Kuzungukazunguka

Who Are The People in Your Neighborhood?

Kuzunguka: To Wander Around
Kuzungukazunguka: To Wander Around Aimlessly in Circles

the verb '-zunguka' pretty accurately sums up this past week. wandering around this ancient city has been nothing short of amazing. it is totally cosmopolitan in an entrely non-western way. it is unlike anyplace i've been in east africa before. . . the africa i'm used to is the interior land, hundreds of miles inland and hours removed from other outside cultures. mombasa, on the other hand, is a true melting pot of sorts.

for hundreds of years mombasa has been a trading center with the whole eastern hemisphere. one of nine city states located along the kenyan coast, it has been trading with the chinese since the 10th century, was ruled by the sultan of oman (via an governor in zanzibar for centuries) and has been under the rule of the portuguese, germans, and british as well. all of these cultures have left there mark, often times in ther neighborhood in whcih i'm staying.

wandering around brings you past mosques and traders' dhows docked in the harbor. the portuguese fort jesus dominates the entry to the harbor while the scent of indian samosas and curry flood the air. i'm sitting in an internet cafe where men are speaking in not kiswahili but arabic. three times in the last week people have stopped to ask me if i'm german. 'bongo flava' music pumps out from street vedors' booths while the call to prayer radiates from the countless minarets that dot the skyline.

beyond the constant surprises i find when turning a corner on my daily wanderings, life is going well. classes are decent. practicing my limited swahili skills is a definite exercise in humility. housemates/classmates are all really cool. waking up to the sunlight crawling through the window with the sound of the ocean in the background is refreshing. breakfast on the balcony overlooking the harbor and world beyond is priceless.

in short, life is good. very good.


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fyi: photos are slowly being added, though they take precisely forever and a day to upoad at the internet cafe run by a sweet little ol' lady with big glasses from India. you can find them by clicking on the link to my photo album on the right.