Blogs from Arusha, North, Tanzania, Africa - page 7

The decision to visit Tanzania at the year end was really made during Thanksgiving holidays. It's possible to get ready in such a short time is because I already did my research and had contacted several travel agencies, especially the one we finally chose, Base Camp Tanzania, when we struggled between the trip to Antarctica and Eastern Africa a year early. The trip was confirmed only a couple of days after Thanksgiving and we were on our way three weeks later. Our trip started at Arusha, which is served by Kilimanjaro International Airport for international travelers. KLM is the only major airline offers direct flight to the airport. It was our longest connecting flights so far. We had totally 21 hours in the air. Layover time was shorter than our other trips, but we were lucky ... read more

I left civilization behind for 16 days, headed out into the bush of Northern Tanzania, & experienced the life of an african villager in a Masai tribe, including rituals, eating habits, work, and a ceremony I‘ll never forget. People in Isaya’s boma: Isaya – my host, a 29 year old male Masai warrior. Somebeti: Isaya’s mom, age 63. Ndukai: Isaya’s dad, 70. 2 other couples, and 5 children. I have to admit, I was a little anxious about this at first. In my head I had formed images of what the village might look like – a group of 30-50 houses & a community of people living next to eachother. Would they be friendly & open to my presence? Would I be safe at night in my tent? Or would they plan to rob me? I ... read more

I went around Tanzania & Uganda to meet with friends from 2009 & my sponsor child, and to volunteer at an orphanage & a school + medical center... 3000km on African busses, fun. In this time I learned a lot about my friends in Africa, how they struggle with getting by. Note that this section is the longest and involves mainly the stories of people I met. So if that interests you, read on. July 16th - I left home & family for a 4 month solo journey into the unknown with a 60lb backpack & a tent. Only 2 hours before my flight took off I said goodbye to my Vavo for the last time. July 19th - I arrived in Tanzania Africa at 5pm in a city called Dar-es Salam, where a friend named ... read more

I was not sure that I was going to post about today on my blog, but I think that for the sake of full disclosure, I really need to. In Arusha there is a bridge that is rather infamous. We lovingly call it the Bridge of Death. People are regularly mugged there when muggers grab them off the bridge and drag them off into the woods. Sometimes the attacks are very agressive and violent and people have been seriously injured, but sometimes people's bags are just snatched and the thieves run off into the woods. Lucky for me, I was targeted by the snatch and grab type and not the drag and stab type. I am overly cautious and followed all the right safety measures, but I made the choice to walk alone in the middle ... read more

Well, what an experience and huge mix of emotions I have recently endured. My team and all my volunteer programme colleagues left Moshi to fly home at 4am last Saturday and I was there to wave them off. After 3 months of getting to know everybody and living in close proximity with 3 of them, suddenly it daunts me – I am on my own. I said my goodbyes, waved off the bus, and went back to bed. I was so overwhelmed by this and could not get back to sleep. I think these are feelings I have never experienced before, the sudden sense of loneliness, yet mixed with excitement that I'm free to roam in strange places and looking forward to exciting times. My good friend Katanga, whom I know from the music scene in ... read more