United States - Tanzania - Part 1 - Tanzania - Part 2 - India - New Zealand - Mexico

Washington D.C. Letter Home

Written by IHP Trustee’s Fellow Meredith Palmer, and RG students Kelsie Meehan and Caithlin Madigan

 

Our trip began in Washington, DC. Everyone came in to the meeting area and shook each other’s hands. It seemed so formal, when we knew that within the next week we would begin to get to know each other. A large number of parents came to see off their sons and daughters, and the faculty were there to meet and greet. Questions were asked: where do you go to school, what is your major? We saw pictures and videos from past IHP experiences, exciting everyone for the upcoming adventure. Some parents even expressed the desire to join our trip! Then students took last-minute pictures with their families and said good-bye. We lugged on our backpacks and got on the bus to go to Abram’s Creek, near Mt. Storm in West Virginia.

 

Our Trustee’s Fellow, Meredith, had a warm meal of Vegan Lasagna just coming out of the oven when we arrived, hungry and tired from the long bus ride. After a quick name game, the students divided into groups of 3-4 to stay in the cabins on the campground property.

 

The next morning we started bright and early. We had our first enthralling Social Movements class with Gustavo in a geodesic dome which would be our classroom for our time at the retreat. Throughout the week we had orientations and vignettes that helped us prepare for the practicalities of the nine months ahead. We discussed physical manifestations and symptoms of culture shock, the importance of local laws and practices, and division of responsibilities and built norms among the group. For our last vignette we had a group discussion on privilege, which opened up the group to discussions of deeper issues and began to bring us together.

 

Through student’s poster presentations, both faculty and students learned more about each others’ passions and interests, and how they related to the theme of Rethinking Globalization. Our introductory lectures in International Economics, Social Movements, Environmental Policy and Governance, Anthropology, and Ecology and Conservation set up the groundwork for the themes and methods that we will be using for the rest of the year.

 

After a week highlighted by collectively prepared meals, yoga, drum circles around the nightly campfire, swimming in the creek, and the celebration of our first birthday on the trip with ice cream and a dance party, we took off for Washington, DC. On the way we stopped at the famous Polyface Farms in Northern Virginia. There Joel Salatin, a self-described Christian-libertarian-environmentalist-capitalist-lunatic, gave us his world-view on everything from veganism and vegetarianism to education, and exercising the land. He gave us a tour of his 550 acres nested in the Shenandoah Valley, and showed us how he is working to build ‘an ethic that goes from field to fork.’ That night we arrived at the William Penn House, just blocks from the Capitol Building, where we would be staying for the next few weeks.

 

After a few free days to explore the city, we jumped back into programming. Our first day, we visited our respective state representatives and senators to discuss issues ranging from environmental education to healthcare. Students had varied experiences; some were encouraged by the responsiveness of their congress-people and staffers, while others felt dismayed and discouraged by the lack of interest with which they were met. The next day we met with PR representatives from the World Bank, USAID, IFPRI, and the FAO. We all appreciated seeing the powerful institutions we have been learning about, and that work in all of the countries we will be visiting. The following day, we divided into smaller groups to visit various environmental NGO’s: Population Connection, Friend of the Earth, Green America, African Wildlife Foundation, and the Wilderness Society. Visiting these NGO’s for some was a hopeful antidote to previous visits’ disappointments.

 

That weekend we all had the opportunity to meet with former IHP students at a luncheon, while we heard a presentation from the Beehive Design Collective. We learned about their method of touring the country with murals that illustrate causes and effects of various global and local issues, and their experiment with collective living at their center in Maine. Their most recent piece on mountain-top removal and coal dependency tells a story of the exploitation of people and places across the United States, connecting us to issues very close to home for many of us. Seeing the Alumni joyfully re-unite with each other after a year apart, it was exciting to think that we would hopefully be doing the same a year from now. Hearing stories about what former students have been doing after Rethinking Globalization made us realize what a life-changing experience it can be.

