A couple weekends ago, Sarah from England, Anna from Australia and I (from Canada) jetted off to Zanzibar for a long relaxing weekend. Only about a 45 minute flight away, it is the perfect weekend trip when you're feeling like a break from Moshi. It was an awesome weekend and we only encountered a few minor glitches. First of which was when we touched down and we were all asked to show our yellow fever vaccination cards. Coming from a country without a yellow fever outbreak does not require one to even have the shot but because we were flying from Tanzania mainland to Zanzibar, the rules were a little different, or so the Zanzibar airport officials claimed. Zanzibar used to be a separate country from mainland "Tanganyika" until 1964 and in some respects they still think they are. So when we arrived, because we had been in Tanzania where there is a yellow fever pandemic, we were "required" to have the shot. Having never crossed our minds because we were on a domestic flight, Anna and I didn't bring out booklets. The man told us that because we didn't have it, we would have to be sent back to Moshi on the next flight. After calmly, then not so calmly, explaining to him that we had indeed had our shots and would gladly have them again if we could (you're only allowed one every ten years), he still refused to let us in. Finally after an hour of pleading with him, he decided he'd had enough of a power trip and let us sign some forms and let us through. Such a relief we thought as we went to collect our bags...which were not there! At first we were convinced the evil man from customs had hidden them but upon further investigation it turned out they had just not been put on the flight and were still in Moshi but they assured us we would have them by tomorrow around noon.
Finally after an exhausting evening, we made our way to the hotel, which turned out to be gorgeous and perfect: air conditioned, king sized beds with fluffy pillows and duvets, etc. Our stomachs were growling so we set out in search of some dinner and wandered down an alley and out onto the street where we came across a lantern market on the boardwalk. Probably fifty barbecues with tables of fresh seafood, chicken and beef piled high beside them were beautifully lit and gave off mouth-watering smells You could just walk around and choose different skewers and they'd grill them to perfection as you waited. After we'd eaten our fill we trooped back to the hotel and had the best sleep I've had since I've been here.
The next morning, after washing our underwear in the sink (still no suitcases), we met up with our tour guide for a trip around Stone Town. We saw the House of Wonders, built by the second Sultan of Zanzibar in 1883, which was the first building in Zanzibar to have electricity and the first building in East Africa to have an elevator. We also saw Tippu Tip's house and grave site. Tippu Tip was a very brutal slave trader, and as such, his house is not a museum but has been turned into a run down apartment, and his grave is almost buried under branches and litter in a small alleyway. We went to Christ Church, an Anglican cathedral, that was built where the largest slave market in Zanzibar used to be as a celebration of the end of slavery. We also travelled to the Spice Market, a very crowded, noisy, and smelly place downtown where everyone brings there spices, vegetables, seafood, meat, etc to sell. Zanzibar is over 97% Muslim and it is definitely apparent in Stone Town. The architecture in Stone Town is so different from Moshi. A lot of the buildings are made of coral stone and the doors are very intricate and are carved to indicate either Indian or Arab styles. The streets are all narrow and winding and I would've definitely gotten lost without our guide. The style of dress is also totally different from the mainland, with lots of women wearing veils and men wearing kaftans.
After we'd seen (and sweated) our way through Stone Town, we picked up our luggage and headed up the coast to the north and beach country! As soon as we arrived we put on our bathing suits and ran down to the ocean to cool off. The Indian Ocean is the most magnificent shades of blue, green and turquoise and the beaches are pure white sand, I easily could've stayed a week. We did a snorkelling trip the next day and sailed to our spot on a typical Zanzibarian sail boat (with a little motor power help as well) and saw tons of fish, ate a fresh fish and octopus lunch on the beach and just relaxed. By the end of the day, after six hours in the sun, we were all burnt to a crisp but couldn't be more content. Beach country is a lot more liberal and western than Stone Town. There were a ton Europeans, many of whom wearing bikinis (most of whom should not have been) and no one batted an eye. It was definitely nice to be able to walk around in shorts and a tank top, especially because it is way hotter than Moshi. The next day was spent reading on the beach, in the shade, and then off to the airport to catch a 5pm flight. We were all sad to leave and head back to landlocked Moshi... I'm already trying to figure out if I can squeeze in another trip before I leave!
