Pretty Much Paradise

After saying goodbye to our friends at Mwangaza we hopped on a flight to Zanzibar for a much needed fall break! The airport was a little more stressful than we anticipated because after checking in for our flight we learned that only some of our bags would be coming with us. The plane was too small to take all of them, so some would be arriving the next day. I was panicking a little, as this was the one time I hadn’t thrown a change of clothes in my carryon, or a swimsuit for that matter. Thankfully I saw my bag getting loaded onto the plane. Those of us who didn’t get their bags right away only got them back the night before we left, but thankfully they had all planned ahead and packed their swimsuits!

The forecast for our time on the island was non-stop thunderstorms, and we touched down to an absolute downpour. Driving to our hotel, Smiles Beach, was more like driving through a small river! However, the rain stopped right as we were finished unpacking so we headed straight for the Indian Ocean. The water was brilliantly blue and the beaches were truly the softest sand I’ve felt before. Pretty much paradise!

Johnny on the shore.

The next day we had the whole day free to explore and relax. I spent the morning in the water with Elijah, Patric, and Silas. We swam way out to some of the boats that were anchored off shore and made a lot of Finding Nemo jokes. Needless to say, we all "touched the butt." We also sang a few verses of "How Far I'll Go" from Monana as we stared out at the waves breaking on the reef in the distance. Being in saltwater again felt incredible and brought me right back to lazy days this summer floating in the Mediterranean. The kind of relaxation I’m able to achieve from floating in the ocean is incomparable to anything else. Having access to the ocean is something I will dearly miss when I eventually get back to campus.

A large group of us ate lunch at the Coco Cabana, a beachside restaurant a little ways down from our hotel. I enjoyed my first real piña-colada and some of us even swam while we waited for the food! The highlight of Zanzibar, however, was the boat ride we took later that afternoon. Johnny and Patric hired a sailboat that took us down the coast as the sun was setting. Even though Annika's foot is still healing, we were able to get her on the boat! We enjoyed fresh fruit and the crew put on some absolute bops on the speaker - an entire playlist of old-school Justin Bieber. They thought it was hilarious that we knew all the words! Before turning back we were able to jump off the upper deck and into the ocean! We were all laughing and pulling one another into the water. A few people were a little nervous to make the leap, but we made sure to jump with them so that everyone could have that experience. Moments like that are such a perfect representation of how supportive this group is; I’m so glad to have all of them here.

1. Group pic by the shore! PC: Johnny Goodson. 2. Smilin' through the sunburns. 3. Me, Alexa, and Noah on the deck of our boat. 4. A passing sailboat. PC: Johnny Goodson. 5. Getting Anni into the boat! PC: Johnny Goodson.

On the final day we drove into Stonetown, the oldest part of the city, and visited the East African Slave Trade Memorial. I was glad we took the time to visit this site despite our "vacation mindset"; I would have felt guilty just taking in the white sand beaches without acknowledging the history of this place as well. As we stood in the misty rain and looked down at statues draped with original chains, I was struck by the joyful sounds of young children laughing and playing outside the school next door. The juxtaposition of laughter and the heavy history of the place we stood stayed with me as we got on the bus and made our way to the airport to leave for India. Although visits to sites like this are challenging, it is so important that we continue putting ourselves in places of discomfort when it comes to history. Only then will we be able to do better than the past.

-GMH