 

The next week we had a visit from a panel of speakers from the National Coalition for the Homeless. Many were moved by the first-hand accounts of life with homelessness, from men and women who had experienced homelessness in Washington, DC. As we were about to embark on a journey learning the complexities of injustices around the world, it was eye-opening and sobering to hear of the kind of injustices we are studying do not only occur abroad, but also in the United States.

 

After a wonderful lecture at the Institute for Policy Studies on the current economic crisis, and a few days to process and reflect on our three weeks in the United States, and stay up late finishing papers and readings, we were ready to embark on the next leg of our journey. Our time in the United States prepared us to ask new kinds of questions, shed our assumptions, and to be surprised wherever we go. We packed, and un-packed, and re-packed our bags, and sent excess baggage home. Friday morning we were as ready as we could be to take off on a two-day journey to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania!

 

Tanzania Letter Home

Part 1 - Zanzibar

Written by Trustee’s Fellow Meredith Palmer, and RG students Rebecca Bilodeau and Sadye Harvey

 

We arrived in Dar es Salaam after two uneventful traveling days. We were greeted at the airport by Prisca and Fatma Khaled, our amazing logistics coordinators, and smells of dust, spices, and smoke. We settled into the YWCA where we would spend our first week in Tanzania. Upon arrival we received our country readings, hand-woven baskets, and kanga for the women to wear, and kikoi for the men – both traditional forms of clothing and communication in Tanzania and elsewhere in Africa. That evening officially met Fatma Alloo, our esteemed country coordinator, then spent the next day recovering from jet-lag.

 

The following week was full of provocative lectures and activities. We met with Dr. Tundu Lissu, activist and scholar, who shed more light on the pervasive problems in Tanzania with resource extraction by international mining companies. We spent some time at the University of Dar es Salaam, which was unfortunately not in session. A highlight there was a day-long workshop with Dr. Nyoni, and his assistants, on Theater for Social Development. During the session we participated in group-building games, learned songs and dances, and created short presentations exploring our own group dynamics through theater pieces. ‘Women’s Day’ marked the end of the week, highlighted by a lecture on the women’s rights movement by Fatma Alloo, who is known throughout the country and beyond for her work in this field. We also heard an inspiring talk by Salma Maoulidi who described the myths and realities of women in the local Muslim culture, as well as the female body as a political landscape. She challenged the perception that a garment used to cover the face from the eyes down, here called a bui-bui, is necessarily a form of female oppression. It prepared us for our movement into the Zanzibari homestays, all with Muslim families.

 

The next day we lugged our packs to the port and boarded a large ferry to take us to Stone Town on the southern island of Zanzibar, where we would spend the next two weeks. Some of us could not handle the swells of the Indian Ocean, and spent the trip contemplating the unsavory bathroom situation. Others gleefully watched flying fish skim across the surface of the azule waters from the bow or the stern of our vessel. Upon docking, we saw Munira, our kind and graceful Country Team leader for the Zanzibar program. After she spirited us quickly through customs, which allowed us to enter the semi-autonomous islands of Zanzibar, we were gathered by our twelve respective home-stay families. Some were anxious of the prospect of being separated from the group for thirty-six long hours.

 

We spent the first few days in and around Stone Town, attending lectures at the UWZ Center for people with disabilities. We learned to navigate the winding streets and alleys that historically define the city as having strong Arab and Indian influences through early trade connections. Through a presentation by Professor Sheriff we learned to identify various architectural styles seen in the city, especially focusing on the carved-wood and metal doors for which Stone Town is famous. After meeting Professor Farouk Topan, our anthropology expert for the Zanzibar portion of the Tanzania program, Fatma spoiled us by arranging an afternoon at the beach and pool at the Mtoni Marine center. In the evening we toured Mtoni palace, the former home of the sultan of Zanzibar and his harem of 77 women. It was also the home of the infamous Princess Salma, who eloped with a German soldier and was the first Zanzibari woman to write a book, which told her story of being a woman in Zanzibar. We enjoyed a candle-lit performance of Taarab in the white-washed ruins of the Mtoni Palace. We sipped on teas and spiced coffee and supped on local sweets as the haunting and melodious tunes of the Taarab band tickled our senses under the star studded sky.

