Masai at Kigamboni South Beach-My fave Dar beach

Frangapani- so delicious smelling

Looking hot and bothered with my bike sale, the bike on the left black should be mine tomorrow I hope.

Trials and Tribulations

Weather: We had a break and had two days below 28 C, Wooohoooo.

News: I will be in California from May 21-June 16th!

Swahili Word of the Week: Kiti Kidogo- bribe payment

Special Shout Out: Happy Birthday Kara, Ellen and Heather!

Well, maybe because I just wrote a 23 page proposal, or I was sick or ?? but the writing is not flowing as free this week. I realized that after reading my last few blogs I have painted a very rosy picture of Tanzania. Which is true and I do love it but any who has been here knows that there are definite frustrations, idiosyncrasies and pitfalls when living in a developing country. I highlight a few just so you know it is not all kindness, glamorous and lovely out here ALL the time. Giving you a more realistic picture but hopefully not too negative too.

Last night I went to a lecture on dynamite fishing in Tanzania. Tanzania is one of only two countries (the other is the Philippines) in the world that has a rampant dynamite fishing problem. Although it is illegal and punishable by a 3 year mandatory prison sentence, as you can see in this video it is blatantly going on. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uv109P2vyg. Dynamite fishing kills coral reefs, fish, turtles and marine life. They use homemade dynamite made out of fertilizer that costs about $5. There are many lives and livelihoods lost through accidents (there are two men who now are working to fight dynamite fishing after having both lost both their hands from dynamite accidents!). The lecture was given by a man working for the WWF who has been working on this project for 4 years and to quote him “has made no progress what so ever.” The reason is because the dynamite fishers have become like the mafia. They use scare tactics to stop locals reporting them, they pay into a joint fund that pays off police men, magistrates, ministers. Out of 97 arrests, 37 prosecutions not ONE person went to prison even though the law states that it is a 3 year sentence…

I highlight this as it illustrates some of the frustrations of working here, often the best thought efforts fail miserably because of the core of corruption and Kiti Kidogos.

Things move at a different pace here. Often, this pace is very pleasant and necessary. When I first arrived I was walking down the street and a man approached me and said “What is wrong, do you need help” I answered “No, why do you think I need help?” “Because you are walking so fast, I thought you must be in trouble!” I was walking at my SF pace, which very much differs then the Dar pace. I have realized the pace makes sense because of the heat. But some things move frustratingly slow. Meetings for example do not start until the guest of honor arrives. Normally 1-2 hours late, is it a power thing? I don’t know but can be quite irritating. Meetings do have some nice qualities though. They love their pashas and icebreakers here. Pashas are where you give support to someone who has a good idea, has done a presentation etc. A pasha begins with rubbing your hands together to make them warm and prepare them for the clap which can be simple moja, mbile, tatu (1,2, 3) or very elaborate including ugali making, feet stomping, snapping fingers! Icebreakers are great too. My favorite is when they make your write your name with your hips. Looking around at meetings filled with people doing pelvic thrusts definitely breaks up the monotony and can make waiting for a guest of honor almost worth it.

In conclusion I have been compiling a quick list of only in Africa moments… Though not nearly complete I though you might like a glimpse of what has been brewing.

1. Note on an internet café window. Sorry No Internet Here
2. Meeting interrupted. My CDC presentation was interrupted when a gecko decided to warm up on the lens of the LCD projector
3. A friend asked about how I made chapatti, “I don’t know how to make chapatti” I answered. “What, No Chapati, how is that possible?”
4. Huge skyscrapers going up in central Dar, with absolutely no parking? And they wonder why there is traffic that takes 3 hours to go 10 miles?
5. My Bajaj (moped taxi) breaking down on my ride home, getting pushed the rest of the way (a good mile) because he didn’t want to lose my fare.
6. Realizing that as my Swahili gets better my vegetables bought from the market are getting cheaper. Coincidence? I think not!

7. Other than Mukatano Junction, TV in TZ is abominable. I missed the oscars BUT got really excited when my Hollywood Hotspot started with an Oscar overview. My heart sank when they said this years best picture went to Slumdog Millionaire.
8. They have 8 different types of Mangoes.
9. Although they grow massive amounts of Coffee in TZ all you can get here is instant africafe, a tragedy!
10. Watched a Spanish Christmas film in Chinese with English subtitles, what what!

Kindness

Weather: Hot, humid… I might have to change this segment as it never seems to really change. I am promised a monsoon ‘season’. I’ll believe it when I see it. I think I have lost 5 kg of weigh from sweating alone.

Swahili word of the week: Karibu- it means welcome. They say it so much here it is almost overused, yet it is not, because it is 100% sincere, every time! A rarity in this world, at this time.

Special Shout Out: Congrats Frank and Theresa for getting Married. YAY!

