Week 4

Hamjambo!

Another week, another adventure (or ten). There's been a lot happening since the last post so I'll warn you now, this isn't a short one.
Last Sunday marked the final day of my homestay with Mama Zulekha and her family. I will forever be grateful for their kindness and hospitality during my stay. Before the farewell dinner and celebration with all of the other families and students, I was presented with a pair of tasseled white pants and a spectacular blue & white patterned pullover shirt by Mama and Dada (Sister) Nuru. In combination with my new, hand-stitched Kofia hat, I practically felt like a Zanzibari prince. The celebration was loads of fun, although I was called "mwizi" by many of the children on my block after my group performed our Kiswahili skit (my character was the ineffectual thief or "mwizi" who stole the Kiswahili-speaking peacock from the zoo). While I didn't manage to get any pictures of the event, I'll be sure to post some of my friends' as they make their way online. Then, bright and early on Monday morning I took my Kiswahili written exam and completed the ten-minute oral exam. A few hitches here and there, but I'm confident that it'll all work out well.
The rest of Monday was a free day for recovery and reorganization back at Mauwani; I immediately took the opportunity to finally sort out the last of my financial troubles. After three weeks without access to any of my personal accounts, everything is finally in order. Major shout out to my parents for the help; the feeling of relief on Monday was immense. Following a long, sweaty walk to the bank, I visited the House of Wonders with a small group of fellow SIT'ers. The House of Wonders is a grandiose three-story building along the waterfront of Stone Town, originally constructed by a sultan to receive and impress his guests. Nowadays it's a historical museum with a variety of different artifacts and a large dhow in the central hall. The view of the Stone Town skyline from the third floor balcony was excellent.

After the House of Wonders, I accompanied a few of the SIT gals, Hawa (Hannah), Sabrina (Chelsea), and Sophia (Breeanna), on a dress-shopping expedition. While in proximity to the now infamous "Pants Shop," I discovered a little corner shop with various curios and a large number of Obama images tacked about the walls. To my extreme delight, the owner had a single 1957 East Africa One Cent coin, the old currency of British Colonial East Africa. Naturally, I snapped up that little trinket and now have it safely stashed in my camera bag. My inner history nerd was on Cloud Nine. I'd love to find more coins and other historical novelties around town, but so far it's been quite difficult. Upon reaching the region of Darajani Market where fabrics and pre-made clothes are sold, I proceeded to become a source of serious entertainment for the local vendors. While "wazungu" (foreigner) women tend to get a lot of attention, particularly when dressed in local garb (Hawa's had six marriage proposals since she started wearing her headscarf daily), guys aren't usually the basis for many comments. However, my decision to wear Kofia to the market prompted a profusion of extra greetings and questions. While some people have referred to the Kofia as a "Zanzibari Hat," the majority of the populace sees it as a sign of Islamic faith. I quickly discovered that my Kiswahili was too limited to properly explain the intent of my Kofia when questions of faith arose. Most of the guys were pretty chill, but others were a bit overbearing. It was a good experience for practicing Kiswahili, but also a definite test of my comfort in the market. Nonetheless, the gals got their dresses and we made it home in time for a spectacular Ethiopian dinner in a garden restaurant near Mauwani.
Then on Tuesday morning we packed up and bussed out to the art-commune-education-centre-free-spirit-compound of Bi Aida and her husband Mbarouk Aida is one of those ex-patriot free-spirits who seems to have done everything and still managed to find her perfect niche abroad. She provides education services to local community members while also housing volunteers and guests who want to get involved in local projects. The walled compound containing her house, the classroom, Marlie House (our guesthouse), and a number of small outbuildings was filled with artistic projects. Gorgeous paintings, complex murals/mosaics, bottle curtains, and countless other items abounded at every turn.

We even  had the opportunity one day to make our own contributions. Rashid managed to get Aida's new kiln hot enough to slump a glass bottle using coconut husks alone,

Hawa painted an informative mural on composting,

and I constructed a fully-functional weather-vane using nothing but garbage scraps accumulated  along the beach and road.

