KILI

I made it. It was the hardest thing I have ever done, both mentally and physically, but I made it to Uhuru Peak, the highest point in Africa.
Let me elaborate just a little bit on "hardest thing ever". We climbed about 4000 meters in four days. Day one is easy: a 9 km hike through rain forest. We saw black monkeys. And the huts are little triangular buildings that accommodate 4 people each, and it reminded me of the rockies. Day two is a little harder: 12 km, most of it through brushland, with fewer and fewer trees the farther you go. The huts the second night, called Horombo, are identical to the first, called Mandara. Then, the fun begins. The third day is when the fun begins. The hike is about 9 km, but most of it is through alpine desert, completely devoid of life. And halfway through you reach the saddle, the area between Uhuru and Mawenzi (the two peaks of Kili), which is cold and windblown, and almost entirely uphill until you reach kibo, a ragged assortment of huts at the base of the summit. You eat as much as possible when you arrive, around 4 or 5 pm, then sleep until 11 pm, if you can at that altitude (ie, if you don't have a headache). Then, at 11pm, you wak up, have tea and biscuits, and begin the ascent into hell. You climb for 11 km, up almost vertical trails paved with dust, almost entirely unable to breath because of the lack of air pressure. Ever step I took was the hardest I had ever taken. 10 minutes in I wanted to stop.
8 hours later, I reached Gillman's point, the first spot you reach on the caldera rim (kili is a volcano). Then you walk steadily uphill to reach Uhuru, pushing yourself harder than you ever have before.
How ever, once I made it I had the best feeling I have ever had. Adrenaline rushed to my head and for thirty minutes I was pain free, energetic, and happier than you can imagine. And then the adrenaline ran out.
I have never been in more pain. Kibo might as well have been the moon, and Horombo, the middle huts, and the place I had to walk down to that day, might as well have been Mars. I was spent. At Gillman's on the way down, I vomited everywhere. You know the sweet relief that you feel when you vomit? I had no relief. I threw up everything I had in my stomach, dry heaved and waited for the relief. Instead, I was made painfully aware of my headache. Everytime my heart beat (probably way to often to be healthy- 150? 160? 200?) my brain screamed to get out of my head. I've never had a worse headache. And then I started to descend. Every step down made the headache a little better, but my legs got a little weaker. It was like jelly. I was totally, completely, utterly spent. Did I mention I was tired? When I finally made it to Kibo, I couldn't stop shaking. My guide untied my shoes and I crashed into bed. Btw, Val made it to the top with me and Courtney turned around between 4 and 5 am, due to altitude sickness. Everyone of us threw up on the mountain.
The rest of the descent is a blur. But the climb was incredibly rewarding and incredibly difficult. I'm still tired, and I've been down for two days now.
I am currently in Arusha, at Kundayo Serviced Apartments. We leave for the field tomorrow, and I have no idea when I will blog again.

Mpaka baadae,
Caleb

Yes! I managed to blog again, and before I got up Kili (or at least before I try to get up Kili). Again, no promises about when I will be back, so for now just enjoy the update.

So, just to bring you up to speed, right now I am sitting in The Coffee Shop, in Moshi, in the shadow of Kili. AT least I would be in the shadow of Kili, if it wasn't shrouded in clouds. Since I left you at Pugu hills (with a post written a few days ago, describing an event a few (4? 5?) weeks ago) I have done a whole heck of a lot. I have been to Bagamoyo, Zanzibar, Arusha, and now Moshi. I have watched rap music videos in The Safari Lodge, in Zanzibar's Stone Town, from the 1980's (it's like a jungle out there, it makes you wonder how I keep from going under, courtesy of a man I think is known as DJ Grandmaster Flash). I have eaten countless meals, consisting of both incredibly cheap Tanzanian food, expensive Indian and Ethiopian, and lots in between (including a bunch of fresh seafood on Zanzibar; barracuda anyone?), cheap being under 1000 Tsh and expensive being 15000 Tsh. I have learned A TON of kiswahili, enough for me to speak it functionally to natives, however broken the conversations may be. I have learned about Human Evolution from Audax Mabulla, an archaeologist that worked at Olduvai with Louis and Mary Leakey (google them if you don't understand why that statement is amazing). I have learned more about ecology, with emphasis on the Maasai Step (Northern TZ), than I ever have before, from a man that is strikingly similar to Yoda, but who cracks jokes at all of our expenses all the time. Think big ears, a similar voice, and 'he he' laugh and jokes about me sleeping.

