Watching sunsets and swimming with the butterflyfish

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I'm back in Stone Town after 10 days in Pemba. I was sad to leave Pembd, I really loved my homestay family and it’s a really beautiful place, but it doesn't excite me the same way Zanzibar City does.

Pemba hasn't developed equally to Unguja. Which is both good and bad. On one hand, Ungujga still lacks basic infrastructure, loses electricity frequently, and does not have the basic capital required for development. I've heard they also get screwed over by the Tanzanian government. Someone there put it: Zanzibar's taxes go to the mainland Tzn and Pemba's taxes go to Zanzibar but nobody's taxes go to Pemba. Briefly, Pemba will not be prosperous anytime soon.

Yet, on the other hand, there are bright spots. Zanzibar's recent development, mostly due to a boom in the tourism industry, is ugly and unregulated and environmentally unsustainable. Tanzania is now scrambling to regulate the tourism industry, control growth, and ensure that resources are being used wisely (especially mangrove wood, fresh water, electricity, beach property, coral reefs, and fish populations). There's a part of me that is thankful that Pemba has not—and will not—develop this way. Even though it is delayed, the stricter development criteria will benefit Pemba greatly and most importantly, the people of Pemba. Too much of the tourism money goes to foreigners. That's the bright spot on Pemba and is a great place to visit if you're ever in the region, you know.

After 10 days of being there, I saw the Pemba Flying Fox (actually a bat), Misali Island (twice) and its great snorkeling, a rubber plantation, a salt production factory, a spice oil factory, fisheries, cassava plantations, sugar cane plantations, banana plantations, coconut plantations, plenty of other agricultural crops, Pemba Laboratories, Ngezi forest preserve, all three "big" cities, and probably some more stuff that I can't think of right now. And I said Pemba's a tad boring because what I saw is pretty much there entire economy. I mean, I could write a pretty good paper on all of Pemba, no joke. For the most part, it's simple and straightforward. It's a place I hope to return to, but only for a few days again as a tourist and not a resident.

I had a lot of fun with my homestay family, I think I said that in my last post too. Three days ago, after out lectures and daily activity, I was at Omar's (my father) office and helped a co-worker edit a pamphlet for their company "Treasure Island Tours." It had probably taken him an hour or two to write it and then I had edited for 20 minutes and then the power died in Chake Chake. We hadn't saved and I think he lost most of it. Oops. But we just laughed it off and the next day I went back and did it again.

I hung out at my dad's biz most days, actually. He was in a little building with four other businesses and outside there was a stoop that I'd sit on, talk with people who stopped by, and buy an orange for 100 schillings as a snack. It was a great place to practice Swahili because a surprising number of people would great me each time I sat outside and since I wasn't in any rush, I could take my time and think. I'd say my second best conversation was with a guy who wanted to know about Obama. Not surprisingly, people love that guy. Anyways, the man wanted to know what Obama's going to do for Africa. Well, besides not having the slightest clue what he'll do, I can't even begin to say it in Swahili. So I ended up just asking him questions right back, what he wants Obama to do. I really got this guy worked up and he got really passionate about it all. Finally I ended the conversation by telling him "Ukiniambia sasa nini unataka, nitamwambia Obama lini nitarudi Merikani" or "if you tell me now what you want, I will tell Obama when I return home" and the guy loved it.

My best conversation came in a dala dala (again). A man sat next to me and I immediately greeted him and introduced myself. I've never heard people laugh so hard when he heard my name but he and the other people on the dala dala thought it was hilarious that I had a Muslim name. I asked him if he knew Omar and Treasure Island Tours and was unsurprised to hear that he had, given that it's a pretty small town. I then proceeded to explain to him that Omar was "baba yangu" or "my father" and everybody lost it. I thought he might die of laughter. He couldn't believe that Omar was my dad. "Baba yako?" "your dad?"he kept saying to me and everytime I'd nod and point to myself and say "baba yangu" and he'd laugh again.

So basically I'm pleased that I can now make others laugh without insulting myself or looking like a complete ass. Good times, right? Anyways, this is a really long post and so I'm going to split it into two parts. Sorry for being such a chatty Cathy, yall.

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