Wow. Yesterday at this time I was almost in panic mode. I was furious (and still am) with MasterCard, and didn't know how I would pay my hotel bill or get out of this country. After much prayer and support from friends and family, I now have everything worked out. I have a flight to Kenya tomorrow, and from there will continue to battle with the credit card people. Thankful beyond words to everyone that reached out and let me know that I was in your thoughts and prayers! And for my wonderful family for helping me get through this. I don't know how people survive without a supportive family. Thank you everyone! (especially my papa!)
I am disappointed that I haven't gotten to see much of Rwanda. like I have said before it is very hilly and things are quite spread out, so I haven't been able to walk around very much of the town. The people are very warm and friendly, and I would have loved getting to know some of them better. I would also liked to have learned more about the genocide. You can do all the reading you want, but first hand accounts are always a bit more eye opening, and the politics of the situation don't always cover all the reasons a situation happens. Again you can't just stumble up to any old person, that's rude, the people are not here for my entertainment. Something that many tourists often forget!
Rwanda is one of the few places with gorillas! Unfortunately it is not possible for poor tourists to see them. There is a $500 permit to view them, then you have to hire a guide and pay a park fee. The $500 permit accounts for 90% of the foreign revenue that comes into the country, or at least that is what I read.
From the outside, this trip sounds like a failure. I didn't go south to malawi and zambia like I originally planned to do, and my trip was cut short in Rwanda. but I have to say it has been such an awesome experience. Traveling is so great, i was able to learn and experience all sorts of new things, and I feel so much better and confident for it. If I can navigate, and communicate well enough in east Africa, then I can do anything. There have been a few snafus along the way, but has only taught me to trust God and to have confidence in my ability to work through it. I am sad to see this journey ending, but I know there will be many others. Next I am thinking eastern Europe, or maybe southern Asia, anybody want to join me??:)
Again, thanks for all the support! I feel so blessed!
xox Suzanne
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Stuck in Rwanda
Today I am stuck in Rwanda. A few days ago I noticed my credit card stopped working, so I called them up and they asked if I had any plans to go to France. I said no. Someone had stolen my card information and tried to buy a train ticket in France. They then told me that they were going to go ahead and cancel my card. My heart sunk. But then he assured me that they could overnight my card to Rwanda. So I have just been relaxing and reading some books for the past few days. But then today I got a call from my dad telling me they sent my card to the local bank branch in the states. So I called the credit card people again, and was pretty much told sorry, not our problem. I told them, yes this is your problem, but they don't seem to think so. Not entirely sure what the next step will be. I am hoping that the local branch in the states can maybe mail it to Rwanda? If not there is always western union, but that still only solves the short term problem.
But there is reason to be thankful. All of the places I stayed in Tanzania were very cheap. Like pay in advance, in cash, kind of cheap. That makes it sound like I was staying at ladies-of-the-night kind of places, they weren't, just cheap hostels. (but very safe mom and sue). The place I am at now isn't super nice, but nice enough that I pay when I check out.
I am hopeful that everything will work out, but I would really appreciate some prayers!
xo suzanne
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
But there is reason to be thankful. All of the places I stayed in Tanzania were very cheap. Like pay in advance, in cash, kind of cheap. That makes it sound like I was staying at ladies-of-the-night kind of places, they weren't, just cheap hostels. (but very safe mom and sue). The place I am at now isn't super nice, but nice enough that I pay when I check out.
I am hopeful that everything will work out, but I would really appreciate some prayers!
xo suzanne
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Location:Rue Depute Kamuzinzi,Kigali,Rwanda
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Memorial
It is the end of the day and I am just sitting down to write and have a beer. Most of today has been spent in quiet reflection, after visiting the genocide memorial this morning. I wasn't really sure what to expect, I love museums, and as a whole Africa has been less than impressive. But this was amazingly well done, and very powerful.
You begin the tour outside the memorial building where there are over 250,000 people buried in mass graves. Before, the term "mass grave" has sounded so disrespectful, like they weren't worth burying as individuals, but in this instance it is such a powerful tool of remembrance and education. It is a place to bring all of the known and unknown. Even though the genocide ended in 1994 there are still graves being found around the country and the remains are then brought to a place like this to give proof to what happened. Many, many of the people who were killed and buried do not have an identity because the entire village/family was wiped out, and there is simply no one left to remember them.
