The next chapter begins...

After 16 months of planning and preparation my hard work and the help of others has finally paid off; I'm on my way back to Africa and on my way to saving the world.

Today marks the first page in a new chapter of my life. I wouldn't be where I am right now (waiting in the San Fransisco Airport for my flight to Uganda) without the help of my friends, family, and other supporting organizations. Much appreciation is given to them.

I will be traveling throughout East and West Africa from May 23rd 2011 until January 5th 2012.
My plans are not concert, but will revolve around a plan similar to this one.

As some of you may know, my boyfriend Paul Gamache is currently in Jinja, Uganda working as a Manager for Zen Tubing on the White Nile. Upon arrival I will spend my first week with him and meet up with my director, Jacques Bwira, on June 3rd.
From June until August I will be working in a small community comprised of refugees from surrounding countires (Rwanda, Burundi, and mostly the Democratic Republic of Congo[DRC]) in Ndejje, Uganda just outside the capital city Kampala. I will know more once I spend time in the community but from my understanding...there is a community center where children and adults have access to some vocational training, sports activities and equipment, etc. There is also a tailor shop where many of the refugee parents work together to form the Kamba Cooperative  in hopes of putting their children through the local school: Helping People of Ethnicities (HoPE) Primary School. HoPE Primary School  aims at making sure refugee children have access to free education and community support. This is where I plan to spend most of my time. I plan to teach English, French, Math, Science and other subjects that may be available. HoPE is the first and only primary school for refugees that is OUTSIDE of a refugee camp in Uganda. Jacques Bwira is the founder and has went though extraordinary efforts to pass the gift of education.

In August I am taking a couple weeks off to safari in Kenya and Tanzania where I will meet up with Killerai Munka Killerai, an old friend of mine who took my on safari 4 years ago when I first traveled to Africa. I also plan to visit Mosho Village, Tanzania where I helped build a school for the village. Paul, our friend Rito, and I plan to summit Mt. Kilimanjaro and also spend some time on the East Coast of Kenya on the Indian Ocean.

For the month of September I will return to Ndejje and continue my work in active peace building activities throughout the community.

I have a flight on October 9th that will take my from Uganda to Senegal. I am going to spend some time in The Gambia and Senegal studying, relaxing, and most importantly: working on my French while taking in the beautiful cultures around me.
Then I am teaming up with Intrepid Travel to continue my travels through West Africa. I will be visiting Senegal, The Gambia, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, and Cameroon between October 22nd and December 29th 2011.

Paul is meeting my in Ghana and will continue on to Cameroon with me.

We plan to spend New Years in Cameroon and then I will depart from Douala, Cameroon on Jan 5th and return to Arcata, CA.

In these 7-8months I will be taking Independent/Directed Study classes through Humboldt State. I was able to devise my own lesson plan and apply the classes to my major (International Studies-[Anti]Globalization) and minor (French and Francophone Studies)

These are the classes I will be working on while abroad:

(International Experience/Culminating Project Requirment-4 credits)

Course Description/Requirements: Toni will keep a descriptive written and photo journal documenting all major experiences while staying in Ndejje, Uganda. During her stay she will be required to make connection with HSU coursework while synthesizing and integrating previously acquired knowledge. She will fully develop these connections through educational excursions, research on Uganda (including interviews with Uganda nationals, refugees, development workers, etc) and any other relevant forms. All pertinent information will be collaborated and she will write a 20-25 page paper (with bibliography) that Noah Zerbe will read and evaluate. This paper will specifically address the refugee crisis in Uganda with an emphasis on sources and root causes of conflict in the Great Lakes area of Central Africa, migration and refugee issues/problems, as well as active peace-building activities in Ndejje and other refugee communities in Uganda.

(French 5/French Proficiency-4credits)

Course Description/Requirements: While volunteering and studying with French speaking Congolese refugees in Ndejje, Uganda, Toni will read six short stories (listed on the French 311 syllabus). By using her critical and creative thinking skills, she will turn in an essay on the six stories that will show her comprehension of the readings, grammatical correctness, and proficiency in the French language. During her stay in Ndejje, Toni will also be taking French lessons from the Congolese in the community which will give an intensive reexamination of the French grammar and usage in Francophone texts while using all four language skills (oral, writing, reading, and comprehension). This will also meet course goals such as: appreciation for and understanding of an expanded world perspective by engaging respectfully with a diverse range of individuals, communities, and viewpoints and will prepare me to purse social justice, promote environmental responsibility, and improve economic conditions in workplaces and communities. 