Tanzania is known as being an island of peace. Not because it is an island (duh), but because the many border countries that have had genocides, civil wars, dictators and unspeakable unrepeatable acts of hatred and violence. Yet Tanzania has survived. Maybe because of lofty visions of a socialist government, or a different history then their neighbors. Certainly not because of tribal hostility, it has close to 120 tribes but they appear bound to their nation. After many travels through southern and eastern Africa I cannot put my finger on it, but Tanzania has a unique quality and it illustrates itself in the way it has shown extreme kindness and welcoming to me, a wageni (visitor).

The last few weeks I have traveled a lot. Some for pleasure (Zanzibar with Mum) and some for work; a tear your hair out workshop in Morogoro. Yet everywhere I go, I am welcomed. I have been taught by my wise parents, how to be a good (or I like to believe an excellent) hostess. The key is to make it seem effortless, not forced and most importantly, not a burden. Tanzania is the ultimate hostess. I was in Morogoro for work this week. After a harrowing long workshop I decided the weekend would be spent marching up the 2150m mountain that the lovely town sits at the base of. Being a cheap skate I refused a guide. My bicycle and I headed up the mountain until the road turned into a track too steep for the bike to ascend. I stashed the bike in a goat shed and continued hiking up a treacherous 3 hours until reaching an old German settlement with killer views. Along the way, as I huffed and puffed, with full hiking gear on, passed by grandmothers, mothers with ugali on their head and a babies on their backs and small shoeless children scampering away I was welcomed. I was offered water, fruit, a chair to sit on and most importantly a guide to make sure I took the right path rather than the one that leads to who knows where. All of this without me asking or paying (though my red face may have been a good indicator for the water).

Likewise back in Dar this weekend, as I took a tumble out of a moving dala dala. Yes, that’s right, I can’t blame the old lady that had her crutch sticking out over the exit stairs (or can I?). As I lay bleeding in a ditch, the whole daladala emptied, helped me to my feet, brushed me off and bandaged me up without a word. A simple camaraderie that is expected here.

It seems to have rubbed off on even the expats here. I have been busy socializing and went to my first hash house harriers dar meeting. It claims to be a drinking club with a running problem. After a nice 5 K run I personally ended up pounding 4 beers in the circle of doom and doing a reenactment of the ‘angry chair’ from davis days, (WOW). Needless to say we drank way to much Kili, I made some friend and I had a really good time. Looks like Monday nights are going to be dangerous from now on.

Asante Sana Tanzania for welcoming me, teaching me and ultimately hosting me.

zanzibar

Travelling in Style

Windblown Scrabble Game: Mum Won!

Weather: Coastal breezes are picking up, torrential downpour causing a raging torrent in Stone Town, Zanzibar which cleared in 15 minutes to a perfect blue sky, dotted with African clouds. Stars at night were so crystal clear it was breathtaking. How I love African skies.

Swahili Word of the Week: Tutaonana- we will meet again. Very fitting in my life.

Special Shout Out: Save UCD Women’s Crew!!!!

Mum has been visiting for the past 2 weeks which has been lovely. We have been traveling around the east coast of Tanzania quite a bit with always lends itself to some adventures. Our first big outing was a lovely excursion North to a great birding area, Wami River. I chose this National Park because of its lack of focus on Game Drives, its boat trip up the Wami where it boasted excellent bird sitings including kingfishers (My FAVE) and it is located on the beach, a rarity for game reserves.

Our journey North was quite the adventure as I refused to pay for a private vehicle to come pick us up. Instead we headed to the pit of Dar, Ubongo Bus Terminal, I wouldn’t send my worst enemy there. At 530 in the morning while the rest of Dar sleeps the terminal is packed with more people, buses, minivans then I would care to imagine and many of them (if not all) are trying to make a buck or two. Needless to say the harassment is insane but we made it onto a bus, got dumped in the middle of nowhere (our plan) picked up a dala dala, waited by a chicken hut for a vehicle, jumped into a chicken truck, went bombing through the game park, got flagged down by a ranger with a gun, threatened, back in the truck and eventually made it to where we were supposed to be. With the adventure like that I was feeling a little worried that it was worth the effort. It was, we had amazing time, saw tons of birds, wildlife, had long walks on the beach, a scrabble game that we finished despite the winds flipping the board twice and loved every minute of it. We fell in love with the Saadani Safari Lodge crew and they with us and we had a full moon party on the beach under the full moon with too much wine, great fish surrounded by the most eclectic people I have met in a long time. A greek from Burundi running a eco conscious NGO (and lodge owner), his father and uncle (French speaking), a Dutch Olympic Dressage Breeder, an English Lodge Manager, a Yemeni, a tribal leader and a few others that had similarly amazing backgrounds.

At times I feel that at the age of 31 I have made it. Life is good I don’t need to rough it like I did in my 20s. Yet, my mother continually reminds me how to do things with style and grace. As I returned from Saadani to work with a backpack on my lap, crammed between coolers of smelly fish and feeling the spray of the rain coming through the floorboards of my dala dala and eventually soaking my feet. My mother charmed a pilot at Saadani and was flown free of charge on a private plane to Zanzibar to continue her holiday. I have much to learn.

Work is in funding mode, making exciting plans for the future of the project. May have to stay in Tanzania for a little bit longer…

Miss you all

xoxo