Lions, zebras, and monkeys! Oh my!

So many animals!

I've been diligently reading my guidebook--I read it on the subway riding home, or while the kids I babysit practice piano, or on the bus--anytime I have a spare moment, out comes the Tanzania guidebook. For my guidebook I had two options, the Rough Guide or the Lonely Planet Guide. I was told that the Lonely Planet Guide was more common among travelers, so in an effort to go further off the beaten path (and of course, find the "authentic" experience) I went with the less popular Rough Guide. I liked that this guide had fewer pictures, my thought is that photographs of places help to create an idealized image. As Jenkins says, photographs become texts and representations of the world. In my guidebook there seem to be a few dozen photos, more than half of which are of animals. Indeed, on the cover is a picture of a zebra. After this there are photos of flamingoes, lions, fish, elephants, and monkeys (to name a few). The first photo that includes a person in it, is a picture of a young man painting a mural of a giraffe. Wow. There is even a guide of the mammals of East Africa. It looks like I better study up.
These glossy photos of animals send a message and create a representation of Tanzania. They create the illusion of Tanzania as an exotic place with a plethora of exotic wildlife. If one took the ratio of photos of people to animals to heart, one could imagine that there are more animals than people (or that the animals are more important than other parts of the country).
Reading the guidebook has proved helpful--I've learned about the currency, the visa process, what type of vehicle to rent, and how to wire money. I've begun to wonder though, how much reading the guidebook is actually preparing me for the trip versus how much stress it induces (significant space is given to appearance and behavior, sexuality, appropriate gifts, drugging, and safe water). While I know that these are things that I need to consider and be aware of, I do not want to be consumed by these things. I finished reading "The Zanzibar Chest" and frankly, I think this is adding to the unease. By the end of the book, every major character has died. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised, it is advertised as a "story of life, love, and DEATH in foreign lands." To try to boost by spirits, I've just begun reading "Bad Trips," a collection of essays edited by Keath Fraser. These stories are making me feel much better.
A last thought about the preparation experience. I spent Monday and Tuesday of this week canvassing in Virginia. During the last couple hours the polls were open on Tuesday, I was assigned to knock on doors in a public housing development with a 38-year-old man named Eric. I was originally put off by Eric, he asked if he could take my picture and was especially chatty. As we began to walk the development I quickly began to get a better sense of him. As a refuge from Rwanda, this was Eric's first time voting (in ANY election), and not only was he volunteering in Virginia, but during the primaries he worked in Ohio. He spoke to me about the genocide in Rwanda, and how important it is to have the right to vote. He was so proud to be able to vote for Obama. I told him that this was my first time voting too. What an unlikely pair of first time voters we were! I couldn't resist the opportunity to pick his brain about my trip to Tanzania. He told me that he had spent time in school in Tanzania, and what a beautiful country it is. He told me that all I need is a good pair of shoes and a good spirit (which he then kindly told me I already had). What a good day that was.