Saturday, January 30, 2010

WEEK 1 (January 24th-January 30th)

MAMBO!
(Hi! How are things?)

This is the first time I've accessed internet since last Sunday! (I must have set some new personal record...) So, it was an extraordinarily long, tiresome journey, extended by countless hours resting in airport lounges after long, sleepless nights in the sky. To put things into perspective, we departed Sunday night and arrived Tuesday morning! After traveling on three flights, from Toronto to London; London to Dar-es-Salaam; and Dar to Mwanza, I can FINALLY exclaim, "we are here"!

WELCOME TO MWANZA: THE CITY OF ROCKS!
We arrived at the Mwanza airport Tuesday morning and were warmly greeted by Mama Joyce and Esther in their Western T-shirts and signs proclaiming "OLIVIA and STEPHANIE" (we were worried we wouldn't be able to find them in the hustle and bustle of the airport, but they were unmistakable!). It's been a few days now and we've gotten settled into the apartment and spent a lot of time resting in attempt to adjust to the new time-zone. I think it's going to take me a while longer to recover from my jet-lag; I've found myself falling asleep at 6:30 pm and waking up at 5:30 am the first couple nights! But, I'm not complaining because I've gotten to see the breath-taking sun-rises above the rooftops just outside my window! (and ohh the most radiant, flushed of skylines…)

SHAKING THE JETLAG:
For the first couple of days we were taking taxis everywhere, with our trusty driver Puis, who works for Kivulini. He's been a great help for us to get around and about in our new, unfamiliar surroundings. But, today and yesterday we have mainly been walking, and I'm starting to get a feel for the whereabouts of places around Mwanza (It may be the second largest city in Tanzania, but it seems pretty small by my standards. I like to think by the end of the month I’ll have a pretty strong sense of the city and its faces). I've noticed that the city truely never sleeps and the streets are always brimming with people. Steph and I were sitting on our balcony doing some reading this morning, while secretly I was just people-watcing. (Oh the crazy things on the streets that are so ordinary here, but so unusual to me! A truck with a big set of booming speakers and a DJ drove by at 10 am; Women carrying everything and anything on-top of their heads; Children running off to class for the day in big bunches, all dressed up in the same uniforms…)

MEET N’ GREET WITH YOGURT MAMAS:
-We visited the yogurt kitchen in Mabatini for the first time yesterday and were introduced to the yogurt mamas (or at least 9 of 10 of them, because one is sick right now and out of the kitchen)! They seemed receptive and enthused about our research plans to work with Moringa. They know it is being used now to help the immune systems of people with HIV/AIDS (they call it a “medicine” here). We got to taste the yogurt the mamas had produced: It was a little sour and a little lumpy in texture, but cold and delicious on a hot day.
-A vote was held and new positions were assigned!
-Plans were discussed to increase distribution by selling at the local market


FOOD AND DRINK:
-We also had the opportunity to buy some fresh produce at the daily market! Esther let us in on the bartering-ways of the markers and we set off to pick up loads of fruits and veggies (Amazing fresh pineapple and mango, dripping with sweet juices…drooling just thinking about it!) We also got the chance to go grocery shopping, but will likely be avoiding these places in the future, as “Americanized” foods are far more expensive here than at home! (I paid about 9 bucks just for cereal!)
-Yesterday we had an amazing woman from Kivulini cook us a Tanzanian-style meal of rice and talapia fish fried up, served with a tomato and vegetable sauce!
-I’ve noticed a big Indian influence on cuisine here. There’s lots of Indian food offered at Talapia.
-We’ve been boiling all of our water from the tap, then using purification drops, and THEN running it through a filter! So, it should be good enough to drink now!
-There’s an unreal amount of soda! And an overwhelming number of Coca-cola, Sprite, Fanta advertisements everywhere (entire sides of buildings painted with the COKE sign for example)! Also- there’s pineapple and passion-fruit Fanta here- sooo tasty!!

LANGUAGE:
-Knowing your greetings in Swahili goes a long way! "Mambo! Habari!" (Hi! How are you!), Then you can say "Nzuri!" (Good!) as a response to pretty much anything, if you don't understand. When greeting elders, like the mamas, we say "Shikamoo!" to be respectful and then they reply "Marahaba!"
-I’m making an effort to smile at every stranger who meets me eye and I’m saying Mambo! Habari! (Hi! How are you!) to everyone I see on the streets!
-Some people point and wave and shout out, “Mazungo! Mazungo!” To me this essentially means, “Hey look there’s a funny looking white person!” I’m often not sure if they’re laughing at us or if they’re just curious about us because they don’t see as many tourists in the area.

PEOPLE:
-There are women and men carrying things on their heads everywhere! I know it’s stereotypical, but I can't get enough pictures; their balancing-act is amazing! Baskets full of fruits like bananas, or baskets full of peanuts are pretty typical. But we even witnessed a man carrying a tall stack of mattresses!!


