Week 5 - Zanzibar Lesson 1: Avoid Spray Sunscreen.

Location: Kampala

During our two week hiatus from class, between our trips to Rakai and Ssese Island, a few of us opted to do some independent traveling. We decided on Zanzibar mostly for its tropical allure and touristy reputation and were certainly not disappointed. Aside from the breathtaking beaches and scrumptious dining, Zanzibar offered a unique cultural perspective as well. As a famous historical trading hub, the island had a fascinating mix of Indian, Arab, and African traditions all interwoven into one people.

One of my most memorable experiences was taking a cooking class from a local family, preparing the following: pilau, fish curry, sweet potato and coconut and papaya and coconut. Our hotel arranged a number of touristy excursions and this was the first on our list. We were escorted about twenty minutes outside of Stone Town and invited into a traditional home with a large family. From there we were asked to select four menu items from a list of twenty and then proceeded to cook under the supervision of some of the family members. My favorite activity that night was coconut-scraping. In fact, there is actually a special chair that serves a dual purpose -- sitting and coconut-scraping. From the middle of the chair, there is a large, rough, rounded blade that is used to scrape the coconut flakes from the shell. There is even a technique that ensures efficient coconut scraping. We tremendously enjoyed the lessons as well as the company, but probably most of all the meal we prepared with the family.

Another exciting episode from the trip was snorkeling off the coast of Prison Island. However, the most enjoyable part was not the snorkeling itself, but the transport to the island. We took a privately hired boat, but were permitted to stand on the front of it -- not inside (something what would certainly have been deemed a liability and therefore prohibited in the United States). Though the experience was exhilarating, the memory is embedded twofold. One, of course, is the traditional memory, and the other I embarrassingly wear on my back and shoulders. It seems that while applying spray-on sunscreen, I managed to avoid several areas that resulted in an awkward patchy sunburn resembling arbitrary land-masses on a geographical map. Suggestion: stick with lotion sunscreen, it may be slower, but at least it's much more accurate.

Despite the glamour and charm of Zanzibar, I oddly found myself feeling homesick--though not for America, but for Kampala. This resonating nostalgia of Kampala as home has made me realize how important and moving this study abroad trip has been. To find myself longing for a country I had spent less than a month in makes a powerful statement about Uganda and its people.