continental and their partner airlines. And the only option was to fly Continental to Switzerland and then Swiss Airways to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. I guess there's not a huge demand to travel there. If I miss my flight, there is not another flight to Tanzania via Swiss Airways for the entire weekend. So that means I either have to wait a couple of days and miss orientation and my first few days volunteering or I have to hop on a flight to Dubai, and then another flight to Tanzania, which would get me there just in time to meet up with the program and the other volunteers. Either way, if I miss my flight, my hotel room will go to waste, so I'm really really really hoping that I can make it!!!
Enough about flight anxiety though! Whenever I do finally arrive in Bagamoyo, I will be volunteering at the African Modern Arts Park and Training Center for Street Children. I'm still a bit unclear about what my duties there will be. I know that these children live at the school and are provided with free education and two meals a day. They take courses in English, Art History, and Art. I believe most of them are 12+ since they are currently working on opening a school for 6-12 year olds. I hope that I can be helpful in teaching them! I think it will be a fun placement, and much different than my orphanage placement in Morocco, which I adored.
A few years ago I heard of this woman named Terri Place who is from New Jersey and who started an orphanage in Bagamoyo, called the Baobab Home (www.tzkids.org). She is a huge inspiration to me, and I have contacted her about possibly visiting her orphanage and helping out some days. However, I learned that the visa situation is complicated and subject to the whims of the immigration officers. Basically, I might not be allowed to volunteer in two places while I am there (who limits the amount of volunteer work someone is allowed to do?!!) But anyway, Terri is going to talk to her husband Caito who is from Tanzania and who knows more about the visa process. I really hope we can work something out! Also, I will be meeting up with Terri's mother before I leave in order to bring a few items to the orphanage for her. Shipping is very expensive and probably unreliable. Unfortunately I won't have enough room in my suitcase to bring a box of cloth diapers.
And that's where I am at this point. Being bored in New Jersey while I wait for the arrival of May 27th and for the craziness and adventures to begin. I will be updating this blog periodically while I am over there but I'm not sure if I will be able to post pictures since I have to go to the internet cafe for access. Cross your fingers and pray for me!
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