Our First week is almost over

We've been very busy in the last two days since Katie got here. We have been making arrangements to start the scholar selection process after visiting FAWE on Wednesday. Yesterday, we met at FAWE with Salha--she's one of the three mentors we employ in order to help keep in touch with each one of the current scholars--and Bibi Asma--our FAWE contact. Salha's reportwas very encouraging to us. While there's definitely a lot of things we need to fix this summer in terms of the mentorship program, she expressed such joy in her job and really loves the 16 girls she mentors. It sounds like we could give a little more thought to restructuring her salary, which is understandable given the immense amount of work her job has turned out to be because she does it really well. We have a meeting with Salha and Sophia, one of our other mentors, tomorrow night in order to check in on her progress with her 16 girls, many of whom just graduated and are awaiting their exam results before they can apply to university.
Yesterday we also visited Ben Bella school, one of the three schools we work with, and gave out applications to the top ten girls in form II, which is equivalent to eighth grade, though many of the girls are a little older than american eighth graders. Their joy was evident when we said the word "scholarship." They had been reserved, but each broke into a smile. It's a great reminder of the power of our work, and I hope we do it well. WE took the dala dala, the public bus, to Zanzibar Commercial School this morning, and handed out applications to the top 6 girls in form II at that school. The scholar we select at that school is sponsored by Delta Sigma Pi, the business fraternity at UNC. The school is not as strong as Ben Bella and Lumumba--the other two schools we work with--so that's why fewer scholars usually come from there. The dala dala was actually a really positive experience. We had to travel out of stone town to get to the school, and the dala dala was filled with local people trying to get around. It was a bit scary to get on it because we had to make sure we were on the correct one, but we'll definitely do it again. It only cost 1000tsh for all three of us to go each way, which is SO much cheaper and probably more reliable than a taxi.

Last night we went to Forodani Gardens for dinner, eating Zanzibar Pizza from a stand run by a guy named Nutella. (He told us his real name is Lula.) I bargained for the pizza, getting the price down from 2000tsh to 1500tsh each, and after we talked to him for a while, he promised us an even better price next time. He taught us a lot of useful swahili phrases--he had great english--and it was fun chatting with him. Katie is fairly fearless, and she has been able to get a lot of the people we meet to chat with us.

Our group dynamic is working out really well. We are all on the same page in terms of safety and risk taking, and we seem to make decisions really well as a group. I'm glad that we get along well, because it would be very hard if we didn't. We're going out for a real meal tonight at likely a restaurant called Archipelago. We are craving meat and a real menu and someone to serve us food. We've been eating at Lukhmaan's and Al-Jabry's for most of our meals so far, and we want to try something else.

It's been hard being "mzungu"--white people--here. There's some tourists, but in the area where we live and work, not really any tourists. I can't decide if I like the local areas or the touristy areas better. In the local ones, people are starting to recognize us and we can blend in a bit better (but let's face it, we'll always stand out). But in the tourist areas where all the hotels are, it's nice seeing other tourists, but I don't feel like we fit in because we're not tourists. It's really amazing the clothes people are wearing. We're not completely covered, but we're not wearing shorts either.
We also get hassled more by vendors and locals when we're in tourist areas because they don't distinguish between us and the rich people who are staying in fancy hotels. I think it will get better as we're here longer--and make friends with more vendors so they give us fairer prices--but it's just rather annoying right now.

Exploring the winding streets of Stonetown

Hi Everyone!

My last few days have been spent trying to get acclimated. Kathleen arrived yesterday, so we went exploring a little--I feel so much more comfortable having a buddy to go out with, so I now feel safe walking around. Yesterday we went to the bank and just hung out with Zakiyah talking late into the night. Today we went to visit FAWE, our partner NGO in Zanzibar. We met with a woman named Bibi Asma, who is a great friend to S4Si. She helped us set up logistics at the schools we work with. Once Katie gets here tonight, we will get down to work. We have appointents with the schools the rest of the week and Monday.

Kathleen and I also walked around today, trying to get our bearings. We wandered the winding streets and ended up next to Mercury's (my dad's been fixated on this place since he read about it in the Lonely Planet guide) the restaurant with Freddi Mercury memorabilia. We then went to Foragani Gardens, which overlook the port and the water. Holy Indian Ocean! It was gorgeous. We went to the market and bought oranges, which we peeled at home as per the health suggestions we received. We went to the photocopy place and made copies of all our documents: for about 275 pages, it was 13,500 tsh (that's about $6?!?!). Everything is cheaper here. Lunch at Lukmaan's was curried vegetables and rice, all for 3000 tsh, about $2.

We're back at an internet cafe now just trying to check in with the world. It's an internet cafe called Azzurri's on Mkunazini street: is it on google maps? Let me know!

I made it!

I got to Zanzibar with my self, psyche, and stuff intact. Unfortunately, Kathleen's flight from RDU to JFK was canceled, so I made the journey alone. It was not the preferred method of traveling for me, but my experience traveling helped me out. I made it here safely.

On the ferry ride from Dar es Salaam to Zanzibar I met a girl named Ahlem who is 18. She saved the day for me, lending me her phone to call Zakiyah, the woman with whom I'm staying. She also rode in the taxi with me and helped me get through immigration. She was really kind and I am indebted to her for helping me out. I got her contact info, so I hope we'll meet up again while we're here. It's cool that she's my age.

I can't write any more for now because I'm running out of time on my internet clock (I'm at an internet cafe). But everything is good here.

Kwaheri (Goodbye in Swahili)

Anna