Zanzibar: Eye to Eye with the Fish

This is the first in a series about my trip to Zanzibar I took in early October. I have a few photos up. Unfortunatley the ones from described in the following entry were not usable as the underwater camera malfunctioned. Grrrrr! More to come about Zanzibar soon!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Snorkeling in Zanzibar was amazing! The ocean was really choppy and I bobbed around like a cork. It was so nice. The Indian Ocean was warm and smooth, yet saltier than I expected. The first place we went was called The Aquarium. It is a huge circular reef inside of a depression. There were lots of fish to see. I never knew that purple and turquoise striped fish existed, but I saw them with my own eyes. The mist interesting discovery squished between my fingers. There were tiny jelly fish blobs in the water. The ones I touched didn’t sting though. They felt like a cross between Jell-O and snot. Because the waves were strong I could glide along and see new coral growth on the reef after years of dynamite fishing without fining much. The line greens were brilliant and the schools of small sliver fish were shimmering.

Our second spot was on another reef about 30 minutes by boat away. Here the waves were even stronger. It was hard to keep a course fining along. If I stopped for even a second I was off course. This was the length of the trip that exhausted me. This trail had great sea cucumbers and brightly colored starfish. There were also this nifty black fish that had a peacock feather pattern on its back fin in orange and yellow. There were also lots of black spiny sea slug type things. Depth perception in water is tricky. More than once the waves pushed me over large sponge coral. In my fear of harming them with my fins because they were so close, or so I thought, I spread out snow angel style to let the waves carry me over the corals. We were hoping to see turtles but after much swimming, they were no where to be found.

I was really pleased with the company we chose. One Ocean is a top rated PADI dive center. They were professional and reasonably prices. The others from our group who went snorkeling decided to rent a boat from a guy on the beach. I suggested that they not do it because of safety and environmental concerns. I know with One Ocean they are responsible and accountable for the environmental impact they cause. They also have emergency network services and safety training. The guy from the beach has none of these things. It is an issue of being responsible to your customers and being a safe citizen. The guy is probably just trying to feed his family but the ethics I question. He is taking responsibility for people he has no ability to help in an emergency. While the other group was out the next day, I was worried. If something went wrong no one knew where they were. There is also the issue of environmental responsibility.

With such a fragile ecosystem it makes sense to invest in companies who are caring for it. In running this type of business, it is necessary to honor the need to protect the environment because without it there is no business.

The coolest part of my snorkeling adventure was not the mild seasickness. It was my encounter with a black bug-eyed fish. His shimmering scales caught my eyes. I paused fining to stare at him to see what he was doing. This fish looked me in the eye as I slowly passed over. It was an Old West style showdown. I’d hardly call it fair though as I was 20 times his size. I can only wonder what crossed it’s mid as it swam away.

I hope this amazing reef is protected for ears to come and continues to flourish. So many other people need to see this type of environment to understand the need to protect it and do something about the warming of the world’s oceans. The littlest temperature change can kill off species and allow others to thrive throwing off the natural balance of the ecosystem. I’m not a big Save the World shouter, but there is a definitely need for the US as well as other countries and us as individuals to set-up and reduce pollution. Whether it is green house gas emissions or water pollution that affects the world’s waterways, it is our individual responsibility to do something about it. I might not be able to change the nation’s perspective or behavior but I can change mine.

Educating the Deaf

This morning I met the one sign interpreter employed by UDSM. He has two students that he is responsible for. This is the first year that the university has provided accommodation for hearing impaired students. In talking with him, we discussed the deaf education program in Tanzania. There really isn’t one. There is a shortage of interpreters because there is no where in Africa to be trained as an interpreter. There is very little access for most deaf children to learn sign. If they do learn sign there are no interpreters available in the public school system and very few interpreters for hire if the parents can afford it. The deaf children, who are completely capable in every other way, are forever at an educational disadvantage because they start behind in the educational system. Only recently has there been any action directed at educating deaf children in the traditional education system.

From what Thomas told me, any of the training that has been done has been from American interpreters that want to increase hearing impaired education in Tanzania. Of the children I’ve met in Tanzania that are hearing impaired, only one has had a cochlear implant, a surgically inserted hearing aid. I have no idea what it costs here, but I’m sure that only the wealthiest families can afford the procedure and maintenance along with the doctor’s fees. I have to wonder if families with hearing impaired children in rural areas even know that there is such a procedure available to help their children regain their hearing.

In the US, the public school system is required to provide accommodation to special needs students whether it is in class interpreters or special classes. The health system from the time a disability is discovered accommodations are made and information provided to help parents help their children. There are play groups to teach toddlers and parents sign language.

The changes in educating special needs children in Tanzania are slow coming, but they are coming. So far great strides have been made in educating the blind. Even the university is accommodating many blind students. The hard part to watch is the number of students that are being excluded from the educational system now. The government is making slow strides in legislation and funding for special needs education and funding for educational programs. The problem is not only with visually and hearing impaired children, it is for children and adults with physical disabilities as well. There is little assistance for anyone with disabilities. There are few options for employment. Many disabled people are reduced to begging.

Oh the smells!

It's been three days now and the whole of Dar Es salaam is without water. A main pump on the river where Dar gets it's water from had a major mechanical failure. It's been interesting. We've been without water before. In that case you go to the emergency tanks downstairs and fill your bucket. Now there isn't even that water. It's been used or diverted to health care facilities. I've learned how to take a shower with less than 2 quarts of water. The smells are stacking up. We're our of our reserve water to flush the toilets. It's been an adventure. One of the girls on my floor has malaria...the kind with vomiting and such. No flushing here. I miss air freshener and running water.

