Amose & Happiness

I received this email from Tanzania this morning. My heart is heavy.

Thu, Nov 5, 2009 at 11:15 PM
From: tafcom tafcomtanzania
To: Kimberly Stroup

Hi

Its our hope that this email finds you well, here things are moving on slowly though we have lost one of our client Amose who died two days ago living her wife Happiness in deep sorrow. This event has touched our hearts and he is the third person to die since we started. His death make us feel that we still have more to do to the community considering that poverty has contributed a lot to his death , May God rest his soul in peace.

Best regards

Jonas and Nie

T minus 7 days

One week from today we will be boarding our plane to Japan!

We have decided to backpack it through our trip, which will be a first for me. Buddy already purchased his new backpack, which I also like and will be ordering sometime today (the female version). Because we will be traveling by bus and train throughout our trip, we thought backpacks would be the easiest type of luggage to deal with.

Last night we had a good chat with a friend who spent a period of time living in Japan - he had some great tips for us! The one that resonated with me the most was "in everything you do, just lead with your heart and you will be fine." I hope that's how I live in my day to day existence, but what a beautiful reminder it was.

The past few days I've been finalizing some of the day tours we plan to take while there - one is called "Dynamic Tokyo" and takes us to the observatory on Tokyo Tower (Japan's version of the Eiffel Tower), to a traditional Japanese garden and tea ceremony, into the Imperial Palace, on a river cruise through Tokyo Bay, through a visit to Kannon Temple in Asakusa, and then a drive through Ginza (the famous high-fashion shopping district).

Getting more excited by the day!!!!

Japan-o-rama!

As of midnight last night, we FINALLY have all of our lodgings in Japan booked and confirmed! What a relief!

Here is our itinerary: two nights in Tokyo at The New Otani in the Akasaka region, then travel to Mt. Fuji and Hakone with one night at Fujiya Hotel in Hakone-machi, then on to Kyoto where we'll spend three nights in a ryokan called The Three Sisters Inn (this is traditional Japanese-style lodging where you sleep on the floor on tatami mats and a futon!). After Kyoto we have one more night in Tokyo at the Shinjuku Prince Hotel right in Kabuki-cho!

Buddy and I had fun looking at all the options, but it's really overwhelming. I'm sooooo glad that we made the decisions and now we are done. We did most everything over the internet, with the exception of the ryokan. It was recommended in a guide book we're using and we found great reviews online, but they don't even have a website. So Buddy called Japan to make the reservation (plus some email exchanges to finalize it) and we were both nervous for some reason. It was pretty funny - my heart was beating really fast and Buddy was sweating like crazy. I hope that's not how we feel when we're actually in Japan! :-)

We also purchased our Japan Rail passes to get us around the country on the bullet trains, and we've narrowed in to a couple of day tours that we might want to book. All in all things are coming together and it's very exciting!!!!

I Heart Travel

This November we head to Japan, which I am sooooooo excited about! I love traveling, but I love traveling with Buddy even more! Unfortunately we haven't had many opportunities to travel together - this will be our first overseas adventure.

I've been reading about the places we will visit and I am most looking forward to Kyoto. Whenever I picture Japan in my head, I am drawn to the temples, shrines, and natural beauty of Kyoto. Don't get me wrong, I certainly love the excitement of big cities such as Tokyo, but I have a special attraction to Kyoto. Hopefully we will get to see the autumn foliage during our visit!

Reflections

Fourteen years ago today I was on a serious mission to end my own life. Not knowing how to cope with the emptiness and despair that I carried on me like a lead blanket, the best solution I could conjure was to 'make it stop' with one final and desperate act. I remember waking up in the hospital some time later with the greatest sense of hopelessness and defeat I have ever experienced, before or since. I felt that hopelessness, the crippling fear, utter desperation and loneliness to the very tips of my toes; I lived in it, walked in it and breathed it.