In the past there have been many similar attacks on different people groups and many of these genocides have been denied by people and/ or governments. To prevent this from happening with the Rwanda genocide they display some actual coffins and about 100 skulls and arm bones. Many of these skulls show the manner in which the individual died.
Inside the memorial they do a very good job of making it real. Bringing real life personal accounts and a room set aside for personal photos and notes to the deceased. Very powerful and touching.
I can't understand how the Rwandan people seems so normal. Absolutely every Rwandan had been personally touched by this tragedy, but yet I can't see any outward signs that they have suffered so much loss. They are such friendly, warm people and it seems unimaginable that something like this happened in their lifetime. I have met a few German family members that lived through WW2, and I think the same thing of them, how can they be so normal? It seems like people like this should get some kind of survives badge that prevents them from ever suffering again. But unfortunately that isn't the case. There is very little awareness of the importance of expression, and I am sure people experience lasting emotional effects.
How can we believe in God in the face of something like this? My faith is firmly rooted in a life of seeking out God's path for myself. A call and response in a way, I have asked and received. But how can an individual believe in a God of love, when everything they loved was destroyed? The only conclusion I can come to is that God shows these people special mercy. I pray that He does, because that is the only way that I can understand it.
"All that is necessary for evil to win in this world is for good men to do nothing." Edmund Burke
xoxo Suzanne
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
You begin the tour outside the memorial building where there are over 250,000 people buried in mass graves. Before, the term "mass grave" has sounded so disrespectful, like they weren't worth burying as individuals, but in this instance it is such a powerful tool of remembrance and education. It is a place to bring all of the known and unknown. Even though the genocide ended in 1994 there are still graves being found around the country and the remains are then brought to a place like this to give proof to what happened. Many, many of the people who were killed and buried do not have an identity because the entire village/family was wiped out, and there is simply no one left to remember them.
In the past there have been many similar attacks on different people groups and many of these genocides have been denied by people and/ or governments. To prevent this from happening with the Rwanda genocide they display some actual coffins and about 100 skulls and arm bones. Many of these skulls show the manner in which the individual died.
Inside the memorial they do a very good job of making it real. Bringing real life personal accounts and a room set aside for personal photos and notes to the deceased. Very powerful and touching.
I can't understand how the Rwandan people seems so normal. Absolutely every Rwandan had been personally touched by this tragedy, but yet I can't see any outward signs that they have suffered so much loss. They are such friendly, warm people and it seems unimaginable that something like this happened in their lifetime. I have met a few German family members that lived through WW2, and I think the same thing of them, how can they be so normal? It seems like people like this should get some kind of survives badge that prevents them from ever suffering again. But unfortunately that isn't the case. There is very little awareness of the importance of expression, and I am sure people experience lasting emotional effects.
How can we believe in God in the face of something like this? My faith is firmly rooted in a life of seeking out God's path for myself. A call and response in a way, I have asked and received. But how can an individual believe in a God of love, when everything they loved was destroyed? The only conclusion I can come to is that God shows these people special mercy. I pray that He does, because that is the only way that I can understand it.
"All that is necessary for evil to win in this world is for good men to do nothing." Edmund Burke
xoxo Suzanne
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Location:Rue Depute Kamuzinzi,Kigali,Rwanda
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
God is so faithful
I must share a secret. I am quite shy and scared of new things. I haven't always been like this, it began when I was a teenager. I became petrified of ever getting on a plane again, which made me sad, I so enjoyed the summers spent wandering the Black Forrest, picking blackberries and meeting new family. When I went to university I almost lost it. I had anxiety attacks for the first month, and wanted to run away to my sister's house and hide. Sometimes there are clear moments in our lives when we can make the choice to move forward, or take a step back. At that moment I took that step forward, and have been trying to continue stepping forward in all the choices I have made since then. Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, "it was high counsel I once heard given to a young person, 'always do what you are afraid to do." God has used this to push me and prod me out of my little bubble to see the world beyond, and in this to see him. To do this you must have much faith that his will will be done, and he will provide for you, sometimes in the most unlikely ways.
