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...