Mambo Vipi, Y’all!

Karibuni to our final (-ish) installment of the Tanzania 2012 Blog. It’s been quite a ride: some dizzying highs and lows, some laughs and few tears, some expansion of consciousness & global awareness, and a hefty summer’s worth of vivid memories we will carry with us for the rest of our days! As of this writing most if not all our students have been reunited with their families, so some might find yet another blog post a bit, eh, superfluous, in the midst of such a thorough in-person retelling of our final days…But as a matter of historical record, not to mention unabashed self-indulgence, I thought I’d jot down a few lines about our last days in Zanzibar:

What a perfect end to this trip! Zanzibar was beautiful! Getting pleasantly lost in the winding maze of Stonetown’s narrow Arabic-style streets, discovering the beguiling energy of the Forodhani night market, where we explored a myriad of fresh seafoods and endless nutella crepes- and feeling wholeheartedly the profound dedication and tranquility of Ramadan- our first two days in Zanzibar were unlike anything else we had experienced in Africa.

Then there was the natural beauty of the island. Words like turquoise and cerulean, opalescent and azure fail miserably to convey the blues of that sea; the softness of the sand defied equally any attempt at description. Having traveled the world more than thrice, I can say I’ve never enjoyed such warm and inviting beaches as were found on Zanzibar!! Snorkeling in the warm waters of Prison Island, just off the main isle, was a glimpse into yet another world, and we saw a plethora of fish, squid, a stingray, and even jellyfish. After a lunch of delicious tropical fruit and samosas we were given another priceless experience: visiting an animal reserve for endangered giant tortoises where we actually got to pet them! Several in our group discovered a latent talent for both Tortoise Whispering and Tortoise Massage…

Our visit to a local spice farm was an equally incredible chance to connect with Nature. Seeing where spices and perfumes actually come from, what they look like, and then enjoying a feast of fresh, unusual tropical fruit followed by a delicious meal cooked with all the local spices we just learned about– what a novel way to find such joy and satisfaction in our relationship with the natural world…or it was yet another shopping opportunity…I guess the students themselves decide what was gained 😉

Finally we ventured out to Bwejuu, on the Indian Ocean side of Zanz to enjoy our final day of the trip in unfettered tranquility. The Twisted Palms Hotel offered us respite from our 5 weeks of adventure and challenge, and we enjoyed hours of sun worship, henna adornment, and socializing with the dear friends to whom we would soon be saying goodbye. A final cultural event of a traditional Masaai dance and a nutella cake marked the ending of a phenomenal trip.

Before we knew it, it was time to go- and the next day we boarded flights to be dispersed all over the world again. I was reminded of the wisdom of Kahil Gibran:  

“We wanderers, ever seeking the lonelier way, begin no day where we have ended another, and no sunrise finds us where left by sunset. Even while the earth sleeps we travel. We are the seeds of that tenacious plant, and it is in our ripeness and our fullness of heart that we are given to the wind to be scattered.”

Endless thanks to our families and friends for making this incredible trip happen. And thanks to all our blog readers and commenters for sharing your love and enthusiasm!