Kate the Fire-Eating Mzungu

I almost feel like words are not necessary to tell this story. Video will suffice. However, I will give you a little background: Via Via, the club/restaurant where we usually hang out has a two-day cultural diversity festival this weekend. All day on Friday and Saturday they had all sorts of traditional dancing, reggae and rap groups, and some more contemporary dance groups. One of the groups was called Jambo Mambo Acrobats. They did all sorts of acrobatics... and ate fire. So when they came around with a plate of balls of fire to eat I naturally ate one. I'll preserve some of the mystery and not tell you how exactly that worked, but needless to say - I ate fire. I think because I chose to eat fire, they felt like I would be game for coming up on stage later and making a fool of myself. I was the only mzungu (white person) up there and it showed :) I danced like a fool, did the limbo under a bar that was on fire and did some, umm, stunning acrobatics (as evidenced above). I hope that story alone is enough to get everyone through the next week until I get back from Dar/Bagamoyo!

Lay Down Your Heart

Fair warning: this post will probably be fairly disjointed.

Let’s start with the coolest thing I did this week. One of our professors mentioned sort of off-hand on Monday that he was going to be having a dinner with the grad students and a judge from the African Union Court of Human and Peoples’ Rights and if any of us wanted to join we were welcome. Well, needless to say all eight of us told him we would like to come. The judge, Fatsah Ouguergouz, is from Algeria and is one of eleven justices on the Court and is the former Secretary of the International Court of Justice. I cannot remember a time in my life when my attention was so fully captivated for two straight hours. I do not think I looked away from him once during his two-hour long, very casual discussion about the court. He gave us a background of human rights history internationally, the history of the court and the challenges it faces. He was very willing to take questions from us and I don’t want to brag, but I think more well articulated and pointed questions came from the eight of us than from the grad students in attendance.

You may be thinking to yourself that you’ve never heard of the ACHPR. This is entirely possible, considering it has never actually heard a case. He explained the reason for this as being the issue of jurisdiction. Countries have to opt-in to allow individuals and NGOs to bring cases to court. To date, only Malawi and Burkina Faso have done this. Without this opt-in clause ratified, the most common way for a case to be brought it by another state. Very rarely will a state bring a human rights case against another, especially when that state could easily turn around and hurl accusations back. Thus, the Court, which has been functioning in this capacity since 2006, has not yet heard a case. Interestingly, it’s possible that this particular court may never hear a case because it is in the process of being merged with the African Court of Justice to create the African Court of Justice and Human Rights. Also, the ACHPR is conveniently located right here in Arusha, which makes things like this seem pretty normal. You know, sitting around with a judge from the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights while he sips some whiskey at our local hang-out is normal here.

Sidenote: we returned from this dinner and there was a hedgehog in our hotel lobby. Cutest little bundle of sharpness I’ve ever seen. We wondered why they didn’t pick it up (somehow) and bring it outside, but later learned that a hedgehog in your house is a sign of good luck. Makes sense not to kick it to the curb, then.

I’m still in an ongoing inner battle about my place here. I am a student. I am not a volunteer and I am not a tourist. I am not living at a colonial hotel totally removed from reality, nor am I living in a place where the average Tanzanian could afford to stay. Although it is hardly ‘gaudy’ I cannot help but think of the lyrics to a song by The Postal Service: You seem so out of context in this gaudy apartment complex.

I feel like I’m being pulled in a hundred different directions. I am here to study, to learn everything that I possibly can so that hopefully I can somehow apply it to my studies and eventually my career. I am here to get the most out of the ridiculous tuition that GW demands from its students that are abroad. What exactly does that mean? Getting the most out of the experience? Does it mean going to class, studying, talking with locals to gain perspective and just generally enjoying life? Or does it mean doing things that leave my soul satisfied, like volunteering at the orphanage and desperately trying to figure out what everything I’m learning here will add up to me doing with me life?

And as much as I want to deny that side of my experience, I go to the market and buy souvenirs for people that I love. There is nothing wrong with this, but somehow it feels like a betrayal of the image I am trying to project.

I’ll let you know if I ever resolve this.

I don’t know if I can say that I am homesick. I long for the people that I love, some familiarity, and fall. Fall is my favorite time of year for a hundred different reasons, and I essentially just skipped fall and headed right back to spring. It’s not even really the weather, though, because the weather we are experiencing right now is pretty comparable to autumn in DC or Minnesota. What I miss is the atmosphere. I miss leaves that change colors with time and then crunch under your feet, I miss watching football (although the Packers/Bears game was on TV here, go figure!), I miss picking apples (or at least eating them), and I miss the emotions that I associate with fall. Do not get me wrong, I miss home and I miss so many people, but I just cannot get over my longing for fall.