What I did not know at the time was that that incredibly selfish and fear-driven act would lead me into a beautiful life - the life I always wanted somewhere within me but which I was completely incapable of working towards (or even imagining!) as the person I was back then. Attempting to commit suicide turned out to be THE pivotal moment in my life, a desperate action that started a chain of events which, in the end, healed and saved me.

Of course there has been much work along the way...and heartache and loss and sadness and joy and wonder. LIFE has happened - that amazing, tumultuous, roller coaster journey we each get to walk through. But today I get to walk through it, today I choose to experience it, and today I am full of love, serenity, and peace of mind. The beautiful life I have today is not one that I've earned, it's a gift that I cherish and nurture.

And to think I almost missed it!

Next stop....Japan!

Buddy and I have decided to tie the knot and we've already booked flights for our honeymoon to Japan! In November we will be flying in to Tokyo and using the famous Japanese bullet trains to travel across the country - Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima are all on the agenda. Stay tuned for updates!

The Real Deal

As of June 19, 2009, Friends of TAFCOM is officially a non-profit corporation in the state of Texas! I've also obtained an Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the IRS and the Texas Comptroller has assigned us a taxpayer number.

Our official mailing address:

Friends of TAFCOM
PO Box 19101
Austin, TX 78760

A website is also in the works:
www.friendsoftafcom.org

Right now I'm working on the by-laws...and then the formidable IRS Form 1023 (to become a real tax-exempt organization).

Friends of TAFCOM & Kiva Meet-up

Exciting stuff happening this past week...I have started the paperwork to establish a U.S. entity to help TAFCOM and the people I worked with in Tanzania. The entity will be called "Friends of TAFCOM" and will eventually be a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. There are mounds of forms to be completed and filed with the state and federal governments, but I am steadily working through all of it. It involves setting up a corporation from scratch, so there is a lot of paperwork! But I'm having fun doing it. I also opened a PO Box for Friends of TAFCOM this week. I know that it's pretty lame to get excited over paperwork and PO Boxes, but I really can't help it! Such a nerd. :-)

This week I created both a Facebook page and a Facebook group for Friends of TAFCOM. Once we have 501(c)(3) status, Facebook will allow Friends of TAFCOM to accept donations through their page. If you are on Facebook, here is the link to the page and here is the link to the group. Please feel free to join the group and/or become a fan of our page!

On a separate topic...Saturday I attended a gathering of about 20 people in the Austin area who actively participate in microlending through Kiva.org. We are all part of a Kiva team called "Austin Texas" and this was the first live-and-in-person meeting I had attended. It was AWESOME! I got to meet some really neat people with big hearts (and they even listened to some of my ramblings about Tanzania). I felt "at home" with these strangers - it was a great experience and I hope to continue getting to know everyone. One woman, Karen, has made many trips to Africa...and she is about to leave for a 2-year Peace Corps stint in South Africa!! It was so cool to talk with her about Tanzania and how she got into the service work that she's doing now.

We talked about this week's announcement that Kiva will now work with microlenders in the United States. A lively discussion and few emails later, Team Austin Texas has become the number 1 Top Lending Team to a woman in San Francisco named Zonia, who provides child care services to families experiencing homelessness. Go team!!!

Breathtaking, gorgeous Zanzibar

While in Tanzania our group flew from Moshi to Zanzibar for a weekend. Zanzibar is a tropical island in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Tanzania, near Dar es Salaam. When we arrived at Stone Town (also called Zanzibar Town), the other volunteers decided to skip the city area and spend their three days relaxing at the beach in Kendwa, on the northern part of the island. But I was feeling adventurous and stayed in Stone Town by myself for the weekend - there is just something about the crazy hustle and bustle of a city that boosts my energy, and this place certainly has a unique atmosphere!

Stone Town is an old, fascinating city with a labyrinth of narrow streets that are impossible to read on a map. It is truly a unique and exquisite place, like nowhere I've ever been! The maze-like streets are too narrow for cars, so everyone is on foot or bicycle. Thankfully, the city itself is small and on a peninsula-shaped part of the island, surrounded by water on three sides. It was overwhelming at first, but I quickly lost my fear of navigating alone through the streets when I figured out that if I kept wandering around, eventually I would end up back at the water.

