Message from the Director - Mary McCluskey - 4/9/08

No vacation is complete without a relaxing massage, so when our Business instructor, Chris Drillsam was in Tanzania recently she embraced the opportunity to receive a massage from the doctor of a Maasai tribe.

Once considered the most powerful and feared tribe in northern Tanzania, the Maasai now live comfortably with nature, herding cattle and living in small villages called “Bomas."              

The Maasai have refuted the cash economy (except when they’re selling handmade trinkets to tourists) and prefer to measure wealth in terms of cows.  So, it’s not surprising that the price of a massage was measured in how many “cows” you wanted to offer the healer.  One cow = $35.  Chris decided the one hour massage was definitely worth two cows. 

While Chris won’t be teaching a class on how the “Cow Standard” can be used as a monetary system, it was an enlightening experience, nonetheless.

We are glad to have her back safe and sound!  Thanks for sharing your great photos and stories, Chris!