One Week

I have officially been back home for one week. I can hardly believe that one week ago I was waving goodbye to the turquoise blue Indian Ocean, passing the Kiembe Samaki school for the last time and wandering the streets and alleys of Stonetown buying one last souvenir for my friends.

There is so much that I miss about Zanzibar. I miss:

1. The cool ocean breeze

2. The amazing, talented and hard working students that I worked with. 3. Then winding alleys that you can get lost in. 4. The African sunsets. 5. The busy and bustling market. 6. The friendly and curious people who wanted to get to know us a little better 7. The Massai Warriors, so cool! 8. The amazingly clear water.

An Amazing Teacher

While working at the Kiembe Samaki Skuli, we were lucky enough to work with a wonderful teacher, Tuma. From the first moment we met her she was enthusiastic about what we were doing. Just like the students, she was apprehensive at first to jump in, quietly observing what we did and the students reactions. Once in a while she would jump in and help with translations or work with students whose English proficiency was not strong enough. Without judgment but unrelentingly, she would work with the students on pronunciation and grammar until they got it right and were confident performing it.

As time went on, she would stop us and ask us what we were doing and more and more she got comfortable jumping in. She managed to do this without stepping on our toes and became a real asset to our team.

Towards the end of rehearsals, she even took a group outside and rehearsed with them. Even though I did not witness this myself, I heard from Maya Turner Singh, one of my co-teachers that she worked creatively from the group and pushed them to speak loudly and clearly. What a success to have a teacher that has never taught drama before take a risk like that!

While we never see Tuma on stage, she was very much a part of our team. She is excited to take what she has learned and implement it into her own classroom. She might even want to start a drama club!

If I ever go back, which I hope I do, I would love to spend time doing professional development with more teachers. If they are anything like Tuma, they will be excited and eager to learn something new that engages the students. What an incredible experience that would be.

Bongo Flava

While in Zanzibar, I was introduced by the students to Bongo Flava, a fusion of traditional African rhythms and hip hop. It's what all of the kids are listening to there. I have to admit that I don't love hip hop here all of the time but I love the sounds of Bongo Flava. Bongo Flava can be found mostly in Tanzania and is sung by Tanzanian artists although it seems like the music is popular in Kenya too. If you really want to get specific there is Zangi Flava which is like Bongo Flava but indigenous to Zanzibar.

While in Zanzibar, I had a cd made of music so that I could remember it and learn it for my next trip. You don't buy cds like you do here. There are these tiny shops and you tell someone there what you are looking for and they make you a mix cd. It is wonderful because there were so many surprises. I love almost all of my music.

While on youtube.com, I found one of my favorites. You can hear it and watch the music video. Watch it. The video isn't anything amazing but I love the song. It makes you want to dance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqSsbA_iFk8&feature=related

Back Home

I have been back home for about 2 1/2 days now and it has been a big adjustment being back. I have been so jet lagged that I have been physically ill. I think my body was exhausted from the 30 hour flight and an overwhelming experience. I have been falling asleep by 8 pm and have been waking up by 5:30. I want to break this pattern but my body is not cooperating.

I was not able to blog like I had hoped. The internet service in Zanzibar was very slow and I barely got to email my family and friends. I had high hopes for documenting every moment through this blog but, that didn't happen.
I was also much busier than I anticipated. That is not a bad thing. The work is why I went there and the hard work that I and the team put in completely paid off. We had an amazing show, the students learned so much and gained a great deal of confidence as actors, English language speakers and citizens in their community and school. The transformation that I witnessed from the first to last day is almost unbelievable.

I have worked with groups of teens here in NYC and have not been able to accomplish with them over several months what I helped to accomplish in 9 days. The students at the Kiembe Samaki school were dedicated, ambitious and completely trusting. I never heard the word "no" from them. They were always willing to try something new and by the end, were the agents of their own change and risk taking.
As I look back on my experience now, I am completely overwhelmed by my 18 days in Zanzibar. It is kind of like a dream right now. I still want to document my experience but I think instead of it being a day to day record, it is going to be a collection of memories and recollections.

As I try to tie together my amazing experience and find ways to make sure that I can go back every year for the rest of my life, I will continue with this blog. This was only one of many experiences I hope to have working in communities all over the world. I know that this is what I was meant to do. Even when it was hard, it was happy. This is what I want my life to be.