Aida has plans to permanently mount it on the dog kennel and I couldn't be more pleased.
We also made a couple trips to a secluded local beach to take underwater photos in the crystal-clear water and jump off a rock island some distance from shore. Assisted by the high salt-bouyancy, I free-swam the furthest I've ever gone in deep water out to the island and back (dog-paddling the entire way of course). We cooked our own dinner each night, with one of each of the four groups providing for all seventeen of us. We had been initially divided up into four groups for our actual academic project at Marlie House (despite what you're probably thinking, it wasn't a leisure trip). My crew consisted of Hawa, Sabrina, Sophia, Latifa (Kelsie), and myself. We ended up making dinner the first night: a combination of pan-cooked veggies, saffron rice and classic battered & fried tuna (fish & chips style). I improvised my own soy-chili sauce which was a big hit. Other dinner nights included TexMex-themed food and a bonfire cookout with hotdogs (!!) and baked potatoes. It's amazing how hot a coconut husk fire can get. That night, Bi Aida also gave some of us our spirit animals (a skill for which she's apparently renowned). I was deemed to be a fox ("Watch out, he's dangerous loose in the hen house...") while Rashid was assigned a mongoose and Hawa aligned with a chameleon. Plenty of entertainment there.
Our serious work at Aida's came down to lectures on interview techniques for local subjects during the ISP period and identifying personality types and how they contribute to group success. We went out one morning and interviewed local fisherman as they returned from the night's outing, even getting to board one of the big net-boats. The guys were a ton of fun to talk with and even offered us some of the different fish they had been catching and cooking on-board. The real travel-experience moment came when I asked to try the fish and saltwater broth that everybody had been sipping from a communal plastic bowl. Pretty tasty actually, although by asking, I had also obligated all the gals in my group to sample it as well (oops!). Each of the four student groups also went out one day and interviewed local villagers on the subject of huge sand and gravel pits which have recently been dug up for building materials. They're not only a major eyesore, but a serious environmental and health threat if they fill with trash (since the bottoms of the pits are level with the local water table). It's happened before elsewhere and Aida is passionate about keeping it from getting worse in her community. My group interviewed locals on the subject of their expectations for the future of the pits. Our findings were ultimately presented to the rest of the students and program directors. The icing on the cake: Last night, while typing up the information in the courtyard of Marlie House, we actually got to see one of the noisy Bushbabies which live around the complex. Very fluffy.
I could write on and on about life at Marlie House, but I'd better save the rest for later. As of now, I'm back in Stone Town for the night. Outside of repacking and writing this post, I've commissioned two pairs of tassled pants from our friendly neighborhood fundi. We're headed north to Pemba Island for ten days of lectures and homestays tomorrow, so any activities in Stone Town are limited. It's a different scene up in Pemba; much more rural and more traditional than here on Unguja Island. I'll be posting the next update when we return. Hang in there and enjoy the fall weather! I'll be sweating it out here. Baadaye!

Week 3

Talk about a fast week. It seems like I was just writing the last post yesterday, but here I am again. This weekend marks a major turning point in the program as a whole. We had our last Kiswahili class this morning, the last Institute of Marine Sciences lecture was yesterday, and we move out of our homestays and back into our beloved Mauwani (albeit for one day) on Monday. From this point on, the program is a string of new projects, places, and faces. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Here’s the news from this week.

First and foremost, was the trip to Chumbe Island last Sunday. This small island to the southwest of Stonetown is a privately-owned marine preserve and tourist stop (outfitted with several gorgeous open-air eco-bungalows). As the first privately-owned marine preserve in the world, Chumbe is known for its pristine conditions and well-planned sustainability. It absolutely lives up to this reputation. Not only is the island itself picturesque, but the accommodations are totally worth the lodging price. Even if visitors only stop in for a day trip, the reefs absolutely make the visit. My group went snorkeling for about an hour in the mid-morning and I can say in all honesty that I checked off just about every local fish species of interest on my list. Plus the unexpected extras! I have to list a few so you’ll have an idea of the splendor. I spotted:

• ·         Powder Blue Tangs
• ·         Scopas Tangs
• ·         Oxymocanthus Filefish (!!!!)
• ·         Six-Line Wrasses
• ·         Unicorn Surgeonfish
• ·         Moorish Idols
• ·         Emperor Angelfish
• ·         Queen Angelfish
• ·         Blue-Green Chromis
• ·         Birdnose Wrasses
• ·         Manylined Surgeonfish
• ·         Clown Triggerfish
• ·         Bartail Flathead (this one was totally bizarre)
• ·         Etc. etc. etc.

And of course, the corals were also spectacular. I saw everything from fields of blue-tipped staghorn Acropora to huge boulders of Galaxia. I was the last one in the boat and would definitely not have gone willingly if my instant camera hadn’t run short on film. Whether or not the pictures actually turn out is a matter of debate, but I’m going to cross my fingers. The afternoon lecture back on the island revealed that very little research had been conducted on the terrestrial ecology of the island. In light of this information and the abundance of existing sea urchin studies, it looks as though I may actually be conducting a novel survey of arthropods on the island for my ISP. It’s an incredible opportunity if I can work out all of the details. The possibility of comparative study of arthropod diversity in Jozani Forest and Chumbe also exists; this project direction would set me up for a month of lodging in the “jungle” and on a small tropical island. Nirvana anyone?

