Day Twenty: Tanzania: Last Day in Zanzibar

7:27pm, May 19th, 2019
Today my aunt and I spent the day relaxing out in the sun appreciating our last day in Zanzibar and under the sun before we leave tomorrow. We laid at the beach for a few hours and then a sudden downpour came our way, so we ran for cover. After the rain passed, we hung around the pool for a while before we went for lunch. After lunch, we transitioned back to the beach. When we went back to our villa, I noticed I had gotten incredibly sunburnt, which is quite unfortunate, but the heat and sun were worth it. I am incredibly sad to leave this fantastic continent tomorrow, but I know I will be back to see my new found friends.

Until tomorrow
Maria

Weekly Update #3

7:36, May 19th, 2019, Weekly Reflection

This week I learned about Ramadan because while being In Zanzibar, a predominantly Muslim place, I had seen all of these people fasting as well as when I was staying with Sula. I learned about the struggles of the farmers by the Masai Mara and how their farming and living interrupts how the animals in the game park live and migrate. The Masai have set up fences around their properties, and this has only started to happen in recent years. With the fences animals that are migrating get caught up in the fences and either hurt themselves or die. Sula told us of a story that happened recently where about 35 wildebeest entered a fenced in area but could not figure out how to get out, so they were all found dead because of the intense heat and no water available. I also learned about how the soil in that area makes travel very difficult, the earth is very loose so if a road is to be put in with asphalt and then it rains, the road very quickly crumbles away with the unstable soil. 

I had a lot of fun in the Mara and getting to know Sula and his family especially one of his two sons Izzy, he’s a very spunky little boy, so it was fun to talk to him. It was interesting to go to Zanzibar because it was extremely different from both Uganda and Kenya. There is a powerful middle eastern and Muslim influence that was evident in the architecture and the people which I did not see a significant amount of in Uganda and Kenya. It was a different aspect of being in a Muslim country because I have never been to one before. I felt the Muslim influence the most in Stone Town but then when we traveled to the beach, to Kendwa, there was deff of the middle eastern vibe, and more of just the beach feel with the bungalows and everything typical to an exotic beach.

The surprise which we kind of forgot about was that it was the rainy season, which we forgot, and so it rained a lot while we were there. We expected to have beautiful sunny days while in Zanzibar because that is what we had the weeks before in Uganda and Kenya but rainy season had come two months late in Zanzibar and the worst of it was just hitting the island now. So we had to cancel some plans because of the rain that would come on so suddenly.

This week I saw a very different aspect of the continent, which I think broadened my horizons as to how different the countries vary from each other even if the countries are right next to each other.

I gathered more of an awareness, and I saw and met more cultures which is one of my goals, cultural experience, I saw more landscapes and made more life long friends in Kenya with Sula so I know I will always have a place to go to in Nairobi if I ever need one. I immersed myself in the culture I think by hanging out and speaking with Masai warriors. 

Until tomorrow

Maria

Day Nineteen: Tanzania: Rainy Day at the Beach

9:36, May 18th, 2019

Today we woke up and it was raining pretty hard. We went to breakfast and then walked the beach for just about 2 hours searching for sea shellsand talking to locals. I have never seen that many shells or coral before. It was like thrift shopping and every where you looked there would be something else you liked. Then we sat and had coffee while we watched the never ending sheets ofrain come down hoping it’d stop. We then went back to our villa so I could wash off the shells and organize them to see what I was working with. I found two similar shells and put them on some earrings I already had and made myself some new and improved earrings With was very exciting.Today was more of a relax day because of the rain and it being rainy season. Hopefully it will be nicer tomorrow. 

