Backlogging! : Lindsay's Visit (Entry 1 of 3)

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  Arusha, Tanzania
Friday, June 22, 2007

Hi All!  Sorry it's been so long since I last wrote.  The last two months in Tanzania flew by and before I realized it, I was already home.  I arrived home last Wednesday night and am excited to be back.  I hope you don't mind but I'm planning on backlogging my entries a bit.  I have lots to write about so I am going to try to do it piece by piece.  I'll start with Lindsay's visit, which I already have a draft for, then post about school and the Info Camp, and then about my final trip to Uganda, Kenya, and Ethiopia.  I also want to apologize for leaving on such a sour note.  My last entry was such a downer with muggings and such.  I assure you these next few will be more upbeat.

Since the end of March plenty has happened.  My good friend from high school, Lindsay Pollock, came to visit for two weeks.  I traveled to Iringa with my friend Michelle from Dar.  The Vagina Monologues showed in Dar es Salaam

Art deco converted prision

.  I interviewed various characters for my dissertation research.  Phylo and I completed the Info Camp that we had been working on all year.  I finished my coursework and then traveled all over East Africa.  Thanks for reading.  Attached at the bottom is the final article response to the sexual harassment charge from the last entry.
 
Lindsay's Visit -

I was so excited to have Lindsay visit me in Tanzania.  We had been taking about the possibility ever since I found out about the opportunity.  Lindsay is a wonderful friend, outgoing person, very open to anything and so she was bound to love Tanzania.  She arrived on Sunday April 1st (it was April fool's day but unfortunately I couldn't come up with a trick that was clever enough) and stayed at my house for the first days.  My family loved her, especially little Rachel.  She brought them all I Love New York t-shirts (which they all wore on the same day when they went to the beach!).  The first thing we did when we came from the airport was stop at a fundraiser for Mama's choir group.  Mama had really wanted us to go but I didn't realize we would be guests of honor!  I think it was an interesting introduction for Lindsay with traditional song and dance.  There was an auction while we were there and we had some gifts bought for us including spinach, kangas, and almost a chicken

Baby baboons

!  Everyone wanted to welcome the new mzungu (foreigner).

Monday morning we woke up and Lindsay headed to class with me.  Unfortunately Linds had taken her malaria pill before breakfast, which made her really ill as the malaria pills often do (confession: I stopped taking them in January because they were giving me stomach issues).  But, after some water and a nap she was up and ready to experience Irish pub quiz night in Dar es Salaam.  The next day we headed up to Arusha via a 10-hour bus ride to go on safari.  We stayed with my friend Rashid, who works for the United Nation Tribunal on Rwanda that is located in Arusha (a really interesting job and international justice process).  We went on safari in Tangiere National Park and the Ngorogoro Crater.

I had insisted to our tour company that we wanted to stay at the camp on the edge of the Ngorogoro Crater because I thought it was the wonderful camp that I had stayed at before.  But, it turned out that I had been at another camp with a beautiful view, pre-established tents, and a small restaurant.  The camp on the edge of Ngorogoro was super basic and with the altitude, was freezing cold.  Lindsay and I had only brought light long sleeve shirts so we had to wear everything we owned and drink lots of tea

Beautiful views

!  We did have some great entertainment from our guide who told Lindsay and I about nyumba ndogo (small house) which is the swahili term for girlfriends you keep when you're married.  It's pretty common for men to have many nyumba ndogo(s) and our guide expressed to us the benefits of multiple girlfriends and how it was cultural, as Lindsay's cringed.  In Maasai culture (a tribe found in Northern Tanzania and Southern Kenya), men take many wives so that they don't have to work.  It's the man's job to build the house but after that the women and children cook, clean, watch after the livestock, and pretty much do all the work.  It seemed pretty ridiculous.  However, Lindsay and I decided to start a similar tribe with women in the house building role.

After a lively discussion, we headed to our chilly tent to get some sleep.  Fortunately and unfortunately, the camp area is not fenced off so animals can walk through the camp at night.  We were advised to use the bathroom before sleeping and not to get up.  We heard all kinds of noises around the tent, animals grazing or looking for leftovers.  Lindsay was scared something would eat us and I was afraid something would fall on my head (those buffalo are so big!  And we were in a flimsy little tent!).  I tried to make animal noises to lighten up the moment.  Lindsay was not amused!

feeding the turtle

After our safari, we headed to Lushoto dubbed by the Germans as "the swiss alps of Tanzania" because it's quiet, beautiful, and a great escape from the heat of Dar es Salaam.  A honeymooning couple that Kyle and I met in Zanzibar said it was their favorite part of their trip and they had been on a ten-day safari and to Zanzibar so I really wanted to check it out. Some of my friends from Dar were staying at a farm there for the weekend.  The farm was really cute and served great home made cheese.  The views were amazing, the people really friendly, and the scenery was so green.  We went on some hikes, visited a waterfall, and relaxed a lot.

After Lushoto, Lindsay and I headed back to Dar to then head over to Zanzibar.  In Stone Town, Zanzibar, we went shopping a lot, went on a boat to prison island to visit the giant sea turtles, missed the sunset twice (we were shopping), snorkled (aka got stung by tons of tiny jelly fish), and ate at the highest rooftop restaurant Emerson and Green.  After Stone Town, we headed up to the north to rasta beach at Nungwi to swim all day and watch the shooting stars.  The next day we headed back to Dar and did a bit of fabric shopping.  Lindsay is a designer in New York and loved all the colorful patterns.

