I must admit that I'm finding it difficult to reflect on everything here as it happens. Each day my senses are overwhelmed by new experiences and every day I learn something new. Long story short, I love it here. I feel so at home and have already pushed myself beyond many limits, mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. Until I manage to find the light to share with you I would definitely recommend checking out our group's blog. You can find it by going to the Dragons's website (www.wheretherebedragons.com), clicking on the "yak yak" link, then finding the Himalayan Studies Semester, Spring 2012 option under Current Courses. We have a pretty amazing group that never fails to inspire me.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Be The Traveler Not The Tourist
Many people view Zanzibar as a vacation spot. I view it both as that and as a giant educational opportunity.
The tourists demonstrated who I didn't want to be. I didn't want to be the girl walking around in the short, strapless dress in a place where women are covered from head to toe.
No, I didn't want to be that girl.
Instead, I wanted to be the girl who wore a long skirt, long-sleeved button down shirt and scarf wrapped around her head. Sure, I sweat like crazy. But in 85 degrees with about the same percentage of humidity they had to do it so I did, too. I was comfortable, though. I fit in the best I could AND received compliments from locals on both my Swahili and clothes. It's rewarding being a conscious, respectful traveler. Everyone likes to be respected. And everyone deserves it.
I learned that I adore the call to prayer. It's one of the most beautiful things I have ever heard. It's powerful yet peaceful. Haunting yet calming. It's part of their lives, their culture, their history and I'm so inspired by their dedication.
I became as much more confident independent traveler our last day in Stonetown. I wandered around the city by myself, made quite a few friends along the way, and made it back to the hotel in one piece by the required time. I loved the feeling of being semi-lost but still so comfortable. I loved being in the parts of Stonetown that are almost free of tourists. I felt like I was actually doing what I was supposed to do. That's why I travel. I am constantly looking for new places in which I can completely immerse myself. Besides focusing on culture though, I also learned to conquer my fears. I did NOT want to scuba dive after our first lesson in the pool. I was terrified. I didn't even want to try. Everyone told me I should, though. So I did. Peer pressure is sometimes quite beneficial. I was freaking out during the entire ride out to the reef and it didn't stop when I stepped off the boat into the water. It wasn't till I got to the bottom and realized that, oh, *equalize* look at this. *equalize* I'm breathing *equalize* underwater. *equalize* My entire world changed. When we came up from that dive I was truly proud of myself. Although it wasn't really my idea, I did conquer a fear. I was confident in my ability to open my mind and experience new things. I was confident in my ability to tackle anything that came my way. That's not to say that I don't still have fears. I have many and still tend to stress about them. But, I am getting better. Zanzibar taught me to live in the moment, respect everyone, embrace everything, face your challenges, have confidence in myself, be the traveler and always wear sunscreen.
No, I didn't want to be that girl.
Instead, I wanted to be the girl who wore a long skirt, long-sleeved button down shirt and scarf wrapped around her head. Sure, I sweat like crazy. But in 85 degrees with about the same percentage of humidity they had to do it so I did, too. I was comfortable, though. I fit in the best I could AND received compliments from locals on both my Swahili and clothes. It's rewarding being a conscious, respectful traveler. Everyone likes to be respected. And everyone deserves it.
I learned that I adore the call to prayer. It's one of the most beautiful things I have ever heard. It's powerful yet peaceful. Haunting yet calming. It's part of their lives, their culture, their history and I'm so inspired by their dedication.
I became as much more confident independent traveler our last day in Stonetown. I wandered around the city by myself, made quite a few friends along the way, and made it back to the hotel in one piece by the required time. I loved the feeling of being semi-lost but still so comfortable. I loved being in the parts of Stonetown that are almost free of tourists. I felt like I was actually doing what I was supposed to do. That's why I travel. I am constantly looking for new places in which I can completely immerse myself. Besides focusing on culture though, I also learned to conquer my fears. I did NOT want to scuba dive after our first lesson in the pool. I was terrified. I didn't even want to try. Everyone told me I should, though. So I did. Peer pressure is sometimes quite beneficial. I was freaking out during the entire ride out to the reef and it didn't stop when I stepped off the boat into the water. It wasn't till I got to the bottom and realized that, oh, *equalize* look at this. *equalize* I'm breathing *equalize* underwater. *equalize* My entire world changed. When we came up from that dive I was truly proud of myself. Although it wasn't really my idea, I did conquer a fear. I was confident in my ability to open my mind and experience new things. I was confident in my ability to tackle anything that came my way. That's not to say that I don't still have fears. I have many and still tend to stress about them. But, I am getting better. Zanzibar taught me to live in the moment, respect everyone, embrace everything, face your challenges, have confidence in myself, be the traveler and always wear sunscreen.