Hours for the day: 2

Hours in total 111

Until tomorrow 

Maria

Day Eighteen: Tanzania: Traveled to the Beach Kendwa

9:08, May 17th, 2019

Today we woke up and had breakfast on the roof. During breakfast a rain storm swooped in from no where and we had breakfast while we listened to the rain hit the tin roof creating a calming noise. After breakfast we wanted to stop by a store to get some souvenirs but we got caught in a torrential downpour. The rain came out of no where and then suddenly the rain was coming down hard and we were running for cover. We were stuck under a ledge for about 15 minutes while the streets flooded and the water was up to our ankles. We ran back to our hotel when the rain was only coming down lightly. We then drove to Kendwa beach and relaxed after the long drive. We walked around the hotel and sat and admired the long white beaches for a while before we headed for dinner.

Until tomorrow

Maria 

Day Seventeen: Tanzania: Stone Town and Roof Top Dinner

9:31pm, May 16th, 2019

This morning I woke up at 5am for the airport so we could go to Zanzibar, Tanzania. The night before we had been informed that our flight to Zanzibar had been canceled so we spent all night with Sula, who travels worldwide almost every week for his job, looking for other flight options that would get us to Zanzibar early in the day. Anyway, we go to the airport, and Sula talked his way into getting us on a flight that had a very short layover in Kilimanjaro before we headed to Zanzibar. When we arrived in Kilimanjaro, we had quite a few difficulties with customs and then checking in for our flight and security, but we finally made it through and were on our way to Zanzibar. We arrived, and after we go to our hotel, we went on a walk around Stone Town, which is a pretty historic place. There are lots of forts and such left over from when it was being colonized by the British and Armenian. We walked to the beach and visited another hotel that had some beautiful architecture. We were pretty exhausted from our early wake-up and traveling, so we went back to the hotel early before dinner. For dinner, we went to a traditional Zanzibar celebratory dinner, which had us sitting on pillows on the ground and sharing a big plate of food with traditional foods, music, and beverages. It was on a rooftop of our hotel’s site hotel, and we made friends with all of the people sitting around us and talked about everyone’s adventures so far in Africa. Zanzibar is a predominantly Muslim place, so hearing the call to prayer to break fasting because it is Ramadan was pretty impressive. 

Hours for the day: 5

Hours in total: 109

Until tomorrow

Maria

Day Sixteen: Kenya: The Ngong Hills

8:08pm, May 15th, 2019
This morning I was able to sleep in which was very nice after the very early wake-ups for the past few days. My aunt and I headed towards the Ngong hills with Mr. Peter, who is Sula’s driver. The Ngong hills are a set of 7 very tall hills outside of Nairobi, which is very important to my aunt and family. Every weekend my aunt, mom, uncle, and grandparents would go and walk the hills when they were living in Nairobi so many years ago. It was a place that my aunt frequently visited outside of the weekend visits as well.

We started walking, and by the second hilltop we met these two men from the Masai tribe. The Masai were there so their sheep and cattle could graze on the bright green grass covering the hillsides. Mr. Peter started talking to the Masai, and they gave him one of the sticks they had carved. Then they jumped for us, and the younger man wanted a photo shoot, so he laid out all of his sticks and got his penga, which is a machete, and started flashing it for the camera. It was really quite entertaining.

We then sprinkled some of my grandmother and grandfather’s ashes at the top of the hill because it had been such a special place to them. It was a special moment to have been able to do that on those hills that looked over Nairobi and the Rift Valley.

Hours for the day: 3.5
Hours in total: 104

Until tomorrow
Maria

Day Fifteen: Kenya: Hot Air Balloon Ride Over the Masaimara Game Park

9:22pm, May 14th, 2019

It was a bit hard waking up this morning considering it was at 4:15am. We had to wake up so early because we were going for a hot air ballon ride over the game park and we had to be at the lunch site in the park by 6:30 but there were some people we had to pick up first and it was a long drive to get there. We finally arrived at the launch site and the sun was still coming up and it was amazing. There were zebras and impala around us that we could faintly see in the low light. As the sun came up so did the balloon. Right at 6:30 we hopped into the balloon with our pilot Razi and 14 other people. So this was a 16 person basket which is the biggest they get I think. Take off was a bit scary and bumpy but once we were in the air it was wild. We instantly saw massive hearts of zebras and impala and wildebeest and buffalos. Seeing the animals and the park from the sky puts into perspective just how many animals there really are and how vast the park is. We saw buffalos running, a den of hyenas and we saw the babies, and we saw elephants. We would go way high into the sky and then skim the ground to get different points of view. We learned about the balloon and the park from Razi, he has been flying big balloons for 10 years now but has been working in the park for many many years. 

