Asante Sana Tanzania

Asante Sana Tanzania

April 15

We woke to an amazing sunrise coming up over Ngorongoro crater – around 6am. 

Pretty inspiring to start the day – I ran to get us some coffees and then set up my “standing desk” just in time to hear the first cow bells as the Masai rounded the corner of the road in front of our hotel. 

A small group of 30-40 cows lead by their Maasai shepherd, whistling and guiding them along a 3 kilometer switch-back road descending from an altitude of just over 2300 meters (7350 feet) to the lush grassy base of the crater at around 1700 meters (5300 feet). They spend the day grazing inside the crater, sharing its 304 square kilometers (100 square miles) with an entire self-sustaining ecosystem. Then mid-afternoon they turn around and walk back out, back to their homes on the crater’s peak.

Just to help put the size of the crater into perspective, the diameter is 21 kilometres across. You could fit the entire city of Vancouver (114 square kilometers) into the base twice. Check it out http://www.ngorongorocrater.org

 Little factoid: it is actually a 'caldera' not a 'crater'.

Arriving in Tanzania – Take Two!

Take one: I have a journal from my first trip to Tanzania – it was exactly 19 years ago – 1996. I was 24 and had the fortune to be invited to come with Greg, one of my roomies from Laurier University. I was studying Political Science with a focus in International Relations and this was my first big trip out of Canada. The visiting visa allowed us to be in Dar es Salaam for 3 months.

I brought the journal with me and started reading it in the car on the first day’s drive from Arusha to Ngorongoro. It made me smile reading it – all those questions and searching for my ‘purpose’ and career path that most students experience as they come to their graduation. I had arranged with a professor to get a course credit if I did research, wrote a paper, volunteered during my trip and presented it to her on my return. It was a great model of experiential learning, something I’d come to highly value and prioritize over more formal education (Masters). Greg and I took a course on Swahili, volunteered with a street kids shelter and I researched the street kids of Dar es Salaam using the UNICEF library.

Along with ‘purpose’, I was struggling with being gay. Writing the journal was a suggestion from a good friend, Kristina, who had also asked me ‘what are you running from?’ which kinda had become a pattern of mine, go find a new adventure to distract me!

Take two: I’m writing and reflecting again.

Exactly 19 years later I'm fortunate to be visiting Tanzania a second time. It’s both familiar and different.

First, and most obvious given the title of the blog is Brad and Rob’s Adventures, is that I’m here with my husband. Today is April 15^, 2015 and it’s been exactly 16 years since Rob and I had our first date. February 4^th is our official wedding anniversary (9 years) but I like to remember April 15^th because I knew then that I’d found my life partner.

I’m pretty clear that ‘purpose’ is important and that there are always going to be periods where you reflect and struggle. That’s how you grow. (if you are interested in Purpose, check out http://purposeeconomy.com - I met the author years ago in New York city because we were working on similar work and enjoyed his latest book)

Both the country and people of Tanzania continue to be beautiful. They are warm, friendly and have an ability to smile and laugh under circumstances that those of us in more “developed countries” may not always appreciate.

The Maasai walk up and down the crater walls every day, guiding and protecting their cattle from predators.

We all have purpose.
Asante Sana (thank you very much)