We have now been in Tanzania for a little over six weeks. That means midterms are next week, which either hasn’t sunk in or I’m just officially not stressed out about. I’m hoping for the latter, although the unnatural feeling of a stress-free exam week might stress me out in itself.

The week after midterms (Sunday the 27^th) we are going to be traveling to Dar es Salaam and Bagamoyo. Arcadia organized the whole trip and everything from accommodations to meals was included in our program fee, which is so great. I think we will be staying in Dar for two days/one night and while we’re there we’re going to be exploring and “sailing in Dar”, which doesn’t sound geographically possible to me, but we’ll see how that works out. Then we go to Bagamoyo for three nights. Bagamoyo is a small city (30,000 people) about an hour and a half north of Dar. The history is intriguing: there are ruins here dating back to the 13^th century, but beginning in the early 19^th century it became a slave trading port and it also where David Livingstone’s body was briefly laid before it was shipped out of Africa. A note on the name: Bagamoyo (or “Bwaga moyo”), means, “lay down your heart” in Kiswahili. It is suspected that this is in reference to the slaves who were shipped out of Bagamoyo and were forced to give up all hope and ‘lay down their hearts’ in Bagamoyo.

I think it will prove to be a fascinating trip. I am really looking forward to a change in scenery and can’t wait to see a part of Tanzania that I have never seen before.

The Poisonwood Bible

I finished another book yesterday. This one was lent to me after I finished all of the books that I brought with me and it's called "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver. The book is set it the Democratic Republic of the Congo/Zaire from 1959 until the 1980s. It follows the four daughters and the wife of a Baptist missionary who drags his teenage daughters on his quest to 'save' the Congo. The book is written from each of the females' perspectives, each with a very distinct voice and view of their situation. It also touches on some important events in Congo's history, such as independence, the murder of the first democratically elected prime minister, and the coup by the CIA to replace him.

Although I did not recommend the last book that I read, I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a relatively quick, yet thoughtful read. It's a little heavy, but it definitely has redeeming aspects. I'm not very good at determining a 'chick flick' equivalent of a novel, but since this book is part of "Oprah's Book Club", I think that might be a good indicator. But it definitely has something for everything.

The most interesting part of it for me was the way the characters analyzed their own faith, and how that differed from their religion and the religion that had been imposed upon them by their overbearing minister father. Basically it comes down to the fact that every culture has to demonstrate their faith differently, and certain aspects of religions can look downright preposterous to outsiders. There is a conversation that occurs between the father, Nathan Price, and his predecessor at the mission, Brother Fowles, that I think illustrates this very well:

[Brother Fowles] said, "I'm a plain fool for the nature images in the Bible, Brother Price. That fond of it. I find it all so handy here, among these people who have such an intelligence and the great feeling for the living world around them. They're very humble in their debts to nature. Do you know the hymn of the rain for the seed yams, Brother Price?"

"Hymns to their pagan gods and false idols? I'm afraid I haven't got the time for dabbling in that kind of thing."

"Well you're that busy I'm sure. But it's interesting, just the same. In keeping with what you were quoting there in your Romans, chapter twelve. You remember the third verse, do you not?"

Father answered with his teeth showing: "For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought..."

"...For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office, so we, being many, are one body in Christ..."

"In Christ!" Father shouted, as if to say "Bingo!"

"And every one, members of of the other," Brother Fowles went on to quote. "Having then gifts that differ according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, or ministry, or he that teacheth. He that giveth, let him to it with simplicity... He that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness. Let love be without dissimulation. Be kindly affectioned to one another with brotherly love."

I like books that challenge you to think about your beliefs - whether they are actually your beliefs or if you have just accepted them out of convenience, and whether they are so right that you should be imposing them upon other people.

Really, what this post comes down to though is totally selfish: I want ideas for books. I have an ongoing list of books that has been accumulating for about the past year, but if anybody has ideas for books that are pertinent to where I am right now that would be great. I have read three books so far since I've been here, one from Tanzania, one from Rwanda and one from DRC, and I would like to stay within the region since I'm here. It's so much easier to picture what you're reading when you can look outside your window and get a better idea. So, if anyone has any recommendation for books that take place in East Africa, please leave a comment and let me know what they are and then I will try to get my hands on them. Thanks!

Found it!

I feel like I may have rediscovered the "real" Tanzania already... look for yourselves. These kids are from Living Water Orphanage, where we went last weekend and where we returned today. As you can see, they are absolutely adorable. We spent the afternoon hanging out and watching Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, which they seemed to enjoy (except the dialogue, which they just talked over). They were the most well-behaved children I have ever seen. There was a little technological problem with the DVD player and they sat on the couches for at least half an hour patiently waiting for the movie to start. They didn't complain or squirm or even really talk for that matter - they were just content to sit on our laps and practice high fives and counting (all the way to 100 in English!) This felt like one of the most productive days I've had since I've been here. I've churned out powerpoints and read thousands of pages, but spending three hours there was the most satisfied I have been in a long time.