Finally we had a very easy landing we were able to stay standing as we landed because it was such an easy tough down. We then got picked up by the crew and taken to our breakfast site which was breakfast in the middle of the game park amongst the animals. My aunt and I sat with a Scottish couple who were on their honeymoon and we had a great time with them they were very fun to chat with. 

We then drove back to our camp with the pilot because he was going to the dentist clinic. We were able to learn all about him on the way back and we also jammed out to some oldies music on the drive back which was pretty fun. We also saw three female lions that we named Sharron, Mathilda, and Alexis. 

Once we got back to the camp we quickly packed up our bags and hit the road to drive back to Nairobi. The ride was about 6 hours and it was extremely dusty. I am a bit sick of cars for the next few days I think. We arrived back at Sula’s house and greeted his wife and son and then sat down for dinner.

Hours for the day: 7

Hours in total: 100.5

Until tomorrow

Maria

Day Fourteen: Kenya: Second Day in the Masaimara Game Park

5:01pm, May 13th, 2019

Today I woke up at 5:30am so that we could be hitting the road and on our way to the game park by 6am. We got our breakfast all packed up for the ride and were off. We got to see the sunrise come up and over some of the hills on our ride to the game park and it was spectacular. We arrived at the game park and quickly saw the zebras and antelope. We quickly came upon the 5 brothers which is a group of five male cheetahs. After the cheetahs we drove on and saw a hyena and a pack of wart hogs and then began our search for some lions and of course the ultimate goal, a leopard. Our driver spotted a female lion from a distance with his binoculars so we spent about 20 minutes trying to figure out how to get to her when finally she came to us. We watched her from across a river bank and watched her drink from the river. My aunt and I decided to name her Carol. There was a massive heard of zebras ahead of us so we followed her to the herd and thought she was going to catch herself a meal but after a while of waiting she walked away in the opposite direction. We then found two male brother lions who we named William and Harry. After those sightings we were quite hungry so we wondered into a camp on the edge of the park and sat down for some coffee and croissants to keep ourselves away for more searching. 

We continued on our safari for a while and we saw some fox like creatures for the first time and a lone wildebeest that we named James. We head back to camp wanting a late lunch only to discover that we were really way out in the game park.

For dinner we had dinner in the bush. Which means that they set up dinner for us by the pool instead of in the restaurant so it is out doors. While eating dinner with the two dentists, Gloria and Charles, that work that the dentist clinic next door, I heard this guttural cry and jumped about 3 feet into the air and thought I had died. I turned around and it was Masai warriors running from the bushes. Masai is a very old tribe in Kenya and they are quite famous for their jewelry that they wear and the Masai clothes that they always dress themselves in. The warriors immediately started singing a song but they were singing in a way I had never heard of before. It was unlike anything I had seen before so it was very cool to see. Then one of the warriors took my hand and put his necklace around me and we started to dance around the table while other warriors grabbed my aunt and Gloria. We then had a naming ceremony. The warriors would talk and come up with a name and then once the name was agreed upon they would tell the name to the one warrior who could speak English. My name was Negato which means happiness. In order to receive your name one of the warriors brushes your feet with a beaded giraffe tail and says your proposed name and each time the warrior says your proposed name, you yell. This happens four times. And so on for my and and Gloria. They did some more dancing and such and then the warrior let me keep his necklace which is hand crafted by himself. It was a very cool experience and nothing I would have expected.

