I have almost met my goal of blogging once a week, but time here flies by so fast. I have really enjoyed getting to know everyone at the hostel (Hostel Hoff, about 20 ppl) and they are a really fun group to hang out with. I have explored the greater downtown Moshi and all the amazing art you can buy, I'm going to have to get rid of something to pack it all when I leave...
I've been exploring all the projects for the last week and finally get to start teaching my math class this Wednesday. As I've never done it before, I'm pretty excited.
This last weekend me and some friends from the hostel went hiking in Macheme (sp?) near moshi. It was very nice and calm, walked through a bunch of little towns and saw some amazing clothes. So many colors and flowers its incredible. We got to try fresh passion fruit and even sample some banana beer, quite good actually.
Sunday was day of rest, reading and hanging out with the tortoises and lizards. As my book list continues to expand with every conversation, I must make time to read to keep up!
As I continue to settle into the routine, its beginning to feel like a home away from home, and since all the people at the hostel are there for a long time, its really nice because they begin to feel like family. (we are excited for April fools day...)
I will post again within a week. Hope everyone at home is good and safe. Best, Kerry
Monday, March 30, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
I've arrived safely in Tanzania...
SO first off, i would like to thank my mom for all the trust she has given me, cause i need to honestly say i was crossing my fingers when i arrived by myself at the airport in Kilimanjaro at 8:30pm hoping that someone would be standing at the exit with my name on a piece of paper...and they were!!! So Yuma picked me up and drove me the 40 min back to Moshi and i am now safely staying at Hostel Hoff (google it to see how amazing it is). Everyone is there for extended stay and volunteering locally at schools and an orphanage. Even though I got there late, they had saved a plate of dinner for me...very sweet. Denis took me on a tour of the town today and already the differences between TZ and Equatorial Guinea are huge! First off, there is more than one newspaper, more than one radio station, and I can actually walk around by myself without being hassled by the military...its grand! Everyone here is very friendly (even in the airport, no more fingerprinting :D) and I aleady have met a lot of people. I even ran into a couple of guys i met on the airplane, so it already feels like a small town.
So this week i will be figuring out what project i want to work with and get started on that. this weekend, Denis and I already planned to go to Arusha (1+ hr east) to see a basketball tournament that is happening there and has countries from all over east africa. I've also already met 2 different people from different tour companies, one local and one from Australia, so hopefully i'll be going on safari soon, as March is the best (right before the rain hits, but before the tourists). Denis and I also have already planned for an unknown date to go to lake Victoria for a week (which will be much cheaper and more informal than a safari, basically, tour by local bus...the best way I've found to see a country).
So far the people associated with the hostel speak english, but apparently that is not too common, so i'm trying very hard to learn swahilli. hmmm, what else have i learned? well, from EG i've learned to ask questions, and i'm very excited about that. so from my million and a half questions to Denis, i've learned: there are 26 regions in TZ, which is then divided into a lot more districts, economy is based a lot in tourism but also from mineral goods (like tanzanite, found in TZ and used in cell phones), TZ's futbol team is pretty good, but Zambia is the best, and my phone will work in all of east africa, so that is good. my number is: 0-789-534-144 (fyi, this blog is officially my journal because my computer died and this internet cafe is now all i have).
So that is my last 12+ hours, I hope all is well for my friends and family, i miss you all!!!
Kerry
So this week i will be figuring out what project i want to work with and get started on that. this weekend, Denis and I already planned to go to Arusha (1+ hr east) to see a basketball tournament that is happening there and has countries from all over east africa. I've also already met 2 different people from different tour companies, one local and one from Australia, so hopefully i'll be going on safari soon, as March is the best (right before the rain hits, but before the tourists). Denis and I also have already planned for an unknown date to go to lake Victoria for a week (which will be much cheaper and more informal than a safari, basically, tour by local bus...the best way I've found to see a country).
So far the people associated with the hostel speak english, but apparently that is not too common, so i'm trying very hard to learn swahilli. hmmm, what else have i learned? well, from EG i've learned to ask questions, and i'm very excited about that. so from my million and a half questions to Denis, i've learned: there are 26 regions in TZ, which is then divided into a lot more districts, economy is based a lot in tourism but also from mineral goods (like tanzanite, found in TZ and used in cell phones), TZ's futbol team is pretty good, but Zambia is the best, and my phone will work in all of east africa, so that is good. my number is: 0-789-534-144 (fyi, this blog is officially my journal because my computer died and this internet cafe is now all i have).
So that is my last 12+ hours, I hope all is well for my friends and family, i miss you all!!!
Kerry
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Heading off for new things....
Hey all,
So i didn't realize i hadn't written for a while...my bad. Anyways, tonight I say goodbye to Equatorial Guinea, hello to Europe for a little while, and hopefully by tomorrow night I'll be in Tanzania. I'll be staying in Moshi and will continue by posts as I travel there for the next three months...I gotta run, love you all!