Much of the rest of the week has consisted of the usual lecture-Kiswahili-homestay routine. My confidence in speaking is definitely growing, especially with the encouragement and quizzing provided by my homestay family and the guys employed to distribute the Chosticks. They’re cheap and I’ve now managed to get several fellow SIT students hooked. Great for the family business. I’ve also managed to get out and spend time with some of the other students’ homestay siblings; Daudi (David) is crazy about his little homestay sister Muna. Playing games out in the street with Muna and her crew has become daily entertainment some of the SIT crew down my street. I must say that my ability to dodge a wet rag-ball while wearing flip-flops on a cobblestone street is impressive. Meanwhile, I have also definitely settled in at home. I’ve been interviewing Mama about her family history and constructing a family tree, as well as talking politics and religion with my brother-in-law. It’s been entertaining responding to “Jamali,” since most of everybody doesn’t actually know my name from the States. There have been a few surprises; while drinking the last of my tea the other night for example, I discovered a large fly at the bottom of the cup with the spice dregs. The late night visit of a rat to my room also provided some excitement two days ago. However these little bumps in the road have failed to dampen my spirits on the whole venture. I’ll be sad to move out on Monday when I’ve just begun to get into the swing of this around here. I’m definitely still planning on dropping in once and a while as the program continues.

An event this work that is definitely worthy of description was the dala dala trip that I took with Daudi and Rashid (Rich) two days ago. We were split up into small groups and told to visit a number of different places using the popular local form of transportation, the dala dala. These are basically covered trucks which as many people as possible cram into for a ride. There are no seat belts, no capacity regulations (at least observed ones), and no personal space at the busiest times of the day. My crew caught a dala dala from Darajani Market to the Chumbe Office outside of town to get further ISP details from one of the leading staff members, Ulli. Afterwards, we were supposed to walk to the nearby Mbweni Ruins Hotel to swim and enjoy the afternoon. However while I was busy pontificating and Daudi & Rashid were attentively listening (?), we unknowingly passed the turn. So, I chose the next turn and we proceeded to walk for close to an hour in the midday sun before ending up right where we’d started. Eventually, we made it to Mbweni and enjoyed a couple of bottles of cold water in the company of an enormous hermit crab on the beach. It’s adventures like that one which really make you appreciate water, especially cold water. The return trip wasn’t nearly as exciting, although at one point I was basically squatting on the back edge of the dala dala and holding onto Rich’s backpack to stay in. Travel primetime.

I can’t end this post without also briefly mentioning the snorkel trip this morning. We went straight from our last Kiswahili class to Prison Island, located just across the lagoon from Stone Town. The island itself has a special attraction: a sanctuary for Aldabran Giant Tortoises. I can now say that I have come in contact with both island-endemic giant tortoise species found on opposite sides of the globe (hooray for convergent evolution!). Check one life goal off the list. The snorkeling itself was entertaining as usual, with a variety of find ranging from symbiotic burrowing shrimp & goby pairs, huge red and white starfish, and an absolutely gorgeous green giant clam. The reef was notably more torn up since it’s unprotected and regularly over-fished, but still well worth the new finds. I’m getting a feel for the state of reef systems around the island and how important conservation policies are to ongoing reef health.

As I mentioned at the beginning, from here on out the trip gets much more piecemeal. I will continue to update the blog as internet availability permits, but you’ll have to give me a bit of lenience on the exact weekly schedule I’ve managed to maintain up until now. More updates and photos to come! Cheers!

Week 2

Hamjambo rafiki!