Last night my sister mentioned reading, "The Horse and his Boy," by C.S. Lewis. The idea of God pushing us to be more then we think we can be, is illustrated beautifully in this book. In the story Shasta is complaining that God is never with him, but then God goes on to tell him of all the times he was there protecting, pushing, guiding, scaring and comforting him, so that Shasta would become the best of who he is. I love this image so much. Just because we don't see or feel him doesn't mean he isn't working all around us.
This trip has been a bit scary for me, I am doing what I have always been afraid to do, traveling as a single, white female in countries that I know very little about. But God has constantly provided for me. Today for instance, I searched everywhere for an ATM that would accept MasterCard, no success. As I was walking back to my hotel I was thanking God for the Internet at my hotel and the western union signs I had seen around town. As the last resort I could email my dad and have him wire some money. But when I am trying to explain this to the very nice receptionist he says, "well why don't you use it here?" they can withdraw money from my credit card and give me cash. I almost started crying knowing that God had answered my prayers.
To many this may seem like such a small insubstantial coincidence, but I know that God was working in this situation. So often when devastating things happen in my life it feels as though God has abandoned me. But when he is present in these small matter he is surely there in the catastrophes as well.
---
Today is day three on my antibiotics and I am feeling very healthy, and being much more careful of what I consume.
Rwanda is very interesting so far. It feel almost more like Europe than Africa. They roads are all nicely paved and they have traffic lights that people actually obey, which is quite shocking to me. For those who have been to the Methodist Guesthouse, the place I am staying is very similar. Quiet, clean, lots of beautiful plants, and very friendly staff.
More news on the city when I venture out more. Today is a holiday and everything is shut, so staying low today. Sorry for so many, many blogs as of late, feel free to ignore the persistent Facebook demands!
Love you all
xoxo suz
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Last night my sister mentioned reading, "The Horse and his Boy," by C.S. Lewis. The idea of God pushing us to be more then we think we can be, is illustrated beautifully in this book. In the story Shasta is complaining that God is never with him, but then God goes on to tell him of all the times he was there protecting, pushing, guiding, scaring and comforting him, so that Shasta would become the best of who he is. I love this image so much. Just because we don't see or feel him doesn't mean he isn't working all around us.
This trip has been a bit scary for me, I am doing what I have always been afraid to do, traveling as a single, white female in countries that I know very little about. But God has constantly provided for me. Today for instance, I searched everywhere for an ATM that would accept MasterCard, no success. As I was walking back to my hotel I was thanking God for the Internet at my hotel and the western union signs I had seen around town. As the last resort I could email my dad and have him wire some money. But when I am trying to explain this to the very nice receptionist he says, "well why don't you use it here?" they can withdraw money from my credit card and give me cash. I almost started crying knowing that God had answered my prayers.
To many this may seem like such a small insubstantial coincidence, but I know that God was working in this situation. So often when devastating things happen in my life it feels as though God has abandoned me. But when he is present in these small matter he is surely there in the catastrophes as well.
---
Today is day three on my antibiotics and I am feeling very healthy, and being much more careful of what I consume.
Rwanda is very interesting so far. It feel almost more like Europe than Africa. They roads are all nicely paved and they have traffic lights that people actually obey, which is quite shocking to me. For those who have been to the Methodist Guesthouse, the place I am staying is very similar. Quiet, clean, lots of beautiful plants, and very friendly staff.
More news on the city when I venture out more. Today is a holiday and everything is shut, so staying low today. Sorry for so many, many blogs as of late, feel free to ignore the persistent Facebook demands!
Love you all
xoxo suz
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Location:Rue Depute Kamuzinzi,Kigali,Rwanda
A cup of tea
I miss Kenyan tea. I never harbored any ill will towards the watery substance before I arrived on this continent, but I never really sought it out either. As most of us in the US know, or have experienced, coffee has more caffeine. And for most of us the obsession begins around the time we head for university. Too much studying, and not enough hours in the day. I remember when I finally finished, I wanted to go off caffeine completely. For about 9 months I tried to stay away from all caffeine products. I didn't get that much done in those 9 months. Without caffeine I accomplished about half as much. I soon went back to coffee.
