Snapshots and stories from Jessica Kelly's work and adventures with the Western Heads East Project from May - August 2008 in Mwanza, Tanzania.

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Lions and Zebras and Giraffes - oh my!

I just returned from a spectacular 4-day, 3-night camping safari with a group of 10 Dutch students. We spent the first two days in the Serengeti National Park where we spotted all sorts of wildlife. We even saw (with front row seats) a lion hunt a wildebeast! The third day we spent in the Ngornongoro Crater, which is absolutely breathtaking. The crater is about 20 km in diameter (the result of a sunken volcano) and is virtually a patchwork of different ecosystems and landscapes. The campsite at Ngornongoro was spectacular! I literally had to dodge zebras to get from the campfire to my tent!

I will be washing dust out of my hair for weeks, but it was definitely worth it! Neither words nor photos can do the safari justice, but nonetheless here are a few of my favourite shots...

Friday, May 23, 2008

Getting Settled in Mwanza

Hujambo!

I arrived safely in Mwanza on Wednesday afternoon and Ruben (the current intern) has been helping me to get oriented ever since. My apologies to anyone whose email I have not responded to. I am quickly discovering that internet in Tanzania is like the internet back on the farm -- an activity that requires a newspaper to read during the downtime!

Yesterday I spend a few hours with our housekeeper Pendo. Communication was a challenge, but nonetheless she took me on a tour to meet some of her friends and visit her home. Along the way, she taught me some Swahili as well.

Today Ruben and I visited the kitchen to meet the "Yogurt Mamas" and the International Language School to sign me up for Swahili lessons.

Ruben has arranged to go on a safari in the Seregenti from Sunday to Wednesday with a group of friends, so I might go along. It's a little early in my trip, but why wait?

Monday, May 19, 2008

Weybridge Visit




I've spent the past two days visiting with my classmate Mary Jane and her friend Joanne in Weybridge, Surrey, UK. Yesterday I took the train to a nearby town, Guildeford, to visit the grounds of an old castle and do a little hiking along the river -- it was beautiful! Last night we went to a local pub for fish & chips and pub trivia. We lost miserably at trivia, but had fun nonetheless. This evening I head out for my Tanzania-bound flights. There are some lengthly layovers, so it will be a few days before I reach Mwanza, but I will check in as soon as I can.

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Some departing thoughts...

A few months ago I spotted this quote on the blog of a former Western Heads East intern and it came to mind this weekend as I was packing...

You get a strange feeling when you are about to leave a place, I told him, like you'll not only miss the people you love but you'll miss the person you are now, at this time and place, because you'll never be this way again.

-- Azar Nafisi, Reading Lolita in Tehran