 

The next three days we divided into three smaller groups to adventure around the island. One site was Jozani National Park, where we learned about the challenges of finding ways to balance community and land conservation and preservation. We walked through part of the preserved forest area, learning about various medicinal plants and their uses, and viewed the endemic red colobus monkey troops, which entertained us with their charismatic antics. After climbing the tangled roots of the Mangrove trees, we were welcomed by our one-night home-stay in Pete, a nearby village. In the evening we took part in a village dance led by children and women of the community. Some students were struck by the strength of unity in the community there, where neighbors know neighbors, support each other in times of need, and celebrate together in times of joy.

 

We also visited the town of Jambiani, a 3 km coastal community that is increasingly becoming a tourist hub. We met and chatted with the seaweed mamas, (a women’s seaweed farming cooperative), and learned about their role in the global trade of carigneenan, which comes from seaweed and is used in many commercial products that we all use, from ice cream to mascara. It was frustrating to see contradiction in action, where the women experienced economic empowerment but at the same time understanding their own disenfranchisement through extremely low wages. The same women’s cooperative also ventured into coconut-husk rope making and various other crafts, and running a small restaurant. Nearby, we toured a seven-person cooperative farm which grew limes and coconuts in the tough coral terrain.

 

The final site that was visited was Changu Island, or ‘prisoner’ island, where rebellious slaves were kept and sick sailors were quarantined during early trade days. We fed the dinosaur-like giant tortoises that lived in an enclosure on a corner of the island that is now a resort. Later we hopped in the water just off-shore to join the schools of tropical fish and observe the coral reef that has been degraded by over fishing and pollution. It was shocking to see firsthand the damage to this ecosystem that we had discussed in class.

 

After two days off, we processed our field trips and prepared for a final week of academic classes. We enjoyed a riveting clarification of Marx’s theories on history, capitalism and society by our very own economics professor Derek Shaw. We were invited into the home of Fatma Alloo and enjoyed high tea and local cuisine, resting on large floor pillows and carved wood couches. Midweek, students took the day to explore their individual research endeavors, meeting with women’s soccer groups, a youth organizer, a transportation facilitator, craftspeople, and other city officials. The day was a valuable opportunity for students to engage with topics of their choice on their own terms, outside of the highly structured group activities. We finished the week with a smorgasbord of delectable classes and an afternoon of processing and reflecting on the past few weeks punctuated by Fatma Alloo’s homemade banana ice cream.

 

We departed Zanzibar in the rain; the weather reflected our moods as we said goodbye to our home-stay families and bustling, labyrinthine, and romanticized Stone Town. We boarded the ferry looking ahead to our future endeavors in national parks, Maasailand, and at the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro as the wind whipped our hair and kangas from the bow of the boat.

Part 2 - Northern Tanzania

Written by Trustee’s Fellow Meredith Palmer, and RG students Burge Abiral,Jesse Mostoller, and Diana Walsh

 

After a night in Dar es Salaam, we began our trip to Northern Tanzania. We took a bus up north on our way to Moshi, packed lunches in store. We stopped for one night in Hale, where we visited a sisal fiber processing facility. We saw how the long leaf-like spines of the cactus were crushed and processed to extract their white rough fibers to be used for twine, tea bags, floor mats, and many other things. The excess waste at this facility was gathered and processed in a series of enormous tanks to be made into bio-fuel to power a large generator. We also got a chance to visit a large sisal plantation, and speak through translators to the farmers about their wages and working conditions. The next day, we headed on to Moshi, a city that sits at the base of the majestic Mt. Kilimanjaro. We stayed in the city for three days and visited a coffee bean processing plant that prepares beans for export all over the world. During a free day, some student visited a small-scale coffee farmer’s cooperative located in the fertile volcanic soils of the area surrounding Kilimanjaro. In Moshi, we even got the chance to view an international coffee auction room. These activities, interspersed with classes from our traveling faculty and lectures from Mr. Diamette, a local expert on the coffee economy, all took place in the shadow of the mountain. On our last day, during a class on the ecology of the area by Jen Jones, we finally got to see a glimpse of the sparse snows on the peak of the mountain, which had been hiding herself in the cover of clouds for days.