In Kenya their caffeine addiction lies in tea. When we wake up in the morning we make a big flask, with lots of milk and sugar, to sustain us through the day. A few cups early in the morning, a few at 10 o'clock tea, maybe one with lunch, another at 4 o'clock tea, and when ever else it suits your fancy during the day. That is a lot of tea and milk and sugar. When I first encountered this ritual of constant tea consumption, I was less than enthusiastic about this sugary tea milk. But now I find myself missing it. I am always seeking out a cup of chai na maziwa (tea with milk). It is filling and comforting in its own way. I don't know what I will do when I am faced with Starbucks on a daily basis again, they couldn't make a proper cup if their life depended on it.
I fear that during this process of acquiring a taste for tea, I may have become a bit of a snob. Not in the british sense with their high tea and such, i just now know my product a bit better. You never use tea bags, those have only the poorest part of the tea leaves, and you must boil the milk and water together.
---
After a long and uneventful day, I have now reached Kigali, Rwanda. My hotel in in a safe area and I have hot water and toilet paper! It's funny I can do fine without all the luxuries of western toilets, toilet paper, quiet rooms, but then when I get to expierence them again I am so thankful. I like this, it makes me not take for granted the many blessings that surround me.
More news later, I am exhausted and going to bed.
xox suz
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
In Kenya their caffeine addiction lies in tea. When we wake up in the morning we make a big flask, with lots of milk and sugar, to sustain us through the day. A few cups early in the morning, a few at 10 o'clock tea, maybe one with lunch, another at 4 o'clock tea, and when ever else it suits your fancy during the day. That is a lot of tea and milk and sugar. When I first encountered this ritual of constant tea consumption, I was less than enthusiastic about this sugary tea milk. But now I find myself missing it. I am always seeking out a cup of chai na maziwa (tea with milk). It is filling and comforting in its own way. I don't know what I will do when I am faced with Starbucks on a daily basis again, they couldn't make a proper cup if their life depended on it.
I fear that during this process of acquiring a taste for tea, I may have become a bit of a snob. Not in the british sense with their high tea and such, i just now know my product a bit better. You never use tea bags, those have only the poorest part of the tea leaves, and you must boil the milk and water together.
---
After a long and uneventful day, I have now reached Kigali, Rwanda. My hotel in in a safe area and I have hot water and toilet paper! It's funny I can do fine without all the luxuries of western toilets, toilet paper, quiet rooms, but then when I get to expierence them again I am so thankful. I like this, it makes me not take for granted the many blessings that surround me.
More news later, I am exhausted and going to bed.
xox suz
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Location:Rue Depute Kamuzinzi,Kigali,Rwanda
Monday, August 13, 2012
Happy Birthday Little Brother!
I always loathed this time of year because it meant two things. One school was almost here, and two, for a few short months my brother and i were only one year apart. Now i can't imagine why it would matter so much if we were one year instead of two years apart, but when you are little the silliest things seem like a big deal. It is that time of year again and in 5 short days it will be my little brother's Birthday again. I am not sure of my internet connection in 5 days, so i wanted to post this early to make sure you knew how important you are to me. Even though we only started getting along once we both stopped living under that same roof, i still love you so much. I admire the choices you have made with your life, and love the person that you have become. love you so much marky poo! Hope you have a wonderful birthday!
fishing nets on the propellers
On Saturday i finally left Zanzibar. I had my ticket for 11:00 am and arrived at 10:30 just to be safe. For two hours i sat in the hot sun, jumping up every time a ferry came to the dock to see if it was mine, just to be told that it hadn't arrived yet. After two hours of this the attendant finally told me that my ferry had been canceled the day before. how nice of him to finally tell me this. i still don't understand exactly what happened, but somehow i was the only person scheduled for this particular ferry and then it broke down, but announce it to the public? no why do that, make us, or i, figure it out on my own. but i was able to catch a ferry later that afternoon. this particular ferry got a bunch of fishing nets caught on it's propellers so we had to stop in open water for an hour while they untangled them. All this time everyone around me is getting very sea sick. thankfully i was seated close to a window, so i could look out at the horizon, but my stomach was still a bit wobbly, and the smell of vomit does nothing to calm an upset stomach. but i made it, and i am back on solid ground.
