Today I found out that I'm leaving for Africa on August 11, from New York City. We're flying Emirates airlines, so we're going to connect in Dubai! I thought I'd celebrate this little milestone with my first blog post.
During my ten-month stint in Tanzania, I'd like to have a place where family and friends can read, see pictures, and double-check that I am alive. This will be the place! At the very least, I can brag here about the dangerous mega-fauna that I have seen/wrestled.
From August 07-June 08, I'll be living and working in Arusha, Tanzania, a city in northern Tanzania. (It's only five hours South of Nairobi, Kenya.) Arusha is one of the major cities of East Africa and is very much a tourist center because of its proximity to some of the most beautiful parks and wildlife reserves on the continent. (These include Mount Kilimanjaro, Mount Meru, and the Ngorogoro Crater.)
My income in Arusha will come largely from giving Suzuki violin lessons to students from the International School there. Most of these kids are the children of expatriates from all over the world -- I've already heard from parents from Asia, Europe, Latin America, and one originally from Newton, MA! -- who are doing all kinds of work in Arusha. From what I understand, some expats are architects, doctors, AIDS workers, Christian missionaries; others are jewel dealers or owners of luxury safari companies who charge as much as $16,000 per person for a two-week guided safari. (I've been to their websites, and those safaris definitely do NOT count as camping. Whoa.) The Suzuki program there is very young, and I'm extremely excited for the opportunity to gain teaching experience in such an exciting location. The other part of my employment will be on the staff of a brand-new arts NGO (non-governmental organization) called the Umoja Arts Project.
My dear friend Liza Barley, a 2005 Vanderbilt graduate and a violinist, is the director of this Suzuki program and the founder of the Umoja project. Lize will be my employer, collaborator, housemate, and tour guide in Arusha. She and I have been talking about my coming to join her in Tanzania ever since she landed the job. It's exciting and surreal for both of us that I'm actually able to come! She's done an amazing amount of work there in just two years. Another young American woman named Jessica Welch teaches violin there also, and the guitar teacher is a native Tanzanian man named David. These will be my co-workers when I arrive.
There's much more to say, but I'm going to have to stop! Please keep in touch by emailing me (ellen.mcsweeney@gmail.com) or commenting on this blog entry through the link below.
