The End

What do goodbyes look like for people who have supported each other through changes, losses, wins, beginnings and firsts? For us it was backbreaking hugs, watering eyes, last words of adoration, and then at the end just a small wave and a, "Bye!" As if we were hanging up the phone or moving forward in the grocer line.

Let me rewind, Dan went scuba diving. Dan learned how to swim three days before he passed his scuba test with the group. Dan did it for himself. I remember looking out at the sea and seeing six bodies floating face down in the water, don't be alarmed, it was Dan and his friends learning together how to float.

Devon and I are lying in a bed on thanksgiving night. The lights are off and we don't need to talk to feel comfortable. Devon is bravely fighting her sickness. The mosquito net is draped over the fourposter, we can hear the clatter of the street and a mother screaming, "Mohamed!" over and over. We just lie there. Then the group shuffles into our room and places on the bed a thanksgiving feast wrapped in aluminum foil and watch for my response in every bite. Even though I secretly see a spider crawl over my dessert, the turkey is cold, and my potatoes are over buttered. I squish the spider before anyone could see and it is the best Thanksgiving dinner I've ever had.

Ian grew his wings. The hardest goodbye was to the one we were leaving behind. With his pack on his back he headed off to find somewhere to stay alone until his flight to somewhere in Africa to do something good, who knows, we were losing him to this continent! It was like leaving a soldier to fight the battle alone. But indeed I do not think he felt that way, he was ready to fly.

Zach wondered through the bending cobblestone streets of stone town beneath the slim rectangle sky, just discovering. When he realized he was lost he asked a local for directions. He returned to us sweaty and desperate for cab money.


Kaan saw a sea turtle and a victim of the sea.

Kirsten found herself.

Kathryn bargained for local wares up until the last day for her loved ones, getting free carved gifts from Obama, and the best scarf deals from the two brothers. And while she described to me the people she was buying for, I would hear a boy behind us yell how she had broken his heart by not saying hello.

Britt and Zik will go on to inspire another group, or just more people.

Love.

I'll order it from ZANZIBAR

Perfectly white sand, crystal clear water, tropical warm breezes, and fresh delicious coconuts. Not exactly the Thanksgiving we imagined but it'll do. Karibu Zanzibar! Yesterday we arrived in Stonetown after spending 4 days,3 nights at the rasta relaxing Dhow Beach Village on Jambiani beach. We spent those 4 days playing beach vollyball, getting our tans on and in pure amazment of the mile long stretch of only knee deep translucent water. All of us waded out, walking on and on until we realized we weren't getting any close to the waves we saw crashing in the distance. Floating in the 5 feet of heavenly ocean we couldnt believe how fortunate we were to experience this rare taste of living. Monday morning we relished in the fact that while others were studying for midterm exams we gratefuly basked and lounged in our ocean classroom. With a bittersweet heart we awoke Tuesday morning at 5am to leave our paradise but to experience another life style...SWIMMING WITH DOLPHINS! Now when I write swimming with dolphins, I don't want to give the wrong impression, so let me clarify. We were not swimming in a pool, the dolphins were not trained, and the price wasn't more than 10 dollars. We took a small boat 30 minutes away from shore decked in full Snorkel gear and on our guides command we recklessly threw our bodies overboard. We were surrounded, a pod of dolphins freely swam amoungst us. Once their beautiful bodies had outswam our artificial fins it was back in the boat to catch up with them. Swimming with dolphins was unforgettable. Moving on to the present. Today is our first full day in Stonetown, Zanzibar. All of us have just completed and passed(for all you worried parents) the written test portion of our Scuba Diving test! Tomorrow we hit the pool to see how the swimming goes and to test our gear.
The days are passing like seconds now and as exciting as the upcoming holidays are we are all going to miss the big ol' family we've become.
OH before I go, to really increase the jealously TONIGHT we are eating at a local traditional cuisine and seafood outdoor buffet market. Just try and soak that all in. Fresh fish, lobster, crabs, prawns cooked in front of your eyes to perfection and some typical Zanzibar chakula (food)to dabble in.

