After spending a month traveling around Northern Tanzania visiting as many organizations as we could fit into a day, we’re now on our way back to Arusha to end the trip.  In Zanzibar, we started our “vacation” by visiting four organizations, all with the help of a woman we managed to contact through googling “registered NGOs Zanzibar” and going to the sixth page of the search results. Sure enough, two days after contacting her, we were sitting in her penthouse apartment in Stone Town, describing our project and watching the sunset from her rooftop terrace.

The next day was one of the most memorable experiences of our trip, combining visits to organizations with witnessing the reality of addiction in a place where communication regarding provocative subjects is looked down upon and pretty much non-existent. We started the day visiting an old age home and ended the day at a “Sober House,” where a narcotics anonymous (NA) meeting was being held. The first Sober House in Zanzibar was started by a few local recovering addicts, one of whom had been in a rehab center in Nairobi. Combining experience with a real passion to help those who are suffering from the same disease that affected them, the group of men started something truly revolutionary in Zanzibar, where 90% of the population is Muslim. We were honored to be invited to sit-in on one of their daily meetings and moved by their ability to openly discuss their personal struggles with two strangers. The room was comprised of about fifteen men, ages ranging from 18 to 60 and time sober ranging from 8 days to 30 years. With the help of a translator, we listened to the men discuss the topic of the day, recite the serenity prayer, and ask a range of questions to the leader. The room was filled with enormous strength while painful memories were being discussed and emotions confronted. We were both amazed that in a country where emotions of any sort are not to be shared with others, this group of men were able to recognize their addiction, seek help, and put complete trust into one another. This experience showed that some of the most remarkable aid in Africa is executed by local pioneers who have little money but make up for that with an infinite amount of experience and knowledge regarding their culture and the best way to ameliorate suffering within a group of people who they can relate to.

On a lighter note, our time ended in Zanzibar with an experience that reminded us of the titanic splitting, but on a much smaller scale. As we were waiting in line to board our ferry back to the mainland, it started pouring outside. The rain increased while the patience of the passengers diminished.  The line to get on board quickly turned into a mob all pushing to get out of the rain and onto the ferry.  The crew quickly lost control of the situation and afraid that passengers without tickets would board, they simply pulled up the bridge connecting the dock to the ferry.  Nathan and I, soaked to the bone and eager to get on board, were on the bridge over the water when they were pulling it up.  Immediately, the direction of the mob switched a hundred and eighty degrees as we all rushed to get off the bridge before we were dropped into the ocean.  After a few moments of scrambling and grabbing for each other’s outstretched hands, we made it safely to the dock.  Needless to say, after that extravaganza we all waited patiently in the rain until they lowered the bridge once again and boarded their much more subdued passengers.

Okay- our day today. We were going to visit an organization, Upendo Daima, and we went out far to where we thought the organization was located because we saw the sign for it a few days ago. We finally get to the project site and it is way back on a dirt road that we had been walking on for about twenty minutes. When we got there, we called the lady and told her we had arrived. Turns out, we had a misunderstanding and she didn’t know she was meeting us at that particular site so she was in their OFFICE in town. She was not a happy camper because she claimed she told us we were meeting in town. So we tell her, okay we will come to you in town. By this point, we were a bit frustrated because the communication was really bad and we trekked all the way out there just to go back to town. We start walking back, in the middle of nowhere, and are far from the main road to town. We see two guys who drive past us on motorcycles and they stop and ask us where we are going. We tell them we are going to town and they told us to hop on. SO, in our frenzy, I hopped on one motorcycle and Nathan hopped on the other motorcycle. We didn’t know exactly where we were going but we assumed we were heading in the right direction. I was wearing a long skirt so technically, I was supposed to side-saddle the motorcycle but was too scared to sit like that and sat on it  like no ‘lady’ is supposed to do and held on for dear life. Nathan and I kept looking at each other and laughing because it was such a funny situation and he knew you (mom) were going to kill him!!! So we reach the tarmac, and they keep driving us! Here we are, picking up speed as the road improves and wondering what the hell we are still doing on the bike. Passing the Dala Dalas was an experience considering we were close enough to high-five the driver. Then we get to the busy road that leads to town and we finally parted ways. As I was getting off the bike I accidentally touched the exhaust pipe with my leg. When I took a look at the burn, it ended up being pretty bad but I was too excited about my first ever motorcycle ride to be in that much pain. But yes, now in addition to all of my other ailments, I have a “minor” second degree burn on my calf. Guess I have been branded, in a sense, by the Tanzanian motorcycle experience. Nathan is serving as my doctor and is making sure it doesn’t get infected! …He seems to be a little squeamish, but I figure he needs the practice! But needless to say… the ride was worth the pain as Nathan and I were laughing the whole time, looking over our shoulder to make sure the other one was still in fact in one piece.

Then, we met with the lady in town. Uneventful.

After, we took a short-cut, recommended by the nun we just met with, that took us through a landfill and a cemetery to the region’s biggest hospital. Nathan and I decided we wanted to get a tour of the hospital after hearing stories about it. Our friend Judith, who has been working at Bugando Hospital for the past year, offered to give us the tour of the ominous building perched on a hill that seems to serve as a warning to stay healthy. Our tour ended at the psych ward which is situated in the basement of the hospital next to the morgue. Though the mural on the steel door leading into the ward illustrates butterflies and rainbows, the scene behind paints a much different picture. Reminiscent of a dungeon with faint elevator music playing in the background, the window-less ward has access to natural light via two verandas surrounded by 12 foot cement walls.