On Friday I found a local guide and took a walking tour of Stone Town to check out all of the "must see" tourist sites. One of the unique things that Stone Town is known for are these huge, old, elaborate doors that you see everywhere. The oldest one dates to 1694! There are more than 500 of them on the island and I found it fascinating to stumble across them in the strangest places (like in the middle of a small, dark alleyway). For more images of Stone Town’s doors check out www.zanzibarstonetown.org/gallery/doors/.

Another historical aspect of Stone Town is the former slave market - the slave trade was a major line of commerce on the island from around the mid-1800's all the way up to WWI. It was officially outlawed on Zanzibar around 1873, but continued illegally for a long time after that. When the official edict was signed to outlaw the slave trade in 1873, the Anglican Church built a cathedral over the site of the former slave market. I mean LITERALLY over the market...they kept some of the chambers intact beneath the church as a memorial. This video shows the small, hot, stuffy chambers I visited (the rooms were so dark that my camera wouldn't capture the images). It's incredibly heart wrenching to go down into those tiny rooms and try to image 75 people crammed in there for days or weeks on end, starving and living in their own filth.



Speaking of the Anglican Church - one of the many facets of Zanzibar that I fell in love with is the religion. Yes, you read that correctly, the religion. Allow me to explain...

Zanzibar itself is ~95% Muslim, and you can see that from the moment you step off the plane. Most men are dressed in long tunics and kufi hats, while many of the women are covered from head to toe in robes, with only a slit in the fabric for their eyes. Regardless of one's opinion about traditional Muslim attire, it is impossible not to feel nearly naked in "traditional Western attire" when everyone else is covered from head to toe. Considering the intense heat, I dressed conservatively in t-shirts and capris (covering shoulders and knees) during the weekend trip, and still felt like a street-walker sometimes! But I digress...

What I "fell in love with" about the religion on Zanzibar is the openness, acceptance, and complete lack of conflict over religious differences and beliefs. Although the vast majority of Zanzibaris are Muslim, they live side-by-side with Christians, Hindus, and non-believers with absolutely no problem. In fact, I found this to be true throughout Tanzania, but it was especially noticeable to me in Zanzibar where I saw the Anglican church, a Hindu temple, and several mosques all right next to each other on the same street. In my opinion, we Americans perpetuate religious conflict and differences by proselytizing and insisting that OUR way is the RIGHT way. I have basically quit watching the news because I can't stand the the fear-mongering in our own politics and media. In contrast to my experiences in America, I had several friendly, open discussions about religion in Tanzania and Zanzibar without feeling pressure to change my beliefs or judged because of them. It was so refreshing!

Anyway, here are a few more photos from my weekend in Stone Town. I did a very poor job of capturing the bustling bazaars and markets, the exquisite beaches, the old palaces and elaborate Arab mansions, the hidden slave caves used during the illegal years of the slave trade, the lush green of the spice plantations, the beautiful calls to prayer that punctured the mornings and evenings, and the hundreds of other interesting sites that I saw or heard. Most of the time I spent just trying to soak everything in and experience it as deeply as possible.

“It is a city of brilliant sunshine and purple shadows; of dark entries and latticed windows; of mysterious stairways, and massive doors in grey walls which conceal one does not know what; of sun-streaked courtyards and glimpses of green gardens; of barred windows and ruined walls on which peacocks preen. It is a town of rich merchants and busy streets; of thronged market-places and clustered mansions. Over all there is the din of barter, of shouts from the harbour; the glamour of the sun, the magic of the sea and the rich savour of Eastern spice. This is Zanzibar!” - Major FB Pearce, 1919

For those who want to learn more about Zanzibar Town, here are some interesting facts.

