Hi everyone,
For some reason I'm having trouble uploading photos here, but if you visit this link you can seen the ones I've posted so far:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2033671&l=2bd7b&id=14400829
Thanks for keeping in touch!
Friday, January 30, 2009
Thursday, January 29, 2009
City Mouse, Country Mouse
I was going to title this blog posting “This ain’t Europe!” but thought that might be unintentionally offensive. This will make more sense when I explain the weekend. This weekend we went to Arusha, the closest city to Moshi (which is a town). The city is about an hour and a half away by bus, which can be hours longer during the rainy season (March to May). If you haven’t been to Arusha, you aren’t really missing out on anything. It does have some nice areas but overall it’s hard to relax or enjoy things when you always have to watch your back. I have to say, I am not a fan of being in a large third world city, at least in this country. We were a little worried about taking the bus there since there was an accident on the road last week that killed 16 people (the driver survived). Surprisingly, there ARE driving schools here…but the government doesn’t seem to care if you can drive as long as you can pay the fee for the license. This kind of thing is pretty typical here. We took a bigger/safer bus instead of the coasters, which are the small dangerous ones that are extremely dangerous. The drive wasn’t too bad- every time you make a stop people are trying to sell you water and snacks thru the window. Sodas here are literally sold in bottles from the 50s and 60s- when you drink them you have to stay by the shop or bring an empty bottle to give them…then they refill all the bottles at the supplier. Coca-cola must have some amazing marketing strategies because it is everywhere- even in the tiny villages where the houses and shops are little shacks amidst the jungle.
Anyways, the bus ride was mostly thru undeveloped land (mostly plains) with some wooden huts selling basic things along the way. There was a crazy man standing in the middle of the aisle preaching with his upside down bible and then asking for money when he was finished. My friend Sarah said this yesterday, and it is definitely true, that Africans don’t consider a bus ready to go unless someone is standing. Or in the case of a dala-dala, which is what they call the old Toyota 15 passenger vans that transport people around a city or town as well as out to smaller villages. Usually these vans have 25 to 30 people and they have to keep the side door open. It cost 300 shillings (30 cents) to go mostly anywhere. There are no seat belts and people are shoved in every possible space (so a lot of times somebody’s butt will be in your face). The guys that collect the money stand where the side door should be. It’s a little frightening on dirt roads.
The Visions house in Arusha is nice and a lot bigger, but overall it feels less inviting and less homey. Arusha is a lot greener because they are at a higher elevation and it rains more, and Mount Meru is there as well.
Overall it wasn’t so bad, but walking through the streets was pretty miserable. People are calling out mzungu (foreigner/European) everywhere and following you for blocks and blocks. People stare at us in Moshi too and ask for money or try and sell us swords (yes, swords) but it’s not at the same level of harassment in Arusha where they get in your face in a very intense way and follow you for a lot longer. At one point this old woman came up to me cornering me against a shop trying to sell me a dirty marble. I kept saying hapana (no) and had to shout at her to leave me alone, which she got pissy about and then told me off in Swahili. Then there was one of our co-volunteers (Mannis) who made the unfortunate mistake of caring around his digital camera and phone in his hand. Tim (another volunteer) looked around and figured out that 4 guys were scoping Mannis out while weird-old-lady-with-the-dirty-marble was cornering me. The worst culprit was this teenage kid who kept trying to sell us beaded bracelets on our way to the Maasai Market- a market where you can buy crafts and jewelry and paintings made by Maasai people. At the market he kept trying to sell me a Tanzania flag bandana for $10 USD (never gonna happen). I realized it later but he was following me throughout the market at the distance and then followed the group I was with out of the market for a good 15 minutes trying to sell me the bandana for $5 (never gonna happen). Anyways he was very in your face and intense and we finally had to tell him “toka” to piss off.
