"God Bless the Panther"

Last Thursday, we travelled about an hour out of Arusha, past some beautiful scenery and incredibly resourceful villages, to visit Peter Oneil, a former member of the Black Panther party in the 60s who fled to Tanzania after getting arrested for possession of a firearm without a license 40 years ago. He has lived outside of Arusha every since and is doing a lot of great things for the community. He's a bit of a local celebrity, and is friendly and warm with impressive dreadlocks and a love for the 20 little kids he and his wife are fostering in their compound. They have partnered with people in the local community to build homes, water projects, and music and art studios aimed at empowering women. Peter's current dream is to refurb an old van and take the orphans to play in the ocean--how sweet is that? When we arrived they had prepared the most delicious lunch we have had here: most importantly, there was SALAD. I didn't think I would miss being able to eat fresh vegetables this much (it's generally  unwise to eat them here because the water used to wash them isn't clean enough for weak Western stomachs). After that Peter talked to us about his life in the Panther Party and in Tanzania, and then we got a tour of the facilities. It was a great time and everyone there was very kind.

Yesterday we went on a Camel safari, which was a lot of fun, but rather painful. I forgot to put on sunscreen the one day it was actually necessary and got very burned. We were on the camels for about 3 hours, so I got to be kind of a camel riding expert by the end of it. We were led by 4 Masaai guides who were very cool guys and made us sack lunches for our trip: meat, chapati (delicious flatbread), a hardboiled egg, and mango juice. So cute. We didn't end up seeing any animals other than a few dikdik (tiny deer), but we had a good time regardless.


Our class is located near the International Criminal Tribute for Rwanda, a court that seeks to hold people responsible for the genocide in 1994 accountable. Earlier in the week we had two women who are defense lawyers for some of the people being accused of genocide come speak with us and it was extremely interesting. At first we were all pretty skeptical that they could have anything useful to say, which demonstrates that innocent until proven guilty is definitely and ideal rather than a fact. But they were very down to earth and hearing them talk about how they are faced with challenges that the prosecution doesn't have to deal with made me realize that the international justice system has a long way to go. Then on Friday we had the opportunity to watch the court decision and sentencing on one of the most important court cases relating to Rwanda yet. It was the first trial of a woman by an international body on a genocide case. It was a really surreal experience watching these people who were being accused of committing the most heinous crimes against humanity--there faces were very blank, even as the verdicts were read that they would spend the rest of their lives in prison. As much as I am glad that these people are being held accountable, it was upsetting to witness. It just made me realize further how broken people are and how much we need God to fix us. We may not all have committed genocidal acts, but we are all guilty nonetheless. Seeing suffering here has reinforced to me the importance of having a savior who doesn't hold our mistakes against us.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110624/wl_africa_afp/rwandagenocideuncourt

The Snows of Kilimanjaro (or so I've heard)

Hi everyone! Today I make myself write about my Saturday adventures so my mom doesn't have to feel the disappointment of discovering that there is nothing new on this blog.

So on Saturday morning, at the crack of 7:45, me, Cassie, Kendall, Taylor, Rikkilee, Alex, and Robert piled into a van that our friends and tour guides, Baracka and Tosh, rented for us. We headed off for a day of hiking around the base of Kilimanjaro, Africa's largest mountain. We had been learning about government corruption in our class on Human Rights & Capacity Building, but we got to see police corruption in action when we got pulled over by a cop for seemingly no reason at all. Our driver got out and talked to the guy and tried to slip him a few shilling notes. The cop refused and I thought, "this must be one of the good ones". But it turns out that our driver just wasn't coughing up enough cash. So after he got a few more notes the officer took it and let us go. We were all pretty astounded to have seen that kind of blatant bribery firsthand. I know this is the reality for millions of Africans and we have heard about it so many times before, but actually seeing it made me realize how stark the contrast is between the U.S. and Tanzanian law enforcement systems. I know there is some police corruption in America, but on the whole I feel that I can trust police officers in the States to help me, not extort me.

