I'm a cultural anthropologist with a Ph.D. from the
University of Pittsburgh. I've been traveling
to Africa for over 22 years and I've studied, lived , and taught in both Kenya
and Tanzania. I am an Africanist scholar and I take Africa very seriously.
Na pia, ndiyo, naweza kusema Kiswahili. And yes of course I do speak
the Swahili language. For people like myself Africa is an essential part of life
and can't be forgotten or ignored. You may not become as "possessed" by Africa
as me but if you go on this trip I promise that you'll never look at that
continent and it's peoples the same way again. It will open your eyes to the
reality of Africa in a way that no book, movie, or webpage can.
I've done seven similar programs in the past, from 1998-2001 and then again in 2004, 2005, and 2013. In Fall 2010 I was on-site director for the Associated Colleges of the Midwest Tanzania Study Abroad Program. I was solely responsible for 21 American undergraduates for 5 months in Tanzania so, yes, I do know what I'm doing. Running programs like these is not easy or for the faint-of-heart. They require a lot of work and dedication. I do this it because it is important to me as an educator. I believe in the transformative power such experiential learning carries with it. I have learned so much from Africa and I want to share that with students. Twende nami na utaelewa! Come with me and you'll understand!