I've been imagining what it will like to come home; I know I'll get a lot of questions about the place I lived and what it was like. I'm not sure what I'll say; it's hard to condense this place into a few sentences. So I decided to ask my friends. I had a couple of going away parties at my house, with a mix of Pembans and foreigners who are working here. I asked them all the question "What would you like me to tell people about Pemba?" I recorded the answers and have some to share:
Bifatma Mgeni Haji, a District Education Officer
"Tell people that they shouldn't be afraid of coming to Pemba. People here are very generous, they are very peaceful, they can go around in the middle of the night with no tensions. They will see we have a very green island. And if they like to swim, we are surrounded by the sea! When you come back, you are not going to be a stranger here, you are coming home."
Helen Paul, a VSO education volunteer who's been to Pemba many times
"If I get the image of Pemba, I think of a daladala. Overcrowded, with maybe a goat on the roof, and chickens inside, and it's full. 27 people, but the conductor says there is more room inside. And then, someone gets on with a baby. The men stand up, and offer the woman their chairs. And if someone needs to get off, they help them to get their luggage off. People help each other. You see both sides of Pemba in that: people being pushy, danger as the daldala is driving too fast, but on the other hand, you see people living with their hearts and helping other people."
Annelies, a Dutch VSO education volunteer
"You have to tell Americans that the people here are very very helpful. For example, we went for a bike ride and someone forgot their bag. They brought it back to us. If we forget our lock, someone will bring the lock. We forgot a birthday cake for somebody in a daladala, and the daladala comes after us to bring us the cake. They are very very helpful."
Michael Trichler, a former Peace Corps Volunteer who now lives on Pemba
"I think it's best if I try to explain what I hope my son will take away from living here. There are some aspects of Pemba that I really want deeply engrained in my son. One of them being the respect for elders. I can't say it's been lost in the US, but there are definitely times when it seems it has been. For example, the elderly are often put away into homes and are not taken care of by their children. So that's one thing that I want my son to take away, that respect for elders.
"Another is: although people here are very poor, they are definitely very giving. You go to someone's house, they might not have a lot of money, but if they invite you over you're gonna have some really nice food. Those are the things that really stick out to me: that sense of sharing and community that's so deeply engrained in the culture here, as well as the respect for elders."
Khamis Rajab, my neighbor
"When you arrive in America, tell people that in this island, we live peacefully. Also tell them that our cloves are first grade (laughter). The best cloves come from here."
Maulid, an English teacher at the youth center
"It is not cloves which are our best thing - Kiswahili is what we have to offer the world!"
Sjoerd va Setten, a Dutch VSO doctor
"One of the major differences between the States and here, or between the Netherlands and here, is the pace of life. In Holland and the States we really live and work by the clock. Everything is divided into 10s of minutes or quarter hours and you have a very tight schedule and there's not a lot of free time for family and friends."
Hadia Othman, an American who has decided to retire in Pemba
"Being in Pemba has brought out the best in me. There are things and qualities about me that I didn't even know existed. And coming here and slowing down and using the facial muscles that are required to make you smile..... my face hurt for the first couple of months because I was smiling so much. The people here are absolutely wonderful, and I love being around them. It may seem that people here are poor. But in my opinion, they live in wealth and royalty, because the things that they have, no money can buy."
Hamid Haji, a member of my community English club
"There is space for visitors to come from abroad to our island to see some of our traditions, or some of our important things like animals and forests. We have a lot of things like this. We have a lot of lessons; if they want to come here, they are welcome. Tell them "Oh! Welcome to Pemba!" It is a good place, there are good people, even if you come from some other place, or a different tribe, or a different religion. If you visit some places in the world, people will dislike you because you are different, but in Pemba we don't have this thing.
"When guests come to visit our island, they should feel free to be together with us. Because I saw a lot of people when they come here to visit our island, they don't give anyone a chance to talk to them. They don't have conversation with us. They just say "hello" and keep walking. Talk to them, tell them they can talk to us, don't run away!"
That's all for now. Tujikatae!
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| Friends at a going away party |
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| My wonderful neighbors Biramla, Khamis, and their daughter Khadija. Some of the best friends I've had over the last two years. |
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