Exploration
10/28/09

This weekend I had the opportunity to explore beyond Arusha city into the surrounding area. On Saturday a group of friends decided on an impromptu trek to Maji Moto-a natural spring between Arusha and Moshi that flows from Kilimanjaro. So after rushing around, I hopped in the back of a truck and off we went.

The drive took us on a paved road toward Moshi. After 45 minutes of driving, we turned onto a dirt road into the bush. Driving for another 30 minutes on a rocky, dusty road left me covered in dirt and with tangled hair. The farther out we traveled, the dryer and dustier it got. Mountains stood tall in the distance beyond the expansive flat landscape. As we drew nearer to the springs I noticed the classic African giants, Baobob trees. Unfortunately, my camera was buried in my bag and therefore no photos of the trees. Suddenly, amidst the dry scrub bush and rocks, a few green palms sprouted up. We had reached Maji Moto, a true oasis!

Maji Moto, or warm water, was absolutely beautiful! It was amazing not only because it was beautiful, green, and clear blue water-but because it appeared out of nowhere. After exploring a bit and testing the water, our crew set up for a bbq. Due to my fear of schistomiasis, I decided against swimming in the water. Although I think it was perfectly safe-no snails, no schist-I decided to watch the others. I saw a big turtle and little tadpoles. The scene was amazing- the crystal clear, aquamarine water surrounded by lush green palms and ferns.

My companions came prepared for a feast. All afternoon we grilled steak, chicken, fish, and potatoes on the open fire. The afternoon definitely goes down in the books as one of the best experiences to date!



Yesterday I had the chance to travel in the opposite direction and visit a village and project site-Oldonyo Sambu. My roommate works for an NGO that my NGO often partners with. We(I) place volunteers on their projects based on the volunteer’s interest. The project in Oldonyo Sambu is a water project. The current system is a single pipeline that runs into the village. However, if something were to happen at the top of the line, water is cut off. They are currently working on a better system that adds additional pipes for back up, and also to spread the sources of water once it reaches the town.


Kala and I borrowed a mini pickup truck and drove out on the bumpy road to visit the site and family that hosts volunteers. Again, the weather has been so dry, the landscape is barren and brown. Several times we practically had to stop due to the strong winds kicking up dust. We couldn’t see anything in the dust storm.


When we reached the homestay, the daughter of the family squished into the pickup with us to travel to the school site where the father works. So once again, we took the little truck off roading. Kala kept saying, ‘I’ve lost the road,’ however I couldn’t even tell that we were on a road-there didn’t seem to be any difference from the dirt road and the dirt land. Since we were guests at the school, we were served egg and a pepsi at the ‘canteen.’ After visiting with the headmaster of the school and several teachers we headed back to the homestay. But in true African fashion, we gave several young school kids a lift in the back. With the extra weight in the back, eventually our little truck got stuck in the sand. Again, in true African fashion-everyone jumps out to help! They school kids were able to rock the truck out of the rut and back on track.

It was quite an adventure. While the life style in a small town is very different from city living in the US, the difference between the two is even more drastic in Tz. It was a nice to see something new and different, but I’m glad I have a few more amenities where I live!


(the structure to the left is a pen for the animals; goats, cows...)

How the other half lives

How the other half lives

10/22/09

Over the past few weeks I’ve had a chance to see up close and personal how the other half of the world lives. Ibrahim is a friend from Dar es Salaam who has made it his personal mission to show me the true Tanzanian life and people. So far our excursions have included visits to neighborhoods like Mianzini and Kaloleni, true local restaurants for chips, kuku and football games, a small music production studio, and even a Muslim funeral. I get the distinct feeling that its as much of a trip for me as it is for the people I’ve met. Not many foreigners venture to these places-evident by the surprised look on people’s faces when I enter.