Now i am in Dar es Salaam. I have been here for two days and unfortunately have gotten a bit sick. In Zanzibar i don't think i was as careful as i should have been with the water, and now i have dysentery, not so fun. in Kenya you can go to the pharmacy and get pretty much anything you need without a doctors prescription. so when i know i have eaten something bad, or even if i have a positive malaria test, but not prescription from a doctor, i can just go to the pharmacy and tell them what is wrong, or what kind of drugs i want, and they hand them over. when i went to the pharmacy here, they told me straight off that they can't give out anti biotics without a prescription. but after a little bit of begging and pleading thankfully they handed them over. So hopefully i start feeling better in the next couple of days.
Originally i was going to take the train down to Zambia and Malawi, which someday i hope to still do, but time wise it was out of my grasp. partly because i went to Zanzibar and got swept away in the history and beauty of the place forgetting that i needed to get on with my trip, but i don't regret that, i had a wonderful time there. So i have decided to fly to Rwanda tomorrow and stay there for a couple of days and make my way back to Kenya from there. I know that when many people hear the name Rwanda they think of all the terrible fighting that happened there, but now it is quite a safe place to visit, and a bit less touristy then where i have been which will be so nice. From Rwanda i was going to take a bus through Uganda and then on to Nairobi, but now Uganda has Ebola, so i am not sure how i will get back. i am waiting to see how bad the Ebola is when i am closer to going and then make a decision. i don't really want to get Ebola.
Another short and sweet entry. hope that everyone is well, and love to you all!
suz
"Americans who travel abroad for the first time are often shocked to discover that, despite all the progress that has been made in the last 30 years, many foreign people still speak in foreign languages."
Dave Berry
Now i am in Dar es Salaam. I have been here for two days and unfortunately have gotten a bit sick. In Zanzibar i don't think i was as careful as i should have been with the water, and now i have dysentery, not so fun. in Kenya you can go to the pharmacy and get pretty much anything you need without a doctors prescription. so when i know i have eaten something bad, or even if i have a positive malaria test, but not prescription from a doctor, i can just go to the pharmacy and tell them what is wrong, or what kind of drugs i want, and they hand them over. when i went to the pharmacy here, they told me straight off that they can't give out anti biotics without a prescription. but after a little bit of begging and pleading thankfully they handed them over. So hopefully i start feeling better in the next couple of days.
Originally i was going to take the train down to Zambia and Malawi, which someday i hope to still do, but time wise it was out of my grasp. partly because i went to Zanzibar and got swept away in the history and beauty of the place forgetting that i needed to get on with my trip, but i don't regret that, i had a wonderful time there. So i have decided to fly to Rwanda tomorrow and stay there for a couple of days and make my way back to Kenya from there. I know that when many people hear the name Rwanda they think of all the terrible fighting that happened there, but now it is quite a safe place to visit, and a bit less touristy then where i have been which will be so nice. From Rwanda i was going to take a bus through Uganda and then on to Nairobi, but now Uganda has Ebola, so i am not sure how i will get back. i am waiting to see how bad the Ebola is when i am closer to going and then make a decision. i don't really want to get Ebola.
Another short and sweet entry. hope that everyone is well, and love to you all!
suz
"Americans who travel abroad for the first time are often shocked to discover that, despite all the progress that has been made in the last 30 years, many foreign people still speak in foreign languages."
Dave Berry
Monday, August 6, 2012
Adventures in Cheap Hotels
The last time i had stayed in Stone Town i was at this nice little cheap hotel with a few quirks, but overall nothing too alarming. When i came back i decided to stay in the same place, but this time they put me in a different room. All within the first 24 hours i was slightly electrocuted 3 times, got a small second degree burn, and found ants in my bed. The electrocutions happened because for some reason this one room is outfitted with three pronged outlets, but they are circular instead of square, the latter being the standard in East Africa. There is a nice little mini fridge in my room which allows me to keep some food in my room so that i don't have to eat out all the time, hence the ants. but once i plugged in this handy little fridge i realized that ever time i touched a metal surface on the fridge i got a slight shock. So i don't touch that anymore. the burn occurred when i went to plug my hairdrier in and it caused a slight little fire in the socket itself, so when i pulled it out it was burning hot, and it accidentally touched me, but no worries i am fine. Although i am quite shocked that this little hotel is still standing, and hasn't burned itself down by now.