It was creepy to look behind me and notice that the same guy had been following me for a little too long…I just kept staring at him and looking back until he walked away. In a way it’s understandable because people are so desperate to get out of their poverty and the slum area in Arusha is pretty large, but there’s also something disturbing about being looked at as a symbol of money along with the constant following and harassment. I feel a lot more appreciative to be back in Moshi and being able to walk alone (during the day) at least into some parts of town without worrying someone is trying to rob me.
Thanks to those that emailed! I am slowly working on replies as, this being Africa, the computers function on a different level.
All the best to everyone...thinking of you in Tanzania. (And now the power is out).
Anyways, the bus ride was mostly thru undeveloped land (mostly plains) with some wooden huts selling basic things along the way. There was a crazy man standing in the middle of the aisle preaching with his upside down bible and then asking for money when he was finished. My friend Sarah said this yesterday, and it is definitely true, that Africans don’t consider a bus ready to go unless someone is standing. Or in the case of a dala-dala, which is what they call the old Toyota 15 passenger vans that transport people around a city or town as well as out to smaller villages. Usually these vans have 25 to 30 people and they have to keep the side door open. It cost 300 shillings (30 cents) to go mostly anywhere. There are no seat belts and people are shoved in every possible space (so a lot of times somebody’s butt will be in your face). The guys that collect the money stand where the side door should be. It’s a little frightening on dirt roads.
The Visions house in Arusha is nice and a lot bigger, but overall it feels less inviting and less homey. Arusha is a lot greener because they are at a higher elevation and it rains more, and Mount Meru is there as well.
Overall it wasn’t so bad, but walking through the streets was pretty miserable. People are calling out mzungu (foreigner/European) everywhere and following you for blocks and blocks. People stare at us in Moshi too and ask for money or try and sell us swords (yes, swords) but it’s not at the same level of harassment in Arusha where they get in your face in a very intense way and follow you for a lot longer. At one point this old woman came up to me cornering me against a shop trying to sell me a dirty marble. I kept saying hapana (no) and had to shout at her to leave me alone, which she got pissy about and then told me off in Swahili. Then there was one of our co-volunteers (Mannis) who made the unfortunate mistake of caring around his digital camera and phone in his hand. Tim (another volunteer) looked around and figured out that 4 guys were scoping Mannis out while weird-old-lady-with-the-dirty-marble was cornering me. The worst culprit was this teenage kid who kept trying to sell us beaded bracelets on our way to the Maasai Market- a market where you can buy crafts and jewelry and paintings made by Maasai people. At the market he kept trying to sell me a Tanzania flag bandana for $10 USD (never gonna happen). I realized it later but he was following me throughout the market at the distance and then followed the group I was with out of the market for a good 15 minutes trying to sell me the bandana for $5 (never gonna happen). Anyways he was very in your face and intense and we finally had to tell him “toka” to piss off.
It was creepy to look behind me and notice that the same guy had been following me for a little too long…I just kept staring at him and looking back until he walked away. In a way it’s understandable because people are so desperate to get out of their poverty and the slum area in Arusha is pretty large, but there’s also something disturbing about being looked at as a symbol of money along with the constant following and harassment. I feel a lot more appreciative to be back in Moshi and being able to walk alone (during the day) at least into some parts of town without worrying someone is trying to rob me.
Thanks to those that emailed! I am slowly working on replies as, this being Africa, the computers function on a different level.
All the best to everyone...thinking of you in Tanzania. (And now the power is out).
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Baracka means Blessed
So the past few days we’ve been staying with different families in the outer ‘burbs of Moshi or maybe urban villages is the most appropriate term. I’ve been staying with a family that is mostly all women- the baba or father died so there is now Mama Shyo and her daughters Jessica, Sophie and Teresia. Then there are Mama Shyo’s two nieces and one nephew. Teresia and the two nieces work during the day to try and pay for their tuition so they can go back to school (it’s 70,000 shillings per year or 70 USD which is very expensive here). They are all around 16 or so. It was a bit difficult to hear this because that is so inexpensive compared to the US, and Teresia seems like she definitely loves reading. Most of the family shares a mattress with someone else, since there’s only two bedrooms but about eight people. I feel a little guilty about this since as a guest I have my own mattress. The other day I gave them a calendar of NYC which they seem to enjoy.
