Leaving the Highlands

Hello hello!

So, today is my final day in Nairobi, and while the prospect of leaving our host families and leaving this city that we have become pretty comfortable in is a bit of a bummer, we all can barely hold back the excitement that we have for the days ahead of us.

The schedule, as far as I know it, looks roughly like this:

Leave Nairobi on the 20th at 8AM to travel by bus to the coastal city of Mombasa. Mombasa is a heavily Muslim city, given the constant cultural exchange with the Middle East and the Indian Ocean from the 7th century on, and what is really exciting is the fact that Ramadhan is predicted to end the night that we arrive there, so the city will be ablaze with celebration of the breaking of the fast, and with all sorts of music and people and culture surrounding us. Will be really neat. For all you don't know, Ramadhan is based on the lunar months, as is the Muslim Calendar, so we can never really predict when the fast will break.

We'll be in Mombasa for three days, from the 20th to the 23rd, and we'll be back in a hotel again (which means a reunion with western showers...). We'll be led around by a Muslim Scholar and Poet (I believe his name is Ahmed Sheikh), and we'll be decked out in Muslim garb while we stroll the city. We'll also get to participate in a Muslim prayer of some sort within a mosque there, which will be an experience few westerners get to do. Very cool indeed. We'll also see Ft. Jesus, a huge Portuguese fort built by those Iberian Peninsulars back in the 16th century. History! Sweet deal.

From there, we will cross the Tanzanian border on the 23rd, and leave most of our stuff in the city of Tanga while we bring a 15 kilo bag for the next tens days with us aboard a tiny little pond skipping plane over to the island of Pemba. Pemba is a super remote island off the coast of Tanzania, and as far as I know, they still do not have electricity. Of course, it is heavily Muslim like the coast, and this is where we will commence our second homestay. Whoa. We'll be in a culture that is subsistence, day-to-day based, and one that speaks little to no English. My swahili is certainly not up to par yet, but we'll see how I fare when I am there. My guess is that it will be pretty challenging, with lots of gestures, awkward laughs, and other funny cultural quips. And the waters of Pemba look outrageous -- take a look at google images to see what I mean.

We'll be there until the 26th, and then we'll take a little ferry over to Zanzibar, which is one of the most historically entranched islands on the Indian Ocean. You guessed it, heavily Muslim again, but it has the strange dynamic of having a very touristy aspect too it, which many of the locals are not all that fond of. Once we are dressed in our Muslim garb though, we are not even seen as tourists; we are seen as quite beautiful.

The Zanzibar journey will end on the first of October, and at that point we will be almost a third of the way through our structured trip already. So hard to believe.

I will probably have internet until I leave Zanzibar (but not in Pemba), and then a little bit in Arusha in mainland Tanzania, but after that, it's time for intense safari and homestay with Maasai and all manner of other ridiculous experiences. But you can be sure that I am keeping a journal, and that I'll type it all up once I get back in.

Alright, that's all for now. Anton, our friend Rachel and I enjoyed a bustling night downtown, where we met with someone Rachel, who is super involved in the youth climate change movement back at home, knows from over the internet. She's the main coordinator of the youth climate change movement in Kenya, which is super cool. So awesome to see people mobilized all the way over here -- and the way that Rachel and her talked with overflowing enthusiam gave me great hope. It seems that above all the youth of Kenya want a fair climate agreement coming out of Copenhagen (which is where the succesor to Kyoto will be finalized in December), and they aren't seeking vengeance against the west for what they have caused. The West should be held to high standards, for sure, but the developing world needs to as well, she said. The world is gearing up for this Copenhagen conference (where both Rachel and the girl we met, Grace, are going), so pay attention to it as the year progresses on, and try to make sure that Obama makes it there. His presense would be huge.

Attracted by the thumping subwoofers that we heard from across the street, we wandered into "Betty's Klub" last night, and like our last bar experience, were the only non-locals. Which was awesome. And the blacklights were on, which made us feel like even our skin was radiating whiteness. As always, good fun. People dancing right next to their tables, singing along to Reggae, bartenders rushing around through the crowds to serve people, and not being able to hold a conversation without yelling.

My host mother gave me an awesome touristy looking "traditional" African shirt and shorts, which contrary to the fact that I stand out even more, I really like them. Earth tones, and it I were to go and lay in the sand, I would be sure to blend in completely.

Sun and Sand, here we come. Hopefully more from me in the upcoming days.

Love,

Zach