Muonja asali, haouji mara moja

On the fourth of October, I returned to Zanzibar one last time.

After leaving Zanzibar I went to Bagamoyo (1 hour north of Dar es Salaam); saw the biggest arts festival in East Africa; decided to go back to Dar; half way through the 1 hour bus trip, I decided to go to Zanzibar and learn the djembe drum at the music college; when I arrived in Dar I decided first to buy a ticket to take a 9 hour bus trip to Arusha, the official half way point between the Cape to Cairo trip; arrived in Arusha after a 15 hour trip due to the bus breaking down 4 times; found two British med students and at 9pm at night, when we arrived, went to Ujamaa Backpackers with them; ate left over mashed potato for supper and never tasted anything nicer after not eating much all day; spent the next day in glorious rain and coolness, taking pictures of the half way monument mark; took the late bus back to Dar the next day and arrived at 10pm; the next day bought my ferry ticket back to Zanzibar and was on the ferry by 12 noon; dosed on a couch, in the cool cabin room, listening to my music and being rocked by the sea; met the nephew of the owner of the ferry; arrived at about half passed three in the afternoon; was a registered student at the Dhow Countries Music Academy by 4:30pm.

And now here I sit, in my regular internet cafe. I see the familiarity of my places, and I still enjoy the new discoveries that I find each day. Fatma no longer (or at least rarely) calls me Khadija anymore. I now hear a "Hey! Lauren, mambo Lauren!"

Ninarudi hapa eZanzibar.

There is a swahili/Zanzibari quote that says: once you dip your finger in the honey, you go back for more - "Muonja asali, haouji mara moja"

On the bus I sat next to a newly graduated doctor who works in Moshi (near Arusha). She told me that it is nearly Diwali, the Hindu celebration of lights.

The Story Of Diwali

There were once three brothers, sons of the king, from three different wives. When each son was born the king told each wife that she could have any wish that she wants. The wife of the second born son asked the king if she could have her wish later and he agreed. When the elder son came close to getting the throne, the mother of the second born son went to the king and asked for her wish. Her wish was that her son and not the eldest son, Rama, get the throne. The king tried to change her mind but as he has to fulfill this promise, he banishes Rama and Rama's wife, Sita, to the forest for 14 years. The second born son however, refuses to take his brothers place and so agrees to rule the kingdom until Rama returns. But the brother never sits on Rama's throne, he rules the kingdom from a chair next to the throne.

While in the forest, Rama gets spiritual guidance and is told that he will have to defeat a bad spirit. This spirit is going to kidnap Sita. Sita, however, knows about this and so asks the Spirit of the Earth to take her soul back into the ground, to look after it, so that it is only her body that is taken. So this takes place. Rama eventually defeats the evil spirit, and this happens at the end of his 14 year banishment. Rama and Sita, who has her soul back, return to the kingdom and Rama takes up his position of ruler of the kingdom.

Every year, people light oil lamps to guide Rama and Sita back home.