LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

Trying to decide on a photo location?  Here are a few of my favorites in the Phoenix area.

Scorpion Gulch at South Mountain

Pinnacle Peak

Downtown Glendale

Manistee Ranch

Desert Valley Auto Parts

DC Ranch Market

Arrowhead Pedestrian Bridge

Vintage Bus

AZ Science Center

Tanzanian Fairytale Part II - Maasai

When I first learned that we would be taking a trip to Africa, I bought a travel guide book to educate myself on the basics of Tanzanian culture. The book had photos and excerpts featuring the exotic world of the Maasai tribesmen.  You know, like the kind you see in National Geographic? So naturally I was very interested in visiting a Maasai village.  The excursion was well worth the stop, yet my reaction to the experience was a bit unexpected.

This Maasai village, or manyatta, was located just a bit off a well traveled bumpy dirt road.  There are several villages stretched out along the same road that are open for tours, but our safari guide, Mussa took us this particular village because he said they are "good singers".  Danny, I, and our safari friend, Sharon were all about good singing.  

We were greeted by Paul, a young Maasai man who would be our guide through the village.  Maasai typically require payment if you want to take their picture, but paying a fee for the tour meant that we were allowed to photograph as much as we wanted.  I was excited about this.

Paul then called to the others in the manyatta to gather round to welcome us with traditional song and dance.  If I hadn't seen it myself, I wouldn't have believed that all the music was made with only their voices.  It sounded like a small orchestra of foreign instruments.  Pretty cool.  The dancing consisted of some very high vertical jumping from the men, and bouncing of the traditional beaded disk necklaces from the women.  Later, the Maasai encouraged us to join them in their dance.  It was not easy.  They looked graceful and beautiful.  We looked ridiculous.   

Paul then took us inside the thorny bush wall surrounding the manyatta that serves as protection from wild animals.  He showed us where their cattle and goats are kept, the preschool made of sticks, and the short and very small houses where the Maasai live.  

We were invited into one of the short mud houses which I felt a bit reluctant to enter.  It felt weird because Paul had to shoo a Maasai woman and two babies out of the house so that there would be room enough for us to enter.   Did I mention that the houses are very small?  Inside the hut was very dark and very smoky.  In the center of the house there was a small pile of smoldering coals and one overturned bucket which served as a chair.  There were no windows, no electricity, and no running water.

Paul pointed to where the beds were, but I couldn't really make them out because of the darkness.  I think they were basically a pile of sticks and branches covered with a few blankets.  Paul sat on the bucket and motioned for us to sit on the bed.  At this moment I began to feel very awkward.  It felt so unnatural for us to be making ourselves at home in such a small personal space, and yet I didn't want to offend our host.  Sharon brilliantly bowed out of the hut making the excuse that she needed to leave due to the smoke aggravating her asthma.  (She really does have asthma.)  Danny muttered only to me that he genuinely wished that he'd had asthma at that moment too.  At Paul's insistence, Danny and I sat on the very narrowest edge of the bed while Paul explained a little about life in the hut.  I tried to listen, but in reality I couldn't wait to get back out into the open air.

After the hut we were escorted to the last stop of the tour, a "shop" where there was a display of handmade beaded jewelry and other items for sale.  Let me just say that there was a lot of pressure to buy something.  Fortunately the handiwork was really beautiful and we found a few things that we wanted to take home.  I felt like they were gouging us when haggling over prices, but Danny told me not to worry about the money.  He really is very generous.

I was surprised by the confusing swirl of emotions I felt after we left the Maasai manyatta.  As I tried to sort it all out on the long drive still ahead of us, I made a few determinations.  It's important to note that these conclusions are based more on my personal anxieties than the hospitality of the Maasai.

Although the Maasai welcomed us into their manyatta, I didn't truly feel welcome.  There is a big difference between being invited into someone's home and paying to be invited into someone's home.  I especially felt this gap this when I would take their picture.  The Maasai were friendly, yet when I snapped photos of them, I felt as if I were invading their privacy.  It lacked the warmth of photographing a friend who wants to preserve a memory of a special moment.

I expected the Maasai lifestyle to be very pastoral and simple, but my mere presence complicated it in a significant way.  The introduction of tourists seems to have robbed the village of its authenticity.  Most Maasai tribes don't subsist on the profits of tourism, so the fact that this one does makes it feel a bit contrived.

I think the experience was like getting wrapped up in a reality TV show.  Sometimes I get pulled into a show by the characters and their absurd antics as they engage in dramatic situations.  I get all emotionally involved in the lives of strangers despite the fact that I know the show is scripted.  I know it is all manufactured just to suck me in.  And I still fall for it.

Don't get me wrong.  I'm glad we stopped to visit the Maasai manyatta.  The people are gorgeous.  Their talents are impressive.  Their lifestyle is fascinating.  I am inspired by their tenacity and commitment to minimalism.  It was certainly a valuable experience.  And afterall, I did get some really beautiful photos.

