Dear… (East African holiday edition)

Muraho my faithful blog readers, and happy 2011 to you and yours!! As you know, I happily spent the holidays traveling through Rwanda and Tanzania with my family and then up to Kenya with two of my Peace Corps friends. It was in a word...well, honestly there’s not one word that could describe the trip. It was a once in a lifetime experience, from beginning to end, with breathtaking scenery, scrumptious food and the most wonderful hot showers of my life. But how to explain this all to you? How to describe it without it turning into a novel? Well what better way than another installment of “Dear”? But first, just a little about what we did, when and where.

December 18th – My family arrived in Rwanda where I whisked them up to Musanze for unfortunately one of the worst dinners of the entire trip.
December 19th – Finally saw the mountain gorillas!! (with my brother, Jessi and Sonya). And then introduced my family to the neighborhood kids. Chaos ensued.
December 20th – Showed my family around Musanze – highlights included the library, a health center and the market.
December 21st – Drove down to Nyanza to show my family the Peace Corps training center and spend time with my host family. My mom cried when she met my host mom (of course), my host sister cried when she couldn’t have more than one lollipop (of course) and my brother entertained my host brother, Clement, with the art of the Hacky Sack.
December 22nd – A fairly relaxing day in Kigali, visiting the genocide memorial, Peace Corps office, and Nakumatt before eating dinner at Heaven (which happened to include a spontaneous Intore dance performance – couldn’t have planned it better myself).
December 23rd-24th – We moved onto Tanzania where we toured Serengeti National Park and saw our first wild animals far away and up close.
December 25th-26th- Lake Ndutu, just outside of Serengeti National Park. This was by far my favorite part of the safari, as were able to get closer to animals than ever before and spend Christmas at a wonderful lodge. Oh and can’t forget breakfast with cheetahs and almost getting charged by an elephant.
December 27th – Ngorongoro Crater – Striking scenery, but a little bit of a disappointment after Serengeti and Ndutu…until a rhino walked across the road in front of us.
December 28th – Lake Manyara – Don’t think we ever saw the lake, but we did see hippos out of their hippo pool.
December 29th-January 2nd – ZANZIBAR! We spent two days at the southern end of the island at Fumba Beach, sunning, swimming, drinking, eating and reading; then to Stone Town to ring in the New Year, get lost in the labyrinth of alleys and shops and buy up all the souvenirs they offered. Unfortunately it was here where I had to part with my family – they returned to the states and I joined Jessi and Sonya to head to…
January 3rd-6th- Dar Es Salaam. Sadly, I was stricken with a terrible ear infection and spent the majority of the trip lying around watching movies. Luckily, my friends Wendy and Peter generously welcomed us into their home and pampered us with air conditioning, hot showers, a huge tv, and our first taste of real sushi since leaving America. (Thank you, thank you, again!!)
January 7th-10th – We spent our last days of vacation in Mombasa, Kenya, wandering the streets, eating tasty food, and pretty much buying out a fabric store. Oh, and I was violated by a crazy lady on the street, and people actually cared. Thanks, Kenya, you rock.

And now…Dear…

Dear Tanzania and Kenya: You sure do have a little thing like “hospitality” down. I felt like a princess from the moment I arrived until the moment I left. Keep up the good work, and maybe send some people over to share your talents with Rwanda?

Dear elephants: I never knew how you ate, sweeping your feet across the ground to break the grass. It’s fascinating, purely fascinating. And I’ve got video to prove it.

Dear Rwanda: So you know what I found out on vacation? Other countries use this thing called “spice” when they cook. It miraculously gives the food this thing they call “flavor”. Maybe we should give it a try, huh?

Dear Lake Ndutu: You call that a lake? Large puddle seems like a more appropriate term. But the flamingoes around your edge made up for it. As did the ability to go off-roading with our guide, watch a female cheetah ward off the advances of two males, witness sibling rivalry within a pride of lions, and of course, get nearly charged by a mama elephant.

