A Tale Of English Charm, Donkeys and Breast Enlarging Cream
When my husband accepted a job as the manager of a large fruit farm in rural Morocco, we moved there with no preconceptions of what our life would be like, and not because we chose not to think about it, but because we really didn’t have a clue what to expect. We certainly weren’t under any illusions as to just how different our lives would be, though, and we were both prepared to make significant changes not only to our daily routines,... Read More
Marathon Tourism
Since 2006, “running a marathon” has also come to mean “travel excuse.” In fact, I cannot imagine myself running a marathon (whether half or full) in a town I’ve been to before. A race is a phenomenal reason to get to a place you wouldn’t have thought to visit and is a fantastic way to see the area once you arrive. For one thing, you notice more about a city when you are running through it–well, jogging through... Read More
Finding home: Settling In
I’m not gonna lie – when I first got to Ghana, I felt like a fish out of water. I think a bit of travel hubris had me expecting I’d be able to take my 23 countries and counting and jump right in. Instead, I found myself staying in an abandoned-feeling hostel on the outer edge of town, overwhelmed by the heat and freaked out by the bizarre practice of paying between 6 months to 2 years of rent up front (and here I was needing to find... Read More
It’s All About Inspiration!
Funny the Way it Is by Dave Matthews Band (One of the most inspiring songs I know!) …10 weeks on since returning to the Western world and I’m still thinking about Africa. So much has happened this summer, including other volunteering trips to Nicaragua and family time spent in Portugal, but Tanzania is constantly in my thoughts. Every time I look down at my wrists I see numerous bracelets, made or given to me by students or bought from... Read More
Finding Home: Paia, Part 2
Tasty treats along the 13 Crossings Hike Continued from Part 1 here. On my fourth morning in Maui, I woke up to a flurry of emails and phone calls. I’d applied for a fellowship with a growing non-profit called Vittana months previously, but it wasn’t looking like any opportunities would come together for the fall. Instead, I had planned to return to Kenya (I’d lived their from 2008 to 2010 working on a M.A. in International Development) to work... Read More
The Women of Tanzania
As a woman/girl/budding adult living in 21st century America I often forget how lucky I am. I go to college. I can vote. I can wear whatever clothing I want to wear, date who I want to date, read what I want to read, and write to my heart’s content, about any subject. Life is good. The opportunities I have here are endless, and it often takes traveling to a country where women have considerably less opportunity to fully realize this truth. While... Read More
The Real Life Lion King
….pink bottomed monkeys, tree climbing lions, grandiose babao trees, running giraffes, bathing hippos, dirty warthogs, laughing hyenas and all! There is no one person who would travel all the way to East Africa and not go on a safari: it is one of the highlights of the incredible nature, landscape and, dare I say, attraction to Tanzania. It’s a very famous and common reason for tourists to travel to Kenya and Tanzania: the... Read More
Translanguaging
Another facet of Tanzanian culture that intrigued me was the art of the language: be it Swahili, English or Maa (the language of the Maasai tribe). The few weeks leading up to my trip back to Tanzania I reviewed a few of my Swahili words, phrases and expressions. Even though in 2009 I didn’t pick up on much nor was I very involved in the local culture, for this trip I wanted a few more phrases to get around. I had no idea what exactly was awaiting... Read More
The African Heartbeat
Music is a huge part of my life. Ever since I was a little girl I would play tapes at home and walk around the room dancing and singing along. My mother always played a lot of Portuguese music, which is both lyrical and melodic, to acquaint me with the artistic cultural roots within me. Since then I’ve always loved playing music: my instrument is my voice, I absolutely love singing and could never see my life without it. It’s my means of complete... Read More
Oh, Africa!
entrance to Arusha on my way from work, taken from a dalla dalla My friend Dominic has a really simple, yet rather ingenious way of setting the tone and atmosphere of his emails. Right at the top of his text he names a song, and shares its link for me to listen to as I read the email. It’s normally a song that has recently inspired him. So I’ve decided to adopt this “gift” and do the same in my posts for Go Girl. Music not... Read More