After that we got back on the road and made it about half way before we were driving through a village and a motorcyclist cut in front of us with no warning. Our driver tried to get out of his path but couldn't, and we ended up hitting him. It was a really horrible moment--we all looked back to see if he would get up or not. He easily could have died, but he got up and ended up being completely fine. It was a really sobering experience. We waited for quite awhile while our driver and the motorcyclist (who was a pretty young kid--probably about our age) and the people in the village discussed who should pay for the damage to our van. Eventually it was decided that we would stop on the way back and get the money from him, which none of us believed was going to happen for a second. He ended up coming to give us the money though, which shows another difference between the States and East Africa. People here know everyone in their village, so if you are at fault for something you will be held accountable for it, because you can't just leave town. We eventually made it to Kili, hiked to a beautiful waterfall (partly in bare feet, which was fun), and then got the opportunity to visit a little museum depicting the tools and living quarters of the Chaga people, who, it turns out, kept their cows in their houses to keep the Masai warriors from stealing them. We then drank some local beverage, a kind of grainy, rather unpalatable alcohol, and got to go down into a cave where the Chaga would hide from the Masai in times of conflict. We then headed over to the place where those brave souls trying to scale Kilimanjaro start, but it was so overcast that we couldn't see the mountain at all--it was completely invisible. That was a bit of a disappointment, but overall I feel like we had a genuine African experience and saw some beautiful scenery.

Till next time!

Jenna

Peanut Butter and a Visit to the Orphanage

Trying to keep up with this thing is a lot of work! I am going to try to be more dilligent about it though; this trip should be documented well, so be gone, laziness.

On Friday we had no class because half of our group flew to Zanzibar for the weekend to bask in the sun on the beach, but the rest of us stayed and decided to do some hiking and sight-seeing more locally. Friday we took a van to the outskirts of Arusha and visited three ladies who make peanut butter as a potential volunteer opportunity. They were so sweet and welcoming and gave us lots of roasted peanuts to munch on. They sort all the peanuts by hand, roast them in one small oven (they have electricity 4 times a week), and then grind them and make them into the freshest, most delicious smelling peanut butter I've ever encountered. I hope to go back and help out and buy some to bring home to the states.

Then we went to an orphanage called the Cradle of Love Baby Home. It was so awesome to be there even for the short time that we were. It is run by a Christian lady who has adopted several children and has some of her own who help out as well. She was so loving and expressive to the little kids there, and runs the orphanage very efficiently. We got to take a tour of the facilities and talk to some of the kids; it was great. They have 45-50 orphans (and children whose parents are not fit to care for them) all under the age of 3. We went and saw the infants in their cribs, and were told that one baby girl, Rehema, was found in a pit latrine--in a toilet--and when they found her they had to pick the maggots out of her ears and nose.  It is so devastating to hear things like that. It makes me sick to think about what humanity is capable of. But knowing that there are also people like Davona, the woman who runs the orphanage, and the other ladies who work there should give us some cause for hope. They're able to love on these kids while they are with them and give them vital attention at such a vulnerable time. All of us who visited were really affected by what we saw and hope to volunteer a couple of times a week, taking the Dala Dala (public transport vans) from our house to the site, about 20 minutes away.

cradleoflove.com

Tomorrow, how we went to hike Africa's largest mountain and couldn't find it.

Love,
Jenna

A visit to the Market

Today we went to our first day of class at the museum. Our teacher is a really nice guy, and very smart. He got his Master’s at Northwestern and is now getting his PhD at the London School of Economics. The class is going to be mostly discussion-based, and although we were all thinking we were going to have to pay really close attention to the readings, it was pretty free-form, so I’m hoping a quick skim of them will suffice. Then we went and ate lunch at a great little place called Milk and Honey that serves Tanzanian food—I got chicken curry with rice & veggies and it was delicious. I expected to have stomach problems here and have a tough time adjusting to the food, but it’s really good and I haven’t had any issues so far. Then we walked around awhile and I talked to Robert, a student participating in the program from Uganda, about the differences between our respective cultures. I think I’ve learned the most from talking to East Africans here—the people in Tanzania are great, even if they’re trying to sell you something. I love that such a huge part of the culture here is greeting people you encounter on the street. There is a typical call and response that usually consists of one person saying “Mambo” and the other saying “Poa”. It basically means, “how are you?” and “cool”. You can also respond “fresh,” which I find humorous. Then we went to the Masaai Market, which is the touristy marketplace where you can buy all kinds of souvenirs. I got a pair of leather beaded sandals and a wooden sign that says “Karibu” or “welcome” to put over my door. I am going to try to get mostly stuff that I can use around the house or decorate with, so I’ll be able to see it often. I’m hoping to find some pretty beaded jewelry too though—the Masaai are famous for their beadwork, and the number of huge beaded necklaces a Masaai woman wears indicates her age group. Then we went to the real market, led by Mary, a participant in my program and an Arusha native. I’m really glad she was there to guide us because we would have been hopelessly lost. The colors and sounds of the market were really overwhelming; everyone selling things from fresh fruits and vegetables to huge, dead fish, to beautiful fabrics. Everywhere we went people would yell, “mzungi!” meaning, “white person!” to try to get us to come check out their stuff. I’m sure you could get much better prices in the actual market but I was a bit beleaguered by all the things demanding my attention. I took a few pictures but vendors sometimes don’t appreciate being photographed, and people swipe your cameras, so I had to be careful. Then we headed back to the house where we found a bird trapped inside! Emily, one of the other girls on the trip, picked it up and carried it outside in a towel. It was pretty amazing. I’m finding myself to be a total wimp when faced with wildlife (mostly bugs) in the house. I also just discovered that we have a banana tree out our window and an avocado tree in the backyard! We have made it our mission to learn how to make fresh guacamole, Mmm. That’s all for now, hope everyone is enjoying their summers!

