I have just returned from a field trip to Ngorongoro and Lake Manyara National Parks. I traveled with the form 3 students who were able to afford the trip, the school secretary, and about 5 other teachers. I had a great time! I saw many African animals in both parks and the landscape was amazing, despite the dust. The parks are actually in a volcanic caldera (crater). This area (Arusha, Serengeti, Ngorongoro) is also home to the Maasai people. They are very colorful, interesting people. Traditionally they were nomadic herders and lived in small, round, grass huts. They are known for wearing colorful robes and much jewelry. Some of them have elongated earlobes as a result. I was able to take a picture of a young Maasai boy. It only cost me my package cookies.I have been on field trips with students in America, and in many ways this was similar. The students were typical adolescents: singing, talking with friends, and making lots of noise on the long bus ride to the park. We left very early in the morning (3:30 am) on two chartered buses. They were nicer than the typical town bus in Tanzania, but still, many windows did not close, and many students had to sit on the floor or on other students' laps. Our one bathroom break was a quick stop by the side of the road in the dark, girls to one side, boys to the other. I decided to wait for better accommodations.
We arrived at Ngorongoro between 10:00 and 10:30 am and encountered the first of our financial problems. The park officials wanted to charge me the "mzungu" price (about $50 park entrance and another $200 to go down into the crater). That is more than an entire month's living allowance! However, after much negotiation, the second master was able to convince them that I was, indeed, serving Tanzania as a teacher and should not be charged. (I may speak kiswahili and dress like a Tanzanian, but I still look like a foreigner). I felt that it was unfair that in both parks, it was much easier for foreigners riding in Land Cruisers to gain entrance (or exit) than it was for groups of Tanzanian school children wanting to learn about their own country. One group of primary school children could not enter Lake Manyara National Park because the entrance fees were too high. They did not have enough money, so they had to turn around and go home with a busload of disappointed children.We ran into a similar predicament. The trip into Ngorongoro the first day cost more than expected, so the teachers and second master decided to return to school the next day without going to Lake Manyara (the trip was scheduled for 2 nights, 3 days). The students were very upset. They all walked off the bus in protest. I told the second master that he had helped me save a lot of money by getting me into the park as a Tanzanian teacher, so I would loan (more likely give) them the money to get into Lake Manyara. That satisfied the students for the moment.
The crater (caldera) was amazing! We had to split into two groups (morning group and afternoon group) and ride down in the park bus. You are not allowed to get out of the bus (wild elephants are especially dangerous) so taking pictures was not easy, but I managed to get some. However, if you are afraid of heights, you probably would not have enjoyed the trip down into the crater. The secretary sat beside me with her eyes closed and her lips moving in silent prayer. The road was narrow and winding and dusty. The bus was big. The descent was long and steep. She was afraid that we might take an unexpected short cut to the bottom and that we would not survive. I told her if that were true, then why worry? I am not sure if that calmed her, but when we reached the bottom, the trip was worth it. Beautiful scenery! (See my facebook pictures) Lake Manyara was the same but not as dry. Animals (wildebeasts, zebras, baboons, warthogs, giraffes) as far across the plains as the eye could see. I was living the "Lion King."
After visiting Ngorongoro National Park, we boarded the bus for our lodging site: Manyara Secondary School. It was late when we arrived and despite the fact that they knew we were coming, they were not prepared for our arrival. They had no extra cots and very little water at the school. There was a lot of bustling about, doubling and tripling students in one bed, and moving mattresses, but finally, we each had a space to sleep, and grown-ups did not have to sleep together. That was a plus.
I mentioned that it was dusty. That was an understatement. I was coated with dirt. I longed for a long hot shower but would settle for even a quarter of a bucket of water to wash my hair. Water had to be carried from the well, but I made friends with the matron of the hostel, and she gave me water, let me use her own private outdoor toilet/shower stall, and gave me her phone number as well.
Food was also another problem. We had eaten 2 maandazi (fried donut-like cakes), a handful of peanuts, and had had a cup of tea when we arrived at Ngorongoro. Now we were all very hungry. The problem is that on Tanzanian field trips, you bring your own food and the students (girls) cook it. They prepared only rice the first night, because it was very late. Cooking over a wood fire takes a long time. I was exhausted and fell asleep before eating (midnight).
I really did not get too much sleep because we were in a hostel (many beds in the same room), and the girls woke me up with their chatter when they came in. They also seem to like to sleep with the overhead lights turned on. Before the trip, I had asked what to bring and was told I did not need anything, so I did not bring sheets or a blanket. Luckily, like all good Tanzanian women, I travel with a kaanga (a large, versatile piece of cloth that can be worn as clothing, used as a head scarf, as a towel, an apron, or even a light blanket or sheet). After bathing, I spread it on my mattress to use as a sheet. I wore my athletic pants and a long sleeved t-shirt for pajamas and was very grateful that Aggie had reminded me to bring my fuzzy socks. I used my skirt as a blanket and my blouse to cover my head to block out the light. I am sure that the students were very curious as to why Americans sleep this way, but it seemed to entertain them.
The next morning we had tea and maandazi and peanuts again, and then we left for Lake Manyara. It was a good day, and we saw many animals. We were even allowed to get off the bus at a couple of places. The giraffes came up close to the bus and seemed to enjoy posing for pictures. However, when the big elephant walked by, we were told to remain very quiet and still. Elephants have been known to charge vehicles. We returned to the school in the afternoon, and I was relaxing on my bed, waiting for food to be prepared. Then some students came in and said to get my things together. We were returning to Mkuu. Apparently we did not have enough money to pay for another night's accommodations. (How much could this place really cost)? However, we loaded the buses and began our journey home: tired, dirty, and without dinner once again. Unlike in our country, here there are no fast food places where you can stop with two bus loads of hungry kids. The only food that we had with us were bags of uncooked onions, greens, rice. It was quieter on the ride back home.
We arrived at school at about 11:00 pm. This meant that the students had to stay overnight at school, and the secretary would stay with me. The parents were not expecting their children until the next day, but that would not have made a difference. In Tanzania, there are no parents waiting in the parking lot in warm cars to take their students home. Feet are the primary mode of transportation, and traveling by feet in the dark can be hazardous to your health.
Despite the difficulties, I enjoyed seeing new parts of Tanzania. It truly is a beautiful country.
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