Adventures of Arusha Town

Adventures of Arusha town

9/29/09

I’ve been acclimating to life here in Tz, learning my way around the town and practicing my greetings. I haven’t been brave enough yet to try a dalla dalla (mini bus) on my own into town, so I’ve been walking everywhere. The other options for transportation are of course car taxis, motorcycle taxis and bicycle taxis. I’m dying to try a piki piki (bicycle taxi)! They ride so fast down the street all you hear is a whiz as they fly by. It does help that the road is going downhill. Here is a picture of Mt. Meru which sits just behind the neighborhood I live in and provides a picturesque scene for me as I walk home. Mt. Meru used to be taller than Kilimanjaro, but blew its top off and is now the 5^th highest mt (I believe). This is the scene I walk home to each down with the beautiful purple blooms of the Jacaranda trees!

9/30/09

Today was a big day! Not only did I take a dalla dalla-twice, but I also caught a boda boda (motorcycle taxi) into town! The dalla dalla was of course packed to the max-It’s between the size of a minivan and a full size van and can seat about 3 and ½ people comfortable on a bench, but they always cram 4 grown adults on the bench, and have two-three people standing by the door. Of course they tried to overcharge (I’m white, therefore I’m rich and can afford to be ripped off- right?!) but I was proud of my bargaining skills.

After a morning full of running errands, I had to go back into town to meet Lyne to exchange paperwork for my residency permit. So to save my poor legs from walking all the way into town-again, I caught a boda boda. Personal and public safety is not a highly valued concept, and very few people wear helmets. I’m not sure I’ll ride on one again, as I like the way my head looks, but at least I tried it once. Plus my eyes were tearing the whole way!

On the job front, I’m setting up meetings with local organizations to continue the hard work Asa did as the previous Program Development Officer. Getting to know the community partners is essential especially when new volunteers seek placements in January. Visions is also a partner with Books for Africa. Both Asa and Sarah, the program development officer in Moshi, have been working hard for many months to assess schools’ needs for books and figure out logistics of distribution. Moshi will be expecting their shipping container, which holds 2000+ books, soon. Arusha will receive theirs in the near future, as soon as I figure out exactly what type of books to fill the container and to which schools they will be delivered. Asa has already done most of the grunt work for this part, and its only a matter of finalizing the details (sounds easy enough…right…).

As for the social scene, Jackie and Kala have been gracious enough to bring me into their circle of friends. Several nights I’ve gone out for dinner and drinks with their posse. It can be quite wild here-often people don’t go out til late and stay out til the early morning. I’ve always been a night owl, but I’ll have to remember to put that owl to bed, for work comes awfully early!

Arusha Arrival

(above are photos of the spacious livingroom, my bedroom, and the folks I spent time with on Monday including Jackie and Kala (the white woman in african outfit in the back))

I arrived Sun night at Kilimanjaro after traveling for what seemed like a decade. I somehow managed to hoist my 3, overweight bags onto a cart and navigate outside where Baba Vivian (father of Vivian) and his two boys were waiting for me. Baba Vivian lives on the same property as the Vision’s house and often picks up Visions newcomers at the airport. On the 50km ride from the airport to Arusha, he assured me that Tanzanians were very different from Zambians in that they are much friendlier, so my expectations are already high! It was much too dark to see the landscape, but I did notice many people stumbling alongside the highway. I thought maybe this was normal, however it turns out that Sun was Eid, or the end of Ramadan. Everyone was out to celebrate-much like Mardi Gras and Lent but in reverse, and without all the beads and feather masks. My housemate Jackie greeted me at the house when I finally arrived. Luckily the house had power (apparently a rarity after 6pm) probably due to Eid. Jackie gave me a tour of the house and the low down on everything!

The house is quite spacious with a large living room, kitchen and pantry, 4 or 5 bedrooms, and bathroom. Currently living in the house is Jackie, an American from Rhode Island volunteering for Visions; Kala, a British expat who is fluent in Swahili, has lived in Zanzibar and mainland Tz for 9 years (in addition to a year in Zambia and some time in Kenya), and coincidentally works for the same local org that Jackie is placed at through Visions; Asa, a Swede who previously held my position; and another gal who is off in a field doing work on her PhD in nutrition. Asa and the other woman are out of town but eventually I’ll meet them. My room is also large, with two beds, a desk, and a very generous closet-YAY!

Since my sleep was pretty messed up, I ended up sleeping all of Monday morning until Kala woke me up at noon to get ready and meet Jackie for lunch. Because of Eid, Monday was also a national holiday and most everything was shut. Therefore a group of us pretty much just hung out all day. At lunch Kala brought along a volunteer who will be working at her org in addition to her many friends. The Blue Heron was a good choice to ease Patrick (the other volunteer) and me into Arusha with a menu of Muzungu (white or Western) food. After a 4 hour lunch we eventually moved onto lodge with a pool. I find these places quite interesting in that you drive down a road (although it barely qualifies as a road) through a poor neighborhood and then arrive at a gate behind which is a well manicured lawn and chlorinated swimming pool. A major contradiction. After swimming, we moved on to restaurant and bar for kuku and chips-fried chicken and French fries, a pretty common meal at a Tz restaurant. The Tanzanians definitely lived up to their hospitable reputation and kept my glass filled with the local Kilimanjaro beer.

Tues and Wed I met with Lyne, the Tanzanian woman who works for Visions, and toured the city with Jackie as my guide. I’m starting to get my bearings and know where a few key landmarks are. It’s a dusty place and even though I’m wearing close-toed shoes, my feet are filthy by the end of the day, but that’s all part of the experience. There is some amazing scenery too, like the blooming Jacaranda trees which have the most beautiful purple flowers that hang over the street. I’m picking up a few Swahili phrases, but think it would be helpful to have a few lessons. Perhaps next time I post, I’ll be fluent in the language! The adventure continues...

Preparations

Next week I depart for a year long adventure in Arusha, Tanzania. Hopefully by that time I will be packed and mentally prepared for the 20+hours of traveling to get to the site. I'm sure I'll be running around at the last minute looking for some essential item-but that's the only way I know how to travel.

There I will be working as a 'supported volunteer' doing a lot of networking with local organizations in addition to the Ministries of Health and Education to support social and economic development. I'll also be doing a lot of writing to help get a health program up and off the ground by hopefully securing some funding! I'll be working for Visions in Action, a nonprofit based in DC that works internationally. I'm also excited to meet up with a few doctors who are doing great work in Tz and have connections to MN. That way I can keep my experience relevant to public health!

I'll be close to Mt. Kilimanjaro, so for those of you who are adventurous, come climb Kili and stay in Arusha! I hear great things about the area with Indian influences in the food, beautiful crafts made by the Maasai tribes people, and of course the amazing views!

Stay tuned for more...