Kaa salama (stay well)

Jenna

Oh yeah, and we saw this chameleon just chilling out on our way to lunch!

First 2 Days

Hi guys! Everything is going well here--yesterday we had some Swahili lessons, which were awesome--I want to keep learning it. Today was our 2nd and last day though, which is a bummer. But we know enough to greet the locals appropriately and say some basic phrases. It's a big part of the culture here to greet people you see. You say "Habari?" and they answer "Nzuri" if they are older than you, and "Mambo" and they say "Poa" if they are the same age as you. Also yesterday our Swahili teacher took us on a walking tour of Arusha which was fun. Everyone wants to talk to us, and most people want to sell you things, but everyone is really friendly so it's fun. We have Stephen, a large African American guy with us and all the Africans think he is related to 50 Cent or Mike Tyson and think he's really cool, so he's our bodyguard. Today we had Swahili class, then had lunch at a cute little "culture cafe" and walked to a museum that has info about Tanzanian national figures and stuff, it was cool. Then we had a health meeting where we learned about all the different diseases we could possible contract and then walked around some more. We have our first day of class tomorrow so I have to start doing the readings (boo homework!!). The weather here has been beautiful--sunny and like 70 degrees. Today we had a view of the Mount Meru in the distance, it's really breathtaking.

Jenna

First Post

Hello from the Amsterdam airport! I am unreasonably excited about this because, except for spending some time in Turkey at age two, this is my first time out of the country. I am sitting in a weird, square, orange chair in the "Kids Forest" area of the airport, which from my brief stint here I have determined is the coolest part. Here are some pictures:

The pictures didn't work, hopefully the wifi in my dorm will be better & I can upload them. Sorry for the false advertising.


For those who don't know, I will be spending about 6 weeks in Arusha, Tanzania, studying Human Rights and Capacity Building with Arcadia University. We will be in the classroom from 9-1 Monday through Friday, and will also be taking some trips to visit NGOs and Human Rights Groups. In addition, I get to go on a one day safari! It will be hard to beat the Disney World Jungle Cruise, but I think it may come close. There will also be other optional outings, all of which I plan on attending, including a visit to a Maasai village and a hike on Mt Kilimanjaro. I'm extremely out of shape, so the last one should be interesting. Hopefully I'll be doing a lot of walking and I'll come back lean and tan (haha).

Back to my airport experiences, this airport is really cool. The area I'm in is like a little IKEA with some very Scandinavian furnishings, and Rugrats playing in French somewhere. There is also a piano for people to play if they feel like it, which I think is nice. And there is an airport library with books about the Netherlands along with all kinds of other things. That's nice I think. Maybe it means that the people of the Netherlands are more trusting than the people of America. I want whoever designed this place to design my house. Minus the 747s and security checkpoints. The flight here was long but not too terrible. I watched a great movie called Runway Beat, a cutesy Japanese drama about a group of highschoolers working together against all odds to put on a fashion show for their school. Raw human drama, plus lots of plaid, edgy-ish clothing. I also listened to a podcast of This American Life called "American Limbo," which seems oddly appropriate considering my current mental and physical state. I left my sense of time somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, so I'm confused about what I should be feeling right now. But my grasp on time has always been pretty tenuous, so I'm hoping that will be in my favor in helping me transition to all of these new, exotic timezones.

Well, that's all for now--my next flight boards in about 2.5 hours, and then I'll meet the people from Arcadia and others from my group and get driven to Arusha, supposedly about 2 hours from the airport. Hopefully I'll be able to SLEEP on this next flight. Hakuna Matata! (the extent of my Swahili right now--it means no worries).