My name is Sean Leyva and I am interning with the Tanzanian
Education Project. I arrived here in Tanzania on the 26th of
July and will be in Bujnu taking pictures and documenting life here at Fanaka
memorial school for the next couple of weeks.
I’ve been in Tanzania for almost a week and I have to say that
it has been quite the eye opening experience. The country is a far cry from my
home in Colorado, the air is thick and filled with pollution and there are
people all over the place. The streets are filled with every type of vehicle
you can imagine and they are all moving in different directions, passing each
other by mere inches.
Cassie, Katie and me spent the first couple of days on vacation
in Zanzibar Island off the coast of Tanzania. You have to take a short ferry
ride to the island and once you disembark you find yourself under a barrage of
shouting from taxi drivers wanting to take you to your destination. Fortunately
for us we had arranged a private taxi to take us to the other side of the
island to a resort town called Nungwi.
The ride to the other side of the island was quick and the
landscape was straight out of National Geographic, the forest was thick with
lush palm tree and burst to life with an array of green plant life. The road to
Nungwi was lined with street merchants and farmers selling their goods and when
we pulled in to Nungwi I was shocked at how dead the place seemed. We had
forgotten that we arrived during the height of the Muslim holy month of
Ramadan. Since much of Zanzibar is Muslim most of the shops and restaurants
closed their doors for the holiday. Despite the holiday the resort town was
still pretty busy, we stayed at the Nungwi Guest House, where we were welcomed
with open arms.
The innkeeper was a very nice man who kept us entertained and
thankfully spoke English very well. Most of time in Nungwi was spent on the
white sandy beaches enjoying the sun and the crystal clear water. To keep costs
down we ate our meals in the in only shop in town that kept its doors open
during Ramadan. To avoid offending the locals we ate our food in our hotel,
where our innkeeper didn’t mind that we ate in front of him. Since Nungwi and
Stone town are filled with tourists the locals take every opportunity to sell
you just about anything. I learned really quick how to say no thank you in
Swahili. Aside from the constant pestering from the local merchants we walked
the beaches barefoot and enjoyed the beautiful landscape that Zanzibar has
provided us.
After a couple of days in beautiful Nungwi we made our way
back to the main port city of Stone Town, stopping to enjoy a spice tour on the
way. IT was amazing to see just where the everyday spices I eat everyday
originate. Once in Stone Town we checked into our hotel, Cassie Katie and I
began to walk around town and discover what Stone Town had to offer. Much like
Nungwi, Stone Town was pretty much closed down for the Muslim Holy month. The
narrow streets of Stone Town are filled with people and cars whizzing by and
any shops that where open were filled with tourists. The town has a very old
feeling to it and the Arabic architecture adds to that aura. We splurged a bit
in Stone Town and had a few nice meals and a hot shower or two. The following
day we hopped on the Ferry, which was a nightmare, the ocean was rather rough
and made the boat and our stomachs jostle in every direction. Once back in Dar
Es Salaam we got our sea legs back and began the journey to Bunju.
Sean Leyva
8/1/12
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