Dear lioness at Ngorongoro Crater: You totally stalked that herd of zebras and wildebeest for hours…and yet sadly you didn’t kill a single one. I’ll admit, I took great photos, but not only did we become slightly bored, but you must have been super, super hungry.

Dear Crater Forest Tented Camp: You were by far the coolest place I’ve ever stayed in my entire life. A permanent tent, with a balcony and rocking chairs overlooking an expansive valley. Wonderful food. Beyond friendly and helpful staff. Pre-dinner drinks around a crackling fire. BUT…maybe you should have thought about the location a little bit more, because the road to get to you is literally the worst road I’ve driven on in my entire life. 45 minutes of hell might not be worth it, especially that day we forgot our lunches and had to drive…all the way back.

Dear Toto: So on one of our drives through the Serengeti it began to rain. Andy and I couldn’t resist the urge to turn on “Africa” and giggle as we heard “Sure as Kilimanjaro rises like Olympus above the Serengeti” and sing along with “I bless the rains down in Africa!” Cliché, I know. But also one of the most hilarious moments of the trip.

Dear giraffes: Watching you run is by far one of the coolest things I’ve ever witnessed. So graceful, it’s almost as if it’s in slow motion. I thought it would be awkward, but it was just…beautiful.

Dear dung beetles: When I saw you in the hallway outside our hotel room I thought you were ugly and partially terrifying. Then I saw you on the side of the road, rolling around a ball of dung, and you were instantly adorable and comical. Who knew, all it took was a little poo?

Dear baboons: The way you carry your babies on your back or under your stomach as you walk is awesome and endearing. But, you smell. Really bad. And your constant screaming is really annoying. Maybe you should work on more cute baby carrying and more bathing and less fighting, mk?

Dear Mama Lion with her two cubs: You and your babies were SO CUTE! And the way they just kept following after you, trying desperately to keep up with you on their short stubby legs, constantly falling in the tall grass. I couldn’t help clutching my heart and exclaiming “awwww, I want one”. But then you scared the crap out of me by looking back and (in my mind) giving me the “if you touch my babies I’ll tear you apart, woman” stare. They’re all yours, trust me.

Dear red bananas found in a village outside of Arusha: The whole safari, David kept trying to convince me that “red bananas” existed, and that they were the best bananas I would ever eat. I didn’t believe him, and promised him that they were not better than the bananas I eat in Rwanda. And then he materialized you. I must admit, you were darn good. Not as good as imineke, but a valiant effort on your end.

Dear Zanzibar: You are one of the most gloriously beautiful places I’ve been to in my entire life. Thank you for existing.

Dear pool at Fumba Beach Lodge: You were splendid, especially at sundown when the Zanzibarian air cooled down, but you were still warm from being baked by the sun all day. However, I can’t help but believe you’re partially to blame for my dreadful ear infection. I’ll expect an apology if you ever want me to return.

Dear Baobab Spa: The massage was good. But I’m pretty sure it would have been better if I had not been in excruciating pain because of my ear. Regardless, you were still totally worth the $50.

Dear Beyt-al-Chai in Stone Town: You win the best hotel award thanks to your great location, brilliant charm, arctic air conditioning, impeccably helpful staff, free internet, and the best meal I had on my entire trip: red snapper with mango and caramelized onion, with breadfruit gnocchi in a coconut curry sauce and vegetables.

Dear Forodhani Gardens: Gotta love outdoor food markets, especially one with the freshest fish I’ve ever tasted. Barracuda was especially tasty, and the shrimp, and the fresh sugarcane juice. The guys who work there are pretty insane though (especially OBAMA man), as was your so-called “pizza”.

Dear New Years Eve: You could have proved to be super lame considering we almost spent it outside walking to a bar in Stone Town. But luckily we made it in time to clink a Tusker at midnight, take some ridiculous photos and then find the epic dance party at Mercury’s (named after none other than Freddy Mercury) where we danced the night away and met…

Dear 12 year old dancing machine MJ wanna-be: You have skill. Talent and skill. Why are you wasting it at a local bar on Zanzibar? And actually, what were you doing at a bar until 2 in the morning anyways? Isn’t that past your bedtime? Then again, if you hadn’t been there, my brother wouldn’t have had the opportunity to challenge you to a dance-off...and lose miserably. But goodness, it sure was entertaining. (Heart you, Big Bro!)