Hours for the day: 8

Hours in total 93.5

Until tomorrow

Maria

Weekly Reflection #2

10:32pm, May 12th, 2019 Weekly Reflection #2

This week I think the pearliest thing I learned was how different Uganda and Kenya were from each other. You would not be able to know how different they both are unless you went and found out for yourself. Uganda’s infrastructure is not as strong as Kenya’s and there is a lot more traffic in Uganda than Kenya and the police are corrupt in Uganda whereas in Kenya they are not, but Uganda social life is blooming. You always feel included and it is such a social environment, everyone knows everyone and there is always something going on and people getting around. Tonight I was talking to Sula about this who grew up in Uganda but now lives in Kenya, there is more of a disconnect between people in Kenya and less of an active social life. But you can find basic necessities more easily in Nairobi than you can in Kampala. I also learned that if I want to go into business in college, there is a lot I do not understand and a lot I do not understand. From talking with Cyprian and Newton and listening to them chat on and on about all sorts of far away ideas I realized I need to broaden may horizons and try to learn some things I may need to know to survive in the world. 

The only thing I did not completely love that we did this week was going to Jinja, the source of the Nile. Being at the Nile was interesting but then the island we went to, Sambuka Island, was not enjoyable. It was a bird sanctuary which I did not know I greatly dislike birds so that was a bit of a nightmare with over 150 birds flying around me for hours. Oh and all the lizards, was not a fan of those either. Otherwise everything was amazing. This project is truly becoming more than what I could have imagines with the people I have met and the experiences I have had. I am still in awe that I am traveling to these beautiful countries and being able to learn about the life and culture. 

The only unexpected thing that happened was that we did not go to the Ngong Hills yesterday which I was looking forward to but when my aunt was feeling too ill to go. So plans changed to me going to the Nairobi National Park instead on a little safari which was extremely fun and I am ok with how things worked out like that. I still hope however that I can go to the Ngong Hills when we go back to Nairobi.

This week I was able to see lots of different places and travel so I have been to two different game parks and I have seen people of the Masai tribe in their traditional garb with their traditional jewelry. This is the closest I have come to an African tribe so that was a big step in this cultural experience. I have now been to my second East African country so I am able to identify some of the differences and similarities. This week has moved me towards my understanding of cultures and development and life in countries that are half way around the world. 

Until tomorrow

Maria

Day Thirteen: Kenya: First Day in the Masaimara Game Park

10:05pm, May 12th, 2019

This morning, we woke up early to go to the Masaimara Game Park which is about 5 hours away from Nairobi. Our safari guide picked my aunt and I up from our hotel and then we went to pick up Sula Kiggundu which is Remi Kiggundu’s son. Once we picked him up, we started our long and very bumpy journey. Sula and I talked about his time in the U.S. at Yale. Then he told me a bit about the company he works for and how he is an entrepreneurial investor even though the went to college with his mind set on being an engineer. We stopped at the rift valley which is so much more expansive than I could have imagined. 

We finally arrived at our camp. We were greeted with fruity beverages and shown to our tents. Not knowing what to expect, I realized my tent is no different than a regular hotel room so we are basically glamping. We had lunch and then started to get ready to go on a short safari. When I went back to get some things from my tent, there was a massive group of monkeys outside my tent along with a few baboons! They were kind of intimidating and sounded like they were growling at me so I quickly ran into my tent. 

We went on our way to the Mara and soon gained entrance. We were on the lookout for lions, that was the main goal for the afternoon. We saw an abundant amount of elephants and water buffaloes and we saw a hyena. Happily we came across a lazy male lion stretched out in the shade. I had finally gotten to see my first lion and all I wanted to do was reach out and pet the fluffy guy but I knew I would be lunchmeat if I did so I decided against that. We then drove on and saw a few giraffes and a group of about eight female lions all laying around and one young male amongst them. All of the female lions were lying on top of each other and licking each others and it was an amazing site to see. The game park closed at 6:30 so we had to leave. On our drive back to camp we go to see the sunset which was outrageous. I saw the tall grass of the Mara turn gold with pink and purple hues and the entire world around me glowed. From horizon to horizon everything was golden. 

