Blythe Doll Goes Tribal in Tanzania
- May 17, 2016
- 3 min read
I have always been consumed by wanderlust. So, when the opportunity arose for me to visit a Maasai Tribe in Tanzania and introduce them to the world of Blythe dolls, I simply had to go! I mean, how many times do you get a chance to be an ambassador for your people in a foreign land?
My name is Lulu and I'm a San Franciscan Blythe doll with a crazy-mad crush on my "City by the Bay." I live a pretty sweet doll life here, and I love everything about it; the cultural arts, the famous sights, the trolley cars, the the skyline at night, the way the fog crawls through the city in the morning... it really is everything you may have imagined!
Oh, and then there's the people! I love the people! Would you believe that I have friends from every continent of the world within a four block radius of my apartment? One day I am sharing breakfast with my friend, Milena, who's family settled from Greece when she was just a girl. The next evening I am in the boisterous living room of my Japanese friend, Hachiro, whose name means "eighth son." (A name he earned for obvious reasons). On my way home that night, I pass the Bengali's flat. They are a Gujarati family from India, and, the best cooks I have ever met! I am convinced that their family holds magic powers inside that spice tin they keep next to the stove.
"Anu", I said the first time I tried her cooking, "You have ruined me!" She looked at me quizzically as I licked my fingers. (Something I could never do at the table growing up, but somehow I find perfectly acceptable in this moment).
"Now that I have tried your Indian cooking, everything else will taste bland!"
She smiled and leaned in close as if sharing a secret, her dark eyes twinkled, "And it tastes better when you eat with your hands!"
I nodded enthusiastically as I wiped my hands on my napkin and then scanned my plate for what I would sample next. In that moment, I had a realization; there's a whole lot of living for me to do and if I must get my hands covered in masala to experience things at their best, then so be it!
These people in my neighborhood are different from me in many ways. But that is why I am drawn to them. They are my friends and they are part of what makes my life here in San Francisco so rich! I listen to their stories, I learn of their customs, I eat their food; quite enthusiastically, I might add. And all the while, I am more and more consumed by wanderlust. I am certain there are many adventures to dig my delicate hands into and get dirty and a whole wide world out there to experience. I find myself believing something I heard once to be very true, indeed; "I'm in love with cities I've never been to and people I've never met!"
Perhaps now you understand why, when opportunity knocked on the door for me to go to Africa, I opened that door wide and shouted, "YES!"
You may find yourself wondering how a Blythe doll got invited by a Merchant Adventurer to visit a small Maasai tribe residing in a land called Olduvai Gorge, in Tanzania, Africa!
Well, that is a story I intend to share...
Olduvai Gorge
Lulu Blythe is on her way!
I leave tomorrow; catching a BART train to the San Francisco International Airport, boarding a Virgin American plane, transferring in Los Angeles to a flight on Qatar Airways, bound for Kilimanjaro.
The adventure begins and I have a feeling this is going to be a wonderful story- a "get your hands dirty and live" kind of story.
Love,
Lulu
To read more of Lulu's stories, click here http://kimbengali.wix.com/lulu-blythe
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