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-Meet the wanafunzi (students) & staff-
September 25th, 2010 hmcane12
Sara (Environmental Studies major)
- Hometown: Hillsborough, NC
- College: Vassar College (Poughkeepsie, NY)
- Biggest culture shock: “The extreme weather patterns & microclimates…for example…it’s so wet in Mto wa-mbu, but then right up the escarpment it’s so dry & extremely hot. It’s freezing in the AM and so hot in the PM…also, shillings are in the thousands and you think it’s a lot but then you realize 3,000 shillings=2 dollars…and lastly, I absolutely 100% have no clue about the plants here. Not the slightest comparison in vegetation…why is it so flat in mto wa-mbu and then an elevation of 4 miles right next to the town…nothing is familiar.”
- Most difficult to deal with: The language barrier
- Shower count: 4 times (1 being a bucket shower)
- Flushing a toilet count: 20
- Jigger count: 2 ½ (the ½ meaning she smashed it before it entered her skin)
- How many times have you done laundry: 1
- Number of bug bites: 2
- Favorite national park and animal: “Lake Manyara because there are so many different habitats: forests, Acacia woodlands, the hippo pool, savannas, and grasslands. My favorite animal is the African elephant…when the mom and her baby were interacting, my heart fell out.”
- Biggest “wow” moment: “Every day when I realize again and again that I’m going to be here for 3 months and that this is my current life, my heart smiles. It’s so epic.”
- What do you miss the most: Cheese and salsa. And having space to be alone
- How many times have you shaved your legs: zero
- Career plans: “Um a professional napper. Kidding. I want to do research….I think. Yeah I do. Okay wait no…Well I also want to teach. But most importantly, I want to somehow connect with the general public about science, what science means to me, and why I do what I do. The liaison. I want to create a bridge between the scientific world and general public in a way that’s supportive of both fractions. It may be through research or education outreach but that is definitely important to me. I’m not really sure what I want to research but I’ve done forest and coral reef ecology research, both of which I’ve totally loved, so hopefully I will love wildlife management too.
Carrie (Zoology major)
- Hometown: Fridley, MN
- College: University of Wisconsin (Madison, WI)
- Biggest culture shock: “The lack of hygiene. I am always always dirty yet rarely bathe. And doing your own laundry only a few times a semester is a tough adjustment.”
- Most difficult adjustment: “I am overwhelmed by the disparities I have seen…being hassled in the market…it’s not annoying, but you just see how desperate people are… (e.g. my friend Zarah was about to throw away her chewed gum & two little girls begged for it) downing prices just so we will buy something…anything. Also there are close to no seeds for farmers and land is unrealistically expensive to buy. It silences you. I’m just stunned. I think there are answers but along with that there is lack of government implementation & activism. No one in town even knew about the water committee…and the fact that most farmers rely solely on rainfall for source of agricultural water is crazy.
- Flushing a toilet count: 11
- Shower count: 5 (1 being a bucket shower)
- Jigger count: None, but I’m washing my feet tonight so you never know…
- How many times have you done laundry: 2
- Bug bites: 10
- Favorite national park & animal: “Tarangire. The African lion. I got to see an African lioness stalking a warthog…unfortunately she wasn’t successful but it was still amazing. She moved so slowly…she just glided.”
- Biggest “wow” moment: “When our land cruiser turned the corner at Lake Manyara and there was a bull [male elephant] in the middle of the road. There was also a group of females…the bull started moving towards our cruiser…I was not breathing the entire time…they’re just so huge & amazing…but then I realized he could kill us. Thankfully he didn’t end up charging.”
- What do you miss most: ice cream
- How many times have you shaved your legs: once
- Career plans: “Actually…I want to do something here…having been to Uganda before and now spending time in Tanzania…I’ve realized I want come back here eventually…I want to maybe be involved in the safari industry. I don’t feel called to be a researcher or go back to school…so maybe something involving the tourist industry…possibly pairing visiting Americans with specific safari companies here. I may start my own, I don’t know… But after I’ve done that, I want to move back to the states and open a coffee shop. I think the best atmosphere is a coffee shop during the day and a bar scene/music venue at night…and that is what my shop will consist of.”
Jess (Economics major)
- Hometown: West Hampton, NY
- College: Fordham University
- Biggest Culture Shock: “Probably seeing the destitution of people here…and how you see our neighbors living in clay huts & they eat only what they farm…with six kids…and that’s considered normal.”
- Most difficult adjustment: “The highly regimented schedule and lack of freedom.”
- Flushing a toilet count: 20
- Shower count: 4
- Jigger count: none
- How many times have you done laundry: 1
- Bug bites: none
- Favorite national park and animal: “Tarangire because I felt like it was such a classic African bush setting…my favorite animal? It’s hard to say, it was really exciting to see wild elephants for the first time, but then you get so used to seeing them and as bad as it sounds, it’s not as exciting anymore. So I guess I would say cheetahs. It was so thrilling to see them.”
- Biggest “wow” moment: “It’s so funny; I haven’t had that really profound moment yet. But my most favorite sight was looking out across the savanna at the Tarangire lodge…but I love our daily hikes up Moyo hill, too.”
- What do you miss most: “My baby of course, Trueson. Meaning my beautiful Australian shepherd Collie mix.”
- How many times have you shaved your legs: Twice…and I need to again
- Career plans: “That’s a hard question…but probably work for an economic development institution or agency.”
Reggie (staff)
- Hometown: Arusha, Tanzania
- How long have you been with SFS: This is my first year, so about a month
- Schooling/education: Primary school, Secondary school, & institution (college) all in Arusha
- Age: 33
- Role at the campsite: Site coordinator
- What tribe do you belong to: Maasai
- Favorite part of your job?: The finance aspect. I like the numbers…Also the experience of living with students from another nation…there are Kenyans, Tanzanians, and Americans all together. I like that.”
- Favorite spot in Africa: Arusha. I like the lifestyle there. You wake up, you see all the people you know, and I like that.”
- What did you do before working here: “Taught accounting to students.”
- How many brothers & sisters?: 2 sisters
- What do you think the biggest concern in Africa is?: “People are not independent. They need more self-confidence. Some things they don’t get…they also don’t realize they have everything right here.”
- What could help the town of Rhotia the most? Arusha? Africa? : Education education education.
- Any last words: “I find great pleasure in working for SFS. I also like being able to see you every day. You are like my mom very much. You are the same…having compassion & kindness. You impress me very much, mom.” [me=blushing so hard]
…Not so sure about being compared to a mom! But other than that, I hope these mini interviews have given you all a better idea of how awesome the people are that I am surrounded by every day. And thank you to everyone who has been so supportive of my blog. I love that you are all following it…even if you never get the chance to venture to Africa, reading about the realities, culture, issues, wildlife, & much more can teach you a whole lot about life. I hope to provide that for you. Tutaonana (Goodbye/talk to you later)
☮Hannah
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