So now that I glossed over a month of amazing experiences in a paragraph, let me assure you that my time so far has been amazing. From huge things like a trip to Zanzibar, to daily victories like ordering my meals or having a conversation entirely in kiswahili, I enjoy life here immensely and learn loads everyday, both in and out of class (if you recall, I was excited for my experiential learning, and I have NOT been disappointed). I have adjusted to a routine that is very different from my usual life. Lots of walking, very little electronics, lots of class, and lots of socializing. And I go to bed early and wake up early. I never realized how much time I had in the day. Its wonderful, and I love it here.

However, that is not to say that I have not had my share of difficulties. As I noted last time, some incidents have shaken me. And dealing with ACM has been less that easy and produced very little results. You might even say that I am having a great time despite ACM's behavior and activities. I'm not writing this out of frustration or anger; I did that a week ago, in an email to my father, which I will not reproduce here. I am not bothered by it on a daily basis and I don't really worry about it, because I don't want my time in Africa to be spoiled by people who are out of touch with the program, making decisions that directly affect me and which are often not in my best interest. However, in a summary of my time here, I think it necessary to include ACM's faults along with my wonderful experience so far. Again, I am not writing with anger, or even resentment, and attempting to write, as much as I can in my position, without bias.

So here it goes. I don't know if this will get my blog pulled from the ACM website. I hope not. I will not be slandering anyone, will stick to the facts, and will avoid exaggeration. But I don't know how well ACM will take my criticism. This year, ACM has changed the program substantially. From the little I have gleaned, UDSM as an institution is receiving significantly more money, while individual professors at the university are receiving less. What that means in practical terms is that faculty members that have been substantially involved in the program in the past are now not. In the most extreme case, one professor that used to run one of the two field sites is now barely involved, teaching only one class and joining us for only one week in the field (as opposed to six weeks). Which brings me to my next point, the situation of our program director and the field stay. First I'd like to say that our director, Dr. Roberts is overworked and (I would guess) underpaid. He does the job that two full time employees do for the ACM program, even though he got here only a month (about) before us. He is expected to arrange everything, from Zanzibar to class schedules, take us to the hospital at any hour, day or night, and act as an advisor for 21 research projects, ranging from biology to archeology to ecology to anthropology. So he is an advisor, mentor, emergency contact, and secretary for 21 people: way more than any one person can handle effectively. As you can imagine, this means that our advising is scanty and out schedule hectic, but in no way is that the fault of Dr. Roberts. To provide an example, each student is expected to begin their research in about two weeks. However, we have no idea what we need to do. I personally am ok, because I have taken research methods before, but if I was one of my colleagues who has not, I would be at a loss. Especially if I was an anthropologist, responsible for informed consent forms, interviews, surveys, and so on. Thus the central focus of the program is in real trouble. As for the camp, I'll help you with some math. Last year, I believe that there were four translators, and at least two advisors, all for 14 people. This year, there is one advisor, one assistant and (based on the fact that we have been told, “Those will be the only people in the field”) all for 21 people Now for the math: 14 students/five adults helping with research = a 3:1 student to adult ratio during last years program. Compare that to this year: 21 students/2 adults = a 10.5 to 1 student to adult ratio. Incidentally, ACM advertised that at maximum capacity there would be 20 students on the program, so I am not sure how 21 students were accepted. But, ignoring that, we about three times larger a student to faculty ratio, which again, puts the success of our projects in extreme jeopardy.

Some projects are in much worse shape, however. The archeology projects are very dubious as of now. In the past, as I mentioned, we had an archaeologist running one of the field camps, capable of advising archaeological greenhorns (which all interested students here are). As I also mentioned, this year we have Bruce and his assistant. Neither of them are capable of teaching us how to execute archeology, as Bruce is a cultural anthropologist and his assistant is a zoology grad student. The catch is, in order to do archeology, you need an advisor present, both for practical reasons (could you do archeology alone without prior experience?) and official ones, as the Tanzanian government is protective of its archaeological remains. So, for all intents and purposes, unless something changes, there will be no archeology in the field. While this may not seem like a big deal to the outside observer, this program focuses on early human origins (I would quote the brochure and website if I had internet access at the moment), specifically prehistoric archeology focusing on our biological evolution. Yet archeology is kaput. Quite a big deal indeed, in my opinion. Especially because I know of at least one colleague who applied with the sole intention of doing archeology. In fact, the only reason she is still at her college back home is that she could do an archaeological study here: she can only complete her major through an off campus program, and she chose this one, given that archeology is its cornerstone. So again, eighty-sixing archeology is quite a big deal.

