I am home in Kenya safe and sound, and grappling with the depressing nosedive in my blog readership that abandoning the country seems to have triggered. Kenya has a new president, by way of an election that was mostly fair and peaceful. I expect a few more bumpy developments to unfold across Kenya’s political landscape within the next few months, but for the most part the election has been non-violent. And if you want to learn more about the current state of Kenyan politics you can look up a newspaper article or something. Like this one: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/15/opinion/a-dictators-last-laugh.html?ref=opinion&pagewanted=print.
My trip to Tanzania was hands down one of the most incredible experiences of my life. It is up there with summer camp and the time our local lumber supply store put “Ally Friedman Rocks!” on their reader board. We camped, hiked, and explored in the Tanzanian wilderness for 2 full weeks and also got a glimpse of the animals and peoples who reside in the area. From watching a herd of elephants walk into the sunset to hunting with one of the last remaining hunter-gatherer tribes on the planet, each moment of my time in Tanzania was spectacular and surreal. I will now attempt to give an abbreviated but thorough account of everything that happened in Tanzania by writing about the trip day-by-day.
Day 1: Drove from Kenya to Tanzania. Accumulated many cool passport stamps. Arrived at Dorobo Safari Company’s base camp. Discovered that our two male guides are exceptionally good-looking. Rejoiced.
Day 2: Remained at Dorobo camp. Listened to a Tanzanian scout and a lawyer for a local NGO talk about the Hadzabe hunter-gatherer people and their land rights. Went bird watching. Decided that I hate bird watching. Walked up a hill to see a beautiful view of Mt. Meru. On the way back noticed that a Tanzanian guard was wearing a Seattle Seahawks pullover. Go hawks! 12th man! Russell Wilson!
Day 3: Visited a nearby village and attended a lecture about Tanzanian land rights at the local NGO’s office (and you can attend the same lecture if you want… http://www.dorobofund.org/ucrt) Listened to a Maasai woman tell the story of how she refused to be married at 16, insisted on continuing her education, and went on to start a non-profit focused on educating girls from pastoralist communities. Felt inspired. Walked to a nearby secondary school to play soccer. Defected from the St. Lawrence team but quickly realized I am not cut out for playing with actual high school soccer players. Took to yelling “Team Tanzania!” on the sidelines and pointing out my American opponents’ weak spots to nearby schoolchildren.
Day 4: Drove to Tarangire National Park. Went for a game drive in the afternoon. Saw many animals including (but not limited to) elephants, lions, zebras, gazelles, baboons, impalas, buffalo, ostriches, and other birds I don’t care about. Heard a pride of lions communicating with each other across our camp at night. Still slept well because I just thought the noises were my fellow students being obnoxious.
Day 5: All day game drive. Saw a similar assortment of animals, but more of them, and more up close. Was attacked by tsetse flies. Discovered a strange rash on my right shoulder in the evening. Panicked. Decided I am allergic to tsetse flies. Decided I had sleeping sickness. One of our guides shocked me with a cow taser. Felt like I was going to pass out. Full recovery by morning.
Day 6: Drove to the Nou Forest. Set up camp. Walked to a nearby meadow. Played Ultimate Frisbee. Left my heart on the field. “Team Kill” lost. Miserably.
Day 7: Woke up to pouring rain and a flooded tent. Put my hair in pigtails to bolster my mood. Hiked to a waterfall. Was the first shower in a week for many of us. Back at camp we discussed life in the forest with men from the agro-pastoralist Iraqw tribe. Lounged in the sun for less than one hour. Acquired the worst sunburn of my life.
Day 8: Walked to an Iraqw settlement. Observed the agro-pastoralist homestead and lifestyle. Went to the village church and asked a council of elders questions about their life. Played another game of soccer at a local secondary school. Felt disheartened because I am a terrible soccer player. Got over it.
Day 9: Drove into the bush. Was smacked in the face by many trees. Explored our new camp. Met with Hadzabe people.
Day 10: Hiked down to a nearby Hadzabe village. Made two friends named Helen and Katharina. Was taken to their hut. Got separated from the group for a while. Foraged for tubers. Still don’t know what tubers are. Watched men make fire without matches or lighter. Realized I am not cut out for the hunter-gatherer lifestyle. Walked back to our camp. Spent the afternoon making arrows. Helen and Katharina came to visit me. Felt popular and successful in matters of cross-cultural exchange.
Day 11: Walked 10 miles across the Yaeda valley and up a ridge. Lost many comrades along the way to bee stings river crossings. Arrived at the most beautiful camp in the world.
Day 12: Target Practice. Accidentally shot a Hadza man with my bow and arrow.
Day 13: Hunting in small groups with the Hadzabe. Collected honey from baobab trees. Pulled a bird out of another tree. Killed real animals. Got lost by myself twice. Gambled with the Hadzabe via some game that involved throwing a rock at a tree. Realized once again I am not cut out for the hunter-gatherer lifestyle. Still think the communal, pacifist culture of the Hadzabe people is beautiful and inspiring.
Day 14: Journeyed home.
Go Abroad with Ally 