 

The next morning we prepared our bags, and took off on another trip organized by a local tour group, Mauly Tours. We left our large packs in Arusha, taking just what we needed for a three-night trip to the national parks of Northern Tanzania. We divided into land rovers and land cruisers and headed off to Jambo Camp, where we would stay the first night. Here we were spoiled with a swimming pool, and cold soda, while we camped under the large nests of Marabou Storks which inhabited the trees above us. In the evening, we feasted on our first meal cooked by Moodi, who would feed our hungry group for the next few weeks. The next morning we rose early to pack our bags and pile back into the safari vehicles. Our first stop was Lake Manyara National park. On a game drive we saw the hippo pool, elephants, warthogs, giraffes, gazelles, impalas, blue colobus and black-faced monkeys and vervet that inhabit the park area. We had brief class in the park, before we took off to our next stop: the famous Ngorongoro National Park.

 

A troupe of baboons swinging on trucks greeted us as we entered the park. Careful not to get too close, we snapped photos and took videos of their antics. At the entrance we learned about the tectonic plate rifts that allowed the creation of the craters, and discussed the state’s approach to conservation. Then we rambled up the crater roads, arriving at the crest just in time to see the sun get low over the crater, on our way to Simba Camp, where we would spend the next two nights. The next morning, October 31st, we prepared for a safari drive through the crater with many in Halloween costumes. Transformed into Captain Underpants’, Adam and Eve, lichen, Frida Kahlo, and dressing as each other, we hopped back into our respective vehicles. Upon descending into the crater, we did the ‘jigsaw’ activity, where students divide into small groups discussing different assigned articles about the crater’s land and conservation issues. Our class ended when a slow herd of Zebra and cows began rambling in our direction.

 

For the next six hours, with a lunch break included, we rumbled across the base of the crater. We saw cheetah, ostrich, simbas (lions), wildebeest, zebra, African buffalos, elephants, hippos, hyenas feeding, secretary bird, crowned crane, plovers, and more. Tired yet invigorated by pressing issues and questions, we gathered in the evening to talk about our day in the crater.

 

As a large group, we discussed the idea of ‘fortress conservation’, questioning the wisdom of fencing off areas for conservation for only a special few. We specifically talked about the pastoral Maasai peoples, who have lived in the area for years in harmony with their surroundings. Who has the right to these resources? What are the impacts of the vehicles and the roads on the delicate ecology of the parks? In the crater we had seen some of the Maasai’s cattle dying on the side of the road from thirst, while we had open access to water from the crater set aside exclusively for the use of tourists. Our discussion was interrupted when an elephant came to drink from the water cisterns on the roofs of the camping facility, perhaps engaging in his own social movement to take back his right to water. That evening as we sat around the campfire sharing Halloween candies, we watched as Zebras passed by and bush pigs foraged near our tents. After a 7:30 am campfire economics class the next morning about why farmers in America make more money than those in Tanzania, we headed out of the crater into Arusha, to work on theoretical economics papers for the next few days.

 

For our final week of programming, we met up with Fatma Alloo again, who would accompany us along our long, bumpy, and dusty bus ride to Terrat, also called Maasailand. There we were welcomed by six young Maasai student translators who would stay with us during the week, and by William Olenasha and Francis Shomet, our local coordinators and anthropology faculty. Our tents were pitched at an NGO compound, where we would have breakfast and lunch for our six-day visit. That evening we had the option of participating in a welcome ceremony of the sacrifice of a goat. Afterward, the Maasai warriors greeted us with a welcoming dance - chanting, jumping and quivering their shoulders. Our group, a majority of women, watched as the men danced, sometimes joining in by responding with a quiver of the shoulder. The men in our group, however, were welcome to join the men in their dance. At night we gathered around the campfire and ate the sacrificed goat.