Finally, there have been a few little things that bothered me. For example, we were required to pay for all our own food during the dorm stay part of the program. It wasn't a huge deal, because we could spend under $4 per day on food, but I know that students have gotten a stipend in the past, and I shelled out $15000 for the program; it was just the principle of the thing. And there was not a trip to Ngorongoro scheduled, until myself and a few other students emailed ACM. It was added, and apparently left out due to an oversight. Again, not a huge deal, but still a little irritating.

To sum up, I feel like I paid a lot of money to ACM to guarantee that I had as smooth a trip as possible and learned as much as possible, broadening my knowledge and horizon in the process. And though I am having a wonderful time, when I think about it, I think that ACM's decisions have been a little haphazard and I feel like I don't know where all my money has gone.

One last thing. More than one student and more than one parent has expressed their discontent to ACM, from the archaeological issue to the apparent failure of our insurance coverage (something that I have yet to experience and thus didn't mention). In the face of this 'expression', my colleagues, their parents, and myself received an email from ACM saying that they know about the problems and are working their hardest to fix them. And to be fair, this is a learning experience for everyone, given that they are in the first year of a new agreement with UDSM (as I mentioned previously). And while I appreciate the intent of the message from ACM and realize that they are probably trying their hardest, I am still not happy that I am part of the guinea pig program, and I think that the email avoided several specifics. ACM is certainly trying, and I expect that several problems will be addressed; however, I would like to know exactly what ACM is going to fix and how they are going to do it.

For now, I am going to enjoy my day. I just had the best coffee I have ever tasted, delicious tomato and lentil soup, and a mango tart (kahawa, nyanya (and lentil soup) and keki ya embe in kiswahili; or just chakula vizuri sana: very delicious food), all for under $5. And I am in Moshi, an incredibly chill town with a temperature stuck in the 70s. So, despite what my last blog post and this one might suggest, I am having a wonderful time (Don't worry Mom and Des!). I just want to include the good with the bad, to paint a whole picture.

Next time I write, I will have conquered the roof of Africa and will be posting a picture of the curve of the earth. How cool is that?

I hope to have pictures up, either with this post or on Picasso. I'll post the info if I do it on Picasso.

Kwa Heri,

Caleb

Pugu Hills, with more to come very soon

Well, its been a while. And I'm about to go to the field, so it'll be a while again. Hopefully I'll update again between now and then, but no promises. So, because I am an utter failure as a blogger, here is a brief list of what I have done so far (Its mostly chronological, but occasionally memory fails me).

The second weekend, we went to Pugu Hills nature reserve, a forest about 15k south of Dar. Apparently it is a failed conservation area (it used to have things like wildlife, and now it doesnt), but its certainly a successful tourist spot. It consisted of a big tatched roof enclosure, dimly lit, with three large tables, many comfortable chairs and a few reclining mats (nap city). Oh, and swimming pool also. And a great view. Needless to say, I actually loved it. And we had Pilau for lunch (spiced rice- think rice with lots of cloves, cardamom, and ginger), which was wonderful, The best food I had had up to that point. Then we went on a threeish mile hike, to a gravel mine. This kind of shocked me, because a more apt description of the gravel mine is a big hole where mind blowing poor Tanzanians use hammers to beat huge rock into lots of tiny rocks (gravel). And when we got there, I learned that they did this from 6AM-6PM everyday for 6000 shillings, which is approximately 4 dollars. And on top of that, they can't afford bottled water, so they go the whole day without water. I think that, quite literally, I would die if I had to do that. When our group arrived at the “mine” they workers wanted our water, and I found as much water as people were willing to donate and gave it all to the workers, who thanklessly chugged it all. And I didn't care that they showed no gratitude: had I been in their situation, and a bunch of Americans had come up to use me a tourist attraction, I would not have been to happy either.

After that experience, the day breezed by. It was a good one, but I don't remember the details. One more things about the gravel mine, however. Water costs us between 15 and 50 per liter, an absolute pittance. However, when you are making 4 dollars a day, that 50 cents is a lot more expensive. I would have carried the biggest bottle of water we can buy, which is 12 liters, to those workers if I had known ahead of time. As it was, I gave them my (and several other people's) water that I had intended to use for the hike, as I decided that I could survive for an hour and a half without water, especially given that they would be without water for much longer. Many of my several students did not share this opinion with me though. In particular, I remember one person looking right at me, with a full 1.5 liter bottle and totally ignoring my request. She was unwilling to spend 66 cents and go thirsty for an hou and a half to help people that need water much more that her and could afford much less of it. I was appalled by her total selfishness and lack of empathy. So I left Pugu with both a redesigned idea of poverty and hardship (something that has happened again since then), a really sour opinion of that girl and, most importantly, a little less faith in humanity.