Here's the second chapter of the ongoing epic. I'll admit there's a bit less variety to this one, but no lesser amount of adventure. The big development since my last post has been the start of my two-week homestay. I'm currently residing in the home of Mama Zulekha and her extended family, a three story complex with a central courtyard. My family has been very accommodating and gracious; when it comes to food, I have no lack of volume. Breakfast is usually bread of some sort, papaya, scrambled or boiled eggs, and the classic Zanzibari spiced tea. Dinner usually consists of papaya, bread, meat (mostly small, whole fish), and tea. Last night I had some excellent homemade pilau (spiced rice) with beef in celebration of the Islamic Friday holiday. When I'm not gorging myself on food, I'm usually loitering in the courtyard near Mama's lawn chair. As the matriarch of the family (with 11 children and many  more grandchildren), she runs the whole show every day from the comfort of her chair. The primary business out of the house is the production of Chosticks, sweet strawberry-banana flavored popsicles which are distributed to a variety of unspecified locations. I've become privy to the recipe, but don't plan on relinquishing it anytime soon. My Kiswahili is still an ongoing struggle; it seems that about two-thirds of what we learn passes in one ear and back to the nebulous region of my short-term memory. Nonetheless, progress is being made and I managed to interview Mama on her family tree (for an assignment) today around lunchtime. I was also up bright and early this morning for a trip to the market with Sister Nuru. Admittedly, it's been a bit tough acclimating to the new lifestyle, but comfort comes with time and routine. If nothing else, I'm definitely strengthening my calves between the ski exercise machine and squat toilet.
Beyond the homestay, things have been fairly routine here in the last week. Kiswahili class twice a day, interspersed by daily lectures at the Institute of Marine Sciences and other talks back at the SIT classroom. Presentations have ranged from the post-colonial history of Zanzibar and Islamic culture to sea turtle management and commercial seaweed production. We get free-reign time around lunch to explore town and grab a bite to eat, the favorite stop being Lukmaan's. For less than 5,000 shillings (less than $4 US), you can get a large meal of rice, meat, and bread. We're quickly getting spoiled by the cost of food here. The girls on my trip are also going crazy over the cheap, comfortable pants which abound in the local shops. While the shopping bug hasn't caught on for me yet, I do have a pair pair of pants currently being made by the local fundi (tailor). The SIT guys and (myself included) went out the other day and bought lengths of fabric for custom clothing orders. The cloth is cheap and the fundi is very willing to take any basic clothing orders we bring in. By the end of this trip I will definitely have a fully customized local wardrobe.
As I mentioned in the last post, our entertainment last Saturday was a dolphin-spotting trip in the morning and a visit to a commercial butterfly production site in the afternoon. We didn't end up getting to swim with the dolphins, but we did manage to see plenty of Man o' War jellyfish. My classmates also managed to photograph me sleeping on the boat (just like the whale watching experience in Iceland). The butterfly center was really cool; a Scottish researcher managed to get local villagers to collect and culture local butterfly species found in the Jozani Forest for international export. One example of the many fledgling sustainability projects here in Zanzibar. Thursday was an all-day field trip to several small villages along the eastern coast to see seaweed farming in action, as well as a turtle sanctuary and local fish market. Seaweed production is an up-and-coming industry here, with dried red and brown algae being sold for commercial use abroad. The clumps are grown on lengths of cord suspended in potholes carved into the sheltered seagrass beds. Great for seaweed, but not so great for the seagrass. In the village where the turtle sanctuary was located we also walked through a local boat-building site. Those men were definitely masters of their craft. Lastly, while visiting the fish market at the end of the day, I was blown away by the sight of two gorgeous Emperor Angelfish on a stringer, waiting to be auctioned off as food. After eating a rabbitfish for dinner the other night as well, I'm getting accustomed to seeing valuable aquarium specimens used for a more classic purpose.
I'll end the post here, since I need to spend some time on the big assignment for our upcoming coral reef seminar while I have an internet connection (today it's at the Green Garden Restaurant). I hope all is well back state-side and wish the best to the on-campus Carleton crew as the year kicks off. Don't have too much fun before winter term. Baadaye!!

Week 1

Jambo! Ninaitwa Jamal!

Hello! I am Jamal! I’ve decided to start this week’s post with a bit of the Kiswahili that I’ve picked up thus far. Jamal is my Zanzibari name, although “Bwana mkubwa Jamali” (“Big man Jamal”) is a regular retort from my favorite teacher “Bosi” Usi and “Mama Jamal” has started to catch on with a couple of my fellow students. We’re learning Kiswahili at breakneck speed, despite the initial statements of “pole pole” (“slowly”) from our three instructors. In the first week we have already covered introductions, pronouns and their tenses, negation, counting, days of the week, and time. All in preparation for the two-week-long homestays in Stone Town which begin on Sunday. Let’s hope my memory can keep up!

                Beyond the Kiswahili, I don’t even know how I can begin to cover all of the experiences I’ve had in the last week. By the third day it already felt like I’d had a week of time in Zanzibar. The written journal is practically blank and this post is likely to be epic if I’m not careful. So, I’ll do my best to cover the breadth of the adventures without too much digression. First, getting to Zanzibar.