 

The next day, we talked about the Maasai culture and Maasai social movements, their concepts of conservation, and the relationship with the state as it had developed from the perspective of a pastoralist peoples. In the evening the students walked two miles to the Boma - which is a compound of circular huts that are made out of sticks, mud and cow dung. All the houses are surrounded by two rings of fencing, to protect cattle from lions and other predators. This year the boma was strangely devoid of all livestock. The area, we learned, has been experiencing severe drought, and we were informed that if the rains did not arrive within the next few weeks, the cattle which had taken twenty years to raise, would perish from thirst and hunger.

 

We were greeted by the young boys and girls running from the boma to meet us. Once we entered the fences, the mothers and young girls took our hands and led us to their huts, choosing which students would stay in their home for the night. Inside the huts were smoky and hot. A fire for cooking and warmth was lit in the middle of each hut, which boasted no ventilation, as the roofs are made of tight thatch to keep out potential rains. We were served a sweet chai in the evening, then joined in dancing and singing with the community. At night, we curled up in beds made of cow hides suspended on a wooden frame with woven rope for support. For three days the routine continued as students who had stayed in the boma would trek back to the campsite for another day of classes. The language barrier was strong, but many students who stayed in the boma found that language was not necessary to form relationships with their host families.

 

Throughout the rest of the week, battling a group-wide flea infestation, but enjoying the calm mornings left for work, reading, and reflection, we had time for classes and discussions. We talked to Maasai women about their lives, experiences with female circumcision, as well as sexuality and gender roles in Maasailand. Students visited cheese factories located in the NGO compound. Donated by a man from a Dutch cheese company, the machines usually made Gouda cheese, but were currently still since the drought has rendered milk and cows scarce. On our last day in Maasailand, our host mothers came for a shared feast where we exchanged gifts and some hugs and smiles. In the evening we had another dance with the Maasai warriors and shared with them songs that we knew from popular culture, television, and radio. We sat around the campfire and sang before going to bed, enjoying the calm and peace and harsh beauty of the environment.

 

Back in Arusha, we had four days of finalization and processing. Students collaborated to create presentations for the Contemporary Social Movements course, which served to describe and reflect upon the social movements we came to know in Tanzania. In small groups, students creatively expressed what they learned through dance, prose, poetry, drama, and skits, including a dialogue between a zebra and an elephant. We were ready for our week of vacation after our farewell soiree, where we savored a delicious coffee and vanilla cake, took group pictures, and recited our appreciations for Fatma and the co-facilitator, Prisca. We paired for vacation. Some students went to United African Alliance community center to relax in a community atmosphere. Others went back to Zanzibar to stay with their host families who they had connected with during our time there. Another group went to Lushoto, a small town in the mountains, to hike and relax among nature. Another group stayed put in Arusha, to enjoy the tourist amenities and relax before the program in India.

 

We left from Kilimanjaro International Airport where we bid the plains of Tanzania farewell, flying through a cloud of thick orange dust as it whipped the tail of our plane. We would arrive safely the next day in Delhi, India, as prepared as we could be to explore a new round of questions and discoveries.

India Letter Home

Written by  RG Students Janelle Little, Hannah Stokes, Lauryn Sherman, Li Yu Chan, Poppy Lyttle and Katelyn Melvin.

 

Namaste from India!

We arrived in Delhi exhausted from our long flight, but were immediately captivated by the visceral feelings of timelessness, chaos, and energy of the country. After a couple of days of recuperation with Parle-G’s (India’s famous biscuits) and copious amounts of chai, we were ready to begin the next portion of our journey. We were treated to a beautiful welcoming ceremony by coordinators and faculty members, Saachi, Aseem and George, who presented us with wreaths of marigolds and a ring of candles, symbolizing our becoming a learning community.

