Zanzibar was pretty amazing. The beautiful beaches to the north tempted us, but five of us in our group spent the weekend in Stonetown. Although quite a part of our local community on the east coast of Tanzania this past weekend we became tourists. Arriving on the ferry we found ourselves followed for the morning by two ‘helpful’ locals who pretended not to understand “no thank you”. In fact, one of the same ‘gentlemen’ arrived at our hotel each morning -- just in case we need to book a tour or find a taxi.

Stonetown is a maze of very narrow streets that are full of life with markets, shops, men having afternoon tea, others navigating by motorbikes and children playing marbles in the dirt! The island is rich in history, much relating to the slave trade. On Friday we took a small boat to Prisoners’ Island to explore the slave quarters, a giant turtle reserve and to do a bit of snorkeling. The waterfront has a lovely newly renovated garden park that is a bustling food market at night. Saturday we joined the Spice tour and got to see exotic spice plants & trees, were treated to a flavorful meal prepared by the locals, spent time at the beach and had a view the slave caves by the sea. The slaves were held captive in this dark and dangerous place and exited out of the cave to the Indian Ocean for transport. Many perished from lack of food and water, many drowned and others were eaten by the crocks that inhabited this dreadful hole in the earth.

The highlight for me was having the chance to visit Jon’s neighborhood, meet his local friends and even dine out in his favorite local restaurant. I had the opportunity to meet with a young man and friend to Jon who was most generous with local gifts, including a hand-woven basket made by his mother.

Oh, and I can’t forget that out modest guesthouse had hot showers, a most comfortable bed and air conditioning. Two full nights sleep in a row! Sunday evening it was back to reality as we arrived to the volunteer house to find that the power was out again – no fan in this heat and humidity. Without the fan it is like sleeping in a sauna.

My projects are keeping me most busy, especially preparing for basic English class. The classes become larger each day. Last week we split the beginner class into two groups. Currently each group has about 30 students, and the basic level can be anything from NO understanding to the ability to read simple passages. QUITE A CHALLENGE!

I can’t believe that I only have a bit over three weeks left. It will probably feel too soon to head back. We’ll see . . . . ?

My best to all!