From Tanz to Zanz

Al-Johari Hotel - Emily, Tessa, and Melica in our room


ADPis in Zanz!


Colobus monkey just saying hi to my shoe

The Zanz group in our lounge overlooking the ocean

Neighborhood kids in Baga - they asked me to "piga picha" and then wanted to make funny faces. I couldn't resist :)

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Zanzibar was an adventure, to say the least. We stayed at the Al-Johari hotel in the middle of Stone Town and were actually the only people staying there, so the staff was very accomodating and catered to our needs. The hotel was very nice - it had an antique feeling to it, but is new within the last year or so. There was a restaurant/bar/lounge area on the top floor that looked out over a few buildings and ocean surrounding the whole area - it was a breathtaking view! The island itself was so neat and different from anywhere I've been before. It is 99% Muslim and the architecture was very Arabic - it was like being in a cross of Africa and the Middle East.

Stone Town itself was a bit overwhelming. Because it's a very touristy area, the locals are quite assertive, pushy, and not very polite. We became very good at saying "hapana" and "acha" while we were there! We met a few friends on the ferry ride from Dar to Stone Town, too, one of whom was a Maasai Warrior. He was very cool and fun to get to know (and who else can say they have a friend who has personally killed two lions with spears just to protect his cows?).

Unfortunately while we were there, Jill got pretty sick and spent a lot of time recovering from a stomach bug. But God is good (as Mama C said He would be) and she was feeling much better by Sunday, so we got to stay on the island (and avoid hospitals) and explore a bit. She found a great place about a 30 minute drive away from Stone Town called Jozani Chwaka Bay National Park in her guide book. For only 10,000 TSH, we got our own personal guide and were able to hike around the forest in the park. The highlight of our visit was being surrounded by young colobus monkeys playing in the trees. They literally were surrounding us and would even brush against our feet as they ran across the path - so cool! I have fulfilled my life dream to have a monkey now.

And just to prove what a small world it really is, our group was out at this wonderful Italian/African restaurant called La Fenice, which is right on the beach in Stone Town, on Saturday night when a girl came up to me and said, "Karen?" Guess who was there?? Rachel, Emily, and Leah - three of my ADPi sisters who are also volunteering in Zanzibar this month! Despite failed text messages and bad connections, we were still able to see each other which was so great! It was fun to see some friendly faces halfway around the world.

The best part of our Zanzibar trip was realizing how much we missed "home," as in Bagamoyo. All of us couldn't wait to get home Sunday night to peaceful, friendly Bagamoyo with the staff at the home base. We really did miss it (and we missed all the free water).

Not much has happened since our Zanzibar trip, except for catching up on sleep and preparing for a week of school. I had the best morning at school this morning, though. It was a pretty usual day, but I decided to walk home after school. My school is about 5km from Bagamoyo and I usually get picked up by the CCS van every day. However, I decided to walk home today because the road to the Kaole School is beautiful (high up overlooking the ocean) and I knew I would appreciate the exercise. Walking home also meant that I got to stay a half-hour longer at school, which meant finishing out the kids' school day and getting to call roll at the end of the day. I'm starting to remember several kids' names which is great! When I left school, one of the girls looked at me questioningly wondering where the van was, but once the kids realized I was walking home, a huge group came running up to me and grabbed my hands and arms to walk with me. I love the kids here - they all have such big hearts and just want to be loved. The walk home went well, was long (about an hour), and was super sweaty. This afternoon, we had "family swim day" at the Millenium Hotel, which is a resort here in Bagamoyo. It was fun to teach the staff how to swim, play games with them, and then see the beach - I have to say I think it was even more beautiful than the beaches we saw in Zanzibar!

Thank you for all your prayers and encouraging comments. It comforts me so much to know I have people thinking of me halfway around the world and taking part in my stories and adventures. Tutaonana!