Monday, March 14, 2011
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Safari in the Serengeti
Last weekend three girls and I went on safari to the famous Serengeti, and we were not disappointed. Day one we started at Lake Manyara, situated in the Great Rift Valley. It's a beautiful spot where we saw a ton of baboons, blue ball monkeys, wildebeest, hippos, giraffes, etc. There was a family of elephants that walked right in front of our truck so close we could've touched them (although it was highly recommended by our guide that we do not...). We had a nice night around a campfire and an early start the next morning driving into the Serengeti.
Along the way, we stopped at a Maasai village that is situated in the Ngorongoro highlands. The Maasai people are generally nomadic and very traditional. When we arrived we were greeted by a traditional dance and song. The women were singing as the men danced and jumped, Maasai people are known to be very high jumpers and it's true. We were given a tour of their village and shown their houses made of cow dung and mud, such a lovely aroma. We were told about the importance of cows; they're used as a sign of wealth and power and paid to a bride's family. Oh and also, a delicious treat they drink is cows' blood and milk (vomit). Maasai tribes are also polygamous so there is usually one male who is head of the tribe with multiple wives who all live in the village together. Of course then we were shown all their beading: necklaces, earrings, bracelets, etc and of course none of us walked away empty handed.
As we finally made our way to the Serengeti, after a long and bumpy "African massage" ride, I was struck by the sheer size of it. The first thing you see is just flat grassy plains that stretch for as far as the eye can see littered with tiny specks. Upon further inspection all the specks are wildebeest and zebras, probably hundreds of thousands of them all just grazing, sleeping, hanging out. The Serengeti is a totally different landscape compared to the parks in South Africa I went to and more of what I had expected. It is also where the Lion King is based so Pride Rock, the Elephant Graveyard, it's all there. We were so lucky because we saw tons of animals: lions galore, although most of them were just lazing around; a couple leopards, we actually saw one climb a tree; cheetahs on the prowl that walked less than a foot behind our car; rhinos; buffalo; elephants, etc etc. And of course, tons of Timones and Pumbas!
On our last night we stayed at the top of the Ngorongoro Crater. The crater was made when a volcano erupted and collapsed about two to three million years ago. It now serves as a home to tons of animals, although due to its size, many animals choose not to leave, which results in the problem of inbreading. Atop the Crater, it was freeezing and super windy and rainy. By freezing I mean that you could see your breath in the shower, so actually fairly cold. We were pretty unprepared and ended up eating dinner in the tent. During the night we awoke to someone crying help! help! it's in my tent! Apparently someone had gone to the bathroom, left their tent door open and a baby hyena had wandered in. The cooks came running, saw it was a baby, laughed and said not to worry and walked away. At the time, we had no idea what it was and didn't hear the "it's only a baby" and so I was freaking out as it circled our tents growling menacingly. After it wandered away and my heart rate settled down I slept quite well. Another thing that's different in Tanzania from South African safaris: no fences around campsites! In the morning our guides told us that a herd of buffalo has also wandered through out campsite. "Safety in numbers," they said. "That's why we put out tents in the middle." How reassuring...not.
All in all a very successful safari. I'm glad to be keeping busy on the weekend as life in Moshi is getting a bit repetitive. This weekend I am headed to Zanzibar with two girls for a lovely four days of beaches, snorkelling and exploring of Stone Town. Hope everyone is having a great reading week and if you don't already have plans, you're welcome to visit haha!
Along the way, we stopped at a Maasai village that is situated in the Ngorongoro highlands. The Maasai people are generally nomadic and very traditional. When we arrived we were greeted by a traditional dance and song. The women were singing as the men danced and jumped, Maasai people are known to be very high jumpers and it's true. We were given a tour of their village and shown their houses made of cow dung and mud, such a lovely aroma. We were told about the importance of cows; they're used as a sign of wealth and power and paid to a bride's family. Oh and also, a delicious treat they drink is cows' blood and milk (vomit). Maasai tribes are also polygamous so there is usually one male who is head of the tribe with multiple wives who all live in the village together. Of course then we were shown all their beading: necklaces, earrings, bracelets, etc and of course none of us walked away empty handed.
