Living in Tanzania

After a very smooth 5 hour bus ride, I arrived in Tanzania on Wednesday evening and was picked up at the bus station by a good friend here.  I arrived at our apartment and was very pleasantly surprised at how cute it is!  It is absolutely perfect for my 2 months here, and I love it already!

Our bedroom.  I sleep on the top :)



Shower, toilet, sink combo



Thanks Megan for a perfect present!!

Now as cute as the apartment is, it is missing a few luxuries from home.  But I'm sure I'll get used to it!  I do have my own little bathroom right next to the bedroom, and let me tell you, it is very efficient.  I can take a shower, pee, and brush my teeth at the sink all at the same time!  (I haven't actually done this, but I could!)  The squat toilet will take some getting used to, but the shower was actually pretty nice.  There is hot water, and all you really have to worry about is not accidentally stepping into the toilet!

Our kitchen is a bit different as well, but I'm not too worried about that since I don't plan to do much cooking!!  But I do miss my dishwasher!!  We have two gas burners, a little fridge, and a sink.  It's enough though.  I am very excited about the availability and price of produce here!  We got like 20 tomatoes for around $2!

Finally, I have been gone for just over 2 weeks now, and this morning I realized that I was down to my last pair of clean underwear.  So, I really had an experience this morning doing laundry!!  Let me tell you, I am going to be wearing my clothes a few more times before calling them dirty from now on!!  The little stuff like underwear and tee shirts are easy, but just try hand washing, rinsing, and drying towels, sweatshirts, and jeans!!

A daunting task!!

The Masai Mara

One of my friends from Chicago joined me here on Sunday for three weeks.  Since we had seen the Disney movie African Cats, we have wanted to visit the Masai Mara where most of the movie was filmed.  So we took off on safari from Sunday until Tuesday.  The drive was pretty terrible; it was a completely unpaved road for the last two and a half hours, and I was beginning to wonder if the safari was going to be worth the drive.  It definitely was!

The road to the Masai Mara

We arrived at our campsite on Sunday evening, and we were very excited with our accommodations (pretty much the opposite of my camping trip the previous night!).  We were staying in a tented campsite with permanent tents, so we had a cement patio, floors, and a bathroom complete with toilet, sink, and shower with hot water right in our tent!  It was quite luxurious :)  After eating a delicious dinner, we headed off to bed to prepare for our early morning on Monday.

Our tent

We spent the entire day on Monday in the Masai Mara, and also Tuesday morning (we were heading into the park as the sun was rising!).  The safari was completely amazing.  I had almost forgotten how incredible it is to see so many animals living in their native habitat.  I can't wait to share this experience with my family when they come to visit in November!!  I think pictures and videos can better describe this experience than words can, but I will mention some of the highlights.  We got to see about 12 lions, including a pack of 8 females sleeping together under a patch of trees.  We also got to see 3 cheetahs, including two who were very active, and 2 "elusive" black rhinos!!  Sadly, however, my camera died halfway through our day on Monday, so I'll have to wait until my friend gets back to the US in October to see the best pictures! :-(

Our first cheetah sighting

A lone elephant on the Mara plain

The Kenya/Tanzania border

The Mara River

Nairobi Social Life

Since I've been staying with a good friend here in Nairobi, I've gotten the unique opportunity to experience social life here in Nairobi.  And not surprisingly, they do things pretty much the same here as we do in the States. 

I went to a birthday party last weekend, and we ate dinner (delicious homemade food, not ordered pizza!), had birthday cake, and sang Happy Birthday (same song).  Then people just sat around and chatted, played cards, and enjoyed the company of friends the same as we do.  I've been out a couple of times this week as well, and besides the fact that most of the bars are open air, which is wonderful for the beautiful weather we've been having, they are also pretty much the same.  We hit up a sports bar one night, listened to live jazz music another night, and sang karaoke.  At the karaoke place, there was a grill right in the middle of the bar, and the chef was grilling up whole chickens and sausage!  It was delicious!

The grill in the middle of the bar

New friends and delicious chicken!

