Blogs from Zanzibar City, Zanzibar, Tanzania, Africa - page 15

Ways to know you’re not in Kansas anymore (figuratively - I haven’t ever been there myself… the drive from CO to NOLA doesn’t really count, Bovina was either there or in OK, not sure….): You spend your day walking around being stared/pointed/laughed at / runscreaming in tears from because a) you’re white b) well that is basically it… also you figure Muslim men can handle themselves and it is not your responsibility to control their libido for them… so horrors… your head is uncovered…. You spend your evening watching taped music videos ranging from Akon to a really special Beyonce-Shakira number in which one of the spectators observed that they “forgot their clothing” direct translation everyone. Side note: I have never seen any of these videos in the states, so I’m seeing them all for the ... read more

I decided that I needed in include some details about my daily life in stone town. First all, I have been asked a lot about clothes and laundry. Yea, about that...I wear the same clothes for about 3 or 4 days usually before even consider washing them. I am getting really good at wearing FILTHY clothes. Like absolutely disgusting actually. We wear long skirts, and I have recently adopted wrapping a kanga over mine when I go out. Getting clothes made has been a favorite activity here, so many of the girls are wearing tons of dresses that they have had made here. We wash our clothes in the sink, good thing I have the sink stopper. At the Mauwani we can pay to have them wash our clothes. I usually have a few pieces washed ... read more

Smile, U R in Zanzibar The warm greeting from the shrubbery at Zanzibar's airport sums up our weekend in Tanzania's island paradise. Zanzibar is lush, exotic, warm, relaxing, inviting, tranquil, breath-taking, historical and righ in culture. And I've only seen a few miles of the island! A few of my fellow volunteer friends and I arrived early on Friday morning, and fell in love with our resort immediatley. Mbweni Ruins resort has a beach which is perfect to swim in during the high tide, and explore tidepools with coral, seashells and mangrove trees during the low tide, a pool, open-air restaurant and bar overlooking the ocean which is home to a few arabic cats, comfortable rooms including ocean view patios and turn down bed-service, and a auyverdic spa. Oh, and did I mention the ruins? ... read more

Ah, there's nowhere like Africa for people to refer to you, unashamedly, by your skin colour. In Senegal I was a toubab, in Burkina Faso, a blanc, in Ethiopia, a faranji, and now, I'm a mzungu. I have been since I set foot in Kenya. All over East Africa, especially in areas away from the beaten path of tourism, little tykes run up to you, pointing and screaming, 'mzungu, mzungu!'. People shout the word at you through your window as your bus cruises through their village. In Rwanda, I even had a woman on my minibus wrap her arms around me and intone it several times. Obviously she hasn't seen many whities. I wouldn't be so against this labelling of myself - and all other white folks - if I hadn't found out what the origins ... read more

Dag allemaal, Hier even een update van ons. We waren in het noorden van Zanzibar. Aliy en Jose probeerden contact met ons te zoeken via een kennis van Aliy. Die kennis werkt bij Amaan bungalows.Uiteindelijk is dat gebeurt. Aliy vertelde dat we naar Stone Town en naar Boblee moesten gaan. Stone Town vanwege eindfeest rammedan.Gisteren was dat feest,veel volk s'avonds,muziek,dans en veel eten. Smiddags naar Boblee geweest,is een vriend van Aliy en Jose,een echte rastaman.Getrouwd met een Andijkse. Heeft zijn eigen winkel met zijn eigen schilderijen.Boblee is een kunstenaar/schilder. We hebben bij een frissie gedaan en nog een schilderij gekocht die hij binnenkort meeneemt naar Andijk. Morgen gaan we met de ferry naar Dar Es Salaam om dan de volgende dag het vliegtuig te nemen naar Londen. Hier de foto's........ Groetjes van ons.... read more