As we finally made our way to the Serengeti, after a long and bumpy "African massage" ride, I was struck by the sheer size of it. The first thing you see is just flat grassy plains that stretch for as far as the eye can see littered with tiny specks. Upon further inspection all the specks are wildebeest and zebras, probably hundreds of thousands of them all just grazing, sleeping, hanging out. The Serengeti is a totally different landscape compared to the parks in South Africa I went to and more of what I had expected. It is also where the Lion King is based so Pride Rock, the Elephant Graveyard, it's all there. We were so lucky because we saw tons of animals: lions galore, although most of them were just lazing around; a couple leopards, we actually saw one climb a tree; cheetahs on the prowl that walked less than a foot behind our car; rhinos; buffalo; elephants, etc etc. And of course, tons of Timones and Pumbas!
On our last night we stayed at the top of the Ngorongoro Crater. The crater was made when a volcano erupted and collapsed about two to three million years ago. It now serves as a home to tons of animals, although due to its size, many animals choose not to leave, which results in the problem of inbreading. Atop the Crater, it was freeezing and super windy and rainy. By freezing I mean that you could see your breath in the shower, so actually fairly cold. We were pretty unprepared and ended up eating dinner in the tent. During the night we awoke to someone crying help! help! it's in my tent! Apparently someone had gone to the bathroom, left their tent door open and a baby hyena had wandered in. The cooks came running, saw it was a baby, laughed and said not to worry and walked away. At the time, we had no idea what it was and didn't hear the "it's only a baby" and so I was freaking out as it circled our tents growling menacingly. After it wandered away and my heart rate settled down I slept quite well. Another thing that's different in Tanzania from South African safaris: no fences around campsites! In the morning our guides told us that a herd of buffalo has also wandered through out campsite. "Safety in numbers," they said. "That's why we put out tents in the middle." How reassuring...not.
All in all a very successful safari. I'm glad to be keeping busy on the weekend as life in Moshi is getting a bit repetitive. This weekend I am headed to Zanzibar with two girls for a lovely four days of beaches, snorkelling and exploring of Stone Town. Hope everyone is having a great reading week and if you don't already have plans, you're welcome to visit haha!
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Pole Sana!
Ah so sorry for not keeping up to date with my blog. Partially it was because the power has been pretty sketchy here lately and the internet has been even sketchier, but I've also just been lazy. Now I promise to be back on track though. Halfway through I was writing this, the power died...twice. Karma for procrastinating so never again!
I think I left off right before I went to Arusha to see the International Criminal Tribunal for war crimes committed in Rwanda. On Wednesday, we were very priviledged to see the trial of the former president, Mathieu Ngirumpatse, of the ruling party (MRND) of Rwanda during the genocide. Mathieu Ngirumpatse is accused of genocide, complicity in genocide, conspiracy to commit genocide, direct and public incitement to genocide, rape and exterminations (crimes against humanity), murder and causing violence to health http://www.haguejusticeportal.net/eCache/DEF/8/948.html The defence was examining him, so there weren't any too exciting or controversial questions. The defence seemed unorganized and asked, what I thought, were seemingly pointless questions and in return got long-winded and rambling answers. Nonetheless, it was very interesting to see how the trials work and I think I will go back with the new group in a couple of weeks to see how the trial has progressed. Arusha itself was a very hectic city and I am glad to be back home in "peaceful" Moshi. I headed back to Arusha on the weekend to look for a microsim but received blank stares from everyone. So for now, I have to stick with the dodgy internet at the home base.
On Thursday we took a trip to Neema Orphan Centre. There we played with babies, who were all super cute. The sisters there are doing a great job looking after the children who are abandoned by their parents at hospitals, in bushes, etc because of disabilities, financial reasons, etc and some are dropped off by parents. Some children are adopted, others stay at the orphanage while they're young and then return to their families. I was expecting it to be really sad but the children were all so happy and excited that I left feeling content.