Another interesting things that doesn't have anything to do with the cheapness of the hotel, but simply the culture, is using the toilet. In all of the hotels i have stayed in, in Tanzania as well as here, there have been little hoses, like you would have in your kitchen sink, next to the toilet. When i first saw these i thought maybe they were just put there to assist in cleaning the bathroom, but have since come to realize that they are for washing ones self after using the toilet. In the Muslim culture they do not use toilet paper. i don't really understand this because if you use water you are still wet, just a different kind of wet, but still uncomfortable. oh well, i am trying to embrace new things.
The staff at this hotel are so hospitable and kind that i have a hard time contemplating leaving. This might be because i am the only resident, but i still very much appreciate the kindness they are showing me. Maybe because this is such a tourist town, but many locals are not super willing to sit down and have a nice chat. These people have enthusiastically helped me find the right daladalas (minibuses, what they call matatus) and explained the more in depth aspects of their faith and Ramadan when the language barrier allows. When i travel these are the most interesting things to me, people and culture, so if i have to put up with a bit of inconvenience when it comes to my room, i will gladly do it if it means i can better understand the culture i am living in at the moment.
well that is it for now, short and sweet! Right now i am waiting to see if i can get a train ticket to Zambia, so i am waiting on that to make my next decision. I don't have a ton of time left, so if i can't get one, i might just head back to Kenya. love to you all! and yes, i am safe and happy! (this is for you, mom and sue).
xoxo suzanne
Another interesting things that doesn't have anything to do with the cheapness of the hotel, but simply the culture, is using the toilet. In all of the hotels i have stayed in, in Tanzania as well as here, there have been little hoses, like you would have in your kitchen sink, next to the toilet. When i first saw these i thought maybe they were just put there to assist in cleaning the bathroom, but have since come to realize that they are for washing ones self after using the toilet. In the Muslim culture they do not use toilet paper. i don't really understand this because if you use water you are still wet, just a different kind of wet, but still uncomfortable. oh well, i am trying to embrace new things.
The staff at this hotel are so hospitable and kind that i have a hard time contemplating leaving. This might be because i am the only resident, but i still very much appreciate the kindness they are showing me. Maybe because this is such a tourist town, but many locals are not super willing to sit down and have a nice chat. These people have enthusiastically helped me find the right daladalas (minibuses, what they call matatus) and explained the more in depth aspects of their faith and Ramadan when the language barrier allows. When i travel these are the most interesting things to me, people and culture, so if i have to put up with a bit of inconvenience when it comes to my room, i will gladly do it if it means i can better understand the culture i am living in at the moment.
well that is it for now, short and sweet! Right now i am waiting to see if i can get a train ticket to Zambia, so i am waiting on that to make my next decision. I don't have a ton of time left, so if i can't get one, i might just head back to Kenya. love to you all! and yes, i am safe and happy! (this is for you, mom and sue).
xoxo suzanne
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Bikinis and Boubous
I am still on the island of Zanzibar, but have moved up north to Kendwa for a few days on the beach. The first day here i went snorkeling, thinking it would be amazing. i was less then impressed. Yes, there were some beautiful fish, but the water was cold, the current was heavy, there was poor viability, and a lot of the reef seemed to be dead, and after today i now know why.