Hours for the day: 8

Hours in total: 85.5

Until tomorrow

Maria

Day Twelve: Kenya: The Nairobi National Park

9:37pm, May 11th, 2019
Today my aunt was not feeling well, so I decided to go to the Nairobi National Park which is a game park. My driver Joseph picked me up, and we headed on our way to the park. We got on the topic of how Uganda and Kenya are so different, and he agreed. Joseph said that Kenya used to be just like Uganda is now, ten years ago. We got to the park and immediately saw antelopes and zebras. We were driving and driving and driving just searching for animals, searching for the big 5. The big 5 is the 5 animals that you want to see on safari. Water buffaloes, lions, rhinos, leopard, and elephants. Sadly there are no elephants in this game park. Leopards are extremely shy, and no one sees them so we didn’t see leopards and no one saw any lions today, so those were off the list too. So we saw 2/5 of the big 5, but that was still incredible. Seeing animals in their pure element and natural environment is something else entirely.

It was mind-blowing seeing 20 antelopes together and a group of 10 zebras and 8 giraffes. All bunched together, I have never seen anything like it. We saw warthogs, ostriches, gazelles, water buffalos, antelopes, zebras, giraffes, and zebras, a turtle, and many many birds.

Hours for the day: 6
Hours in total: 77.5

Until tomorrow,
Maria

Day Eleven: Kenya: The Day With Vaitzman

7:24pm, May 10th, 2019

Today we went to an outdoor market which was full bartering and negotiating. There was just rows and rows of pretty much all of the same stuff with different things here and there. Lots of African clothes, traditional necklaces, rings, earrings, straw bags, and much more. That was pretty hectic and overwhelming because all of the people selling things would yell at you to get your attention and ask you things and stand-in in your way in the narrow paths to get you to look at things. It was a very different experience. My aunt tried to show me how to barter and it was very interesting to see her go back and forth like a pro with the vendor. In the end my aunt ended up getting the price down to 1,000 Kenyan shillings, which is $10, instead of 2,000 Kenyan shillings, which is $20. 

We then went to a nearby mall so Vaitzman can do his shopping. He wanted to tell us the whole history of the old mall and then show us around to his favorite shops. Then we helped Vaitzman to do his grocery shopping so we were able to see all of the different produce. So far, the lemons and limes I have seen here are very different. The lemons look like the limes that we have in the U.S. but bumpier and the limes are the size of a gummball and are way better than the limes in the U.S. 

Hours for the day: 5

Hours in total: 71.5

Until tomorrow

Maria

Day Ten: Kenya: Elephants, Giraffes, and Artisans!

8:15pm, May 9th, 2019
This morning I woke up to my aunt yelling that we were going to an elephant sanctuary! I had a quick breakfast, and then we headed to the sanctuary. We arrived, and we walked to the area where 11 of the 22 baby elephants were. The elephants were rolling around in the mud and throwing the mud at each other and eating leaves. I had never seen elephants up close let alone touch them. There was only a thin strand of rope separating myself from the baby elephants. One of the men who works at the sanctuary was talking over a microphone about how the sanctuary came to be, why each of the elephants is there, and the reason why sanctuaries are vital. Who spoke in depth about the human influence on an animal’s natural life. Like poachers of course. There were only two elephants that resided at the sanctuary that were there because their mothers died of natural causes. All of the other babies were there because of poachers and human influence. We stayed at the elephant sanctuary for about two hours touring around and petting the elephants and watching them play.

After the elephants, we went to the giraffe sanctuary. Giraffes are one of my favorite animals so seeing and feeding them was quite a big deal. It was funny because the giraffes have very long purples tongues that are kind of rough like a cats tongue and it would wrap around your fingers to get the pellet, so that was a very different experience. We spent a long time talking to the people who work at the sanctuary about the giraffes, where they come from, and then just some interesting giraffe facts.