Dear taxi driver in Dar: You are inept, incompetent, useless, mean, impatient and borderline insane. Lying to us about knowing where you were going, fighting with us over a price we had already agreed to, never actually taking us to our destination, and then threatening us when we wouldn’t pay you. Holy crap, I have nothing more to say to you. UGH.

Dear sushi: You were just as good as I remembered you, and then some. Can’t wait till my next fix! Love you! *Muah*

Dear ear: You suck. You caused me to lose out on valuable vacation time exploring Stone Town and Dar Es Salaam. You kept me from sleeping and caused me more pain than I thought I could feel from something as dumb as an ear infection. You’re better now, and for that I thank you, but please never do that to me again, ok?

Dear cilantro: I still hate you. And for some reason Tanzania thought that it should put you in many, many things. Salads, soups, side dishes. WHY?!

Dear Jolly Juice: I’d never heard of you before, but after our 15 hour bus ride with you everywhere, in the cargo area, in the luggage racks and blocking the entire aisle, I kind of hate you, but also kind of want to taste your orangey goodness.

Dear Lotus Hotel in Mombasa: You will totally always have a special place in my heart. You took care of us in so many ways, especially by giving us a free nights stay when we didn’t show up until 5 in the morning our first night. Asante sana!!

Dear Chunkky Chicken: You were at a food court! In Mombasa! This in itself is amazing, but then we saw you. Truthfully, though, the only reason we chose your food was because of the extra “K” in your name. But you didn’t disappoint, that was a darn good chicken sandwich. Or maybe anything would have tasted good considering we hadn’t really eaten in close to 24 hours…

Dear Dormans Coffee Shop: We knew we’d reached civilization when we walked past you and exclaimed “Look, a coffee shop…with white people!” Then within minutes we noticed the girls at the table behind us were using distinctive “Peace Corps lingo”. I mean seriously, COS, VAC, site, village. So of course we had to be creepers and interrupt and quickly had our entire time in Mombasa planned out. We have you to thank for this. Oh, and your coffee wasn’t too bad either.

Dear almost every merchant in Mombasa: CHILL OUT. Us saying “no thanks” was usually actually a polite way of saying “your shirt is ugly”. But it should have ended there. So, there was no need to chase us down the street, grabbing our arms and still screaming “best price, best price, BEST PRICE!” because seriously, the shirt was ugly. Oh, and we really didn’t want the scarf either.

Dear Biashara Street: Your fabric offerings were amazing. Overwhelming, yet amazing. Thanks for letting us buy out that store on the corner. My colorless room thanks you.

Dear crazy lady who felt the need to goose me on the street in Mombasa: WTF?! But then again, the shopkeepers told me that the day before you had a bit a girl, so I guess it could have been worse.

Dear Tarboush: One word…YUMMY!!! So yummy we might have had dinner at you two nights in a row. What can I say, we’re creatures of habit.

Dear Liv and Lexi: It was an absolutely wonderful trip, so glad I could share it with you ladies!!!!

Dear Rwanda: I’m baaaaaack. Let’s get back down to business, shall we?

Sending love...

Hello all!! I promise that an actual blog post about my holiday adventures is on the way! But until then I wanted to let you know that 1) I'm alive and safe and back at site, attempting to get back into work mode, but also preparing for my upcoming birthday and 2) I was finally able to get a PO Box in my town, which means I won't have to lug your enormous and yet, extremely generous packages all the way from Kigali anymore :)

So from now on send any letters, packages and other love to:

Amy Studenic
BP 209
Musanze, Rwanda
East Africa

The East Africa isn't necessary, but I've heard that some confused postal workers around the world aren't exactly sure where Rwanda is. Go figure. Haha.