Uganda in a Heartbeat
From Rwanda we moved to Kabale, Uganda. It quickly became one of my favorite places. I can still picture the streets, the rolex stands (no, not the watch. The delicious chapati, egg, cabbage, onion, and tomato goodness.), everything. It's such a friendly town. This was home to Edirisa, a company that offered us many volunteer opportunities all across southern Uganda. Two of these were schools in Bukinda and Kitanga. In Bukinda I was shown how music can dramatically increase a person's happiness--this was the only school I saw with a music program. I was shown a magic tree which reminded me of how close to nature we should be living. I was shown the rewards of hard work. In Kitanga I experiences the overwhelming power of positivity. We helped at SNEC, one of the most beautiful special needs centers I have ever come across. Each child was unique. All had their own special gifts and talents. Rebecca would cling to us like a little monkey; Joel could capture the world with his smile; Peter was full of perpetual happiness and enthusiasm; all inspired me. Children just yearn to be loved, as does everyone, really. And everyone deserves to be loved. Sure, they were not always kind to each other. Rebecca would simply be sitting peacefully in my lap and boys would yell at her telling me she was destroying private property and causing problems. What property? I asked. She's not doing anything wrong. I adore those children. We can all learn so much from them.
Lake Bunyonyi then presented us with an opportunity to relax and reflect. I was rejuvenated by the water. I could swim out to the happy raft then think and attempt yoga and meditation. It balanced out the constant energy of before quite nicely. We then made our home in Jinja. After rafting the Nile we settled in with Soft Power and painted two classrooms inside and out with Wildcat blue waves. I do hope they brought some sort of inspiration to those beautiful children. This school was also where I took a moment to stop and literally dance in the rain. Sometimes you're just overcome by urges to do such lovely things. You heart flies out into the field and you can't help but follow it as you dance around trying to catch up with your soaring soul...and then proceed to wash your hair.
Our next stop was Mbale where we learned all about the coffee industry. It's amazing how much effort goes into one little cup. The people there were some of the kindest, most welcoming people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. They were so open minded and accepting of all.
We were also lucky enough to be able to brave the chaos that is Kampala as various points throughout our Uganda stay. It is also one of my favorite places and for the total opposite reasons of Kabale. You never know what will happen in Kampala whereas you almost always knew what would happen in Kabale. Kampala pushed me out of my typical comfort zone and helped me develop a new one. I loved feeling lost yet knowing that everything would work out in the end. Home will always be found.
Thanksgiving was spent in Sipi Falls which was absolutely beautiful. I loved exploring all of the different falls with the help of local guides and not knowing what was coming next. Exploration has been so crucial to my life. I apologize for the brevity of this post. I'm sure I'll have more reflections on everything after I get back from Nepal and possibly even before that.
Lake Bunyonyi then presented us with an opportunity to relax and reflect. I was rejuvenated by the water. I could swim out to the happy raft then think and attempt yoga and meditation. It balanced out the constant energy of before quite nicely. We then made our home in Jinja. After rafting the Nile we settled in with Soft Power and painted two classrooms inside and out with Wildcat blue waves. I do hope they brought some sort of inspiration to those beautiful children. This school was also where I took a moment to stop and literally dance in the rain. Sometimes you're just overcome by urges to do such lovely things. You heart flies out into the field and you can't help but follow it as you dance around trying to catch up with your soaring soul...and then proceed to wash your hair.
Our next stop was Mbale where we learned all about the coffee industry. It's amazing how much effort goes into one little cup. The people there were some of the kindest, most welcoming people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. They were so open minded and accepting of all.
We were also lucky enough to be able to brave the chaos that is Kampala as various points throughout our Uganda stay. It is also one of my favorite places and for the total opposite reasons of Kabale. You never know what will happen in Kampala whereas you almost always knew what would happen in Kabale. Kampala pushed me out of my typical comfort zone and helped me develop a new one. I loved feeling lost yet knowing that everything would work out in the end. Home will always be found.
Thanksgiving was spent in Sipi Falls which was absolutely beautiful. I loved exploring all of the different falls with the help of local guides and not knowing what was coming next. Exploration has been so crucial to my life. I apologize for the brevity of this post. I'm sure I'll have more reflections on everything after I get back from Nepal and possibly even before that.
Friday, February 3, 2012
Picture Location
Due to the fact that I took thousands of pictures and believe this poor little blog would die if I posted them all here (not to mention the fact that it would look incredibly cluttered) I shall be putting some of them on my mom's mobile me site: gallery.me.com/sojphotos. They will be there till around May or June. I'll still post some here, but I have far too many favorites to post them all.
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