Week 8

Well it's technically the middle of Week 9 and I am trying to wrap my mind around the idea that I've been here for two months already. And there's still a month and a bit to go! As I mentioned in the last post, the program schedule has taken me and the rest of the crew to the mainland for the remainder of October.
The timing actually couldn't have been better since some serious unrest kicked up in Stonetown a couple of days before our departure. For reasons unknown, the police decided to detain the leader of UAMSHO, a local Islamic NGO which has taken a strong stance on the matter of Zanzibar's potential separation from the Union with mainland Tanzania. Since the group operates outside of the two existing political parties (CUF and CCM), they're a matter of some concern to the current leading powers. Last week, UAMSHO's foremost sheikh, Farid, disappeared without a trace from a car outside his home just after returning from vacation in Oman. Naturally, his followers did not appreciate this turn of events and began to instigate unrest in several parts of town. As is customary with public unrest, many other young people took the opportunity to make chaos in the streets (tire-burning, looting, etc.). The police responded with riot enforcers and tear gas. While we were never directly in sight of the riots, the boom of gas bombs and the accompanying flashes at night were easily observed from our usual haunts. We weren't in actual danger at any point, although we obviously didn't stray far from Mauwani and the classroom. In the end, we made it out of Stonetown without incidence and Sheikh Farid was returned within a day of our departure, thereby pacifying street demonstrators before things got worse. Hopefully that will be the last of the trouble for at least the remainder of our trip.
On the mainland, our first few days were spent on safari in Mikumi National Park. Of course getting there turned into a regular epic; we took a very early ferry ride to the mainland and then loaded into safari vehicles for the overland trek. Of course, the expected four hour road trip actually lasted from about 9:30am until 4pm. My particular car was outfitted with astro-turf flooring and a driver who liked Tupac enough to play the same album about three or four times through on the way. As you might imagine, we were all pretty stir-crazy by the end of the ride. However, the excitement level was at fever-pitch when we reached the park boundary. The main road which we followed actually cuts directly through the middle of the park, so even before actually going on safari it's possible to see a number of the local inhabitants. Giraffes, impala, baboons, and even elephants were spotted before we even reached park headquarters. The lodge where we stayed was actually located even further into the park, making it common for animals to wander right through the living space (we were accompanied to and from the bungalows at night by a Masai ascari for this exact reason). The general idea was to have as much immersion in the surroundings as possible during our three-day visit.
So, despite being hot, tired, and mildly grouchy, everyone piled right back into the cars on the first afternoon for a late trip to the hippo pool and surrounding grassland. Just as the sun set over the distant mountains, we encountered a pair of lions resting by the road. Since it's the mating season, it's not uncommon to come across a pair who have separated from the main pride for a few days of privacy (which is immediately lost when the tourists show up). It was an unexpected treat, followed the next morning by the discovery of a second pair very near to the first two. I have now sat in a car approximately ten feet from copulating lions. Not one of the experiences you expect to have on safari. Beyond the happy feline couples, there were also plenty of elephants, giraffes, buffalo, warthogs, and other fauna to be seen. My favorites were definitely the two huge Elan Antelope seen near a watering hole the first morning.
Much to my chagrin and extreme personal discomfort, I actually contracted a nasty stomach bug the second day (likely due to having a dung fly land on my breakfast fruit). I have never been so miserably ill in my life. Once the dehydration set in, even moving from one place to another was impossibly exhausting. Fortunately, the worst of it only lasted a few hours and I managed to tough it out without medication or serious assistance. Just plenty of tonic (now firmly my favorite carbonated drink) and water. As a result, I had to skip the last evening and morning safaris.
We returned to Dar es Salaam under similar circumstances as our trip to Mikumi, arriving are the University of Dar es Salaam in the late afternoon. The girls have been housed together in a highrise dorm, while each of the guys have been divided amongst rooms on one floor of the male international student dorm. We each ended up in a double with another student who was already attending the University; I'm living with a very reasonable German student by the name of Yves. The dorms aren't half bad, although running water and electricity are unpredictable at times. The campus is huge here (14,000 undergrads), so there's no lack of new faces or places to visit.
Outside of morning and afternoon lectures, we've been testing out the food at various cafeterias and getting to know the international guys. While security is a bit of a concern (especially at night), we haven't had any scary experiences thus far (besides being briefly pursued by a pack of dogs while returning from dinner the first night). I've also made it into downtown Dar three times now; once for pizza dinner, once to visit the botannical gardens and shopping mall, and then for Maryam's (Mary) 21st birthday dinner last night.
Getting around Dar can be done in a variety of ways at varying levels of cost and personal safety, but my favorite is definitely the little bajaj "cars" which have literally no respect for traffic (or safety). They're basically like an enclosed, high-powered golf cart with a driver in front and three-person seat right behind him. For about 8,000Tsh they'll speed you almost anywhere in town, slipping between other cars in traffic, practically running pedestrians off the sidewalks, and racing each other to the final destination. Near-side swipes and stalls in the middle of the road are not uncommon. While they're obviously not the safest deal, they're super efficient and a total thrill to ride in.
However, for the full group outing last night in celebration of Maryam's big birthday, we rented a whole dala dala bus for ourselves and rolled downtown for Thai dinner in a highrise hotel. To our shock (and mild embarrassment), the restaurant was much classier than we'd expected. Not a t-shirt and shorts kind of place. Regardless, the food was great and the night view of the bay was spectacular. The clubs we planned to visit afterwards were all closed (it was Tuesday night after all), so we were forced to return to campus without further entertainment. Luckily, our dorm roof provided the perfect space for hanging out late into the night.
That about covers it for this week's installment, although I obviously owe you all pictures from the safari. I'll edit them in tomorrow once I've had a chance to get the latest set off my camera, so check back in again soon! In the next week I'll be out for a couple more Matt Richmond reef surveys, further exploring the night life of Dar, and hopefully attending a big national soccer match. We're all really excited for the last one. Keep on reading! Cheers!