We made another, larger batch of jam at the women's group last week. Paul and I travelled around to restaurants in town asking them to put aside some empty jam jars for us and then we found a women who sells empty jars, which made our lives a lot easier.We got about 20 jars for under 20 cents each, not too shabby. We also spent ages making labels so the jars look nice and professional. My favourite part, all Paul, is under ingredients it says: mangos, sugar, love. Soo cheesy but I love it. We spent all afternoon making jam and by the end we were tired but felt accomplished. Most of the women got bored halfway through and just left, which was frustrating because we're trying to teach them how to make jam as a sustainable source of income for the group. The next day one of the women who had left came in to have a look at the jam, picked up a labelled jar, opened it and stuck her finger it to taste it! And did not understand why Paul and I freaked out. Something that we really have to stress is proper hygiene and measures you have to take to ensure that the jam isn't contaminated. Things I would never even think about in Canada are so foreign here, which is sometimes frustrating. The final product is very impressive looking and this week we're trying to figure out where to sell it. The nuns from a local church are interested so hopefully that pans out.
On Friday I have a meeting with the human rights lawyer who spoke to our group a couple weeks ago to talk to her more about girls and education. We were supposed to meet last week but she got delayed (never late, always delayed) and we had to go. This weekend I leave for safari. I'm heading to the Serengeti where we will actually see pride rock in the Lion King and the migrations! Promise to add photos soon...
I think I left off right before I went to Arusha to see the International Criminal Tribunal for war crimes committed in Rwanda. On Wednesday, we were very priviledged to see the trial of the former president, Mathieu Ngirumpatse, of the ruling party (MRND) of Rwanda during the genocide. Mathieu Ngirumpatse is accused of genocide, complicity in genocide, conspiracy to commit genocide, direct and public incitement to genocide, rape and exterminations (crimes against humanity), murder and causing violence to health http://www.haguejusticeportal.net/eCache/DEF/8/948.html The defence was examining him, so there weren't any too exciting or controversial questions. The defence seemed unorganized and asked, what I thought, were seemingly pointless questions and in return got long-winded and rambling answers. Nonetheless, it was very interesting to see how the trials work and I think I will go back with the new group in a couple of weeks to see how the trial has progressed. Arusha itself was a very hectic city and I am glad to be back home in "peaceful" Moshi. I headed back to Arusha on the weekend to look for a microsim but received blank stares from everyone. So for now, I have to stick with the dodgy internet at the home base.
On Thursday we took a trip to Neema Orphan Centre. There we played with babies, who were all super cute. The sisters there are doing a great job looking after the children who are abandoned by their parents at hospitals, in bushes, etc because of disabilities, financial reasons, etc and some are dropped off by parents. Some children are adopted, others stay at the orphanage while they're young and then return to their families. I was expecting it to be really sad but the children were all so happy and excited that I left feeling content.
We made another, larger batch of jam at the women's group last week. Paul and I travelled around to restaurants in town asking them to put aside some empty jam jars for us and then we found a women who sells empty jars, which made our lives a lot easier.We got about 20 jars for under 20 cents each, not too shabby. We also spent ages making labels so the jars look nice and professional. My favourite part, all Paul, is under ingredients it says: mangos, sugar, love. Soo cheesy but I love it. We spent all afternoon making jam and by the end we were tired but felt accomplished. Most of the women got bored halfway through and just left, which was frustrating because we're trying to teach them how to make jam as a sustainable source of income for the group. The next day one of the women who had left came in to have a look at the jam, picked up a labelled jar, opened it and stuck her finger it to taste it! And did not understand why Paul and I freaked out. Something that we really have to stress is proper hygiene and measures you have to take to ensure that the jam isn't contaminated. Things I would never even think about in Canada are so foreign here, which is sometimes frustrating. The final product is very impressive looking and this week we're trying to figure out where to sell it. The nuns from a local church are interested so hopefully that pans out.
On Friday I have a meeting with the human rights lawyer who spoke to our group a couple weeks ago to talk to her more about girls and education. We were supposed to meet last week but she got delayed (never late, always delayed) and we had to go. This weekend I leave for safari. I'm heading to the Serengeti where we will actually see pride rock in the Lion King and the migrations! Promise to add photos soon...