Mornings in Delhi began with scattered auto-rickshaw commutes from our home-stays to the Indian Social Institute (ISI) where classes were held– a fast-paced, hectic experience that familiarized us with the layout of the city and its palpable energy. We breathed the pollution and struggled to decide whether or not to give money to the women and children begging on the streets. Inside the classroom, panel discussions about religious and cultural pluralism and a lecture with renowned writer and scholar Ashis Nandy on “dissenting imagination” sparked lively debates. A traditional dance performance in the Bharatanatyam style enlivened our studies, as well. Free time was spent in the many markets and some went on an optional trip to visit India’s most iconic structure, the Taj Mahal. Another highlight of the Delhi program was a lavish Thanksgiving feast hosted by a former IHP student and her family, complete with pumpkin pie! All of the students and faculty enjoyed this opportunity to give thanks for the incredible time thus far and to reflect on our families and friends back home.

Our journey to Gandhi’s ashram in Sewagram commenced with an introduction to the Indian railway system on an overnight trip. This part of the program was informed by discussions about Gandhian principles of experimentation, non-violence and self-sufficiency. As an example of self-sufficiency and the village economy, we learned about khadi (hand-spun cotton) and a few of us purchased spinning wheels to introduce this practice into our lives. We washed our dishes with ash for the first time, an act of spiritual significance, and took bucket showers with hot water heated over a campfire. Many of us awoke at 5:30 a.m. for yoga lessons with Saachi and ended the day with a pluralistic prayer session led by the ashram community.

Continuing our stay in Maharashtra state, we traveled to Yogini and Ajay’s farm, who run an N.G.O., called SRUJAN, which works in local villages implementing various development projects. Centered in the heart of Bt Cotton fields, we learned about the introduction of this genetically modified crop and the inescapable cycle of debt that has caused a massive wave of farmer suicides in the area. We studied the cotton commodity chain in depth, beginning with site visits to cotton farmers where we picked cotton, reinforced walls with cow dung, and plowed a field with an ox-pulled cart. Students fell in love with the farm puppies, had insightful conversations with faculty, and relaxed under the Neem tree, grateful for its protection from the intense heat of the afternoon sun. We participated in “open space” discussions about animal rights, created a fiction club, and ambled through the countryside to admire a glorious sunrise over the distant hills. Two important themes emerged that would stay with us throughout India: silence and decommissioning, or the choice to eliminate or ‘unpack’ common words that carry heavy connotations. An unexpected treat arrived in the form of long-anticipated brownies promised by ECCP faculty member, Jen Jones. This challenging time of questioning and exploration ended with a feast provided by our gracious hosts and community members, who piled food on our plates with abundant love and hospitality.

Our bellies still stuffed with delicious food, we traveled to Karuna and Vasant’s organic farm, where Gandhian values influence their lifestyle and practice. We learned about the importance of meaningful work, right livelihood, and community interdependency. Poop became a dominant subject, as we were housed in it, built reinforced structures with it, converted it into bio fuel using our hands, and struggled with some ferocious stomach critters. Classes, held in an expansive bamboo grove, covered diverse topics; from the financial crisis to methods of listening and storytelling. Our joyous finale to this inspirational time concluded with playing local games like “Kabbddi” with a local community and a goodbye party for our beloved faculty, Jen Jones and Oliver Froehling, and honorary IHP student, Liam Eady, IIDE faculty Derek Shaw’s son. Additional goodbyes were said to each other, with two students remaining on the farm and the rest departing for vacations throughout the Indian subcontinent.

Well rested from vacations spent in the mountains of Shimla, the deserts of Rajasthan, the seaside of Kerala and the cities of Mumbai and Delhi, we reconvened to meet our next regional coordinator, Sonal Metha. A six-hour overnight bus journey from Ahmedabad, the capitol of Gujarat, brought us to Bhuj, the main city of Kachchh. As India’s second largest district, Kachchh has one of the lowest populations in India and is rife with economic exploitation and environmental degradation. We lived in a Jain temple and observed their religious routines, such as eating before sunset and listening to the devotional music which sounded throughout the complex. Our exploration of the many issues in Kachcch became tangible through our small-group field visits. Some of us traveled to the Little Rann of Kachchh to learn about the struggle of itinerant salt pan workers and their families, while others visited the nomadic communities of the Banni grasslands. Some students studied Kachchh’s famous craft industry and another group traveled to the SEZ (Special Economic Zone) at Mundra Port where they were struck by the devastation of a protected mangrove forest and the destruction of the livelihoods of local fishing communities for export-driven economic development. The pain and grief we witnessed in Kachchh made our joyous New Year celebration seem bittersweet and profoundly meaningful. With hopeful wishes in our hearts, we ushered in the New Year under the gaze of an auspicious blue moon and partial-lunar eclipse, and vowed to carry with us the memory of what we saw and learned.