So i didn't realize i hadn't written for a while...my bad. Anyways, tonight I say goodbye to Equatorial Guinea, hello to Europe for a little while, and hopefully by tomorrow night I'll be in Tanzania. I'll be staying in Moshi and will continue by posts as I travel there for the next three months...I gotta run, love you all!
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Changing views
First off, major credit for writing two blogs in one week, I'm getting better. This one will also be quick but we have wireless internet right now, so I had to post something. We have been on the Hess oil company compound the last few days. We gave them presentation about our program and it went really well. I have been able to talk to some very knowledgeable people about the petrol industry and its affects on EG...and I have learned a lot. There are a lot of stereotypes about oil companies that I definitely had coming into the program and those stereotypes have proved to be very inaccurate. Hess is really doing some amazing development projects on the island and the impact on the country is really amazing. Yesterday we drove east toward the heart of the country and explored along the way, eating very strange food and getting amazing pictures. Today we went to survey for bushmeat in the local markets. Unfortunately we ran into an unexpected holiday: International Woman's Day. It's a huge deal and all the city celebrates. Thus, the markets were pretty closed. We did find some bushmeat, some turtles on their backs to keep them from getting away but to keep them alive and fresh. Some turtles without shells (these are forest turtles). Some Hornbills, Duikers, and luckily no monkeys, though one of the ladies working said they had already been sold. We got yelled at for taking pictures, ate some more crazy food, and got a hint of the celebrations. We fly back to Malabo Monday morning at 5 am in order to get back for class at 10 (though I doubt anyone will be able to stay awake through it). School is winding down and work is becoming majorly overwhelming. But by my next blog, it will all be wrapped up and the next phase will be coming fast. As always with trips like this, its amazing how fast it goes: Jan 8th: Fly to EG, Feb 8th: Research at Moka, March 8th: International Woman's Day in Bata...April 8th: ???
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Just a quick note
Hey Everyone!
So I haven't blogged cause I haven't had time to sit down and write a book about it, but then I realized I hadn't said anything in a few weeks, so I would just do a quick update.
Classes here are really busy, we are cramming an entire quarter into 6 weeks and it is super fun...The classes I am taking are: Natural Resource Economics, Society and Environment, Field Research Methods, Spanish and Culture, and Field Research. We have finished our Field Research class which was a two week intensive course. That's when I spent my whole life living, thinking, and breathing frogs. Now we are back in the Capital city of Malabo and attending the UNGE university for the other classes. Our teachers are from EG but educated abroad. Each weekend we take a field trip to another part of the country and have our field methods classes there.
This upcoming weekend is super exciting...we are going to mainland EG! The city is called Bata and the mainland is called Rio Muni. We are being flown over by Hess, an oil company on the island, and have to do a presentation to them regarding our reports. We will be staying on their compound, but I think get Saturday free to explore the city and surrounding forest. I really hope this works out cause there are actually forest elephants near by and I want to see one :D It will also be very interesting to see the differences in the forests between an isolated island and a portion of the large continental forests.
We are currently winding down the quarter and spending time working on our term papers. On March 21st I leave EG and head to the east...to Tanzania! I'm excited, but really not ready to leave EG yet. This country is really just at the start of amazing development/progress and being here it really seems like one of those places where one person can actually make a difference. You get inspired everyday by something that needs to be fixed that you can actually help with...it gets overwhelming, but its amazing.
Anyways, we have Spanish class in a few minutes and I have 4 reports due by midnight tonight. I love you all and hope you are doing well. Thank you for the comments and happy March!
So I haven't blogged cause I haven't had time to sit down and write a book about it, but then I realized I hadn't said anything in a few weeks, so I would just do a quick update.
Classes here are really busy, we are cramming an entire quarter into 6 weeks and it is super fun...The classes I am taking are: Natural Resource Economics, Society and Environment, Field Research Methods, Spanish and Culture, and Field Research. We have finished our Field Research class which was a two week intensive course. That's when I spent my whole life living, thinking, and breathing frogs. Now we are back in the Capital city of Malabo and attending the UNGE university for the other classes. Our teachers are from EG but educated abroad. Each weekend we take a field trip to another part of the country and have our field methods classes there.
This upcoming weekend is super exciting...we are going to mainland EG! The city is called Bata and the mainland is called Rio Muni. We are being flown over by Hess, an oil company on the island, and have to do a presentation to them regarding our reports. We will be staying on their compound, but I think get Saturday free to explore the city and surrounding forest. I really hope this works out cause there are actually forest elephants near by and I want to see one :D It will also be very interesting to see the differences in the forests between an isolated island and a portion of the large continental forests.
We are currently winding down the quarter and spending time working on our term papers. On March 21st I leave EG and head to the east...to Tanzania! I'm excited, but really not ready to leave EG yet. This country is really just at the start of amazing development/progress and being here it really seems like one of those places where one person can actually make a difference. You get inspired everyday by something that needs to be fixed that you can actually help with...it gets overwhelming, but its amazing.
Anyways, we have Spanish class in a few minutes and I have 4 reports due by midnight tonight. I love you all and hope you are doing well. Thank you for the comments and happy March!
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