Where have I been?

Sorry I have not written in a while. First, we were really busy working on the show and I had much more work to do than I expected. But it was all worth it. The show and the students were amazing. More than I ever could have hoped for.

Then, the internet was very weak and I could not access my email or blogger. So I physically couldn't post here.

Then...we have been experiencing a lot of blackouts so there was not even electricity for me to use. I promise when I get back I will fully update this blog with everythign that happened, including pictures.

I leave tomorrow. I am so sad about this. I am ready to be back home but, at the same time not ready to leave. I can't wait to share all of my experiences with all of you.

The Most Beautiful Day!!!!

Can each day get more amazing than the next? Yes it can. We only had 2 hours at the school today which we were really bummed about but the kids worked super hard, as usual. I was greeted today by a wonderful boy who I truly adore name Muhammud and he gave me a small orange. How sweet is that? And because we are becoming more familiar with them, they want to teach us so much. As I was walking with my group to rehearse, they saw some friends with some food and got some for me. It was a sweet cassava with a little salt on it. They were so excited that I tried and liked it! And no, I am not sick. We had so much fun rehearsing our scene, about a girl whose parents make her stop going to school to marry a 60 year old man. This was a fictional story but one that could have been true. It's amazing. In one part there is a wedding scene and we started talking about Henna tattoos. I told them that I am getting one right before we leave to show my husband! The girls screamed with glee!

When the day was over, one of the girls called me over. She took my hand and with a pen started to draw a henna design. All of the girls started gathering around to watch and were so happy that I was letting them do it. All of us ended up getting it and I can't tell you what an amazing bonding experience it was. First of all, we were all being so girly! Second, they were tickled pink that we let them do this and they all wanted to touch me and be a part of it or to sit and talk with me. Then they started playing with my hair and suddenly started screaming! I said, "What? What?" They decided that they want to braid my hair. They did a little bit just to see and they were so excited, telling me that I look so beautiful! I told them that on MOnday they could braid my hair. I am probably coming home with cornrows!!!!!!!!

Then we started taking pictures and they were just grabbing me, begging to have a picture with me! You should ahve heard all of the screams! They were so excited! And we were dancing and laughing! I can't even describe it!

Today was one of the best days of my life! I am so happy! As we left, they were hugging me, telling me that they were going to miss me so much this weekend. Then as we were leaving, we overheard one of the girls say, "I'm so happy!!!!!!" My work here is so important. I feel like I am giving them as much joy as they are giving me.

Another fun thing that happened today, as we were rehearsing our scenes, all of these students started surrounding the classroom just watching us. They loved it! I feel like we are part of the community now.

Image Theatre

Today was the day I have been waiting for. Since we have been planning in early June, I knew that I was going to facilitate image theatre with my group in order to create more material for my show. I woke up feeling sick this morning. Not from nerves. Probably from my spicy dinner the night before. I was afraid I would have to run to the hole in the ground (bathroom) several times. This was not how I pictured this going.

Thank goodness it all cleared up and peppy Carrie was back. We placed cards around the room with themes they had told us they were interested in exploring in their play. They had to walk to the card that they most wanted to discuss and explore. The themes they chose were, HIV/AIDS, gender equality, poverty, education, and government. Then we each went off with a group and created pictures (tableaux) with them. They really enjoyed this because I told them that they were making photographs with their bodies. They thought that this was a lot of fun. Then we brought the photos to life through thought tracking. I thought that this would be a difficult concept for them to grasp but they got it right away. Then we presented each scene to the class. They loved saying "1, 2, 3, picture" and clicking a fake camera before each scene! Every scene was unique and showcased each student well. Even those who have a low proficiency in English had an important role to play.

From there we went back into our groups and created full scenes for each theme. Some groups had trouble because of their language skills but there determination was strong and with practice they will be incredible.

I was particularly proud of my group. They jumped right in and were willing to try anything. With each rehearsal, they became more and more passionate and more and more free with their acting. Their confidence was out of this world. We worked well together, making sure I understood them and they understood me. The result gave me goosebumps. They even added a song to the end.

I love these children. They never cease to amaze me. I am at home here. I am at home.