Ex-Pats in Arusha

One fortuitous summer, D, L and Joey worked together down the shore at a popular bar. Since then, Joey's life has dramatically changed, and he was the impetus for our trip to Tanzania. While in law school he interned in Tanzania for a UN court responsible for trying Rawandan war criminals. Upon graduation he accepted a job in the tribunal, and indefinitely moved to Arusha renting a five bedroom house. His roommate, originally from Minnesota, is a former intern and current colleague. During our stay their house was full with other ex-pats passing through for work. The window sill in the guest bathroom was littered with a variety of half used shampoo bottles forgotten by guests who camped out before us. The counter in the kitchen served as a make shift, well stocked bar. The house came fully furnished and staffed with around the clock security guards and a housekeeper whose primary job was doing laundry by hand. Before we left on Safari Joey encouraged us to leave any dirty clothes we wanted washed for she welcomed the extra cash. My fantasy about clean tee shirts and underwear came to a halt when we returned to the pile of soiled clothes exactly where we left them.
Our first evening in Arusha, Joey arranged a large group dinner at a local high end Indian restaurant. In a country where white faces are a minority I was struck that all of the other diners looked like me. His friends work for either the UN or NGOs and all chose this lifestyle as a way to make a difference. The war in Rawanda had a huge impact on them growing up, so for those working on these cases the placement was not accidental. The dinner conversation was lively and several potential heated arguments about the Masai and local Tanzanians were narrowly adverted. At 11pm we caravanned to a recently opened bar, The Mango Room. Everyone seemed to know each other, linked by their jobs and international lifestyle, and it was evident this was an insular and isolated group. Scanning the crowd, the faces were youthful and natural, a refreshing contrast from what I experience in LA. The attire, especially among the women, was eclectic and creative. There was no uniformity, conformity or obvious trend. One of Joey's friends shared that every year a new crop of girls get desperate, and start designing halter tops and wrap dresses from traditional Masai fabric, an occurrence that longer established ex-pats view with a roll of the eye.

In the morning I was motivated to have some clean clothes before embarking on the next leg of the trip. I couldn't find laundry detergent so resorted to squirting dish washing liquid into a red bucket, and adding cold water. The hot water had stopped flowing the night before. I scrubbed the clothes until the water turned brown, rinsed and rubbed some more. The afternoon sun dried them on the line.

Ngorongoro Crater

The Ngorongoro Crater was formed 2 to 3 million years ago when a giant volcano exploded and collapsed on itself. This natural enclosure, a brilliant shade of green, is home to almost every species of wildlife. Early in our game drive we stumbled upon a pride of eight lions lounging across the road. Although they looked hungry, they also seemed quite lazy. When the clouds no longer shielded the sun, they sought shade under the vehicles making it difficult for us to leave. Another driver had to pull up close to us and rev his engine. Finally, the exhaust caused the lion to relinquish his spot under our tire so we could proceed to a picnic area for lunch. Overhead the sky darkened and thunder boomed in the distance. Big raindrops cleared the splattered mud from our windshield as we climbed 2000 feet up the narrow steep road leading us back to Arusha.

Lake Masek and Nduto

The sun's ascent and descent were equally spellbinding, but difficult to distinguish. The first picture is a sunset, the rest taken the following morning. Initially the sky was blue and clear and then a dense fog set in obstructing all views and stripping away the color. The effect was intense, surreal and perfect for shooting.

Masai Warriors

Two young Masai Warriors, brothers and barely twenty, were our day guards in Dar. When they offered to unload our luggage from the car I was immediately struck by their beauty and traditional garb. As I got acquainted with the magnificent house taking in the simple beauty and the turquoise Indian Ocean views I registered Joey on the couch with his smart phone typing out an email. Outside, one of the brothers set up watch at the edge of the pool, long legs tucked under him, as he too stared at his phone furiously striking the keys on the board. Through out our stay, the brothers, descendents from a long line of warriors, obsessively played with their phone and frequently used it to photograph each other. One afternoon, Hahna approached me with a folded piece of paper, his email address written inside and asked for my phone number which he added to his contacts.

Siblings

As they played in the sand, undisturbed by falling raindrops, the boy was teaching his little sister how to count in Swahili, then English, followed by Spanish. She mimicked him perfectly. They posed for my lens, but it was the unconscious moments in between that captured their essence.

Sunrise Zanzibar

Rented a spectacular house on the west coast of Zanzibar for our first few nights, an amazing setting to acclimate, soak in the sun and surrounding beauty. Although a little tired, when the sun started to break through my shutters which opened onto the beach I couldn't remain in bed any longer. Took a peaceful stroll as the sky entertained and realized we were in THE house on the beach. Poor villages on both sides of our property were much more common in this fishing village and we become increasingly aware of our white, ex-pat status as the days unfolded.

Faces of Tanzania

Day Break Dar Es Salaam

After a 13 hour flight to Istanbul, followed by a 7 hour flight to Dar Es Salaam, I arrived in Tanzania. At 2 am the airport was desolate making customs a breeze. A full moon greeted me in the parking lot, and the moist air clung to my clothes adding immediate curl to my hair. I slept deeply on both flights so when I arrived at the transit motel down the street I was alert. I attempted to rest under the mosquito net, blades of the overhead fan whirling above my head, but the mosquitos struck as soon as I settled in. Morning light enticed to me to grab my camera, especially given the activity out my door. Dar was coming to life, store fronts opening, dishes being washed, and a parade of locals journeying down the dirt paths. My camera, and most likely my white skin caused a stir. Lots of stares, but also friendly hellos, and inquires about my photographs. Once again I was struck by the prevalence of English in the most remote places in the world. What was I investigating, one boy asked. Another wanted to know where my pictures went. Even though we were speaking the same language, how would I begin to explain a blog, a phenomenon I still don't quite comprehend. So I decided on a simpler truth, "They"re just for me.".