Makumbusho! ... No wait, Mango Garden

I have a brief window of time between lunch and research methods to tell the story so here I go. For the first week in Dar, we did mostly nothing but sightsee and get acquainted with our surounding. You know, going to Mlimani City Mall, an American style shopping center with south african chains offering things at american prices, getting used to keeping our mouths closed in the shower, forgetting to put up our mosquito nets, etc etc etc (I always remembered my net, but others *Ian...* did not. I can't promise that it sucked, but I can only imagine it did). Whenever we did anything outside of our dorms, our Tanzanian guides, Emanuel and Hamida helped us, introducing us to campus food (the cafeteria, Hill Park, the Kiswahili Cafe and what we call “The Degree Tree Cafe” are the options on campus), Mlimani Mall, and a couple markets around. They were wonderful to us, but their guidance around campus was nothing compared to Friday night.

First, some back story. On thursday, we got our itineraries for the week of orientation. For those keeping track, orientation ran from Tuesday to Friday, so they were a bit dated. Even so, the activities coming up next were ill fated- a Friday morning trip to a posh (I'm guessing) meet and greet with embassy staff and a Friday evening trip to the cultural village museum” Mokambusho were cancelled because internal beaucratics at UDSM. So suddenly, the group had a free friday night. Unable to navigate Dar ourselves, we called Emanual and Hamida, our resident wonder-people, and asked for some help. They came through and suggested live music: 5000 TZS cover? 2000 TZS bia (beers)? (The conversion rate, in case I haven't mentioned it before is 1500 TZS:$1) Sign me up! We would even get to go to Mokambusho, the village museum that we missed out on. The plan was to meet at Bueni numba Tatu (Hall 3) at 7 PM, get picked up by the dala dala that Emanuel would hire to chauffer us around and eat, drink, listen to live music and be in general be merry. So, seven rolls around and ... nothing. At 7:15 I get a call from Emanuel telling me that there was a problem with the dala dala and that he would be there at eight. No big deal. The group went to eat at the cafeteria (mius Matt and Dana, who wanted to get some rest), ate quickly, and were back at about 7:50. At eight Emanuel and Hamida show up with the dala dala, we all pack in, and we were off.

Before I continue with the story, let me say a word about the dala dalas. Imagine a minivan. no imagine it without a carpeted floor, without seats and an interior that looks like it missed the finishing stages at the car factory. Add five rows of seats, doors that barely work and extreme body odor and there you have a dala dala. Now imagine that on roads where traffic laws are more like traffic suggestions and you have the main method of transport for our group and million of Tanzanians. And in case you are reading this and aren't one of my family members or close friends, I am not small. I am 6'2”, 185-190 lbs. In short, travel in Tanzania is uncomfortable for me.

Now on with the story. When we arrived at Mokambusho, the dala dala was abuzz with excitement. And we got there and, well, we got there. But we did not get out of the dala dala. 5 minutes passed, then 10, then fifteen, after which I decided to get out. Did I mention that the dala dala was a little small for me? And then another 5, 10, and 15 minutes passed. Then Emanuel came back, and told us that the show had been cancelled because of an emergency with the band members. And even worse, the back up show that Emanuel had found earlier in the day had also been cancelled. So, he told us, that we would go see the second most popular band in Tanzania. Ok, I thought, life could be worse. We all piled back into the dala dala and we were off.

When we got there, we found out that the dala dala fee had doubled. Lest that sound terrible, it jumped from 250 to 500 TZS, about 33 cents. And when we got there, as promised, the cover was 5000 TZS. When we got in, I went to grab a beer and, again as promised, 2000 TZS. So, to recount- $3.33 cover and $1.33 beers. And the second best band in Tanzania. All in all, the plan C was wonderful. So, with my beer, I sat down with the group at the dead front and center of Mango Garden, te name of the venue, and just chilled. The ride was long, it was hot, and sitting there with a beer was just perfect. And then the music started. While I was sitting there playing never-have-ever with Noah, Courtney, Scott, and Brendan, Hamida started dancing (I found out later that Hamida's favorite thing in the world is dancing). Not wanting to leave her out there alone, the five of us joined her, and the rest of the group was not far behind us. Pretty soon, 19 wazungu, their two hosts, and a few Tanzanians were tearing up the dance floor. We danced for probably 1-2 hours, then, after the band stopped playing, I went to grab another beer and chill again. What a great night, I thought. I should've added a 'so far' in there.