It should be back on in a few days. Until then the whole city is in need of a shower.

Mori: Meaning of a Bride Price

I’ve heard so many jokes and references it bride prices since I’ve been in Tanzania that I’ve lost count. Some of them were from others outside of our group. Admittedly most of it is internal and a bit of a running joke as to “our value” when approached by men. It provides for interesting conversation as to what our “worth” is. I’ve always viewed the bride price and buying a wife or a woman who does housework for you and keeps your bed warm without any real relationship.

After discussing it with women who have been part of negotiations for the bride price for their relatives I have a different perspective. The process of negotiating a bride price involved getting commitments from the family of the groom in term of items or finances. These items are not what determine the bride’s worth as a person. These items show the commitment of the families to support the union and the children it produces. If even one family member has reservations about the marriage, their potion of the bride price can be withheld as a sign of disapproval or concern. From what I was told, the bride and groom can go ahead and get married, if they choose, but it is seen as an unwise choice. They risk not having support for their children in the form of land and a family inheritance. This becomes a serious issue for the couple. This relationship and exchange in the form on a bride price seals the two families together. One lady I spoke with said that divorce would be a mess because of the things that would have to be returned. Also, the children of the marriage become part of the husband’s family. Since children are your retirement plan and long life insurance, loosing those children in a divorce is a very undesirable outcome.

The exchange of this bride is the melding of two families. It is seen like that at home too, though here it takes on a whole different dimension of permanent. I have to wonder if more families were involved in the marriages I’ve known that haven’t made it, would the outcome be different. The people who know you best are your family. They, usually, can provide the best insight into situations and provide and outside perspective that is necessary.

As much as the bride price is part of the culture, it is something that is also subject to change as the time change. Once fathers may have requested livestock, now cars could be requested. Some families make the bride price as a symbolic gesture and honor to tradition without actually expecting huge sums.

In places where a large bride price is still expected and young men have much haste to get married; there is a way around the system. The young man “kidnaps” the girl of his choice. Of course, usually she is in on the plot too. The next morning you send word to the girl’s parents and your relatives that she is OK and negotiations being. Usually the man’s family frowns on this act because they are left to pay virtually whatever the bride’s family demands as she has already been taken.

As much protection this system seems to offer the new couple, I can’t imagine having to begin or be in one of the conversations for one of my relatives. I think it would be even more nerve wracking if it was about me.

Mori: Tourism, Porters, and Kilimanjaro

We hiked up to the entrance of Kilimanjaro National Park today. It was a bit of a hike up from the hotel we started at to the park gates. It wasn’t so far as it was steep and a bit of a rough path. All long the way the children were shouting “Hellos” and “Jambos.” It was a very scenic trip thought I could definitely feel the altitude. Our guide kept telling us “Pole, pole!” We were eager to get up to the views.

Once we made it to the park and through the gate, I saw a crowd of men standing at the far end of the park. Our guide said that the men that were waiting were porters that were waiting for new groups of would-be climbers to come through the park so they could have work. Some of them wait several days before they get a job. Once they are hired they are gone for at least five days. Ideally the climb should take seven to be as safe as possible for the climbers and staff. I was amazed to see the way the majority of these men are dressed. T-shirts and jeans with second hand tennis shoes or sandals with a ball cap were the normal outfit. I saw no sign of appropriate footwear or warmer clothes as it is below freezing at tow of the last stops on the way to the summit. The bags they were carrying for the most part were sports duffels. They would put the handles over their shoulders like back pack straps. Even the luggage was substandard. These men were climbing without adequate gear. The only thing that is a bit redeeming is that on the Marangu side, there is a paved path up to one of the mid range huts/overnight camps. It is used by the porters instead of the mountain path. It is also used by emergency vehicles in the event a climber is injured or requires immediate evacuation. He or she can be brought down to the summit fairly quickly.

The porters are limited to the amount of weight they can carry. On their way through the gate their loads are weighed. The porters are only allowed to carry a specific weight limit (50 kg?). The guidelines were established to protect the porters. Many people were willing to pay extra for the porters to carry additional weight reducing the cost of additional porters. Many of them were being injured this way. After several years of hauling bags that were too heavy, they incurred back injuries that prevent them from working anymore in other labor. Many porters have been injured working on the mountain. They make good wages for a few years then they are crippled for the remainder of their lives. The increased income they made by carrying extra weight becomes pointless.

The park is on the side of the mountain known as Marangu. The Marangu route is known as the Coca-Cola route because of the number of tourists that go up to the summit that way. Machingas sell souvenirs to tourists. There are many small eateries and guest houses just outside of the gate as well. I met several girls who made a summit attempt and the one thing they mentioned several times was how crowded the route up was.

There is a definite influx of tourists’ dollars into the community and there is money to be made for anyone who is willing to work with the tourists in pre or post trip services as well as those who work on the hike up and back. As challenging as it is to see what seems like the exploitations of locals, the communities around the area are dependent on tourists for money, labor and the tax revenue they generate. Tourists need the services and the communities need the labor. Without the cash generated many of the individuals who run small businesses would be subsistence farmers or own small shops eking out a living selling goods to their surrounding community.

The porter situation seems like a bit of the day laborer set-up in some area of the states before all of the immigration reforms and crack downs. Workers would wait in a public place, gas station or restaurant, for people to come through and hire them for the day for yard work or construction. At least in the case of the porters, there is a bit of a protection system set-up.