(Francophone West African Studies-4credits)

Course Description/Requirements: Throughout her travels in West Africa (Senegal, Ghana, Togo, Benin, and Cameroon), Toni will be exposed to the beautiful complexity of the contemporary Francophone world. She will examine different themes within the diverse cultures of West Africa and recognize the interconnectedness of various religious, political, and ethnic groups throughout the area. While studying the rich heritage of the area, Toni will compose five papers at five pages each written in French that focus on: 1) Slave trade in collective consciousness, visiting the three major African slave ports in Ghana, Senegal and Benin; 2) Language politics and development throughout the five countries; 3) Comparative analysis of the role of women in the recession in Francophone West Africa; 4) Environmental politics throughout in all five countries and; 5) West African music, rhythms, and storytelling as a form of preservation of traditions and culture. Toni will meet with scholars, artists, dancers, musicians, painters, sculptors, weavers, writers, and other in-country experts of all classes to conduct interviews and other relevant activities. 

After this experience I will begin my application for the Peace Corps and return to HSU to finish my coursework in the Spring of 2012 semester. 

Goodbye Ceremony: Tanzania, You will be missed.

 

07/27/07

Today is one of our last days in Moshono Village. We spend the day relaxing and spending time with the locals.  Here is the school:  

The "Mums" who cooked/cleaned for us while we stayed in Moshono.

Bob (security guard) showed us to his house...

How neat! They work out in TZ too!

Bob, his wife, and oldest daughter.

07/28/07
Moshono Primary school has scheduled a "Goodbye Ceremony" for us. The children sang many songs thanking us for our work, and did beautiful traditional dances for us.

 

This video isnt the best quality, but it sums up the ceremony:

Ronald! The little boy whom I paid for to finish school.

They had a lunch/dinner prepared for us in one of the classrooms.

Saying goodbye to Jescar.

Here is Bob and his daughter Brigetta, she was a dancer.

Mount Kilimanjaro form the airplane on the way home.

 It was great to finally get home and see the friends and family I had missed while abroad. But nothing beats sleeping under a net and waking up at 5am every morning to The Call to Prayer. My heart is still in Africa, and I will do whatever it takes to get back.

CLiCK CLiCK! Then off to Eden's Garden...

07/24/07
It was super super hot outside today and I loved it. First we had breakfast then walked with our Hadza friends to their tribal area. Then we watched Sigwaz kill a Rock Hyrax and we all ate it later.

Sigwaz shoting the Rock Hyrax with his homemade wooden bow&arrow

In order to cook the Rock Hyrax, we had to start a fire- which Sigwaz showed me how to to do without matches. Awesome! 

Starting the fire!

There is the Rock Hyrax cooking in the fire I started-- fur and all!

We got to climb a Baobab tree today! It was easier than it sounds...they put little wood pegs in there for us Muzungos

Almost there...

I MADE IT!

 Then we got some honey from sting-less bees (the best honey I have ever had). The Hadza use honey to trade with other local tribes in the area.

A member of the tribe found this and climbed the tree to get some.

After lunch we made some awesome arrows with the tribe. Mine ended up getting taken in customs coming back to the U.S. even though I claimed it :(

Testing out my archery skills with my new arrow!

We tried Impala stew with Ugali for dinner and it was amazing! Yummy! Oh and I ate cooked and uncooked roots with the Hadza women. They tasted like dirt.  

 The "click click" language is called Hadzane. The language is said to be "un-writable" because it has clicks which you cannot write, but, Sigwaz wrote like a ton of words in Monica's journal after we danced and sang with them.

Hadza tribes men showing us how to get down!

Monica and I joined in the dancing festivities.

 07/25/07

Sigwaz and I saying goodbye!

Today we left the Hadza tribe :( but not as quickly as we thought…our car wouldn’t start so the Hadza men pushed us to try to pop it into gear but that didn’t work. So then Killer fixed some stuff and it was all good.

They don't have "smog tests" in TZ, thats for sure!

Sigwaz asked for my email so I gave it to him - I will be surprised if he emails me. We drove all day to the Ngorongoro Crater. (aka 8^th wonder of the world) its also called “the garden of Eden." 
Killer bought us sugar cane from the side of the road! It was yummy!

Ella, Mon, Carson, me and Melissa at the Ngorongoro Head Office
(kind of like check in for visiters)

Ngorongoro Crater :)

The campsite was filthy crowded and smelly. Way too many people.