Apparently the band that I had just danced my heart out to was only the opening act. The main show was about to start. I had wondered why such a popular band had so few audience members, and wy so many more people were arriving. In retrospect, it made sense, but the two beers made my judgment a little fuzzy. So, up we all got again, and danced for another 3 hours, with breaks to drink water, beer, Konyagi, and Redd's (a alcoholic cider) sprinkled in there. When 1 AM came and went Courtney said one more song. When the song ended at 1:30, again, one more song. When that song ended at 2, we finally called it quits and jumped back in the dala. When we returned, I stayed up until around 3 just hanging out with a group of people that had been strangers not 5 days ago. It was great. And that how this trip has gone so far. Things have been planned and fallen through, and yet no one complains. And during the improvised activities, we end up having a wonderful time. Ah, Tanzania.

To conclude, I'd like to offer several observations about Tanzania and Tanzanians.

1)Life is slower. Everything, from walking to internet.

2)People are nicer

3)Generall, it is because they want something from you

4)Even when they don't, they are still nice. Tanzanians are just flat out nice

5)Tanzania is hot

6)I never realized how much I took hot water for granted

7)Also just safe running water in general

8)Everything is cheaper

9)Nothing is quite as nice

10)Poverty means something different here than it does in the USA

11)I'm constantly dehydrated

Thats what came to me just now. I have to run, gotta go to Research Methods.

Caleb

Fast and Loose for you, the reader

What I written was a gem oa passage. It was 1500 words of witicisms, hilarious stories and insightful remarks. I have done my best to recreate it here, but I can't garauntee anything.

First off, so much for me updating my blog everyday. I can't even seem to manage to blog everyday that somethings exciting happens. The problem is I either do little in my day that I think would interest someone other than me that I don't think it is worth my time to write or I do so much that I am exhausted. Either way, when I finally do sit down to write, I find myself either overwhelmed by what I thought were a boring few days or by one clearly action packed day. (As an aside, boring is a relative term. I'm never bored, but somedays I don't have anything inherently exciting happen. For example, my walk here took a half hour longer than unsual, because I was distracted my vervet monkeys, a resident baboon, and a hoard of mongooses (mongeese?). And Kiswahili is exciting and difficult, but trust me, you don't want to know all the details on a daily basis). As I go about my life I think of smart things to say, of funny comparisons to make, and in general look forward to blogging about everything I'm seeing and doing. Yet, at night, when I sit down to blog, I suffer from sudden-onset amnesia and my bed calls out to me in a particularly alluring manner. I tend to oblige it and go to sleep.

As a result, anyone actually reading my blog- I'm guessing my mom, dad, and maybe a few friends- knows almost nothing about what I am actually doing in Dar es Salaam (henceforth known as Dar). So, in order to get back on track and actually keep my few readers in the know, I, in the words of J. Martaan Troost (author of The Sex Lives of Cannibals, the book I am about to finish), from here on out I will be playing a little fast and loose with space-time continuum. I will do this for you, the reader. I will write when I can about what I can, and attempt to present it in a manner that is at least slightly comprehensible.

I had also planned on sharing a story now about our first Friday in Dar, when 19 of us went out to see the most second most popular musicians in Tanzania. But Val is waiting for me to finish up and getting impatient, so I will do it later. She disagrees. So nevermind. She isn't bothered. *wink wink* I still have to go though. I swear that I'll follow up soon though.

And val is not a naggy girlfriend. I've exaggerated for comedic purposes.

Caleb

THBBT

So I just lost the 1500 words that I wrote last night.

I'll rewrite it and post it later, but for now I have nothing.

Dang it.

Caleb

Post Moji (One)- Introduction week

So here it is, the first real blog post from Tanzania. Thought I won't post it until tomorrow, because of where I can get online, I am writing this in my dorm room on Sunday night, before our first morning of class. Tomorrow we will all be in intensive Kiswahili classes. And I don't really know where to begin. I managed to wait such a long time to write my first post that I can't possibly describe everything the group has done in the last week. But i'll try, thought it probably won't be nauseating detail. So, one, two, three, GO.