When the day came that Lindsay had to leave, I was really sad

gateway to the ocean

.  I thought that having her here would make me less homesick but it made me more homesick and I wanted to get on the plane with her to visit home and I even checked the price!  Fortunately, I didn't get on because I had plenty to do for the next two months.
 
 
 


Other Foreign Students Surprised by Sexual Harassment Allegations

March 27th, 2007 - Dar Es Salaam

After throwing a man, who allegedly sexual harassed her, into a glass shop front window in downtown Dar Es Salaam a few weeks ago, foreign exchange student Rachel Jamison left Tanzania for the United States having had enough.

On her return to the United States, Jamison wrote a 12-page single spaced report alleging that in a number of instances both on and off campus, police, security officers, students, staff, professors, and others that she came in contact with during a seven month study abroad at the University of Dar Es Salaam had sexually harassed her and in some cases even attempted assault

Giant sea turtles

. In her report, she says that a man withheld her registration for classes until she agreed to sleep with him, that a student stole a 30-page paper from her demanding sex for its return, and that a man undid her blouse on a crowded bus and fondled her. The report conveyed an extremely terrifying experience of studying abroad in Tanzania.

As an American student studying at the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania for the last seven months, I was surprised to hear the allegations of sexual harassment. This especially because I had chosen Dar Es Salaam for its peace and safety as compared to other African countries. Having been at the University during the same period of time, my experience and the experience of other students I know has been mostly positive and we have observed the environment and Tanzanian people to be extremely friendly and welcoming.

Tanzanian people are said to be some of the friendliest people in the world and from my experience that has been true. Every time I walk to class or am walking in the city, people greet me as they pass. If we have met before, then they will stop to ask me about my studies and my home. The colorful surroundings are warm and comfortable. Kangas (dyed fabric) and fresh fruit crowd the shop fronts. Streets are bustling with people

Giraffees!

. On campus, students study together on the grass and play the latest "bongo flavor" music in the dorms. It is a fun and exciting place to be.

However, as an international student, it is very important to remember that Dar Es Salaam is a big city and that one must be cautious of the surroundings. Harassment does happen in Tanzania as it does in every part of the world. Being foreign and mostly Caucasian, international students do tend to get a lot of attention in the city. Street vendors trying to get your attention will often call to you using the term "mzungu" meaning white or European person or in some cases, men will call to you using the term "mchumba" meaning fiancée or girlfriend while confessing their love to you. These types of harassment are usually harmless and happen often in town but almost never on campus.

Studying abroad can be difficult and traumatic for many students. Usually it entails being more independent, meeting new people, and living in a country and culture much different then their own. The experience can be eye opening and exciting but also lonely and unfamiliar. In this context, one of the most important things can be having access to a network of other foreign students and daily assistance from an international office.

At the University of Dar Es Salaam, the International Cooperation, Links, and Projects Office known as the Links office is open daily to assist foreign students and other internationals and advise them on questions or problems. Mabel Kaaya, Senior Administrative Officer of Links office is one of the friendliest and most attentive people that I have met at the University and has handled the problems of international students year after year

Island life

. These problems range from visas and roommates to thefts and incidents of assault. Any and all incidents relating to international students at the school are to be reported to this office.

There are approximately 22,000 students at the University of Dar Es Salaam in a given year, 190 of those are foreign students. The University understands that foreign students may be targets for theft and so puts them in dorms with more security and with roommates that are pre-screened. The University hosts a welcome week for international students with a security brief, introduction to Dar Es Salaam, and other talks. When it comes to safety, the University takes matters of assault and sexual harassment very seriously adhering to a strict anti-sexual harassment policy. In Rachel's case, the University has appointed a committee to investigate the charges.

Unfortunate incidents happen in all parts of the world and are not unique to Tanzania. Many times these types of horror stories are the only ones that make it back to students interested in studying abroad, whether they are true or not. While these may leave a lasting impression, the actual experiences are few and far between. In truth, most would say that coming to Tanzania and studying at the University of Dar Es Salaam is the experience of a lifetime and that Tanzania is a welcoming country with some of the friendliest people, deepest culture, and is one of the most beautiful places in the world. I am one of them.

More information related to Jamison's report can be found in the Minnesota Daily "Harassment Abroad" February 27th, 2007, InsideHigherEd.com "Sexual Harassment on Study Abroad" March 1st, 2007, The Star Tribune "Study Abroad Can Find a World of Peril" March 19th, 2007, and other sources online.

Jessica Glynn
 

Post your own travel photos for friends and family More Pictures

Jakes- Ostriches	Kanga gifts	Linds and I at lookout point	Linds and I at the prision turned pizza shop
Linds and I on safari	Linds and I on the way to prision island	Lindsay contemplates life!	Lindsay with Rachel
Lion and car	Lioness	Lions getting some shade	Lushoto
Lushoto Breakfast	Lushoto photo	Mama's fundraiser	Nungwi
On the road again	On the way to prision island	Out in stonetown	Sunset
Sunset 2	Sunset 3	Waterfall	Waterfall in Lushoto
Zebras

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