Weasel Puke Coffee

LOL!!! You really have to read the description of this. Thought I would share since the product name has "Weasel" in it. ThinkGeek :: Weasel Puke Coffee

Re-entry and Reverse Culture Shock

Talking with a friend on Friday I said that I've had more difficulty adjusting to being home than I did adjusting to life in Tanzania. Saying that aloud really helped for some reason, so perhaps writing it down will help, too.

I tend to think that I am going to be the exception to every rule, but then quickly find out that I am just another garden variety human. I was really hoping that it would be different this time! :-) Alas, it seems that I am not the super-woman I aspire to be...and I haven't been able to circumvent the very human experience of re-entry shock. Uggggh.

I know that what I'm experiencing is normal (if you know me personally, you have likely guessed that I've been doing plenty of research on the topic - thank goodness for my pal, Mr. Internet, and the wealth of knowledge he lays at my fingertips!). And being unemployed is certainly not helping the situation, although that has afforded me the opportunity to do a lot of volunteer work in Austin these past three weeks.

So what does it look like? Where is Kimberly in the process of re-entry?

Right now I'm bouncing around between stages three and four, reverse culture shock and readjustment. I have a lot of uncertainty about "what to do next" and sometimes feel doubtful of my direction. For the past few weeks I've wanted to isolate and withdraw, although that seems to have lifted now. Other than talking at length with Buddy and Shari about the trip, I have generally wanted to keep my experiences to myself in order to "hang on" to them for a while. And of course, there is boredom and a little depression which I'm just giving myself permission to feel; I know that it will pass. I am becoming more relaxed and familiar with home, feeling less anxious as the days go on and trying to integrate my overseas experiences into my life. I'm using this downtime to act on some old personal goals (volunteering) and to set some new long-term goals for myself. Most of all, I'm trying to understand how I can use my experiences in Tanzania in a productive and helpful way.

These lines from a favorite book of mine keep coming to mind: "I saw that my friend was much more than inwardly reorganized. He was on a different footing. His roots grasped a new soil." I feel like that's where I'm at right now - that I've been re-potted and have started to grow in some strange, new direction. It's both scary and exhilarating!

Amose/Happiness Update & TAFCOM Newspaper Article

So...here is a perfect example of the communication difficulties we experienced in Tanzania. It looks like we were calling Happiness and Amose by the wrong names! I've been writing about the very sick man we met in Moshi and calling him Happiness. But apparently HIS name is Amose and his WIFE is Happiness (we had their names reversed). Sorry about that!

The good news is that Amose (the man) finally made it to the hospital and had his surgery. As of three days ago, he was still in the hospital recovering and the folks at TAFCOM were checking in on him often.

While we were in Tanzania, my volunteer partner Erin was busy writing an article for her local newspaper. Looks like it was published over the weekend! Go to http://www.thespec.com/article/570702 to read it.

And more good news...just as I was leaving, Erin decided to throw a fundraiser for TAFCOM during her final two weeks in Moshi. It sounds like the event went well and she was able to raise 1 million TSH (approximately $755 USD) for TAFCOM!!! That will be so incredibly helpful to TAFCOM and the families they support. Go Erin!!!

Safari - Day 3 - Tarangire

The third and final day of our safari was in Tarangire National Park, which is best known for the many herds of elephants who roam around the 1100 square miles of the park. I think I posted about one encounter with an angry elephant just after I returned from safari...that was in Tarangire! I'm sure we saw at least 50 elephants that day. They are imposing, almost majestic creatures - to give you an idea about their size, here is a picture of one walking in front of a Land Rover, a vehicle which comfortably fits 9 people!

Tarangire is also known for the massive baobab trees that dress the landscape, some of which are THOUSANDS of years old. The baobab is an enormous tree - there is nothing to compare it to in North America (except maybe a house!). It is seriously the biggest tree I've ever seen, like nothing I could have imagined. Using a herd of gigantic elephants as a point of reference, here is a photo of several elephants next to one of these trees! Because of their size, the tops of baobab trees act as a natural "rainwater collection system" and they store lots of water in their massive trunks. Unfortunately, elephants have figured this out and use their tusks to rip into the trees and eat the moist bark, especially when they don't have a good water source. You can see the damage to this baobab behind the elephants.