I flew in with five other people: Val, Karin (who goes by her middle name, that I can't spell), Mat, Dana and Ian H. We got into the airport in Dar es Salaam at about 1:30 PM on Monday, August 16th. After we got through customs (which is significantly less stringent than it is anywhere I've ever been before), we looked wround for Dr. Roberts, who had been described to us as “the white guy”, finding no one, not a single “white guy”. So we borrowed a man's cell phone and called him, and, after we tracked him down, proceeded to wait at the airport for about an hour and a half waiting for another student, Karma. After he finally came (his flight was late), we jumped on a bus that took us to our dorm, Hall 3 on the UDSM campus. We all went up to our rooms in the late afternoon sun (at four- its “winter” here) and were carefully assigned roommates based on who walked up the stairs together. I landed on the second floor, in room 763, with Matt. Dr. Roberts, our program director, treated the five of us, as well as Katie and Allison, the two students that arrived on Sunday, to dinner at Hill Park restaurant, within walking distance of the dorms. After a great meal of goat, plaintains, and vegetables, washed down by a Kilimanjaro beer (Kili as we call it), we dragged ourselves back to the dorm, and I unpacked and unceremoniously passed out. Of course this was after I brushed my teeth with bottled water because, in case you don't know, the tap water is not safe to put in your mouth. And god forbid that we drink it. Even the locals drink the bottled stuff. Anyway, that was day one in Africa, or at least what I remember of it six days later.

Day two started bright and early for me, because, foolishly, I got up to run with Dana, one of the girls. I probabyl should've slept and recovered from jet lag, but I wanted to hit the ground running, literally. Dana and I ran for about a half hour, along the busy morning roads of UDSM- I think we ran in Simba Road, but I'm not really sure the name. After the run, I went back to the dorm, showered, saw all the new people that arrived over night, and went downsatirs with the rest of the group to meet Dr. Roberts to walk over to the ACM house, about two blocks away (not that there are really blocks here). There we milled around a bit, going through the awkward small talk that is un avoidable in a group of mostly strangers, before breakfast. Breakfast was a buffet table with several different things: we had chai tea, andazi (big fried circles of dough),fried sweet potato, kitimbua (saucer-like things made from thick rice flour), watermelon and little pieces of fried doughwith chili sauce. It was great, if a little heavy, and pretty unusual (though I now know that it is common breakfast- I've had andazi and chai everyday since). After we ate, we met Mama Jane, our Hall warden (like an RA, but for all of us- and what a position title, huh?), Paulina, Dr. Robert's assistant and an employee in the housing department and Emanuel Kessy, our curriculum coordinator and a PhD professor here. We also met Hamida and Emanuel, two Tanzanian students, for the first time- they have been a huge help to all of us, from teaching us basic phrases to taking us to the beach. They rock. After introductions, we went to meet a woman from the LINKS office, responsible for all the international students at UDSM. She told us about everything they had to offer and introduced us to two more Tanzanian students, whose names I don't even remember. After that, we grabbed lunch at the cafeteria, where I got a huge plate of rice, veggies, beans, and a couple pits of meat in a stew for about 66 cents. After lunch, I don't really remember what we did-I just know that we had dinner at Hill Park, and hung out in Noah and Sam's room until about 9:30 drinking Konyagi, a local spirit similar to gin (the legal drinking age here is 18, and we didn't drink much- no one should worry).

That was a relatively typical day, thought we had to find breakfast for ourselves. I tend to prefer the cafeteries, where I spend about 500-600 shillings (30-40 cents), but you can also eat at the Kiswahili cafe. The offerings are all pretty much the same- chai, andazi (a fried swet dough thing, in a ball or log-like shape), chapati, which is flat bread like naan only thinner, and doughnuts without all the sweet glaze. Sometimes they have eggs, sometimes sausage, and, at Kiswahilie they have milk and fruit, from papaya to bananas. Throughout this last week we also had several different lectures- on security (TRUST NO ONE- and don't go wandering around alne at night, health (DON'T DRINK THE WATER AND ALWAYS WASH YOU HANDS. Oh, and shower), culture (Respect elders and expect lots of very friendly greetings), and gender issues (MEN ARE NUMBER ONE!!). We had lectures usually at 10AM and 2PM, and I usually ate in between and did various group stuff afterwards. One day we played a big ultimate game, another we went swimming (I didn't- I watched a vocational school's girls netball game- basketball without dribbling or backboards- and a soccer game), and we just chilled a lot. We also went out a couple nights and had some beer after dinner; we figured out that Serenghetti and Kilimanjaro are the two best beers, but a cider drink called Redd's is also pretty darn good. Another favorite beverage is Stoney Tangawezi, a super-gingery soda made with real sugar (just like all sodas here).

