Paradise is a funny thing. It is desired because of its beauty and mystery, and yet it can be ruined if it is not properly appreciated. Too much time in paradise can erase its wonder. Too little time can hide that wonder completely. The best trip to paradise reveals incredible experiences and leaves the traveler with a greater sense of awe once they leave. As much as I would have loved to stay in Zanzibar for an entire week (or two…or three), I don’t think it would have been the same. Zanzibar is paradise in every sense of the word, and our weekend gave us the most adventurous and relaxing holiday we could’ve asked for.

I didn’t make the decision to go to Zanzibar until my first day here. By complete coincidence (flashback to one of my first blog posts), I ran into a group of 5 Work the World students returning from Zanzibar when I arrived at the Kilimanjaro airport. I ended up riding back to the house with them and they shared so many amazing stories from their trip. That’s when I made up my mind to try to make it happen, and it only took a few days for my friend Emily to join in. The week before we were set to leave, we convinced our new friends Mark and Janae to tag along too. We were planning to meet up with 2 other girls who had finished their placement the weekend before and were spending an entire week in Zanzibar. It was shaping up to be the perfect getaway.

Planning vacations in Tanzania is very different from the U.S., and we found that out quickly as we endured the rollercoaster ride of trying to work with our travel agent, Bobby, to confirm our flights just a few days before our intended departure. On Tuesday, we had flights confirmed for Thursday afternoon. By Tuesday evening we were told that those tickets were suddenly unavailable and no flights had any seats left. By Wednesday, we had flights booked for Friday but just a few hours later the price of the tickets and the hotel had suddenly increased. The entire process of trying to work with a man who I’m convinced is some sort of gangster left us exhausted by Wednesday afternoon. Looking back on it, it was the perfect attitude for us to have when we walked into his office and told him that we couldn’t go anymore if the prices increased. That was enough to convince him to “give us a discount” and we finally walked out that day with tickets in hand (despite our terribly misspelled names… you can call me Allison Duofolonin from now on). At that point, we were just hoping that the trip would be worth the stress we endured to make it happen.

It only took a few hours in Zanzibar for all of us to agree that if we had known how incredible it would be, we would have agreed to pay so much more. Every moment that we spent there held a new adventure. Our arrival was perfectly timed with the setting sun on the horizon of the ocean, a sight that I had been longing to see since our family’s last trip to Florida. It was my first time seeing the Indian Ocean and it was beautiful.

I lost count of how many times I had to remind myself that I was in Zanzibar, on vacation, experiencing something incredible. When I think back on it I can’t believe some of the adventures we had; thankfully the pictures are convincing enough that it actually happened. For example, on Saturday morning we swam with turtles. We did not just watch them swim or feed them. We SWAM WITH TURTLES! As in swimming so close to them and hopping on their shells to take a ride around the pool. They were housed in a natural conservation area, and most of them were brought there after they were accidentally caught in fishermen’s nets. The area was fairly large and there were at least 40-50 turtles that called it home. I couldn’t help but think of what this experience would’ve been like if it had been in the U.S. It would have been very organized, a “turtle trainer” would have been present in the water the entire time, and there probably would have been a time limit and a very high price attached. In Zanzibar, we paid 15,000 shillings (about $10) to jump into the pool and swim with the turtles for as long as our hearts desired. The staff gave us some seaweed to feed them, and just a small handful was enough to attract a swarm of turtles. It was surreal to look underwater and see so many of these beautiful creatures gliding around us. The big fish were equally hungry and beautiful, and thankfully they didn’t fancy going after our toes. I’m pretty sure I was in a state of surreal content for the entire morning. Even as some of our group left, three of us stayed and just sat on the edge of the pool as the turtles took turns swimming up to us and sitting on our laps (literally…massive, 29-year-old turtles sitting on our laps. Who knew they liked to cuddle?!). I think I could’ve spent the entire day there.

My other favorite moment of the trip was the sunset cruise we had on Saturday night. The shallow waters off the shore are riddled with old wooden boats made by the locals. One of these acted as our vessel to take us up and down the northern coast as the sun set on the horizon. When I think back to our entire weekend, those 3 hours are what I consider most as paradise. Sailing in the ocean with 5 good friends, watching the shore pass by on one side and the setting sun on the other, drinking local beer and listening to the drummers sing African songs. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It is the kind of memory that I want to return to so badly, but any attempt at re-creation of that night would never be able to do it justice. Even the pictures don’t truly capture the atmosphere and bliss of that night.

Our time in Zanzibar was a getaway that we all needed. As much as Arusha had already started to feel like home, it embodied that word on a whole new level after that weekend. Going on a vacation within a vacation (kind of) was a weird feeling, and it solidified my ability to really call Arusha “home”, for now.

As incredible as Zanzibar was, I don’t want to forget who made it all happen and who created it all in the first place. We would never have worked out all of the messy details beforehand without the sovereign hand of God fighting for us. He gave us grace, gave us peace and gave us the most amazing adventure we ever could have asked for. I got to see some of His most beautiful landscapes in those few days and experience His creation up close. Not every moment of mine was God-glorifying and obedient, but He taught me so much about His forgiveness and endless love over those 4 days. Even in my weakest moments, He was there. I feel Him the most when I get to spend time near His immensely powerful and beautiful ocean, and He gave me that time there for a reason. For me, it gave me the rest I needed before going into my last week of placement. I can’t praise Him enough for knowing what I need in every moment.

Zanzibar, thanks for being the most wonderful paradise.

– Allie