Tanzanian Fairytale Part I

Have you ever dreamed of doing something big for so long that it seems impossible for it to really happen?  Well I say, keep dreaming because sometimes those wishes become reality.  Here’s the story of my dream coming true…

Recently, to celebrate our upcoming 20th anniversary, hubby and I took a dream trip to Africa!  Danny planned the trip to fulfill my wish to go on safari, but just prior to our wildlife adventure, we got to do something that was even better than seeing the Big Five.  We volunteered in an school/orphanage in the Tanzanian town of Moshi.  As part of a group called K2 Adventures, which funds and supports the Mwereni Primary School, we were invited to go with a dental team to work in the school’s onsite dental clinic. It was an unforgettable opportunity that opened my eyes and heart to the beauty of the world and the goodness of mankind.

Here’s a little background info about the school/orphanage where we worked.  The Mwereni Integrated School for the Blind and Non-Blind specializes in the care and education of children who are affected with blindness, albinism, or a skin condition called Xeroderma Pigmentosum (XP).  (Sidenote: Albinos and those with XP are hypersensitive to sun exposure.  Their eyes may also be hypersensitive which can result in blindness or visual impairment.)  There are about 75 students who board at the school who are either orphans or they are affected with said conditions.  There are also over 600 regular day students, age 5-14yrs, who live in community and come to attend primary school.  Mwereni school sits on about 8 acres of lush fertile land which includes dormitories, classrooms, a medical/dental clinic, a Braille computer lab,  a special UV protective recreactional room, and a large farm.  Enclosing the campus is a large wall, which was recently built to provide security.  Protection for the students is very important because of long standing African superstition, in which some believe that albinos have magical powers.  Many albinos have been killed to collect their body parts for witchcraft.  There is also an armed guard to protect the students 24 hours/day. 

The school’s inspiring headmaster, Damas, works hard to live up to its motto which is “Ultimate efficiency is our solemn duty”.  He is proud to run a school which is striving to be completely sustainable and will eventually no longer require government funding.  He has improved the health of the students by feeding them from the school’s abundant gardens.  The farm harvests a variety of beautiful fruits and vegetables as well as milk from its two fat cows.  The lunches we ate at the school were all prepared with food from the farm and they were delicious! Mwereni students help work on the farm and sell the produce to members of the community to help raise funds for the school.  Both school staff and students generously share their gratitude for all who help support and volunteer at Mwereni.  They were very gracious hosts who made us all feel so welcome and appreciated!

The dental needs of the Mwereni students were treated by a group of six dental students from ASDOH.  Danny was asked to help supervise them for a few days until their faculty dentist, Dr. Fazel, would be arriving in Tanzania to take his place.  Let me just say, these dental students are SHARP!  Danny and I were both totally taken in by their sincerity, charm and drive.  Danny would oversee all the dental treatment as well as screen the patients to determine their needs.  I mostly just helped out by charting and most importantly, handing out the prizes to the kids.  So you probably already guessed it, but I quickly became the most popular member of the team.  We couldn’t have done any of the work with out the help of the superhero school nurse, Rose!  She helped us communicate with the children by translating (they speak Swahili) and reassuring them when they were nervous.  That lady has a ginormous heart and the patience of Job. 

When we were caught up with our dental responsibilities we did my favorite thing…play with the kids!  They were so endearing!  My heart swelled for them all from the moment they welcomed us.  I took lots of photos, which they loved to see.  After snapping a few shots or a video, the kids would all clamor around to see their own beautiful faces smiling back at them from the camera.  They couldn’t get enough of it.  Some of the other K2 volunteers worked on art projects with the kids, which they really seemed to enjoy.  Other activities included dancing, fingernail painting and soccer.  I was so impressed with how thoughtful and caring the kids were with each other, especially those with disabilities.   It was so heartwarming to see the blind children being led around and watched out for by the other students.  I also loved all their dark shiny eyes and their brilliant white smiles.  (They really do have remarkably beautiful teeth.)  Some of the bolder children liked to show off their English and I loved it when they would try to teach me Swahili.  It took me a ridiculously long time to learn to count to ten in Swahili.  They laughed at me a lot.

After working at Mwereni school for four days, saying goodbye was super hard!  I really wished we could have stayed working at the school for longer.  I was touched by the genuine smiles of the children who came from such humble circumstances.  I appreciate the example of gratitude they showed me.   They really know about what is most important in life…love, friends and family.

Danny and Dr. Roman with the dental students, Leigh, Rita, Casey, Emily, Lulu, Mike, and Nadia

Me with Rose - She is the BEST!

One of the albino students boarding at Mwereni

Susan

Shefield

Justin

Gertrude doing her laundry

Someone took over my big camera

One of the art projects the kids worked on

We used the artwork to decorate the medical/dental clinic

The kids sang and performed some African dance for all the volunteers

The kids working together to move this pile of wood from outside to inside the kitchen

 

 

 

View of Mt. Kilimanjaro from the farm

Health clinic - dental downstairs & medical upstairs

Classroom building

Inside the classroom -  this photo was taken on a Saturday so there was no class

Kitchen where all the boarders meals are prepared - all food is cooked over a fire

 

View of Mt. Kilimanjaro from our hotel in Moshi