Umependeza! Now you look African!

No, I didn't gauge my ears like a Maasai, dread my hair (yet), or get ridiculously tanned. This was the complement I got many times yesterday because I was wearing a traditional Tanzanian outfit given to me as a gift from my homestay family :). You can see pictures below. Yesterday was my last day in Bangata for the homestay. To celebrate our completion of Kiswahili classes, we had a big party at the Centre (where we take classes in Bangata) with all of our homestay families. It felt like a Tanzanian pre-prom party – every there with their families, the midday sun, posing for pictures. Every girl showed up in a brand new Tanzanian outfit and the boys were either outfitted in a traditional Maasai robe or ketenge shirt. It was pretty funny to see all us wazungu done up in matching shirt and skirt pairs. Some were definitely hipper than others. I lucked out and got a matching headband. Rawr. I felt bad because I only brought my family 10 minutes late which is extremely early on Tanzania time. When a Tanzanian sets a meeting for an hour (e.g. 12pm), it means that it will start anywhere from 12 pm to 1 pm because technically it is still 12 pm.

I'm having a surprisingly hard time digesting the fact that homestay is over. I really grew attached to everything about Bangata – the teachers, the centre, the soccer games, and especially my family. Even though I know they think I'm weird sometimes, I always feel comfortable here. I loved watching Mama Dori cook every night – sometimes we talk and joke around and other times we sit in silence – and can't wait to cook all the dishes I've learned back home. I just really can't believe how lucky I am to have had such an amazing immersive experience. In a place completely different from my home, I felt as at home as ever. (I'm crying right now in the internet cafe haha.) It's been especially cool to hang out with Mama Dori this week because it was just the two of us and my cousin Babu. Baba Dori was in another region of Tanzania for work (he is a government-paid veterinarian). Luckily, he came back last night so I got to see him before I left. My mama made my favourite meal (rice, beans, and wild spinach) for dinner and I had my last bucket shower. I also probably had my last cup of village chai for a while. Whoa, so I'm really emotional right now and I think it's because it feels like something major ended today which is weird because I haven't felt this way about ending any other parts of the program. This morning when my Baba starting saying how he was going to miss my company, I couldn't even say anything because I was trying to hide my tears. Eventually, my mama caught on and started laughing which made me feel better. I just wish I could probably express to them how thankful I am for how warmly they welcomed me into my home and made me feel as loved as one of their own, but with what Kiswahili I have I could only say “Asante sana sana. Nimewamisseni sana.” (Thank you so so much. I will really miss you.) Hopefully, I will go back to visit them during the Independent Study period and again with my Canadian family (that will be a funny gathering).

Okay, I blew my nose and I am back. This past week has been mid-term week. Basically, we finished our Kiswahili classes and had a 10 minute oral exam. We also have to complete a mid-term portfolio which includes the following:

• 3 maps of Bangata (one done by me and two by members of my family) and an analysis of the maps
• a resource flow diagram
• a table of household activities divided by gender and into categories of productive, reproductive, and community
• a 10 page paper on a Bangatan resource (I wrote mine on private primary education because all my homestay siblings are currently living in Arusha to attend private schools)
• a 5 page paper about gender and whether or not it is socially constructed
• a 3 page meta-analysis about our experience (I'm turning in a self-portrait of myself wearing glasses filled in with the word mzungu. Limited perception has been a big theme for me here. I might also include this quote that I read in Walden: “Nature and human life are as various as our several constitutions. Who shall say what prospect life offers to another? Could a greater miracle take place than for us to look through each other's eyes for an instant?” - Thoreau)

While it was kind of strange to be doing something resembling school work, the week was actually pretty relaxing. I spent a lot of time lying on my kanga on the grass listening to music. There were several moments when that special feeling hit me and left me with a feeling of overwhelming sensation (I can't think of a better word to describe this, sorry) – the feeling of knowing that I am exactly where I am supposed to be right now.

Some habari moto moto (hot hot news): Apparently, a man has seen God in Tanzania. God has told him that one specific tree in a region of Tanzania has the power to cure people of everything, included HIV/AIDS. Supposedly, out of 100 HIV-positive people who drank the sap of this tree a month ago, 80% are now testing negative. There are now masses of people making the pilgrimage to this special tree in hopes of curing all sorts of ailments. The woman who owns the centre just got back from India where she was receiving cancer treatment and she is planning on making the trip out there. We might stop there on our way to Mazumbai (a tropical rainforest near the coast). It is in the region where a tribe of people live that are the only people feared by the Maasai (I wish I could remember the name). Baba Jack told us on the second day of the trip that we were not allowed to study this people because of their ties to magic. Though magic is largely hidden, it is taken very seriously in Tanzania and Baba Jack said it is dangerous to our physical and mental health to get involved. Curious, indeed.

On Monday, we leave for a week-long safari in Mazumbai. The tropical rainforest ecosystem will provide a whole new set of novice sights, smells, and touches, as it is completely different from the savannah ecosystem of Tarangire. We've been warned about enormous bugs and allergy-inducing thorns. As Baba Jack says, the forest will either love you or reject you. At some point in the week, we have dedicated alone time to bond with the forest. I hope the forest loves me and sends me back out fairly unscathed. I'll let you know how it goes. Lots of love.  

Young elephants washing themselves on the road in Tarangire

Twiga

A waterbuck - one of my favourite ruminants

Frozen dik dik

Giraffe skeleton - our driver said it had been there a year

Silalo Swamp - a major source of water for wildlife during the dry season

 Rain

A family herd of elephants 

Two twigas :) Babu Leeky said it was strange to see them standing butt-to-butt because this is normally the look-out position for zebras.

Creepy evil-old-men birds at sunset. (Maribu storks)

Unesmo, our teacher and Maasai warrior. 

Paint at the artist's colony in Mto wa Mbu

A chipsi stand - yum

Me in my Tanzanian outfit with Mama Dori and my cousin Nick

Charging cape buffalo in Lake Manyara

Babu Giraffe