Next, we went to local shops where everything was made in Kenya and then had lunch had a delicious little food truck. I got a chicken wrap on chapati which looks like a tortilla and is fried and is DELICIOUS. We then went to a different market which had many various Kenyan artisans, so we spent a long time looking at all of the goodies.

Hours for the day: 7
Hours in total: 66.5

Until tomorrow,
Maria

Artisan and traditional masks

a painting at the artisan center

Me and Mbingo a three-year-old male

Day Nine: Goodbye Uganda Hello Kenya!

10:08pm, May 8th, 2019
Today was bittersweet. This morning I had to say goodbye to my new friends. Sarah came over to Robin, and Rose’s this morning to say goodbye, and then Flavia arrived to drive up to the airport, and I had to say goodbye to Cyprian, Rose, and Robin. But I promised them I would be back soon with my family, so they had not gotten rid of me yet. We then went to the airport in Entebbe and had a short 55-minute flight to Nairobi, Kenya. A driver by the name of Evans was there waiting to pick up us up with a sign with our names on it. Immediately when we walked outside of the airport, I could already tell that Nairobi was a great deal more developed than Uganda. All the roads we drove on were paved, and there were far fewer shanties and slums than Uganda. Of course, there was still some but not as many from what I saw. Evans pointed out all of the important landmarks and told us a bit of the history of Nairobi

We then arrived at Vaitzman Aharoni’s house which is on the outskirts of the city Nairobi. Vaitzman was very very good friends with my grandfather and is from Israel but has lived in Kenya for many years. He means a great deal to my aunt, and so I was extremely excited to meet him. He took us on a tour of the gated community he owns and lives in. We were able to see three of the four tortoises that live then, and we witnessed one of them laying eggs!

After that, we relaxed a bit, and then Evans took us on a drive around the area and then took us to the Windsor hotel which is a very famous hotel in Nairobi. We received a tour of the grounds, learned about some of its history, and then sat for some tea and planned out our schedule for tomorrow! 

Hours for the day: 4
Hours in total: 59.5

Until tomorrow,
Maria

Flying over Kenya

My Auntie Sarah and I on the tarmac in Kenya

Driving through Nairobi to Vaitzman's

The pool at Vaitzman's house

One of the four tortoises

The tortoise laying eggs

Day Eight: Uganda: Jinga, the Source of the Nile River

10:43pm, May 7th, 2019

Today was a bit different. My aunt and I woke up at 5:45 so that we could leave for Jinga, the source of the Nile River, by 6am with Flavia. So Flavia got here, and I went back to sleep for the two-hour car ride. We got to Jinga, and our boat showed up 30 minutes late, so that was an unfortunate turn to the day. But he finally showed up, it turned out that the water was pretty choppy which I soon found out for the next hour. After an hour of going up the Nile River and entering into Lake Victoria, we finally arrived at Sambuka Island which is a very very very small island that is a resort that you can stay at in bungalows, but it is also a bird sanctuary! I do not like birds. So that was a bit of an experience. We also saw five monitor lizards which had my aunt and Flavia and I screaming. A man by the name of Paul showed us around and showed us some rooms, told us the history of the island, and talked about all of the species of birds that reside on the island. Paul was very charismatic, and we all appreciated that after a tricky morning. After a late breakfast, we got back on the boat, and it took us an hour and a half to get back because the wind had picked up.  

After we got back to the car, we went to The Nile River Haven which had a perfect view of the rapids in the Nile, and that was quite amazing to see. After admiring the rapids, we started our long drive back to Robin and Roses’s, but the traffic was horrific. We finally got back three and a half hours later, and I sat down to talk with Robin. Robin reminds me so much of my grandfather who passed away years ago, and they speak like they are almost the same person, and they were terrific friends, both economists. So I enjoy talking with Robin, we talked about the World Wars and geography and the Nile River and many more things. 

Hour for the day: 9

Hours in total: 55.5

Until tomorrow,

Maria