Monday, January 24, 2011
As I'm getting more settled, things are getting even better. For example, I learned this week that our showers do in fact get hot water, after you flick the water heater switch! Such excellent news, although it's so hot here that I've barely needed it. My laundry came out fairly well, although a bit stiff with all the soap that I failed to wash out but the ironing helped soften things out...
Last week was good, we're kept so busy for the first three weeks with Swahili lessons, cultural sharing, etc that by the end of the day we're exhausted! This week we had a female human right's lawyer who spoke to us about gender issues in Tanzania, which was really interesting. She talked about girls in school (or lack thereof), women and HIV, etc. We also had many Swahili lessons so now we've all got the grammar and vocab down pat and are totally fluent (not!).
Teaching English has also gotten easier. For the first week, I mainly just watched but last week I was thrown into the position of "mwalimu" (teacher) when no one showed up on Thursday. One of the translators had come down with malaria so wasn't able to be there and the other volunteer wasn't there so it was me standing in front of the class with my Swahili dictionary staring at the students. Having learned numbers in Swahili class on Wednesday, I decided that I could at least teach them that. After a painful hour of me getting blank stares after everytime I said "sawa?" (okay?) they eventually started to understand me and I them. They're also very shy and so it's hard for me to know if they know what I'm talking about. They're very cute but scared to look silly if they get something wrong, so no one ever volunteers to answer questions. A little different from SCS where we all wanted to have our voices heard!
The women's group also made mango jam last week. The German volunteer, Paul, led us in the jam making and it was a big success for round one. The women all brought a couple mangos and some sugar from their homes. Using a solar cooker donated by a past volunteer we endeavoured to make jam. Paul had found jars in the local dump so we sterilized them and then used them... some Tanzanian recycling for you! The end result was very tasty and there isn't much left! This week tomorrow at the business meeting hopefully we will talk about whether this is something that they could do long term and as a source of income. Potential problems include lack of jars and lack of drive to continue once the volunteers are no longer there to help, but we'll see.
This week we are headed to Arusha on Wednesday, a city about an hour and a half's drive away from Moshi. There we are attending a court session at the International Criminal Tribunal for war crimes committed in Rwanda. I am really looking forward to it and afterwards we get to talk to someone from the court, ask questions, etc. Hopefully there I'll be able to get a micro sim so that I can get my iPad kicking and upload some photos! Hope you're all surviving the Canadian winter, I hear it's particularily brutal right now. I'll try my best to send you some heat; we certainly have more than enough!
Last week was good, we're kept so busy for the first three weeks with Swahili lessons, cultural sharing, etc that by the end of the day we're exhausted! This week we had a female human right's lawyer who spoke to us about gender issues in Tanzania, which was really interesting. She talked about girls in school (or lack thereof), women and HIV, etc. We also had many Swahili lessons so now we've all got the grammar and vocab down pat and are totally fluent (not!).
Teaching English has also gotten easier. For the first week, I mainly just watched but last week I was thrown into the position of "mwalimu" (teacher) when no one showed up on Thursday. One of the translators had come down with malaria so wasn't able to be there and the other volunteer wasn't there so it was me standing in front of the class with my Swahili dictionary staring at the students. Having learned numbers in Swahili class on Wednesday, I decided that I could at least teach them that. After a painful hour of me getting blank stares after everytime I said "sawa?" (okay?) they eventually started to understand me and I them. They're also very shy and so it's hard for me to know if they know what I'm talking about. They're very cute but scared to look silly if they get something wrong, so no one ever volunteers to answer questions. A little different from SCS where we all wanted to have our voices heard!
The women's group also made mango jam last week. The German volunteer, Paul, led us in the jam making and it was a big success for round one. The women all brought a couple mangos and some sugar from their homes. Using a solar cooker donated by a past volunteer we endeavoured to make jam. Paul had found jars in the local dump so we sterilized them and then used them... some Tanzanian recycling for you! The end result was very tasty and there isn't much left! This week tomorrow at the business meeting hopefully we will talk about whether this is something that they could do long term and as a source of income. Potential problems include lack of jars and lack of drive to continue once the volunteers are no longer there to help, but we'll see.