Today in Swahili class with Mama Semiono we learned that Baracka is a common Swahili name for boys in Tanzania and Kenya, and means “blessed”. There is actually a little boy who lives next door named Baracka. There are also barber shops here named after Obama and kongas (the skirts and dresses women wear) with Barack's face on them. Some of the kongas are so beautiful- you buy the batik fabric and then they tailor it into what you want. They cost about 5-10 USD--which is a bargain compared to 200 USD for the same material at Anthropologie or Zachary's Smile. Yesterday in the evening local people were watching the inauguration of Obama on Al-Jazeera network in restaurants or at home…however in the village I am staying in, Soweto, the power was not working. Surprise, surprise. The power or “umeme” usually poops out every other day. So everyday is kind of like a surprise party. I am a little bummed to have missed it, especially since my friend got to watch Anderson Cooper (love him!) but I’m sure it’ll be on YouTube. So yes, while Barack was being inaugurated my host family and I were cooking dinner the “traditional” way. Most people cook on propane stoves (we only do this in our house when the power goes out and we can’t use the little electric one). To save on propane while it’s still light out they use the traditional tin container and fill it with charcoal (you can also use firewood) then put stones on top so the pot doesn’t get too hot. They also taught me how to shave the coconut: you sit on a little wood seat very low to the ground with a blade on the end of it and turn half of the coconut and scrap out the innards so to speak. In general, as a guest, people try and feed you as much as possible until you eat so much you feel like you’ll throw up and then they believe that you are “nimeshida” or full. Last night we had traditional ugali which is maize or corn flour mixed with water (they also call it stiff porridge). I heard some horror stories but it actually wasn’t bad. You eat it with your hands usually with meat or vegetables. A few nights earlier I had green banana soup. Not good. It’s this green meat broth with stiff bananas in it that taste like really dry potatoes. It was served with pilau, which was good, but there was some intestine in it which resembled spinal cord. Awesome.
Nikki, one of the female nurses in our Visions house, is staying with Baba Ngowi who is the Tanzanian Visions contact. He is very social and seems to know everyone. One night this week he served her chicken (kuku in Swahili) soup. Let me tell you, when they say chicken they mean chicken. They put the whole chicken in the pot- the feet, the head, everything- so when you look inside who have your choice of lungs, kidney, liver, legs, what have you.
Back at our house, our dog Luna ate the neighbor’s kuku…this was last weekend. We came home to find a pile of white feathers and a chicken leg. Luna not so surprisingly had feathers in her paws. The neighbors next to us have about 15 chickens which they keep to sell the eggs. This is not so awesome when you are trying to rest. I’m sure in a few months I’ll be more used to it, but sometimes I want to wring those chickens scrawny little necks. We have five in our yard that a woman named Maggie keeps. They live in a little wood hut, which I personally like to think of as a chicken apartment. At night we also have a guard that comes and stays until 6am.
Ok, time to wrap this up as this is a pretty long post. I’m hoping to post pictures of the waterfall in Uru village from last weekend and a few of my house and the family I’ve been staying with…but Tanzanian computers are incredibly slow. This weekend we are going to Arusha, and a little worried about the 1.5 hour bus ride there. The buses are somethin’ else. I thought Mexico was crazy the way people ride in trucks but the local buses, which cost 300 shillings or 30 US cents no matter where you go, are pretty insane.