CHILDREN:
-The children here are so adorable and lovable and I just want to cuddle them all. Lots of them are a little shy, but if you shoot them a smile, they will smile back at you and greet you, but they don't like to be photographed. Others are more outgoing and approachable and ask if they can be photographed (I am more than happy to!).
-I’ve seen children as young as five carrying babies on their backs!

RELIGION:
-We've seen a few Mosques around town due to a large proportion of the population being Muslim (Islam is more prevalent in Tanzania than in surrounding countries in East Africa).

SHOPPING:
-There are an overwhelming number of vendors on the streets: offering shoes, clothing, electronics, tools etc. (often all crammed into a little closet-sized space). You name it, and there will be multiple shops on a single street that can service your needs! (often several carrying exactly the same things!) There seems to be an overwhelming amount of shoes for sale, and I notice people scrubbing sneakers and shining black dress-shoes to get them ready for sale. There are also plenty of people sifting through large piles of clothing to be put up for sale.

CLOTHING:
-The women all wear brilliantly colored kangas (basically long pieces of fabric wrapped around themselves) or long skirts and dresses of many different patterns. I’ve been trying to fit in by wearing skirts/dresses instead of pants. I picked out some fabric from a store in town and I’m getting a dress and bag sewn at the tailor downstairs from our apartment!
-We see children commuting to and from classes in their school uniforms, and they look so sharp! The boys in khaki pants or shorts and white shirts, while the girls sport white blouses and long turquoise skirts and knee-high socks.

TRANSPORTATION:
-The taxis are indistinguishable from regular cars. I’ve noted a common white-color scheme, but there’s no signs! We’re lucky to have Puis to drive us because often taxi drivers will rip off unsuspecting Westerners. Their mind-set: “Ohhh they have lots of money, so we can charge them double!” Also, at nighttime, it’s nice to be sure you have a reliable driver to get you home safely.
-There are lots of Dala-dalas (kind of like a large van-cab, that transports people like a bus to various locations). They only cost 250 Tsh (the equivalent to 25 cents), so they're much cheaper than taking a taxi. They’re always packed and stuffy- and sweatiness comes along with that, naturally!

AFRICAN TRIBES:
-There are lots of tribes in East Africa, including the Maasai (who live in Northern Tanzania and Kenya). I’ve been able to spot a few in Mwanza because their look is very different from the typical Tanzanian. They dress in long, colorful sheets (often striped in deep blue and burgundy hues) wrapped around their bodies, they have pierced ears and often stretched earlobes, and they wear lots of beaded, hand-woven jewelry. And for some reason, to me, they always look much taller and lankier than most, and often carry wooden walking sticks.

FLORA AND FAUNA:
-There are a lot of animals scattered around- like a goat in the street this morning, and roosters crowing at all hours of the day(not saving it for the break of dawn…), or little ducklings floating down the nearby stream…
-There are also some really nice tropical flowered trees, and lots of palm trees of course!
-Nothing too exotic yet, but there’ll be plenty of time for spotting “The Big Five” on a weekend Safari…

CITY SKYLINES AND LANDSCAPES:
-First-off, it's sunny and hot here everyday. We were told we are entering the rainy season, but that the skies usually only open up in the evening for a short period of time.
-Mwanza is called the City of Rocks for a reason! The naturally occurring rock structures here are astonishing!
-Lake Victoria (The biggest fresh-water source in all of Africa) is magnificent. Sitting at Talapia Hotel and overlooking the sun setting over the lake is awe-inspiring.

THE “WESTERNERS”:
-At hotels like Talapia, lots of Westerners assemble here for drinks and chats. Lots of people are here for developmental and volunteering reasons, working at orphanages or hospitals, but some are just here passing through while traveling. I met a guy from France today (his name escapes me now) who has spent the past couple months traveling through Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda. He was looking for a couple of “whities” (as he called Westerners) to join him and his friend on a camping/Safari trip to Serengeti National Park (to split the costs of the car/campsite). Unfortunately, they want to leave in a few days and Steph and I can’t join in…but it’s definitely on my list of places to go and things to do! Interesting guy for sure though, he says he teaches scuba diving lessons for a living…another thing on my list is scuba diving or snorkeling off of the coast of Zanzibar!

..................................................................................
USIKU MWEMA!
(Goodnight!)

Right now, I’m sitting at a table, lake-side at the Talapia Hotel (it’s right on Lake Victoria). Lots of Westerners lounging around here, which is something I haven’t seen for a while! We have access to free wireless internet here and some great food, so it’s going to be THE place to come write up my blog posts!

We’ve met up with Joke here and gotten the chance to introduce ourselves to her and some of her Tanzanian friends! (Joke is the Dutch doctor whom we will be helping out with clinical trials!)

1 comment:

  1. Olivia I'm so glad you're having a good time and adjusting easily enough to life there! Culture differences never fail to amaze me, I love reading about how different everything is there!
    love youu!
    Monica

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