This week we are headed to Arusha on Wednesday, a city about an hour and a half's drive away from Moshi. There we are attending a court session at the International Criminal Tribunal for war crimes committed in Rwanda. I am really looking forward to it and afterwards we get to talk to someone from the court, ask questions, etc. Hopefully there I'll be able to get a micro sim so that I can get my iPad kicking and upload some photos! Hope you're all surviving the Canadian winter, I hear it's particularily brutal right now. I'll try my best to send you some heat; we certainly have more than enough!
Saturday, January 15, 2011
The land of The Lion King
The rest of my week at placement was really interesting. Everyday there is something different that goes on after the English classes. Thursday I went with Amani (one of the local volunteers who actually co-founded Jipe Moyo) to do home visits to the sick members. We started by visiting Jumani, a 38 year old man with HIV and neuro-syphilis, which has totally deteriorated his motor skills. As a result, he has been bedridden and unable to work since 2007. He lives with his grandmother in a small one room house. There is a past volunteer who is sponsoring Jumani and is paying for his medication and his physiotherapy, so when we visit we ask him if his meds are working, how he's doing, etc. Our next stop was to visit a seven year old boy with HIV. Both his parents died from AIDS and he lives with his grandmother and two sisters. When we arrived we were told by his distraught grandma that he had become very sick and his uncle had come to see him and when he saw how bad the conditions were where he was living, his uncle took him to Doma (the capital). The problem is that the uncle believes in witch doctors and so it's unclear as to what will happen to the boy. The grandma is getting a lot of trouble from other members of the community because they are judging her for letting him go. She says that they never helped her when he was sick and there was nothing else she could do. A very very sad story.
Last night we went out to Glacier, a local bar. It's totally open and outside and they have a live band playing a mix of Tanzanian music, Bob Marley and then casually they threw in some Enrique Iglesias... Afterward the DJ spins some more main stream American hits and everyone starts dancing. Another cool aspect to the bar is they have two big projector screens that play national geographic planet earth type movies with subtitles that are hilariously translated. Next time I'll write some down and post them.
This morning we traveled to a local village along the mountainside and saw lots of coffee plants and just sort of walked around taking in the very picturesque scenery. On the way back we were walking and I slipped on the gravel and cut my knee. It bled a lot but was mostly a surface wound, not a big deal right? Nope here it was. Our guides felt soo badly that I'd hurt myself and insisted that I go to the "pharmacy" to get it looked at, even though I had band aids. After much hesitation on my part I was escorted to the shop. Every person along the way stopped me saying pole sana (very sorry) with such sincerity that one would think I was having my leg amputated not just in need of a band aid. The woman at the shop gets out a bottle of antiseptic (I think rubbing alcohol judging on how much it stung) and iodine (also sting-y). So she poured some antiseptic into a bucket and used a cotton swab to clean me up. Then she poured the left over alcohol BACK INTO THE BOTTLE. Yeah.. just freaked out a little when that happened and then she put some iodine on, this was a fresh bottle thank goodness, slapped a cotton swab on and sent me on my way. That was my first, and hopefully last, encounter with the Tanzania medical system.
Tonight we watched the Lion King, great movie, and guess where it is supposed to take place...Tanzania! So we all sang along to the songs actually knowing what some of the phrases meant and picking out places we recognized. Apparently in the Serengeti, where I'll be going for safari to see the migration of the wildebeests, there is a rock exactly like pride rock. Pretty cool eh? Tomorrow we're off to the hot springs, really looking forward to it and then maybe after I'll do some laundry... in a bucket... should be interesting. After everything is washed and hung to dry it all has to be ironed, like literally everything, underwear and socks included. They tell us it's because of bugs, although we think they just want us to look presentable haha!
Last night we went out to Glacier, a local bar. It's totally open and outside and they have a live band playing a mix of Tanzanian music, Bob Marley and then casually they threw in some Enrique Iglesias... Afterward the DJ spins some more main stream American hits and everyone starts dancing. Another cool aspect to the bar is they have two big projector screens that play national geographic planet earth type movies with subtitles that are hilariously translated. Next time I'll write some down and post them.