I also went to a pool/water park this week which was a lot of fun.  There were quite a lot of kids there, of course, and I even caught a bit of a swimming lesson which was quite amusing!  The water slides were a blast, and I swam a few laps to continue my Kilimanjaro training (which has been slacking!!).

Pool and water park

The one major difference that I've noticed here in Africa, and the locals here will completely agree, is the concept of time and the lack of explicit planning.  People here really just go with the flow!!  This is something that I will definitely have to get used to because I am the first to admit that I am a little anal when it comes to planning, even for US standards!!  Here, if someone tells you that they are coming over at 3, you can expect them any time between 3 and 7.  If something should take 1 hour, you can expect it to take at least 3!  Our "camping trip" this weekend is an excellent example of what I am talking about.

Earlier this week, my friend mentioned the possibility of going camping at a lake called Naivasha, about 90 minutes from Nairobi.  I said it sounded like a lot of fun since I love camping, but he didn't mention anything more about it, so I figured it wasn't going to work out.  However, at about 3 o'clock on Saturday afternoon, my friend told me that he had gotten a bunch of people together, and that we were, indeed, going to go camping that night, leaving at 4 pm.  I thought it was a bit short notice for camping, but as I said earlier, I am trying to just "go with the flow."  So I quickly jumped in the shower, packed, and was downstairs ready to go by 4.  Two other friends met at the house, and we ended up leaving around 5.  However, after picking up 6 additional people around Nairobi, stopping at a grocery store for drinks, numerous atms for different peoples banks, filling up our 2 cars with gas, checking on my friends car in the shop, and who knows what else, the 10 of us FINALLY left the city at around 7:30!  However, one car (not mine) stopped again along the way to pick up some food, then my car stopped at one of the girls cousins house along the way to wait for the other car, then we had to stop in the town near the lake to pick up more food and drinks, check another atm, etc....it was after 11 pm when we finally reached the campsite!!!  However, the drive down was a blast, and I met some great new friends in our "awesome car" as we blasted the music and sang along.  So we finally arrived at the campsite, and some of the boys checked on tents (since we hadn't actually brought any!)  Well, the boys decided that since we hadn't made reservations for tents, that the campsite was going to overcharge us, so we should all just sleep in the car (after dancing most of the night away at a dance club at the campsite).  Keep in mind that there are 10 of us and 2 cars!!!  I went ahead and got myself a tent :)

Lake Naivasha

Girls in the "Awesome Car"

Up Close and Personal: Part 2

Again up close and personal



Baby Elephants Playing

 I know I've got three months here in Africa, but it's going to be pretty hard to top my first few days here!  Today included a trip to the Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage.  I encourage you to check out the website, but basically this place finds baby elephants in the wild whose mothers have been lost or killed and raises them to eventually be released back into the wild.  You may have also heard of it if you've seen the movie Born to Be Wild, as part of it was filmed at the orphanage.  It is such an inspiring place, and I am lucky to have gotten the opportunity to visit!  Not to mention how adorable the baby elephants are!




I also had the opportunity to visit Nairobi National Park today, which included many close views of many animals (but none quite as cool as the elephants!).  Nairobi National Park also has an animal orphanage where they rescue animals from the wild for many reasons.  But since the animals are kept in separate habitats, it was similar to a zoo.  However, I did get to say hi to a baby monkey!  In addition to being able to take driving safaris into the park, Nairobi National Park also has a walking safari trail which was quite cool.  Fortunately there are electric fences to keep us safe from the lions, cheetahs, leopards, rhinos, etc that we saw!


Me chatting with a baby monkey



Part of the Safari walking trail



Monkeys, Giraffes, and Crocodiles: Up Close and Personal

A monkey in the backyard!

There are monkeys in my backyard!  I am staying with a friend here in Nairobi, and there are monkeys all over the place.  People can't even leave doors or windows open because the monkeys will come right in the house!  I love it!  I kind of wish one would come in the house :)  My room has a balcony facing the backyard, and I love to just stand out there and watch them.  They are so cute.  Actually, my accommodations here in Nairobi are quite excellent, and I am afraid that I am getting spoiled before I head to Tanzania!  We even have a microwave, which is really, really rare here!  Not to mention real toilets in every bathroom.  But my favorite part is definitely the backyard.