Hope everyone is well. Siku njema! (Have a good day…)
Today in Swahili class with Mama Semiono we learned that Baracka is a common Swahili name for boys in Tanzania and Kenya, and means “blessed”. There is actually a little boy who lives next door named Baracka. There are also barber shops here named after Obama and kongas (the skirts and dresses women wear) with Barack's face on them. Some of the kongas are so beautiful- you buy the batik fabric and then they tailor it into what you want. They cost about 5-10 USD--which is a bargain compared to 200 USD for the same material at Anthropologie or Zachary's Smile. Yesterday in the evening local people were watching the inauguration of Obama on Al-Jazeera network in restaurants or at home…however in the village I am staying in, Soweto, the power was not working. Surprise, surprise. The power or “umeme” usually poops out every other day. So everyday is kind of like a surprise party. I am a little bummed to have missed it, especially since my friend got to watch Anderson Cooper (love him!) but I’m sure it’ll be on YouTube. So yes, while Barack was being inaugurated my host family and I were cooking dinner the “traditional” way. Most people cook on propane stoves (we only do this in our house when the power goes out and we can’t use the little electric one). To save on propane while it’s still light out they use the traditional tin container and fill it with charcoal (you can also use firewood) then put stones on top so the pot doesn’t get too hot. They also taught me how to shave the coconut: you sit on a little wood seat very low to the ground with a blade on the end of it and turn half of the coconut and scrap out the innards so to speak. In general, as a guest, people try and feed you as much as possible until you eat so much you feel like you’ll throw up and then they believe that you are “nimeshida” or full. Last night we had traditional ugali which is maize or corn flour mixed with water (they also call it stiff porridge). I heard some horror stories but it actually wasn’t bad. You eat it with your hands usually with meat or vegetables. A few nights earlier I had green banana soup. Not good. It’s this green meat broth with stiff bananas in it that taste like really dry potatoes. It was served with pilau, which was good, but there was some intestine in it which resembled spinal cord. Awesome.
Nikki, one of the female nurses in our Visions house, is staying with Baba Ngowi who is the Tanzanian Visions contact. He is very social and seems to know everyone. One night this week he served her chicken (kuku in Swahili) soup. Let me tell you, when they say chicken they mean chicken. They put the whole chicken in the pot- the feet, the head, everything- so when you look inside who have your choice of lungs, kidney, liver, legs, what have you.
Back at our house, our dog Luna ate the neighbor’s kuku…this was last weekend. We came home to find a pile of white feathers and a chicken leg. Luna not so surprisingly had feathers in her paws. The neighbors next to us have about 15 chickens which they keep to sell the eggs. This is not so awesome when you are trying to rest. I’m sure in a few months I’ll be more used to it, but sometimes I want to wring those chickens scrawny little necks. We have five in our yard that a woman named Maggie keeps. They live in a little wood hut, which I personally like to think of as a chicken apartment. At night we also have a guard that comes and stays until 6am.
Ok, time to wrap this up as this is a pretty long post. I’m hoping to post pictures of the waterfall in Uru village from last weekend and a few of my house and the family I’ve been staying with…but Tanzanian computers are incredibly slow. This weekend we are going to Arusha, and a little worried about the 1.5 hour bus ride there. The buses are somethin’ else. I thought Mexico was crazy the way people ride in trucks but the local buses, which cost 300 shillings or 30 US cents no matter where you go, are pretty insane.
Hope everyone is well. Siku njema! (Have a good day…)
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Arrival
Hi everyone...I think I'll mostly be using this for posting pictures but may write a bit too. So far I am still settling in getting used to living in Africa. We've lost power 3 times in our house so far so I'm thinking of keeping a running tally. Today we hiked up to a waterfall in a more remote village about 30 minutes away from Moshi. It was really beautiful walking through the jungle but also strange when kids came out staring at us. Tanzanians say "Good Morning" to foreigners at all times of day. Our house is nice (I'm living with three nurses and a Peace Corps volunteer only for two weeks) and things are going well. In February I start working at Amani Children's Home. Amani is a wonderful organization that helps rehabilitate the lives of children who have been living on the streets and have suffered certain abuse and neglect.
To learn more about Amani visit http://www.amanikids.org/
To learn more about Amani visit http://www.amanikids.org/
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