7 days till we depart our East African home.
Peace and love
dev

oneal, beach, homestay

Hello to all,
We finished part of a week with homestays, which did not end on the best note ever but we got through it as a group and have moved on from it. After that we headed back to pete oneals, which is starting to become more of a second home than anything else. Pete oneals hospitality towards us is something we all greatly appreciate. While we were with pete oneal we were able to meet another group of traveling studens. It was fun comparing stories and talking about our different programs. The food their was aboslutely delicous and we were treated like kings and queens. Saying our goodbyes was hard for everyone but keeping in mind that we were heading for the beach made it much easier.
Dar south beaches were spectacular. A friend of Zack's came and visited and everyone seemed to enjoy his company. White sand for miles and hole in the wall restraunt with cheap prices. We also managed to go back into dar for one night and see mama Charollette from the Oneal's perform. Most of us enjoyed it but it ran a little to late for us so we went back in need of sleep.
Overall we have been having a blast for the last home stretch of trip hope all is well at home.
ian

Goat blood and lions!

Where to begin? Some in the group said that the past couple weeks changed their lives. Some said it was the best week of their lives. Now I must endeavor to describe the group experience.

The safari: Led by our beloved Godwin and Riche we poked our heads out of two Toyota Land Rovers and drove through The Terengerri National Park and Ngoroagora Crater. Thousand year old Boabob Trees shaded endless wildlife. Giant elephants walked lightly under their multi ton weight, flapped their ears, and passed closely by the car in single file. A pride of lions snuggled the afternoon away, the male with a full royal mane, and baby cubs tumbling and playing with their parents. Giraffes, giant, and adorably awkward would trot nearby incredibly gracefully for all their lankiness. Zebras, wildebeast, cheetas, hyenas, impala, hippos, and more!

The Boma: Small mud huts surrounded by a fence of bristles, (To keep out the lions of course) was our home for nine days. The Massai are goat, sheep and cow herders, every Massai man carries with him a long stick for this purpose and every Massai wears plaid cloths and elaborate jewelry. Because their livestock is their lives, they have reduced their diet to blood, milk and meat. Even water is an unnecessary luxury.

Of course they allowed us to taste their food and almost all of us took a nice sip of warm chunky goat blood after watching them slaughter and skin the animal. Personally at the second slaughtering I was privileged enough to help skin the animal and so my job was to hold the testes. To juxtapose this experience right after this I was asked into their home to hold their three day old baby. Yes,a baby was born while we were there in the very boma we were in, and the mother and baby will be forced to stay inside for three months while the husband sleeps outside.

For all the travelers like ourselves coming through, the Massai still live incredibly traditionally. Last year their school was built and occasionally they buy seeds for vegetables at the market, but they seem to prefer their ways. The days are spent in freedom, they eat when they want, work when they want, and relax when they want. They marry as many women as they want and it is impossible to tell whose child belongs to whom because of the unconditional love shared in the community.

The simplicity of their lifestyle, it's proven endurance of hundreds of years, and the visible happiness in the people could not be missed by anyone. I think we will all go home thankful for our luxuries and jealous of the beautiful MAssai people.

Thanks for reading about our adventures!

Lizzie

Zach

Hey, just got to Mwanza from Kigali and I'm loving it here. The views are fantastic but the internet is sloooow.

Safari...HERE WE COME!

Habari,

After an 8 hour, bumpy, dirty, and significantly awkward bus ride from Benako, we have finally reached Tanzania's second largest city - Mwanza! It is absolutely gorgeous; we are surrounded by beautiful views of Lake Victoria and are preparing/stocking up for the next 3 weeks of exciting activities! We leave for our Safari in just a few days; everyone is EXTREMELY excited! Stay tuned for updates on all the wild animals and adventures that are yet to come... :)
Kwa Heri,

-Kirst

Scavenging

Ian and I (Kathryn) are traipsing around the beautiful city of Mwanza, and enjoying every boiling-hot second of it! We are practicing our Kiswahili with the locals, purchasing congas (sp?), mailing post-cards (expect one in the mail family!) and being led around by yet another Moses. Our hunt for lunch is about to draw us back into the heat!

-Ian and Kathryn