The view from my balcony

Yesterday, I got to feed giraffes and even got a couple of kisses at a giraffe sanctuary near Nairobi.  It was very cool and exciting.  They are such magnificent creatures, and it was amazing to be able to get so close to them and to touch them.  I think the pictures pretty much capture my excitement!  

Feeling a giraffe.

Getting a kiss!



A two and a half year old crocodile.

 Finally, I was not sure how "up close and personal" I was going to be able to get or even wanted to get with crocodiles, but it turned out that I did definitely invade their personal space!  Sorry Mom, I know this wasn't the safest thing to do, but I must have looked very brave because our guide actually let me get into the pen with several angry crocodiles!  If that was not enough, he encouraged me to actually bother one a bit to get a reaction!  I also got to hold a baby....with razor sharp teeth!!

Zurich, Switzerland

Somehow, when I booked my flight to Africa, I managed to get a 22 hour layover in Zurich.  I was quite excited actually.  I booked a hotel in downtown Zurich, and luckily got to spend an entire afternoon exploring the city.  So here are seven things about my seven hours sightseeing Zurich, in random order.

Number 1:  Zurich is the cutest city ever!  Those of you who know me well, know how I feel about things that are cute!  Needless to say, I am in love with Zurich.  The majority of the streets in Old Town Zurich are cobblestone and pedestrian only.  There are tons of little outside cafes and shops.  Place that against the backdrop of Lake Zurich and the Alps....you really can't get much cuter than that.

Number 2:  The public transportation system is amazing!  It is easy to navigate, clean, and fast!  I took the train from the airport to the downtown train station, and then a tram from the train station to my hotel with no problems at all.  I used the trams several more time today to get around the city.  I love a good public transportation system!

Number 3:  As easy to navigate as the public transportation system is, trying to walk around Old Town with a map in hand is just about impossible!  As my family will tell you, I have a great sense of direction (right, guys?!?!).  But as cute as these streets are, they are about as wide as sidewalks and curve every which way until you are completely disoriented.  Good thing I had the river and lake as guides or I may still be wandering around the adorable streets of Zurich!

Number 4:  This place has some weird bathrooms.  I went ahead and took a photo of one for you.  If you can't tell, this is a combo uninal, toilet, and sink.  How impressive is that!!!

Number 5:  I discovered that my new camera takes panoramic photos!!  I was super excited about this development, as Zurich is definitely a panoramic city.

Number 6:  At the airport train station, I was able to buy a ticket called the Zurich Card which included unlimited public transportation for 24 hours, plus free admission to all the museums and a free boat ride on Lake Zurich.  Obviously I was going to take advantage of the free boat ride, but museums hadn't exactly been on my agenda for my one day in Zurich.  However, I could hear my mother's voice in the back of my head pleading me to go to some museums (especially since I skipped most of the historic churches, her personal favorite), and since they were free anyway, I figured I would check out one or two.  Preferably one.  So I chose the Swiss Watch and Clock museum as my top choice, and it was actually quite interesting (and pretty small too, which was an added bonus).  The Swiss History Museum was my back-up choice if I had time for it at the end of the day.  However, it just so happens that every other day of the week, the Swiss History Museum closes at 5:00pm, but on THURSDAYS, it stays open until 7:00pm.  I figured this must be a sign, so as I stolled by at 5:45, I decided to go in and check it out for a few minutes.  Aren't you proud, Mom???

Number 7:  Zurich has to be one of the most friendly and trusting places that I have ever been to!  I have numerous examples of this.  First, as I eluded to in number 3, I had to stop and ask for directions a few (many) times.  Not only am I lucky that most people speak English here, but everyone who I asked was super friendly and helpful.  The people here are lovely.  Second, as I stated in number 6, I had one train ticket that was good for all trains and trams for 24 hours.  I have thus far ridden on the train or tram four times, and not once has anyone asked to see my ticket!!  Or anyone's ticket for that matter.  You just walk right up and get on, and people just trust that you paid your way.  And finally, many people ride bikes here, and outside of every main building, there are hundreds of bikes....and none of them are locked up!!!!  Okay, that's a lie, I did see some locked up, but seriously way less than half!  I saw hundreds of bikes unlocked on the streets everywhere.  And for a girl who has an extreme paranoia about her bike getting stolen (and who's had some pretty bad luck in that area too!), you can imagine my shock.  I totally want to move here!!