This morning we traveled to a local village along the mountainside and saw lots of coffee plants and just sort of walked around taking in the very picturesque scenery. On the way back we were walking and I slipped on the gravel and cut my knee. It bled a lot but was mostly a surface wound, not a big deal right? Nope here it was. Our guides felt soo badly that I'd hurt myself and insisted that I go to the "pharmacy" to get it looked at, even though I had band aids. After much hesitation on my part I was escorted to the shop. Every person along the way stopped me saying pole sana (very sorry) with such sincerity that one would think I was having my leg amputated not just in need of a band aid. The woman at the shop gets out a bottle of antiseptic (I think rubbing alcohol judging on how much it stung) and iodine (also sting-y). So she poured some antiseptic into a bucket and used a cotton swab to clean me up. Then she poured the left over alcohol BACK INTO THE BOTTLE. Yeah.. just freaked out a little when that happened and then she put some iodine on, this was a fresh bottle thank goodness, slapped a cotton swab on and sent me on my way. That was my first, and hopefully last, encounter with the Tanzania medical system.
Tonight we watched the Lion King, great movie, and guess where it is supposed to take place...Tanzania! So we all sang along to the songs actually knowing what some of the phrases meant and picking out places we recognized. Apparently in the Serengeti, where I'll be going for safari to see the migration of the wildebeests, there is a rock exactly like pride rock. Pretty cool eh? Tomorrow we're off to the hot springs, really looking forward to it and then maybe after I'll do some laundry... in a bucket... should be interesting. After everything is washed and hung to dry it all has to be ironed, like literally everything, underwear and socks included. They tell us it's because of bugs, although we think they just want us to look presentable haha!
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Lost in Translation
After a long second flight south to Moshi, we finally landed in the International Kilimanjaro Airport only to have our passports glanced at, stamped and returned to us while the customs officer was texting on his cell phone. Greaaat security clearly. Thankfully all my bags arrived but one girl's got left behing in Amsterdam so hers have only arrived today, which sucked for her but luckily everyone (not just me) overpacked so she had plenty of clothes to borrow.
The volunteer house is great. There are 15 new volunteers starting this week and five that stayed on from previous sessions. The veteran volunteers have been here for ages so they constantly give us tips on where to go, what to say, etc. The what to say is the biggest part. Before going, the organization tells us it's a good idea to learn Swahili. Having been to South Africa and having no problem with language, I sort of brushed it off as something that would be nice, but not necessary. Wrong! Tons of people here speak only the most basic English, resulting in very long and broken conversations. It's starting to change as it is increasingly taught in schools and by volunteers but it is nowhere near at the same level as SA. We have done lots of activities to help settle in, including Swahili lessons (very useful), a historical education of Tanzania and a trip around Moshi Town. Yesterday we went to Rau, which is a Chagga village just outside of Moshi.
Today was our first day at our placements. I headed off on the 8:30 bus (thank goodness it wasn't the earlier one) to Jipe Moyo Women's Centre. When I arrived I was introduced to some of the women that work there. The greeting is shikamoo which is said to elders. The cultural norms are very respectful here so it is of utmost importance to learn proper introductions and greetings. I think I know what to say before and then always get flustered when I have to use it! But polepole (slowly slowly), practice makes perfect I suppose. Today I mainly observed all the goings on. In the mornings, there is an english class for children and other members who want to participate. Today a German volunteer ran it but hopefully I'll start helping him out. He and another German are also volunteering, which is nice but also means that they speak German to each other. So just because I wasn't already lost in translation, we now have german to throw in the mix. Afterwards, there was a meeting in which we discussed issues facing the youth in their community and then how the formation of a youth group could help to change them. It was super interesting as an observer and helped me to get an insight into their community life.
Well we are all off to the bar across the street, called Mzungu bar. Mzungu means white or foreigner in Swahili. It's not meant to be offensive and it's something we hear ALL the time. Walking through town we get called mzungu constantly, seems a bit odd though. I can't really picture yelling the equivilant of that in Toronto and it going so well...