I don't think I've mentioned yet how fortunate we were with the weather during our weekend safari. Tanzania is REALLY HOT AND HUMID, plus we were there during the rainy season, but we had the most beautiful weather on safari! The temperature was almost cool, the sky was a perfect blue, the sun didn't seem too hot, the humidity was low, and we got zero rain. The weather could not have been any better - we were wildly lucky. Here is a picture of the bridge over one of the rivers inside Tarangire, and you can see how great the weather was that day.

The rest of these pictures are also from our day inside Tarangire: giraffes, gazelles, a deer-like animal whose name I can't remember, warthogs, baboons, and more elephants. Enjoy! [Click on any image to see it full-size.]

Safari - Day 2 - Ngorongoro Crater

On our second safari day we woke up very early to make the 2+ hour drive to Ngorongoro Conservation Area and, more specifically, Ngorongoro Crater. The crater was formerly a volcano (~3 million years ago) that exploded and collapsed on itself, leaving a huge basin in the earth that works as a natural enclosure for the local wildlife. The drive to the park was picturesque - exactly how you probably imagine a drive through Africa! We saw a giraffe just wandering along the side of the road, Maasai huts and villages dotting the plains, women carrying water on their heads in buckets, men tending the goats or cattle, etc.

To get into Ngorongoro Crater you have to drive all the way up to the top of the crater edge and then all the way down the other side and into the crater itself. The park office is about 3/4 of the way up to the top of the crater, and on the morning we arrived there was a marathon getting started. The air was filled with energy! It was exhilarating to be there and none of us minded waiting for the runners to begin.

At the "top" of the crater wall, the road has a scenic overlook where we stopped to take in the view below. It was BREATHTAKING - here are a couple of photos from that spot, looking down into the crater. You can see that we were almost eye-level with the clouds! The altitude made the crater just look like some big field with a lake in it...let me tell you, looks can be deceiving!!! According to Wikipedia, the crater hosts almost every individual species of wildlife in East Africa, with an estimated 25,000 animals inside the crater. We spent the entire day down in the crater and saw thousands of animals! All day long I was wishing I had a better camera - I promise that my pictures don't do this any justice! To give you a better idea of what we saw from the crater ridge, here is a link to a Google image search on Ngorongoro Crater.

From the top of the crater it was another 45 minutes of driving, down winding dirt roads, to get to the crater floor. Almost immediately we came across dozens of zebras, just hanging around eating breakfast. We were allowed to get out of the vehicle to stretch our legs and the zebras were close enough to touch! This was our first up-close encounter of the day, and I think all seven of us took far too many pictures of zebras. But it was so exciting! :-) We didn't realize that this was only the beginning of many, many zebra sightings. I would guess that they are the most populous animal in the crater, or maybe a close second place.

There are traditional Maasai living in Ngorongoro, who speak just enough English to barter with the tourists. They were rather aggressive this day, shoving each other out of the way and pushing trinkets in my face. I only had to pay 1,000 TSH for this photo (~US$0.75) but got suckered in to buying a couple of necklaces, too. Thankfully we only had to deal with them near the entrance to the crater and they left us alone the rest of the day. Maasai are semi-nomadic livestock herders who continue to maintain their traditional lifestyle (as much as possible), although many Tanzanians don't think that the Maasai will be able to continue living this way for much longer. They are already heavily influenced by and dependent on the tourist industry, which is likely the death knell for their traditional lifestyle.

Throughout the day we saw many, many more animal species. Again, I wish I had had a better camera! The animals look much further away in these pictures than they really were. As I mentioned in my last post, I have waaaaaaaayyyyyy more pictures of our safari than are posted here. I hope these give you a taste of what I experienced! (By the way, if you click on any of these photos they should open up to actual size.)

