peanutaroo: almost six years later . . .

and here I am in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, working on my research. I've been on a project here for the last few years examining a remarkable all-girls secondary school. Now I'm back for a month to interview 6-8 graduates and their families to see whether, how, in which ways and to what extent schooling impacts young women's lives in ways that are considered 'empowering'. These young women are not strangers to me - some of them I've interviewed 5 times - and I'm excited to see them again and hear their stories. Here in Dar I've got the warm hospitality of my sister Anna - a policy and gender activist (here she is heading off to advocate for Tanzania's women and children) - and a balcony with a breeze, the smell and sound of the ocean, and the view below. Tomorrow I head to Morogoro with my colleague Judith to begin the real work. Today I spent some time working under a banda at a beach just steps away from Anna's. There was a beach volleyball tournament, Tanzania vs. Kenya, and the place was full of energy and playfulness. I wish scenes of joy and ebullience in everyday life, like what I saw today, were what people thought of when conjuring images of Africa. As you can see, the heat of Dar seems to have melted my camera so things look pink. What you don't see is how the sun also made short work my sunscreen and made my February in Minnesota shoulders just as pink. Missing the family, sending love.