It was quite interesting to participate in the funeral ceremony. The mourning/funeral period for this family was about 5 days long. The deceased was a good friend of Ibrahim’s and young wife and mother. She had been ill for awhile and finally succumbed. She left behind a 3month old baby girl, such sad story. Many people in the community came by the house the women to pay their condolences and offerings of sugar, tea, or money. As in traditional Islamic fashion, the women stay in one room, the men come in to say hello, but then congregate in a separate room or area. I greeted the women of the group and stayed with them while my friends went to stay with the men. Unfortunately, due to my lack of language abilities I couldn’t say much to the women and thus sat quietly trying to pick up on the conversations. I was invited to stay with the family for the next day’s ceremony. It was the last day of the mourning period and the sheik would be at the house to conduct the prayers. It was an opportunity that I couldn’t pass up for two reasons-I’m not sure when I will have such an opportunity again, and I couldn’t be so rude as to refuse a personal invitation from the family. In the morning I sat quietly with the women again in the living room and was served chai tea and mandazi-fried sweet bread, much like a donut hole. They give you a heaping plate of mandazi, the other women finished their plates, but I could only eat so many donut holes. The tea was amazing! The word for tea is chai, so I was surprised that the chai served was actually what I would consider chai-Indian style chai.

After breakfast I hung out with my friend and the husband until about noon when the sheik arrived. Since I was in a tshirt and jeans, the husband borrowed Kanga (the African fabric that every woman wears) from his mother. Ibrahim and Mohammed wrapped me in the kanga and even wrapped my head properly. If there was anything I learned its that no fair skin woman can look good wrapped up like a muslim woman. I was invited out into the living room where the ceremony had begun, but had to sit off in an adjoining room since women and men don’t participate jointly in Islamic traditions. While I couldn’t understand everything, I could get the jist of the process. The sheik led the men in prayer often doing a ‘call and response’ type and then invited the people present to call out the names of deceased family members to offer respect and remembrance. After awhile I was led back to another part of the house-I think due to additional ceremonial things during which women can’t be present-but not sure.



Apparently as my friend led me away, the sheik has joking offered to convert me and then perform a marriage ceremony when he was done with the funeral ceremony. (At least I think he was joking…) In the more traditional areas women are not often friends with men. Either they are married or looking to marry. Many of my friends here are more progressive, but when you enter into some of the neighborhoods with an African male, the first question you are asked is if he is your husband-to-be. A follow up question is often how many kids do you have. One woman was shocked that at 26 I had no kids. ‘Not even one?!’ she demanded. After I convinced her that I had none, she asked if I could help her find a husband-a white husband. So for all you single (white) men out there, there’s a lovely, independent woman with 5 children who runs her own shop who is looking for love.
Bdai

Nairobi Weekend

Nairobi weekend
10/12/09







(Photos from the Awards Show 1.Wyclef Hosting MAMA, 2.Akon performing, 3.Jackie and I in the crowd, 4.The End)

This past weekend, I was invited to join some friends on a trip to the MTV African Music Awards (MAMA) in Nairobi. Of course I couldn’t pass up this opportunity. So on Friday afternoon, I left Arusha with three friends on a shuttle bus. Jackie, Johanna, Idi and I rode 8+hours down a dusty, bumpy road. The trip really isn’t that far, but the fact that we have to drive on a rocky road makes things slower. Tz is experiencing a severe drought this year, and so the land is extremely dry. While people would try to shut the bus windows to keep the dust out, it was impossible. At times it was difficult to breathe from the dust trapped in the bus. The other bad thing was that I had to sit on the isle seat, which is a folding seat. The back support didn’t stay up, so for 8hrs I was basically sitting on a stool trying to keep myself from bouncing out of the bus.