Kwaheri! (goodnight)
The volunteer house is great. There are 15 new volunteers starting this week and five that stayed on from previous sessions. The veteran volunteers have been here for ages so they constantly give us tips on where to go, what to say, etc. The what to say is the biggest part. Before going, the organization tells us it's a good idea to learn Swahili. Having been to South Africa and having no problem with language, I sort of brushed it off as something that would be nice, but not necessary. Wrong! Tons of people here speak only the most basic English, resulting in very long and broken conversations. It's starting to change as it is increasingly taught in schools and by volunteers but it is nowhere near at the same level as SA. We have done lots of activities to help settle in, including Swahili lessons (very useful), a historical education of Tanzania and a trip around Moshi Town. Yesterday we went to Rau, which is a Chagga village just outside of Moshi.
Today was our first day at our placements. I headed off on the 8:30 bus (thank goodness it wasn't the earlier one) to Jipe Moyo Women's Centre. When I arrived I was introduced to some of the women that work there. The greeting is shikamoo which is said to elders. The cultural norms are very respectful here so it is of utmost importance to learn proper introductions and greetings. I think I know what to say before and then always get flustered when I have to use it! But polepole (slowly slowly), practice makes perfect I suppose. Today I mainly observed all the goings on. In the mornings, there is an english class for children and other members who want to participate. Today a German volunteer ran it but hopefully I'll start helping him out. He and another German are also volunteering, which is nice but also means that they speak German to each other. So just because I wasn't already lost in translation, we now have german to throw in the mix. Afterwards, there was a meeting in which we discussed issues facing the youth in their community and then how the formation of a youth group could help to change them. It was super interesting as an observer and helped me to get an insight into their community life.
Well we are all off to the bar across the street, called Mzungu bar. Mzungu means white or foreigner in Swahili. It's not meant to be offensive and it's something we hear ALL the time. Walking through town we get called mzungu constantly, seems a bit odd though. I can't really picture yelling the equivilant of that in Toronto and it going so well...
Kwaheri! (goodnight)
Friday, January 7, 2011
The Departure
Finally, after much anticipation, and help from mom on the getting ready and packing front, I am off to Tanzania. I am currently blogging from the Amsterdam airport, where I am eating breakfast at a restaurant (alone) and sipping fizzy ice tea (weird). The flight was long but to pass the time I watched movies and worked on my Angry Birds levels, which was pretty exciting. Next to me I had an Angry Bird expert, who informed me he had beaten the whole game in two days. For the first hour he was glancing over at me struggling and kept making little noises until finally he decided, for both our sakes, that he needed to step in and help. True to his word, he was quite the expert. He helped me breeze through about ten levels until we got bored and went back to our various movies and continued the flight feeling accomplished. After my delicious breakfast of a ham and cheese sandwich, I am off to find my next gate and two Americans who I am flying into Kilimanjaro with. It will be really great to arrive already knowing a couple volunteers.
We land in the Kilimanjaro airport and then it's about a thirty minute drive to the volunteer house in Moshi. There are about twenty volunteers who live at the house, though we are not all volunteering in the same place. My placement is with Jipe Moyo Women's Group, which is a women's empowerment group whose members are all HIV or AIDS positive. There are many volunteer roles at this organization, some of which include community education on issues such as family health and women's rights, teaching conversational English, and helping the women with fundraising and advertisement ideas for their businesses. I'm not sure what exactly I'll be doing yet but it all looks good to me!
It's only just starting to get light here, even though it's 8:40. I could never live this far north, too depressing in the winter. I am almost finished by breakfast so will sign off and search for my gate and travel buddies. I am so excited to finally touch down in Africa again, only 11 more hours to go!
We land in the Kilimanjaro airport and then it's about a thirty minute drive to the volunteer house in Moshi. There are about twenty volunteers who live at the house, though we are not all volunteering in the same place. My placement is with Jipe Moyo Women's Group, which is a women's empowerment group whose members are all HIV or AIDS positive. There are many volunteer roles at this organization, some of which include community education on issues such as family health and women's rights, teaching conversational English, and helping the women with fundraising and advertisement ideas for their businesses. I'm not sure what exactly I'll be doing yet but it all looks good to me!
It's only just starting to get light here, even though it's 8:40. I could never live this far north, too depressing in the winter. I am almost finished by breakfast so will sign off and search for my gate and travel buddies. I am so excited to finally touch down in Africa again, only 11 more hours to go!
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