2 weeks...

Wow I leave Dodoma in a little less than two weeks. Some days drag by but the weeks are flying. I don’t know what I think about coming home. I love life here. I love people here. But to stay I need work. I need to learn Swahili and then I need work. I’m a little bored at the church during the week. I don’t like filling time. And in that sense I am pretty excited to go home. I feel like I have somewhat of a life to get back to. Only a part time job coaching basketball (I need to find a real one if anyone has any connections!), but a city with more life and community of people where I am really comfortable. It is going to be different not being in school. Three of my closest friends have moved out of state, and those that are in town will take more work to see. But I don’t feel finished with life in Portland. Being away made me realize that, I think. More than the city though, there are certain people keeping me there. But then I don’t want this life to be over either. I fear that as soon as I get on that airplane, all of this will only be in my memory and then will slowly slip away like it didn’t even happen. I’m not sure how to capture that emotion in words. It’s another thing that is too hard to really think about. One minute I want to get on an airplane to get out of here now but the next I can’t imagine going back and trying to function in the craziness of the western world.

Anyway, for now I am trying to focus on just being here and getting the most out of the next two weeks in Dodoma.

A couple of weekends ago there was a national holiday, Nane Nane, (8-8) on the eighth of august. My understanding is that just because of the date there is a holiday. They also had saba saba, seven-seven. I think nane nane was suppose to be a agricultural celebration of some sort. I went to a big festival outside of town, close to the first house I lived in. It was nuts. There were tons of people! It was pretty much like a county fair at home but without the rides and really spread out, and well it was still in Africa. There was food and music and ceremonial stuff, people selling clothes, dishes, movies, soap. There were government booths, agricultural booths, non-profit booths, and games. They had animals. Supposedly there was a section with lions and lepers and tortoises but I failed to find it, that’s how big it was. I walked around people watching, bought some Tanzanian coffee and honey, too pictures of a guy cooking cow intestine and walked some more. I saw one other group of white people, and at some point my friends were there but I couldn’t find them. It was a huge Tanzanian event. I guess the president even came to open it that day. I didn’t take nearly enough pictures to describe it. There aren’t a lot of those festival type things here, or at least that I have seen. Summers in Portland you can find something like this, but smaller, every weekend. In that way it was a cool thing for Dodoma, but too crazy and too many people for me.

A Little Travel

Last week I went on a little get away to Zanzibar, a island off the coast of
Tanzania and Dar. We stayed in the main city, Stonetown, on Zanzibar. It’s was really different. It has interesting architecture with a middle eastern/Indian influence. The city is made up of twisty turning alleyways that you are bound to get lost in. The whole island is pretty unique because of its history, but really touristy. It was super weird to see so many white people and to be with so many tourists... to be a tourist.
Some little highlights.
An interesting spice tour of a small spice plantation, including a spiced lunch
An odd beach trip with a tour group of young brits
I was offered 4 scarves if i slept with a vendor (extremely insulting price actually!!)
Good seafood! I had tuna, prawns, king fish, shark fish, lobster…
Lots of bargaining and gift buying and befriending the vendors in the process
An awful ferry ride back to the mainland: tons of people, smaller boat, no
place to get fresh. I got pretty sick for only the third time in my life.

I enjoyed the island though and wish we had more time to go elsewhere outside of Stonetown. Being a tourist after living in the county is odd. I enjoy traveling and experiencing new places and learning, but it's weird. I spent more money
this weekend than the average person makes at the church in 3 months. I'm torn
with the desire of simple luxuries. I waste to much water in an upright shower,
but the hot water shower feels amazing. I really love the thought put into ambiance and lighting for the comforts of a room, but now see it as a mark of money, an unnecessary aspect. Things like art and music that are classified as culture come from the upper class, people who have time and money for these luxuries. I too appreciate these things and while it is real life for many Tanzanians, they are a very small portion of the population. It's still too difficult to struggle with. The two worlds can't simultaneously exist in my brain for long. I have to exist in whichever one is present and enjoy what it brings.