Africa and Tanzania for us was a great big bag of opposites swirling about us pretty much our entire 15 day stay.
Talk about your steep learning curve. Talk about your preconceptions about life and living turned upside down. We expected the land (especially out on Safari) to be hot and dusty and instead saw endless green and blue sky .... 27 degrees and very little humidity.
We saw the ferocious beasts of Africa living side by side with the pastoral Masai as they have been doing forever. We saw people working hard in the fields in order to live and what looked like endless aimless idleness of great masses of people in the cities. TZ appeared very poor as a nation but also mostly clean and cheerful.
We visited a small community, desperately poor, whose dispute resolution system requires only a round table and single large cup of banana beer. Talk the problem out, apologize, share the beer and go home. The town jail is always empty.
The people we met came in all types ... proud and polished;hopelessly destitute and upbeat entrepreneurial; full of charm and integrity and full of slimy duplicity. We are leaving with a first hand experience of how the other half lives. We are leaving broke / broken hearted, but also buoyed by the future potential of an Africa that takes Tanzania's example as a model for nation building.
I will not soon forget standing on my own version of 'Pride Rock' looking out as the sun set over the seemingly endless plains of serengeti national park. Nor will I forget the sadness of passing another Masai tribeswoman trying to flag us down for a ride ... a ride that would save her struggling with a load too big and 10 km of rugged road before her to the village.
I've learned too that no amount of research on the internet can prepare you completely for your first trip ;to Africa. There's just too many competing opposites. In the end, I guess, it is hard for us to say yes to Tanzania ... but just as hard to say no.
BOSgone
4 comments:
You guys - I cannot believe the experience you are having! The pics are absolutely extraordinary and I can hardly wait to see the slide-show that I'm sure you'll get done with it all when you're done Bert - ha ha - your reputation precedes you! So I guess it's almost over - but it's not over til it's over - enjoy! and take care!
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