I made it to Zanzibar mentally sound and in one piece despite the initial nerves and uncertainty of solo flying. The eight hour layover in Amsterdam was a breeze once I met up with a fellow student with the same flight schedule and a tolerance for airport cafeteria food. The only hitch came upon arrival in Zanzibar, when the more important of my two bags didn’t make it off the plane. All of my clothes, toiletries, and Steripen were gone (for the time being). While the wait in the steamy baggage recovery office was not encouraging, ultimately my belongings made the rest of the trip to my lodgings the next morning.

                In Stone Town, we are staying in a little hotel called the Mauwani Inn, located just a stone’s throw from the SIT classroom/office/home base. It’s pleasant and accommodating, and pretty much the exact kind of place I’d expect to be staying in with the family while traveling. I’ve already made friends with the night shift guy at the front desk; he’s even brought shoki shoki (lychee fruit) for me and another student. The first couple of days here were filled with briefings on rules, group bonding, and preliminary Kiswahili lessons. The group dynamic has been great so far; everyone gets along well and has their own contributions to “the family” as a whole. I quickly got to know several of the crew particularly well through late night rounds of BS, Spoons, and Rummy (“The Night Owl Club”/the few of us without enough sense to go to sleep at a reasonable time). The AD, Helen, and her assistant, Said, have had an excellent schedule of events to keep us busy and get acclimation to the Zanzibari scene out of the way quickly.

On our first morning we took two boats, each titled “Mr. Bean,” out to the reef off Bawe Island for a snorkeling session. Even on the first trip I was pleased; banded pipefish, batfish, and even a Powder Blue Tang! The notable prevalence of Longspine Sea Urchins on the reef has actually given me inspiration for my eventual ISP research (more to follow on that one). The only bummer was the jellyfish stings on my arms and torso; they’re still visible and itchy a week later. However, a lunch of delicious pilau (spiced rice), fish, and watermelon on a nearby sandbar made for a quick distraction. The following day was our “Drop-Off”.

Groups of three students were randomly dispersed throughout Stone Town and left to answer a series of questions and find various locations on foot. No small task in a town full of winding alleyways and no street markers. My group succeeded in answering all of our questions, although not before making a triple circuit of the town. We managed to find the bank, several cheap restaurants, and specific market items without much trouble, returning to the Mauwani on time and with several goodies (lychee fruits, another unknown fruit, and Ubuyu [a red candy made from Baobab seeds, sugar, and spices]). After a few hours of wandering on that trip and a few other times out with the group, I already feel like I’m starting to grasp the layout of Stone Town. We have ventured out a couple of times without direction for meals, although the first group experience at the Fouredani Night Market was a bit rattling. Haggling prices and dealing with shady vendors can put a real damper on the night. Nonetheless, the food is great, the company is good, and the atmosphere is surreal.

 The last few days have been even more surreal in part due to our stay in the beachside village of Kiwengwa at the Family Guest House. Kiwengwa, not unlike many other beach villages in Northern Zanzibar is experiencing a rapid influx of European tourism, particularly from the Italians. The effect that this newfound source of income is having on Zanzibari society is a matter of debate, but either way, the Itais are here for the long haul. Kiwengwa also sports a noticeable population of Masai who have been hired as askaris (guards) for the many villas and hotels along the beach. The Family guest House was a small, Zanzibari-owned establishment with a number of two person rooms (always fun for groups of three). The girls were right on the beach and the guys were a bit down the road. While in Kiwengwa, we had two Kiswahili classes a day (right out on the beach), further program structure lectures, and an interview session in the village of Kiwengwa itself. Using our burgeoning Kiswahili skills, we interviewed locals on a variety of subjects ranging from schooling to local health services (my group’s subject). Of course, we did have free time to enjoy as well. At high tide, the waves were warm and big enough to accommodate body surfing. At low tide, the water receded enough to expose sea grass flats full of cowrie shells, sea urchins, starfish, and pipefish. For those motivated enough to get up at 6:00am, there was also the gorgeous sunrise. The following shot is from our first day (Monday).

See what I mean?

Now we’re back in Stone Town getting ready for the next set of adventures. I went out this evening for the first time without my buddy Rishad (Rich), who already has a basic mastery of Kiswahili from a previous program. I managed to escort six gals to Fouredani for dinner and back without any notable incidents (male accompaniment is a standard for night activities here), although not without a few jokes about my “wifis” for the night. But now I’m being foolish by staying up to write this post; tomorrow is a 7am departure for swimming with dolphins and a visit to a butterfly farm. So for the moment, this is it. Congrats if you’ve stayed attentive this far, I get the feeling this will be a normal deal. Baadaye!