When we finally arrived, I was covered in dust and starving! Idi’s friends picked us up from the station and thankfully took us to Kenchick Inn-a fast food chicken and chips restaurant. While waiting for the rest of our food, Jackie, Johanna and I managed to scarf down an entire heaping plate of masala chips-YUM! I think that was the best meal of my life (maybe not best, but most satisfying for my starvation). While I was feeling better from the food, I was soon sadly disappointed to find that there was no water at Harry’s house for a shower, not even to wash my face. A ½ bottle of water left over from the bus ride was my only water source. After a long, tiring night the four of us crashed at a hotel in downtown Nairobi. For those of you who have been to Nairobi, you’ll understand the setting and the drastic difference between Nairobi and the rest of Africa. Its a very modern, ‘western’ city compared to the rest of the continent. However, even in the modern city at a modern hotel-there was no water to shower:(

Saturday night the four of us met up with a few other friends from Arusha to go to the MAMA show. The event was fantastic! I was quite impressed with Wyclef as a host, and all the talent that performed. East Africa swept the show winning a good majority of the awards. It was awesome to see the songs I hear all the time performed live. Akon was definitely a favorite among the crowd, and those of us from Arusha were so excited to see a Tanzanian song performed live, however you could tell by the rest of the crowd’s reaction that is hasn’t been played much beyond Tz.

The ride back was much better as we caught a ride with a friend. Riding in a personal car cuts off about 2-3hrs of travel time compared to a bus. Unfortunately though, there were many of use scrunched into an SUV, so there were four of us in the back seat. Thankfully Jackie has the same American standards as I for safety, even though we were scrunched we shared a seatbelt.

Even though it was short trip, Jackie and I were very glad to be back in Arusha where the people are kind and the water flows freely in the shower!!

Candlelight nights
10/8/09

Life in Arusha isn’t all that different from home. There are many luxuries that I’ve lived without for many years-tv, dishwasher, clothes dryer (that was to save $), power. But when its not a choice, I suddenly desire those things-at the very least a washing machine! This week I attempted to wash my clothes by hand. It was a miserable attempt. I’m not sure what the technique is, but I definitely have soap still in my clothes. Maybe next time I’ll ask Mama Vivian to show me the right way.

The food has been great. While I try to cook at home as much as possible, it gets boring sometimes and I must venture out! I’ve had a lot of kuku (chicken), chips (fries), and ndizi (banana). I had really good Indian food, pizza, and my all time favorite-the Healthy drink. There is a really nice little lodge/trinket shop/ restaurant/coffee shop named the Blue Heron-it is most definitely a Muzungu hang out. But they offer free wifi with any food or drink purchase. So sometimes I mosey on over for a Healthy drink and an email. The Healthy drink is amazing if not only for its flavor for its amazing color- what could taste better than bright fuchsia liquid. I’m pretty sure there is beet juice in it that gives it that awesome pink color. But the other ingredients are a mystery!

Another favorite dish is Chipsi Mye (pronounced my eye), or a french fry omelet. Oh the British, what a great influence they were. (a little language tip-if you don’t know the Swahili word, just try adding a ‘y’ sound to the end of the English word and chances are you’ve got it-chips=chipsi!) Chips Mye is also a great after bar food. There is a little street vendor that is open only at midnight and later for those bar go-ers who need a midnight snack. Sorry Uptown Diner, you’ve got nothing on the Chips Mye guys!

While I try to save money and take it easy on the week nights, it can be quite boring when night after night; the lights go out at 7pm, and you’re stuck in the house with only candles and a book. If it’s a planned outage-couldn’t they at least wait until 10pm. But 7pm your house becomes a prison. Its not very safe to walk at night; partly because its so pitch black at night you really do risk hurting yourself, and partly because you can be a walking target for mugging. Last night was a night home in the dark. While a dinner table lit with candles sounds very romantic, eating banana bread with your roommate Bridget Jones-style isn’t so romantic after all.

In other news, Kanye West was in town last week after climbing Kilimanjaro and Madonna is here now. My theory is that Kanye is laying low after making an idiot out of himself at the music awards show. Unfortunately he did not grace us with an impromptu performance at Masaai Camp Saturday night. Our stalking abilities are failing us once again as we can’t seem to find out what hotel Madonna is staying at now.

Hopefully this weekend will prove to be eventful and blog worthy.