You Can't Save em All.

ONE hard realization.

You don’t have to be an empathetic person for Africa to pull at your heart strings; it will find a way. Wether it is innocence of wildlife and mother nature taking its course or if it's a person, or a child in need.

Our business partner Daniel is very firm about not giving to the beggars. In fact, we have our guests check with him or the guide to see if it is ok to give, first. He does not want to encourage begging, and I truly understand why. A lot of times outside of the national parks, the children will wait by the speed bumps where the trucks have to slow down, to ask for handouts. Daniel explains that a lot of times, it is the parents sending their children out to ask for handout, rather than to teach the child the ways of life and to provide for the child. You heart will melt at times and even have stoic individuals growing soft. You cave and you give what you can. Then you come across another individual needing help, desperate, asking you for money. It never ends. And you soon realize, you cannot save them all.

On the island, the children have learned tourists will give sweets, gifts and food and know how to really work it. Most of the hotels have security even, and this is not really to keep trouble away, but to keep from beggars bothering guests while they are eating or lounging on their holiday. It is only natural to feel a tinge of guilt, when you are reaping all of the benefits of their homeland, but you are in a completely different financial situation than most of the locals. As long as I have been traveling here, the children and even some adults would strike that empathetic chord in me and I would cave, giving them money or whatever they asked for. I have learned now that you cannot save them all. You can try to help, but there will be another person tomorrow asking for help. You’ll bleed yourself dry if you let it. Fortunately my husband is pretty stoic and can help reel me in when needed.

What really bothers me on the island is the way they treat animals. It is common to see dogs with machete scars on their heads and backs and it is completely heart wrenching. They do not like dogs and have a firm belief that dogs are evil and impure; If a dogs nose or mouth is to touch them, they believe they need to bathe 7 times in order to be cleansed. Fortunately for us, we keep out dogs close to us, and they seem to be fascinated by our dogs for they size and the way they look and they way they are trained. But, they will not touch them If one of our dogs were to try to sniff them or go up to them, they scream, shout, jump and even run away. One time of the beach, Morticia got lose and ran up to a local trying to be her friendly self. He threw sand and shells at her and she ran away scared. It took us what felt like forever to find her. Probably one of the more nerve-racking moments here on the island.

On the island it is common to see cows pulling rickshaws/carts, also known as “the Zanzibar Ferrari”, you’ll see the locals sitting on the cat in the back, occasionally whipping the cow to move faster. One day when it was scorching hot out, we were on our way back from Stonetown, and we witnessed a local whipping the shit out of his cow, the cow was running, and then just collapsed; not moving at all. The local continued to whip the cow, but I am pretty sure it was dead. I have a huge soft spot for animals and this was one of the most devastating things I have witnessed. I wanted Ryan to turn the car around to go talk to the local, but like he pointed out to me, it wouldn’t get anywhere and he probably wouldn’t understand English and he wouldn’t ever listen to a woman. They are not taught here on island that animals are living beings, but more a tool for them. I cried the rest of the way home.