Serengeti Safari

Here are some pictures from my safari during my second weekend in Africa.

All Good Things...

Here are some pictures from my 3 week experience in Jambiani!

Goodbye Jambiani!

I really wish I could post some pictures, because I've taken some great ones this past week. Internet access here is just so hard to get and my last attempt to upload one picture took about 1 hour and then failed.

Today is my last day in Jambiani and we're around the village. Last night I said goodbye to Simba, Caprone, Rasmus, and Eric - some great friends I've made in the village. And even harder was saying goodbye to the kids at the two Nursery Schools were we teach. I tried to explain I was leaving to go home, but they kept pointing at me saying "Keisho" which means tomorrow. I'm really going to miss class with them, especially now that we taught them red light/green light.

Yesterday one of our project coordinators invited us to his brother's wedding, it was really interesting (and quite long) but I got some great pictures. I also may have taken the official wedding photo of the bride and groom....which was a little too much pressure. It was quite the way to end our volunteer experience.

On Thursday after litter pickup, Madiji one of the local kids who I've become friends with showed me his soccer teams picture. Unfortunately, they don't have a great soccer ball to practice with so, I told him I'd buy them a new ball. It must have been quite the site to see 20 fifteen year olds following me down the main road in Jambiani to buy the ball....I felt like the pied piper. But the kids were so proud of there new soccer ball once they had it in their hands, they started playing as soon as we got back to the beach.

I still have to say goodbye to Kassim and Simon today. I hope that I'm able to find someone to continue teaching Simon English and helping him to read, he's a great guy with a really good heart. I'm still working out ways to bring Kassim back to the states with me. I'm going to miss him sticking his head through our gate yelling, "Kenn" at the top of his lungs.

Well, this is my last post from Jambiani. I promise that I'll be posting lots of pictures soon. Thanks again for all the thoughts and prayers!

Kenn - Kachesi Coma Disi (Cool Like a Banana)

Back from Safari!

Well, I survived the lion outside our tent, the bats in the "restroom," the elephants charging our jeep, and the lions just feet away from the open window of the jeep.  I even survived the plane ride back (where I got to sit in the cockpit & watch the pilot read "Learn to Sail" while he put the plane on autopilot).  I had the time of my life on safari, but I was excited to get back to Jambiani.  I really miss the kids and the community here.  I even miss the heat....the Serengeti was only in the 80s and 90s when we were there and I found myself on several occassions wearing a fleece to stay warm.  I guess my body is used to the 100 degree humid bicycling weather!

Fences, Rain, and Hunting

This week has been a whirlwind week, we had some new volunteers join the team and the two volunteers who I spent last week with left (Gerit who I'm going on Safari with this weekend and Oliver who is the coolest 19 year old I know - both from Austria).  It's fun to have a larger group, but I definitely miss the Austrians!  Above is a picture of our new team w/ Simon the Massai.  I started teaching Simon english during my spare time in the evengings - taking over for Oli & Dave before him.  He sells crafts from Arusha that his family makes as souvenirs and needs to know english to be able to communicate w/ the tourists.  He needs to sell enough souvenirs to buy 20 cows, which will allow him to get a wife.  Apparently 20 cows is the going price for a wife in Arusha these days.

This week we've spent time building fences and learning how to make anything from a coconut tree (coconut juice, rope, soap, cups, measuring utensils, roofing & fencing materials, etc.).  I am quite pleased to say that the fence we built at the nursery school is still standing after 1 day and one of the hardest rainstorms that I've seen.  Once it stops raining I'll take my camera out to take a picture.  The rainstorm knocked out power for most of the day and cancelled our game day for the nursery school kids, which was going to be really fun.  I leave for safari tomorrow, so pray that mainland Tanzania is dry, with great animal viewing weather.

My Swahili is finally picking up and I've been have longer conversations with the locals.  It's great to get out and meet people.  One of the guys from our Tourism Training Institute class took me home to meet his family and show me his hunting dogs.  He invited me to go hunting for monkeys and pigs using just nets, sticks and the dogs.  I've never really been into hunting, but it sounds like an interesting experience.  If I make it through safari in one piece, I may take him up on his offer.

Kassim!

This is one of the neighbor boys who likes hanging out by our house. He's really cute and his name is Kassim. After the Barcelona/Manchester football match Kassim and Al came by the house and demonstrated their goal tending abilities yelling out "keeper." Kassim talked with my mom and dad this morning and loved hearing them say, "Jambo Kassim" on my cell phone. He was amazed that his name was coming from the cell phone.

Yesterday before dinner, he was at the fence asking me to draw him pictures. I drew him a bunch of pictures (of cartoon lions, elephants, soccer players, etc.) for about a half an hour and had him repeat all of the English words for the pictures. He's not at one of the nursery school's we teach at, but his English is progressing really well. He likes giving high-fives after he pronounces the words correctly.

Lala Coma Simba

After dinner and a few rounds of Guillotine last night, Gerit, Oliver, and I decided to head out to the American Bar just down the beach. It was opened by two American's only a week ago and is a quick walk from our place. It's not our favorite hang-out, but it's our last night together before additional volunteers arrive and we wanted to go out without having to worry about getting back due to high tide.

Here's one of our local friends and another guy who is drunk on papaya wine and I think under some other influences too...

The one nice thing is that they always have a bonfire and classic American music, even though their beer selection isn't always the best. This is Oli and our friend Eric....I think they're discussing fishing for squid.Here's Gerit and one of the American students from Utah who just got into town from a school trip to Kilimajaro. They were pretty cool and much better than your typical American college toorist.
Here's Oli "kucheza dansi coma Mzungu" (dancing like a white person)....we're often called Mzungu as we go through the town (which means white person):

I talked with one of the guys in the picture for quite some time last night. He's promised to take me night fishing one night before I leave. It's on a doh, which is locally constructed sailboat...and I don't believe it's inspected by any nautical regulatory agency. We'll see if he follows through on it and see if I have the guts to go out on one of those things at night.

For all of you still up in the states, "lala coma simba".....or "sleep like a lion!"