Parties, Painting, and Packing

Needless to say, packing for three months in Africa is not an easy task.  I actually was feeling pretty good about my packing progress until today.  Since I moved out of my apartment at the end of August, I geniusly decided to sort my clothes and shoes before I moved, putting everything that I wanted to take to Africa in suitcases.  So I more or less had things ready to go....or so I thought!!  My mom and I had set aside tonight to organize my suitcases (she is a master traveler) and finish packing all of the generous donations I had received (thank you so much to my mom and dad, my grandpa and grandma, and my friend Nikki who donated school supplies, books and clothes to the kids at Good Hope School and Orphanage in Tanzania).  What I failed to take into account were my recent birthday present and my trip to REI for supplies to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro.  Unsurprisingly, a +10 degree sleeping bag, a 65 liter backpack (trust me, it's big), and hiking boots take up quite a lot of room in a person's luggage!!  I knew there was only one person who could master this task, and I was lucky to have my mother to assist in the packing.  And, I am pleased to say.....we managed to stuff every last item into one of my 2 suitcases and 2 carry-on bags!!!  As you can see, Maya was overseeing the project :)

Well, you are probably wondering why I would leave packing for 3 months of travels to the night before my flight.  The reason is very simple....I had a lot of fun things to do this weekend and simply could not squeeze in any time for packing! 

First, my wonderful friend Skip and I had a joint birthday/going away party on Friday night.  Fyi, Skip is not going away, it was just his birthday (this caused a bit of confusion on the facebook invitation!).  So many of my friends came out to celebrate; I had such a wonderful time!  And to make it even better, my whole family came to Chicago to celebrate with me too!  Well, everyone except my brother Jordan, but he had the excellent excuse of having to take the ACT on Saturday morning!!  And, if one fun party in a weekend isn't exciting enough, my friend Emily got married on Saturday.  The ceremony was beautiful, and of course the party was a blast!

Finally, my boyfriend Louie and I had lots of fun painting with Maya on Sunday!  As you can see from the photos, she is an excellent artist!  I've already had several requests for paintings :)

                                                    

And this is why I am packing the night before my trip!!

Similarities and Differences

I recently read (and unfortunately watched the movie) Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert.  Despite the fact that many of my friends recommended it to me, saying things like "This is the perfect time in your life to read this book!!" I didn't really like it that much.  However, I do like the idea.  Elizabeth Gilbert and I have about two things in common.  Number one: our first names.  Number two:  We both decided to take a year off from our lives to do something completely different.  That is pretty much where the similarities end.

Unlike Gilbert, when I decided to take a year off to travel, volunteer, and study, I was actually quite happy with my life.  Despite some frustrations with my job (I teach special education for the Chicago Public Schools, what did I expect??), I was pretty happy.  I have a supportive family (who finally believe that I am actually going!!) and awesome friends and co-workers.  I really decided to go on this trip because it was something I have always wanted to do, I think it will be fun and exciting, and I hope that taking a year off from my job will restore the energy and passion that I started teaching with. 

I started seriously saving money for this trip about a year ago, because unlike Gilbert, nobody was going to give me a bunch of money for my potential book!! :)  However, it turns out that CPS is going to give me a bunch of money, as they recently approved my sabbatical application.  This is probably the first time in my seven year teaching career that I have truly wanted to give CPS a heartfelt THANK YOU!!!

So now, after almost a year of planning and saving, I am almost ready to go!!  But of course, this summer brought two small dark clouds to my sunny sky of excitement.  First, my baby (my dog Maya) was diagnosed with congestive heart failure at the end of June.  Although she is staying in the loving home of my sister, she may not be here to welcome me home after the first leg of my journey.  Second, completely the opposite of poor Elizabeth Gilbert who was escaping a divorce and a failed relationship, I started dating someone this summer who I actually really like (shocking for anyone who knows me!!)  It will be hard to say goodbye for a while, but they always say, "absence makes the heart grow fonder!"