And that is how the first wek was. I'm sure I am forgetting details, but we did so much and waited so long to write this. From here on out, I am going to try and blog everyother day, and more if my life is extra exciting. Until then , I hope my writing isn't to dry.

Caleb

PS- A note on Tanzanian Time- The clock starts at 6 or 7, and ends at 6 or seven in the evening. Which means that 7 is actually 1pm. Confusing enough? People also run habitually late, so much so that you can practically expect informal meetings to be at least a half hour later than planned. This country just runs a little slower and is less concerned about punctuality. I knew I wasn't doing things wrong in the US. I just treat time “differently” so to speak, and I fit right in here.

Live from Doha

At the request of "Jason" Zhao, here is how the pretrip London Adventure went. Bear with any mistakes I might make, as I am writing this on the floor of the Doha airport at 2:40 in the morning. I'm a little bit delirious, but I don't know when I'll have another chance, so here it goes.

After I left home, I went briefly to my ranch in West Texas with my family, friends and girlfriend, Val. After that, I flew from San Antonio to Minneapolis, where Val's mom picked Val and I up and took us to her house. Then, on Wednesday, we got on a plane to London Heathrow and my trip really began.

We got into London at 8AM, with more luggage than we could possibly need- we each have three bags, all of which are probably at least forty pounds. We dragged our stuff across the airport and onto the underground, which took us right to our hostel, the Picadilly Backpackers Hostel. Located right off picadilly circus, it was in the perfect location, surrounded by nightlife, tourist attractions, restaurants and theaters (or, in London, theatres) playing everything from Grease to Sherlock Holmes. The hostel itself, however, left something to be desired. It was a run down, very loud, and, as we found out, not that safe (Val and I were both fine, but the same can't be said about our stuff: we were flat out robbed over our last night).

After we lugged our stuff across London and checked in, we dove in, with Rick Steves as our guide. Exhausted from the plane ride, we grabbed sandwiches and yogurt from Tesco (a mini-grocery store) and did the most touristy thing of the whole trip: we took a "Original Sightseeing Tour" on a double decker bus around London's major sights. We saw Westminster Abbey, the Houses or Parliament, Big Ben, Trafalger, Tower Bridge, City Hall, Cleopatra's Needle, Trafalger Square, etc, etc, etc. We got a whirlwind tour of the major sights of London, for 23.50 Pounds apiece. We were tired, and it was worth it, especially because we didn't tour all of the major sites. We didn't go into Westminster. We didn't climb on the famous lions surrounding the towering statue of Horatio Nelson in Trafalger. We didn't tour Buckingham Palace. We didn't see Shakespeare's globe. We never went up on Tower Bridge. Heck, we didn't even see the changing of the guards at Buckingham (not the main show any way...)

What we did do, however, was see Avenue Q, a Broadway musical, with songs like The Internet is For Porn and If You Were Gay That'd Be Ok, as well as puppet sex scenes and saw a London play, The Secret of Sherlock Holmes, acted out superbly by only two men (the secret is that Holmes is Moriarity. Cue dramatic music). We toured the Tower of London for half price, saw where two adolescent kings were likely murdered, gazed at the armor of British kings, and saw the brilliant crown jewels (including the remarkable emerald from King Edward the Confessor himself, from the 11th century). We happened upon a part of the changing of the horse guard, across from St. James' Park, with approximately nil other tourists. We walked down Fleet Street, saw the Cabinet War Rooms, mostly undisturbed since Germany and Japan surrendered in the 1940's and learned about the man who got Britain through the blitz, Churchill. I ate savory pies and mussels, drank cider (the hard kind), beer and ales. We ate at pubs, crepe places and churches, and rushed through the British Museum, what Rick Steves calls the greatest record of civilization anywhere. We also went to a street market, the best I had ever seen with a combination of antiques, food, and new items

Did we do it all? no, of course not. At times we were lost and tired, and Val and I didn't always see eye to eye. But we saw a lot and most importantly, we enjoyed ourselves immensely and left happy about the trip. Apart from a few minor hiccups and one major one (that I am currently not at liberty to elaborate on) Val and I's London adventure went marvelously. It was long enough for us to see London and short enough not to keep us from Tanzania. We left Heathrow happy and healthy, ready to start the next four months.