Then, we went home.

After, we ended up going to a clinic at 6 PM because I found them online (International Health Partners) and when we called the director based in Tanzania, she said, “come on over, someone just went into gynecological surgery so we’re going to be here for a while.” Not knowing whether we were going to work on the database or birth a child, we hopped on the first taxi to the clinic. Instead of birthing a child, we ended up having a meeting with the most energetic old lady we had ever met. Not able to take notes because we needed two hands to eat her home-baked cookies, we ended our day drained of energy but full of adventure.

By the way, in case any of you are still reading this, we are visiting our 28th organization tomorrow and hope to visit 40 by the end of the trip. Our goal was originally to visit between 20 and 25 organizations but that was assuming we would relax a bit more!

Relying on the kindness of others in a situation where one is completely powerless is a terrifying yet rewarding experience that one becomes familiar with through using the Dala Dala. Rarely in the states do we ever see a local go out of their way to help a foreign tourist with both translation and transportation. Without the help and generosity of local Tanzanians, we would get extremely lost going to the NGOs we are trying to visit.

 Just to give you an idea, the Dala Dala is an overcrowded mini bus that careens down the highways and streets connecting all of Tanzania in a comprehensive yet slow public transportation system. A complete explanation of the adventure filled Dala Dala rides will require a separate post of its own.

Today, we had two steps that were supposed to direct us to the organization, Food Water Shelter. First, “Go to Friends Corner” and second, “take the Dala Dala to Edmund Rice Secondary School.” Trusting that these were in fact known landmarks, we left our apartment two hours before we were expected at the organization and hoped for the best. Though we didn’t know which Dala Dala to take or where to get on, the first person who noticed we were a little lost took us by the hand and walked us a few hundred meters down the road. She then waited with us until she could explain to the Dala Dala driver where we were going before leaving us. While on the first bus, we met another woman who performed the same act of kindness when we were dropped three blocks from “Friends Corner.” Without hesitating, the second woman we met took the time to go out of her way and walked us to our destination.

These acts of kindness are so rare in the US that our instinct is to meet them with amazement and even a bit of suspicion. For whatever reason, it doesn’t seem natural to put complete trust into someone who goes out of their way to help you. When one travels to Tanzania it is easy to concentrate only on what the country lacks. However, it is more productive to focus on what we can learn as opposed to constantly trying to teach and fix.

Hey Everyone,

The realization that we would be living in Tanzania for two months working on A Path Less Traveled hit as we took off from the Amsterdam airport. Rising above the clouds, we headed for Kilimanjaro airport leaving a disappointing and overpriced airport breakfast in our wake.  After arriving in Tanzania, there were a lot of thoughts and questions racing through our minds regarding our project.  We raised the typical questions about whether this project would be successful and whether or not this database is a type of service that will be utilized.  On top of that, we asked deeper questions that are more troubling to confront…is the success of the project even going to make a difference in the impoverished Tanzanian community that we are so motivated to help?

Now, as we write this blog after being acclimated to our new life here, we have begun to develop a deeper understanding about some of these questions. A theme has certainly become clear during the short time in which we have been here, interacting with NGOs and forming relationships with Tanzanians. We have realized the importance and value of fully understanding both the situation and context before attempting to answer and solve problems. For us, this process has just begun.

We are not attempting to fool ourselves and think that circumstance can be understood in a week or a month, but at the same time we are not giving up simply because true understanding of a different culture may never be achieved.

In the next week we plan to visit six more NGOs, start private Swahili classes, and try to become well versed in maneuvering the Dala Dala, which is the Tanzanian minibus and primary form of transportation.  As the adventure continues, we will keep you updated!

Africa: Altered States, Ordinary Miracles by Richard Dowden

“I write chiefly for outsiders, those who have not been to Africa but would like to know more about it. The best way to find out is to go, not as a tourist in a bubble of Western luxury and safety, but as a traveller to meet people and engage with them. It is easily done. But beware, Africa can be addictive. Les fous d’Afrique, the french call them, those who become mad about Africa.”

The Blue Sweater by Jacqueline Novogratz

“We don’t hate you. We actually like that you’re a nice girl with much to offer. What we hate is what you represent. The North comes to the South and sends a young white woman without asking us what we want, without seeing if we already have the skills we need. And this from an organization that says it wants to promote solidarity. We’ve seen this too many times before. Africa will never change if it’s always like this.” — A Kenyan woman talking about foreign aid

“In order to contribute to Africa, I would have to know myself better and be clearer about my goals. I would have to be ready to take Africa on its own terms, not mine, and to learn my limits and present myself not as a do-gooder with a big heart, but as someone with something to give and gain by being there. Compassion wasn’t enough.”

“Good hearted people would build schools without thinking about the costs of hiring and supporting a teacher- not for months but for years- and the schools would stand empty. Women would be encouraged to make crafts though there was no market for them, and so we’d visit homes piled to the ceilings with unsold sisal baskets.”

“The challenge…was not to take our privilege for granted but to use it in a way that served the world and our highest purpose.”

“Africa can stun you in an instant. It can throw floods and drought and disease at you, sometimes all at the same time. In the next moment, it will tease you with its magnificent beauty, so even if you don’t forget, you can find a way to forgive. Ultimately, it keeps you coming back for more.”

Until we can blog about our  trip to Tanzania and Uganda in August, we thought we’d post quotes from some our favorite books about Africa, aid, and development. Hope you enjoy!

A Path Less Traveled is an East African Volunteer Database that will provide prospective volunteers with the tools needed to create their own unique service trip.