Our final destination in India was the Tamarind Tree farm in Dahanu, run by a couple named Hemant and Michelle. Our days were filled with field-visits to the local villages and discussions about activism surrounding indigenous and environmental issues. In addition to visiting local villages, some students visited Bhoomi-Sena, a resistance-group known as “the army of the land,” while others visited prominent farmers who had protested the construction of the nearby Reliance Energy powerplant. We had a tour of the plant, which supplies energy to a Mumbai suburb, where we spoke to a company representative and a few of the engineers who operate the machinery and live in the company’s housing colony. Many of us indulged after our classes in swims in the river, naps in the hammock, and beautifully-prepared meals by the kitchen staff. We spent a significant portion of our time processing our experience together and compiling our final presentation, where we were reunited with many of the coordinators and faculty whom we had parted from along the way. Our final evening was one of festivity and feast, where we gave thanks to our faculty and them to us and we ate together one last time before a 3 a.m. departure to New Zealand.

 

New Zealand Letter Home

Written by IHP Trustee’s Fellow Meredith Palmer and RG students Alley Mazzullo, Gina Wizotsky, Jon Goldblatt, West Denny, and Laura Zuckerman

 

We arrived in New Zealand/Aotearoa after a long day’s journey safe and jetlagged. We were met at the airport by Peter Horsley, our New Zealand Coordinator and Environmental Policy and Governance teacher for New Zealand, and Monique and Laurel, our lovely New Zealand co-coordinators. That evening Michal, our Anthropology professor who we hadn’t seen since Washington DC, joined us at the Backpackers. We were overwhelmed by what we had come to see as amenities and luxuries, such as flush toilets, soft squishy mattresses and all the wide range of food choices. Many of us experienced reverse culture-shock, a common phenomenon upon return to a ‘westernized’ country, as we walked the streets of Wellington.

After two days of rest and recuperation, we boarded a bus and met Rawiri, our boisterous and wise guide. After a very short hour and a half bus ride we arrived at our weeklong retreat in Otaki, happy that travel distances would be significantly reduced now that we were in a much smaller country. At the retreat we were able to cook for each other, each night a different group deciding on a menu and testing their culinary skillz. We began a nightly ritual of saying grace and letting the elders eat first. During our time there we met a variety of different people including our new ecology professor, Willie, who looks at environmental problems through the lens of an evolutionary biologist. We were happily joined by Willie’s wife Rewa, and their three children, Nikau, Rosa, and Hazel, for the following week of the program. It was a week of introduction to themes that we would continue to explore throughout New Zealand, such as the so-called ‘Clean Green New Zealand,’ Maori world view through time, the tension between Maori and pakeha (a Maori word for anyone who is not Maori), reflexivity and the problematization of research with/about the ‘other,’ and a variety of other themes. We also used the week to recover from the intensity of India and Tanzania. We swam in the frigid river, explored the fern-tree forests, saw glowworms at night and learned Maori songs.

Our next stop was Massey University in Palmerston North, where we were given thought provoking lectures on themes that ranged from animal rights in Western society, to ecological economics and alternative technologies, to Maori world view. Our last night we were graced by the presence of Stuart Devenie, New Zealand’s current top thespian, and Laurel’s father, who gave us a private showing of his one man play about Joseph Hatch. The satirical yet thought-provoking play highlighted the idea that “it is difficult to look at history through the lenses of the present.” The next morning we boarded Rawiri’s bus once again to drive to the Tirorangi Marae in Ngati Rangi. We were greeted with a powhiri, a song ceremony to welcome us and our ancestors onto the Marae, which is a sacred space for meeting and ceremony. We believe that the Marae was a profound experience for all who were involved. For four days we slept, ate, sang and talked communally and ceremonially. Keith Wood and his wife Mercier were our main hosts who invited us to visit their sacred places and spaces, at local rivers, mountains, and lakes. Narissa, a member of the same iwi or tribe, also hosted us here and continued with us through Wellington, providing us with a vital perspective and kind guidance. We closed our time on the Marae with a Poroporaki farewell, in which we shared songs, thanks and reflections on our time together.