Now i just need to figure out a creative way to end my blogposts... And that's the way it was? I think that has been used already. Until next time? Over and out? Reporting from Doha?

I'll figure it out. For now this is Caleb Ray, reporting from Qatar, and thats the way it was.

Over and out.

K Ray

Profile, Finale

Now that you know why I chose ACM Tanzania, you might be able to guess what I am excited about. And as you might assume, I am excited about learning a new language, meeting my host family and simply experiencing a new culture and lifestyle. As I mentioned, it is an opportunity unlike any I have ever had before. Even if I were to travel to Tanzania, I would not be able o learn the language, live at the University of Dar es Salaam, study the Maasai outside of Tarangire or archaeology within Tarangire, or live with Tanzanians. I am excited about the multiple once in a lifetime opportunities that the I hope the program will provide.

Something that you might not expect me to be excited about, however, is the food. When I travel, I usually research my destination, not wanting to make a misstep during my short stay. I read up on the sights, the lodgings, the dining, the shopping: everything that I want to see and do while I'm there. Most important to me is the food, as I think that what, how and with whom a group of people eats is the best way for a a traveler to touch into the local psyche and get a feel for a place.

For my trip to Tanzania, however, my preparations did not include research into dining, shopping, sightseeing or anything of the sort. Since I have four months in Tanzania, I can explore the people and places. I have the time to make mistakes and discover what the country has to offer me by myself, as I have more that a week or two at my destination. And, more than everything else, I cannot wait to explore Tanzania food and dining traditions. Because I am exploring Tanzania without a guidebook, I will need to depend mostly on my own experiences to learn about the people and places. Because I believe that food and dining is the most accessible window into another culture, I am very excited to explore Tanzania's eating and dining practices, from new ones in Dar es Salaam to personal ones with my host family.

But first, I have to get to Tanzania. my trip will involve stops in Sonora, Texas, Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, and London, England. When I do get to Tanzania though, I will begin to keep my friends, family, and anyone else following my blog, informed on my adventures and misadventure. Until then, goodnight and good luck.

PS- IF YOUR INTERESTED IN HEARING ABOUT MY PRE-TRIP TRIP TO LONDON, COMMENT. IF ANYONE CARES I'M HAPPY TO SHARE.

Profile, Part 2

Why I did I choose Tanzania? Several reasons. I was interested in studying abroad since high school, but never actively pursued it. As soon as I got to college, in an attempt to pique my interest, I went to see Laura, the woman in charge of all Lawrentians studying abroad. I was inundated by the 30+ programs that she presented to me, but two stuck out, ACM Tanzania and ACM India. Both offered exotic locales and more exciting opportunities than the traditional European abroad programs (not that there is anything wrong with Europe, but I wanted something unusual). Europe, I reasoned, was easier to access as a tourist- I wanted to study somewhere that I might never visit otherwise.

As I went through my first year at Lawrence, studying abroad got pushed to my backburner, replaced by tennis, school, and my social life, mainly girls. However, when I returned for my sophomore year, I took another look at all the programs and immediately knew that I wanted to participate in ACM Tanzania. It had everything. I would get the spectrum of living experiences, living in a foreign dorm, the field and with a host family. The host family was especially important to me, as I think that it is an essential part of my cultural experience: with my host family, I imagined (and still imagine, as I write this), I would actually be forced to live something like a Tanzanian. I would not be able to lean on my fellow students to avoid cultural exposure (even if unconsciously), and would get to truly live in a foreign culture.

In addition, the combination of structured curriculum and independent study sealed the deal for me. The program's set curriculum offers me the opportunity for me to learn about Tanzania's historical, cultural and ecological background and to learn Kiswahili, while the independent study will let me pursue my own particular interests, using my education from both my first to years in college and the first part of my stay in Tanzania.

I hope that the combination of living situations and academic opportunities will help me learn both about Tanzania and the world in general. Ultimately, I chose Tanzania because I think that studying abroad is an incredible opportunity that will forever alter the lives of those that undertake it. I think that the combination of educational opportunities and cultural experiences that the Tanzania program provides will maximize its effect in life, enriching both my academic and my experiential education

First Post, some personal info

Hometown: Austin, TX
Majors/minors: Anthropology/Religious studies
Campus activities, involvement, or other interests: I'm on the Lawrence Tennis team, am an active member of Beta Theta Pi, was on the residence life staff as a Residence Life Advisor for 09-10 and am involved in student government.