09.17.10

This program is challenging in so many ways. I absolutely love it. But challenges are, obviously, difficult when you’re in the middle of facing them.

I guess I should start by giving an overview of my classes. There are only 28 of us students, and we live, eat, breathe with our Tanzanian faculty and staff. So our classes are decided for us because, well, we all have to take the same thing.

First, I’m taking Wildlife Ecology with professor John Kioko. He’s an elephant expert with Elephant Trust (hence, he saved us from the crazy bull elephant at Lake Manyara!). This class basically looks into everything there is to know about African wildlife and how animals interact with each other. It involves what they eat, how they cohere (or don’t), where they’re distributed, what their conservation status is, etc. It’s all about wildlife behavior with a touch of wildlife conservation.

Tied to that is Wildlife Management with Dr. Bernard Kisui. This is the professor who did his Ph.D. at the University of Minnesota and lived less than a mile from me for a few years. This is definitely my favorite class because we mostly discuss what we call the HWC (the Human-Wildlife Conflict). This conflict is, in my opinion, the thing that makes conserving biodiversity so complicated and difficult. From the American standpoint, African wildlife is wicked sweet. They are spectacular and we can’t get enough of them. They’re novel to us. Here, much of wildlife is a nuisance. Imagine being a farmer, and your livelihood is in your crop. You wouldn’t be too happy to wake up and find your source of income has been trampled by elephants or munched on by baboons. This class looks at different ideas of how to conserve wildlife and biodiversity while keeping human interests in mind.

Class 3 is Environmental Policy and Socio-economic Issues with professor John Mwamhanga. Yup, definitely the class I struggle with the most. In order to be a conservationist with any NGO in Africa, you have to keep governmental regulations in mind, and much of what you accomplish is through policy-makers. So to understand the system is to understand how to manage wildlife in practical ways.

And our last class is Swahili and Social Culture with two teachers - Aziz and Johanna. The first full day we were here, they taught us some greetings and threw us into Rhotia to approach people and have a conversation in Swahili. So awkward. But I’m glad we did it. I made a fool of myself so many times, but I’m now used to getting laughed at. After all, I’m that silly American attempting Swahili. Harhar. Mimi ni mtundu!

The challenge I’m dealing with tonight is with my Swahili class. A few days ago we went to a Maasai Manyatta boma outside of Mtuombu. Bomas are cultural centers where tourists can venture to see traditional dancing, get tours of what a tribal community looks like, see handcrafts being made, and purchase those handcrafts. The funds go directly to the Maasai, which they turn and use not only for their livelihood, but also for schooling. Awesome, right? Well the night before we went to the boma, we were assigned readings about the detriments made by the tourist industry, including globalization (which could threaten preservation of culture), exploitation, and deception by the Maasai (i.e., changing from their slacks and dresses into tradition dress and giving a show for what they think the westerners want).

Oof.

Going to the boma was fine; I enjoyed myself and we interviewed a few people about ... well, everything we could think of. But now comes the written report critically analyzing the role of the Maasai the tourism and whether their benefits are really worth it.

I’m the kind of person that will address an issue by debating herself in circles. With these issues, are there really conclusions? Perfect solutions? Nope. And I’m a 22-year-old American. I am ignorant, and I met the Maasai three days ago. But I have to analyze them. And it feels like judgment from an outsider.

But in order to understand, one must analyze.

09.19.10

Yesterday was our first community service day! We have a few of these days knit within our schedule for the semester. After class in the morning, we met in separate committees in preparation to visit Watoto (children) care in Mtuombu. The building committee built a teeter totter and a clubhouse. Wowza!

We arrived in the middle of their lunch, so things were pretty calm. But it didn’t stay that way for long. Mwalimu Juma (Teacher Juma) runs the enter center of 20 kids, and honestly, I don’t know how he does it. It was mass chaos the whole time! Our group had not been as tired as we were that day.

While a few people installed the teeter totter and clubhouse, everyone else just played! I tried to get through to a really bashful kid who was clinging for dear life to a pole. I’ve never seen an African kid do that, haha! But then another kid, Devota, took my heart. I’m not sure how old she is - she didn’t speak English and I don’t know how to ask it Swahili - but I’d say about 5 years old. I learned that she doesn’t like to play, sleep, or eat, but loves to read. Weird. : P I actually asked her a few times if she likes to play - Unapenda kucheza? - I couldn’t believe that she doesn’t! And I still don’t. She played with me and had the time of her life, as did I. :) Lots of throwing her around and swinging and piggy back rides and a few cuddles. I was thankful that she likes to sit, too. Phew!

I also got a chance to talk more with Rachel, one of the other students. Her heart is in the shape of Africa; and if she could have it her way, she’d just stay here forever. Her first trip to Africa was Uganda (like me!) a few years ago, volunteering. After that trip, she met her boyfriend Barry, who’s from South Africa, working at a Starbucks in Colorado, Rachel’s home state. So she spends much of her time there with him (including before and after this program!). Rachel is so easy to talk to and once we get going on Africa, it’s hard to stop. She has a lot of knowledge about what’s going on, and has a lot of amazing experiences, even ones that are terrifying. She cares for Africa in many of the ways I do, and we have a ton in common. There isn’t a day that I’m not inspired by her!

Anyway, talking with her reminded me how freeing it is to not care about your external as much as your character, and for letting your spirit live for other people. What I care about on a daily basis changes when I’m here. I haven’t showered in three days. Disgusting smells surround me more often than not. I eat essentially the same thing at every meal (oh but don’t get me wrong, it’s DELICIOUS!). My wardrobe is limited and I have to hand wash my clothes. I am very dirty the majority of the time; and I’m pretty sure the first few layers of dirt on my skin won’t come off until I get back to the States. But when I’m here experiencing what I am, none of that matters; and I don’t give any of it a second thought because what I’m able to invest in here - building relationships, playing around, and really seeing how people’s lives are - is so much better.

I am so happy to be disgusting. To me, it means my investments are worthy.

Mmm. We go to Tarangire tomorrow and I’ll probably see lions in the wild for the first tiiiiiiiiiime!!!!