Last night i went for a walk on the beach after dinner. the tide was sooo low. I walked along the water front for 45 minutes finding little creatures, and throwing them back in the water. I found: one star fish, three giant sun starts and a bunch of sea urchins. This morning after breakfast i went back out to see if the sea had risen, and it hadn't. There were tons of local women way out in the sea, just walking around. At first it was kind of a freaky site. They were like way out there, and still in the boubous and head scarves. As i continued walking down the beach three were women emerging from the ocean with bags full of shells, fish, octopus, anything they could eat or sell. I could tell what they were doing with some things, they would eat the snails, fish ect. but everyone that had caught an octopus was beating the hell out of them. they would pick them up and throw them on the ground repeatedly. it was kind of strange. i went around saying,"nina fahamou kiengereza?" (does anyone speak english?) because i really wanted to know what was happening to these obviously quite dead octopi. of course no one spoke english, and the little i could understand from them was them just wanting money or my bag. finally i found someone that could speak a little and they said that they release poison, and beating them somehow destroys the poison??? i don't know if i trust this explanation, i will have to do some research. but still very interesting. Someone had a huge conch shell with the snail still in it, that they intended to eat. Someone else had caught a huge lobster and was just playing with it in the water. and obviously this is why the reef looked so dead when i went snorkeling, they go and pick everything off.
Something i didn't really understand about Zanzibar is how Muslim is truly is. I read my guide book before i came and knew that there was a heavy Muslim population, but maybe coming from the mainland, with so much Christianity, i just didn't really expect this to be almost a different world. Because that what this is, a completely different world. As i said in my last post, this island has been conquered and ruled by many different people groups, and the last people group to rule this little island were Muslim, so about 95%-99% of the island is Muslim. The place i am staying now is a resort. There are many white people in tiny little swimming suites walking around, while the women cleaning our rooms, and walking around offering henna tattoos are covered head to toe. The people staying at this resort seem quite oblivious to the people surrounding them. I am not typically very prudish, but when all these girls walk into the restaurant wearing almost nothing in front of all these practicing Muslims, it kind of makes me want to shudder. Of course everyone is entitled to wear what they want. these people are paying money to stay in a nice place, but come on, you are a visitor, you should show some respect for the people and place that you are visiting.
That is all for now! hope everyone is well! love to you all!
Suzanne
Last night i went for a walk on the beach after dinner. the tide was sooo low. I walked along the water front for 45 minutes finding little creatures, and throwing them back in the water. I found: one star fish, three giant sun starts and a bunch of sea urchins. This morning after breakfast i went back out to see if the sea had risen, and it hadn't. There were tons of local women way out in the sea, just walking around. At first it was kind of a freaky site. They were like way out there, and still in the boubous and head scarves. As i continued walking down the beach three were women emerging from the ocean with bags full of shells, fish, octopus, anything they could eat or sell. I could tell what they were doing with some things, they would eat the snails, fish ect. but everyone that had caught an octopus was beating the hell out of them. they would pick them up and throw them on the ground repeatedly. it was kind of strange. i went around saying,"nina fahamou kiengereza?" (does anyone speak english?) because i really wanted to know what was happening to these obviously quite dead octopi. of course no one spoke english, and the little i could understand from them was them just wanting money or my bag. finally i found someone that could speak a little and they said that they release poison, and beating them somehow destroys the poison??? i don't know if i trust this explanation, i will have to do some research. but still very interesting. Someone had a huge conch shell with the snail still in it, that they intended to eat. Someone else had caught a huge lobster and was just playing with it in the water. and obviously this is why the reef looked so dead when i went snorkeling, they go and pick everything off.
Something i didn't really understand about Zanzibar is how Muslim is truly is. I read my guide book before i came and knew that there was a heavy Muslim population, but maybe coming from the mainland, with so much Christianity, i just didn't really expect this to be almost a different world. Because that what this is, a completely different world. As i said in my last post, this island has been conquered and ruled by many different people groups, and the last people group to rule this little island were Muslim, so about 95%-99% of the island is Muslim. The place i am staying now is a resort. There are many white people in tiny little swimming suites walking around, while the women cleaning our rooms, and walking around offering henna tattoos are covered head to toe. The people staying at this resort seem quite oblivious to the people surrounding them. I am not typically very prudish, but when all these girls walk into the restaurant wearing almost nothing in front of all these practicing Muslims, it kind of makes me want to shudder. Of course everyone is entitled to wear what they want. these people are paying money to stay in a nice place, but come on, you are a visitor, you should show some respect for the people and place that you are visiting.
That is all for now! hope everyone is well! love to you all!
Suzanne
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)