 07/26/07
Today so far… we went to the inside of the crater and woke up at 4:30am. Absolutely stunningly beautiful! We saw hippos and hen a million other animals that we had already seen. Then while leaving Alex and Killer had to help out a vehicle that was stuck. They pretty much saved their lives. Jo=Come.  

Hippos!

It was very, very cold.

rolling hills in the crater

Zebra! My favorite!

A mother and her two cubs.

Alex and Killer saving the day!

 Now we are on our way to go home to Moshono.

Mon, Killer, T-Bone!

** This is where my journal ends. The rest of the blog is from my memories **

Emborag Village, lots of animials, Tarangire, and the Hadza

07/19/07
Our guides for the safari are Umtimama’s brother Killerai Munka Killerai (aka Killer) and Alexis (aka Alex). 

Alex & Killer

Killer drove our car. The 4x4s are awesome! The tops come off! So the farther we got out of Arusha the more Maasai it got! We went to Emborag Village (a small maasai village). The chairman of the village rode in our car!
The village as the most Maasai thing I have ever seen in my life. Everyone was wearing the Maasai blankets and colors and the tire sandals like the ones we made. Some had brandings on their faces. When they are about 3 years old they are burnt or tattooed for “decoration”. A lot of them also had huge elaborate earrings in their super stretched out empty/holy ears. This one guy had the bottom of his ear so stretched out he wrapped it around his entire ear!

Village Chairman.

Mother & Baby

Emborag Village

Writing inside the houses

Maasai Children

After playing with the children and exploring their way of life, we drove for a few more hours until we reached our destination. BUT not before spotting our first GIRAFFE! Monica and I tried to get a tan while sitting on top of the 4x4, but that didn't work well because we were constantly dodging African thorn bushes. One of them made Monica bleed.

Ella, Monica, Me and Izzy at camp.

 07/20/07
We had to wake up very early today to go on a hike. We climbed this really big beautiful mountain called Mount Emborag. It was hard core- up and down took about 5 ½ hours. On our mountain climbing expedition we had to like rock climb. The view was amazing.

Maasai man who helped guide us up the mountain.

Admiring the vast African plains

We napped after the climb then took a walk and saw baboons and  this African hamster looking thing, and another giraffe.  We saw a lot of tracks and a lot of animal poop. Then after super we had the Maasai guides do a little "culture night" with us. They told us stories about different hunts they have been on and sang many songs while they showed us how they danced. It was an experience I will never forget.

Maasai men, me, and Monica getting our groove on!

The higher your vertical jump - the better dancer you are.
 

It was dark so its hard to see the Maasai men dance, but their singing is clear and beautiful :)

In order to become a Maasai Warrior, one must hunt a lion (solo) with nothing but a spear and return with his tail. After much encouragement, one man told us the story behind his battered and deformed looking shin. On this mans attempt at becoming a recognized warrior, the lion began to chase him! He was running so quickly that when his foot went into a pot hole his tibia (shin bone) snapped! But he couldnt stop for the lion would have got to him...so he continued to run to safety. Because of the lack of available health care, the bone heeled in a funny way.

07/21/07
Today I learned that my Maasai name Nemburis means "blessing." How fitting :)
Also, Killer told us that if a male ostrich's neck is pink that means it’s horny.

He looks pretty horny if you ask me...

This is not photo shopped!

07/22/07
Today Killerai told us another interesting animal fact. Lions actually have "honeymoons" and during this week long festivity they mate for approximately 15-20 seconds, every 10min, for a week! They only break to eat, hunt, and sleep.

A lion couple on their honeymoon!

Monica & I on top of the car

Below, I am inside of a tree. This is where poachers used to sit and hunt animals out of. There are still poachers around, but authorities have really cracked down, and the fines are outrageous.

Antelope and Zebra!

Beautiful Tanzanian Sunsent

07/23/07
Ok have to pack up from Taraginire National Park and head to the Yaida Valley were we are going to be with a tribe that speaks in CLICK CLICK! Can’t wait. So we just left the park and these boys were trying to sell us huge carcus. Then Kathy bought a fish and they tied to the car and it smells and looks discussing! We had 2 random guys jump on our car but I guess Killer knew them so it was ok. 

They just held on for the whole ride!

We are lunch at Magara Waterfall. It was beautiful ...

The ladies after lunch at the waterfall

Today Killer taught us to say Simama Sitalke and Pina hala which respectively means stop, I do not want that and I have no money. It sent beggars away in record time!

We also got to meet the Hadza Tribe briefly today...We went to their village and walked around a bit. They are pretty interesting, I'm looking forward to spending more time with them. 

Hadza Village

Hadza boy