Here's a quick description for each of the remaining photos:

1) LIONESS # 1 - this was the first lion we came upon, and she was sunning herself on the side of the road. She had her babies tucked away in a nearby ditch where we could hear their little meows! Our group was silent and practically holding our collective breath during the ~5 minutes we were parked next to this beautiful creature.

2) BABY ZEBRA with wildebeest in the background. This little guy was really cute!

3) GAZELLE

4) WATER BUFFALO

5) HYENA

6) BLACK RHINOCEROUS - another exciting moment! There are only ~30 black rhinos in the area, so it is very rare to see them - we were really lucky!!!

7) WILDEBEEST

8) WATER BUFFALO SKULL

9) NGOITOKITOK SPRING - one of the most picturesque areas of the crater. We stopped here to have lunch and it was serene and peaceful, except when the bird flew into Shari's lunchbox and startled her. Her lunch flew everywhere!

10) LIONESS # 2 - she was EVEN CLOSER to our truck! If you enlarge the picture you can see the flies on her snout. She was beautiful.

11) ELEPHANT - on our last pit stop before leaving the crater, we came across an elephant grazing nearby the bathrooms. She looks so far away in the picture, but she was so close! (Shari is in the foreground.)

12) VERVET MONKEY, just after jumping INTO our truck and stealing some cookies!!!

13) VERVET MONKEY ON BUFFALO SKULL, enjoying his stolen cookies

Safari - Day 1 - Lake Manyara

I had promised more pictures of our 3-day safari and I will try to recap only the highlights. I took an excessive number of photos and will not subject anyone to viewing all 300+ pictures! The first day of safari was in Lake Manyara National Park - this was a sign at the entrance that (I thought) had a beautiful statement. The first half of the park drive was through a beautiful forest. Although it was the middle of the day, the light was filtered through layers and layers of foliage so some of the photos came out a little dark.

Almost immediately after we drove onto the park road, we encountered a troop of baboons. There were dozens of them in the road, in the bushes, in the trees next to the truck. Several jumped up onto the vehicle to check us out. Here is a curious young male who just about gave Shari a heart attack! We thought he was going to climb into the truck with us!

We were fortunate to see many, many elephants during our safari. They travel in groups (herds) and most of the herds we saw on our safari had babies in the mix. This is the matriarch of the first herd we met in the forest of Lake Manyara.

We drove out of the forested area of Lake Manyara Park into a breathtaking lake basin that stretched for miles. We saw giraffes, impalas, wildebeests, water buffalo and hippos!

At the hippo pond (pictured here) we were allowed to get out of the truck to stretch our legs and look around. Our guide explained that each of the "lumps" you see in that pond is actually a hippopotamus! There were approximately 30 hippos in the pond; occasionally one would shift or stand up for a few moments. We learned that hippos have very thin, sensitive skin that can't handle the African heat, so they stay in water during daylight hours and only come out in the evenings to eat. Our guide said that it is extremely rare to see a hippo out of the water during they day, and if you do happen to see one you might be in big trouble - hippos are considered the most dangerous animal in Africa! They are VERY territorial, aggressive, and fast - they will charge anything they perceive as intruding on their river territory.
We stood at the hippo pond for a long time, trying to get some good pictures and just soaking in the amazing sights surrounding us. Eventually our guide made us get back into the truck to head out of the park. As he turned the truck around and started to drive away from the hippo pond, what do you think we saw? A HIPPO OUT OF THE WATER! I guess this guy got hungry early and needed a snack. We were so fortunate to see this rare sight! [Side note: if you ever go on safari, go ahead and spend the bucks to get a really good camera! There were so many times I wished I had a telephoto lens, this instance being one of them.]

The drive back to the park entrance was full of giraffes (and more elephants) - it is really something to see a giraffe just hanging out on the side of the road eating some leaves, or to have to stop your vehicle to let giraffes, elephants, zebras or warthogs pass in front of you. The entire safari experience is beautiful and surreal!!