On the bus again, we headed to Tongariro National Park where we stayed in Whakapapa. Unfortunately the weather kept us indoors, although a few adventurous souls ventured into the beautiful and wild National Park. One highlight of our time there was a provocative and interesting talk with Nic Etheridge and Keith Woods about the idea of co-management between Maori and the Department of Conservation, each side representing his or her view on the issue. Every night we had glorious food prepared by Chrissy and Tanya, two women who have come to cook for the IHP group for a few years now. Our time at Whakapapa ended with a party in which we were challenged to create hats only from material from the surrounding bush. Peter stole the spotlight with a majestic afro made out of moss that he “borrowed” from a nearby rock-bed.

We then returned to Wellington where we stayed a week and a half in home stays with Green Party members. It was a week of lectures. Some of the highlights included: Kevin Hastings from the department of forestry who spoke to us about New Zealand’s controversial conservation and pest control strategy; John Hutchinson from Fonterra, the dairy distribution company of New Zealand, who gave us an interesting insight into corporate culture; Charles Dawson who gave us a heartfelt lecture on ecological literature and the importance of stories, including his own; and Jessica Hutchings, an east Indian, Maori, lesbian academic who taught us about gender, sexuality and Maori identity in modern Aotearoa. We also had the opportunity to visit the ‘bee hive’ as the parliament building is referred to, where we met with higher officials of the Green Party of New Zealand. It was inspiring to see an accessible and honest political party that shared some the values that we had been learning about like consensus. As it was the week before vacation, we had the pleasure of meeting all of the arriving visitors: Maria’s parents, Sadye’s boyfriend Jeremy, Meredith’s boyfriend Alex and Tamer’s mom. We all parted ways and embarked on our vacations for a week. Some of us stayed on the North Island and some took various forms of transportation to the South Island, either by plane or by ferry.

Nine days later we met back up in Nelson, a town on the north end of the South Island, where we split into two groups for a week of field trips. Half of us went to Takaka in Golden Bay where we explored alternative ways of being, including permaculture, alternative building strategies, intentional communities and local politics. Our days were filled with site visits to various establishments around the Golden Bay area, such as Autumn Farm, a gay collective living area and farm, and Motupipi School, an ‘Enviro’ elementary school in which the children gave us a tour of the garden. We also visited Mark Menson and his heard of 430 cows, where we got an insiders’ view of being a dairy farmer and of being a dairy cow in New Zealand. The other half of our group went Nelson Lakes and Kaikoura. The first two nights we stayed at Willie’s farm, Golden Downs, where we were hosted by Rewa, Willie’s wife, and their children, Nikau, Rosa and Hazel. We learned about pine plantation forestry and native forestry. On the way to Kaikoura we stopped in Blenheim to tour the first carbon neutral winery in the world. In Kaikoura we visited the town council where we learned about local waste management, which was supplemented by a visit to the local dump. In both locations, the groups had a chance to learn more about local issues and people’s stances on important issues in New Zealand life and politics. Local politics, waste minimization, and conservation and environmental policies were the themes experienced first-hand during these field trips.

After a week apart the whole group finally came back together for our final retreat in Nelson Lakes National Park at Alpine Lodge. This beautiful lake is home to some of the oldest eels in New Zealand. Our days here were full. We had time to process our experiences in New Zealand, put together a final presentation, help the faculty cook our meals, and prepare ourselves for the final country on our journey, Mexico. The night before we left we dined on a scrumptious meal of fresh fish, potatoes, salad, green beans, apple crisp, and strawberries, prepared by the faculty. We said our thanks and goodbyes, in song and in cards, and the next morning at 7am began our long journey to Mexico City.

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