I'm Searching for Tanzania

Each day I feel less and less like I’m in Tanzania. You may say I’m adapting or that I’m becoming a local, but in reality it comes down to the fact that I have yet to pee in a hole in the ground.

When I was here before it was literally the highlight of my day if I didn’t have to pee in a hole once. Now, we have these porcelain thrones everywhere we go! I would like to believe that the trip we took here in 2007 showed us the real Arusha. We spent time primarily with locals and we went where tourists simply do not go. We went to some schools, homes and health facilities that I felt were fairly representative of the lives the average Arushan. Now I’ve returned as a student. We make it very clearly to people selling us things on the street that we are neither tourists nor volunteers, we’re simply students (and thus don’t have money to spare for giraffe tail bracelets). But that student status has exempted us from seeing the Tanzania that I remember. I think that is part of the reason why I loved the orphanage so much on Saturday… I felt like I had finally returned to Arusha. From now on I think I will measure my experience outside of the classroom by the number of times I have no other option but a hole in the ground.

An intriguing fact: about 50% of Tanzania’s population is under the age of 18. With that in mind, I can think of no better investment for the country than education. Every country must look out for its future, but when half of your population is under 18 it is purely a survival mechanism for the nation to have accessible education.

There is a lot of talk with the East African Community (Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi) about opening up borders and creating a common market with free trade among the partner states. The debate surrounding the issue is endless, but one of our professors pointed out that Kenyans are more educated and qualified and so many Tanzanians are afraid that the common market would allow for Kenyans to come across the border, take their jobs, and then send the money back to Kenya. The issues we are studying in every class that I am taking come back to education. Transmission of HIV/AIDS can be prevented through education, gender equality can be achieved through education, poverty can be alleviated through education and human rights can be ensured through education. When I put the benefits of education and the number of youth in Tanzania together everything seems so simple to me. Obviously I know it’s not that easy, but it is undeniably the most important investment that could be made at this point in Tanzania’s history.

High-fives All Around!

Saturday was one of the most fun days I’ve had since I’ve been here because of one single event: an orphanage. One of the girls in my group had made contact with this Tanzanian man who runs an orphanage that was started by his parents in 2003. He picked up four of us yesterday and took us to the outskirts of Arusha where one of the locations was. There was a nice, spacious volunteer house that could hold about 12 volunteers at the bottom of the hill and then after about a three minute hike and a climb over a wooden barricade-like structure, we arrived at the orphanage.

David had warned us that sometimes the kids don’t warm up to volunteers until the second time they come to visit and that they might be shy. This was hardly the case. As soon as we opened the gate a couple of them ran towards us wanting to say hi and give high-fives. Even the kid with only hands and no arms did not hold back from giving high-fives. We finally got inside and the whole group of about twenty children was gathered around us saying, “HI! My name is so-and-so! What’s your name?” David introduced us as “his friends that he made in town” and said “look, these kids did not know each other before they came here but now they are friends!” And then immediately the kids wanted to take us on a tour of their house. With one kid on each hand, multiple kids holding on to the remaining fingers and a couple just holding on to my skirt, we slowly made our way through the house, stopping in the bedrooms first. The bedrooms were large rooms with bunkbeds and not much else but that did not stop each kid from saying “this is my bed!” Behind the house they have built about four classrooms for the children and have hired local teachers so that they can keep class size down and also, surprisingly, costs, as well.

We only got to stay with those kids for about half an hour before David took us to their other location. Their orphanage expanded so much that they desperately needed to expand a couple of years ago. They purchased about five acres of land on the other side of the city, and there they have built dormitories, seven classrooms and offices. It is a much more open space than the first location, with a field to play on conveniently separating the boys’ and girls’ dorms. This location houses students all the way from Standard 1 to Standard 7, whereas the first location only has Standards 1 & 2 (1^st and 2^nd grade). They have also hired local teachers for this location, but have also opened up the school to families from the community to send their children. This does two things: one, is that these families pay school fees, which is the only thing that allows the school to keep running with such small classes and quality teachers; and two, it allows the orphans to interact with other children that do not live there and to see examples of loving families.

All of the children at both locations were incredibly well-behaved children and David said that all of the volunteers and employees have allowed the children to feel what it is like to be loved. They were such joyful kids even though all they had to their name was the bed they so proudly showed off to us and the tattered clothes and mismatched shoes they wore. They did not have a care in the world and they love to learn more than anything else. David said that their primary school scored 4^th in Arusha on the government test – quite a feat. It made me so happy to get to interact with these kids and it was one of those experiences that remind you that if these orphaned kids are this happy and joyful, what reason do we have not to be?

(And no, I didn’t take any pictures… but if/when we go back I will)