Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Canada Day in Tanzania

This morning Emily and I received a text notifying us that funding for the start-up costs of the kitchen as well as 1.2 million shillings for first years rent have come through. We should be able to access the funds by the end of the week to secure our location and start buying equipment. We had heard that money for start-up costs had been granted last week, but during our last meeting in Ngaramtoni we hit a small road block with rent. We were initially under the impression that we would be paying rent on a monthly basis which allowed for the Mama’s to cover the cost of rent through sales. It was not until that last meeting that we found out that an entire year’s rent had to be paid up front. Apparently this is a typical business practice here in Arusha, as it includes painting, fix-ups and cleaning. Obviously this posed a problem and we were forced to ask for an additional 1.2 million shillings for rent on top of the 2.6 million shillings we had been granted for start up. Worried that our funder would not come through, we were thrilled to receive word this morning that all funds have been granted! Having put the project on hold while we waited for funding, we are ecstatic to move forward with the logistics of the project. The location is ideal. It is amid the market in Ngaramtoni so it is a busy area directly beside government offices, which is helpful for the AIDS/HIV aspect of the project. On that note, Western has received a grant for $1000 that is going to be used to provide groups of PLWA’s with free access to the pro-biotic yogurt presuming they agree to come in daily to ensure they are consistently consuming the product. So, while one aspect of the project is providing PLWA’s consistent access to the pro-biotic yogurt, its other advantage is empowering women to run their own business, allowing them to learn business skills, take initiative and responsibility for the project, all the while selling the yogurt to everyone, regardless of whether or not they have HIV/AIDS. As Emily and I have learned, the yogurt is healthy for everyone and helps to build immune systems.

Waiting for funding this week was a test of patience and it was difficult to take a step back from the project and succumb to “Tanzanian time.” Although it was frustrating, a week without a significant amount of work could not have come at a better time. The day before Canada Day, Emily and I decided to get into a patriotic mood and make a trip to the used clothing market in the area by our home stay to find red and white clothing. We were about fifty feet from the market and I had just paid for bananas, so I kept my wallet in my hand, knowing I would have to use it again in a matter of minutes. It was broad daylight and I was with Emily and one other man so the thought that it may not be wise to keep my wallet in my hand didn’t even occur to me. I was holding it tightly and it was only a few steps further to the market. Well, lesson learned. The road had narrowed so the three of us were walking in a straight line, myself at the back, when a group of three teenage guys surrounded and mugged me. They started grabbing at my arm and hand trying to get at my wallet, and while I initially tried to resist, holding on tightly, one of the boys dug his nails in to my hand to the point where he drew blood, so I had to let go. I thought about resisting further and causing more of a scene, because they were not the most intimidating group, but I was not sure if they had weapons, so simply stood there and watched them run off with my wallet, too shocked to say anything but “are you kidding me?” What was more disturbing than getting robbed was the reaction of the locals who stopped to see if I was alright. One man on his piki piki who was particularly consoling tried to convince me to hop on and go after them so we could catch and identify them. I thought about it until he continued, informing me that if we catch them they will get a good beating or even get shot on the side of the road. Apparently this happened to two thieves who were caught last week. The thought of a group of street kids being beaten or shot for stealing a wallet was appalling to me as I was more shocked and scarred than angry, so I adamantly declined and instead decided to file a police report the next day. After that experience I especially wanted to make sure we were home before dark, so we quickly bought some red sweat pants and a tuque, and headed home so I could deal with cancelling my credit card and tackle the looming task of emailing already worried parents that I had been mugged and needed a new debit card and some funds wired.

If I was going to be mugged in Tanzania, it was good timing, as that night was the last in our homestay before we moved into an apartment in a better part of town. Mama Stella was sad to see us go, as her children are grown up and moved out. She seemed to genuinely enjoy our company but understood our need for a place of our own. Fully knowing that we were likely her main source of income we paid her half of next month’s rent anyways to help her along. We spent our last night with her sitting on buckets on the kitchen floor around her tiny kerosene stove learning how to cook African chai tea and pliau (an incredible spiced rice with meat). At the end of the night she seemed satisfied with her cooking lesson and was convinced that we would fair alright in our new apartment cooking for ourselves. The evening would not have been complete without her trying to arrange for us to marry her sons so she could be our mother in law. She was particularly pleased with a picture of Emily and I in our bikinis that somehow got mixed in with pictures of us and Mama Stella that we were showing her on our computer. It was the perfect last night, and the next morning we made her laugh as we came out of our room decked out in our Canada Day gear singing “Oh Canada.” We completed our stay with a final cooking lesson on how to make chips mayai (basically an omelette with homemade fries cooked into the egg), and headed off to our new apartment.

We spent Canada Day morning and early afternoon in the Arusha police station filing a four hour report on my mugging. It was another test of patience, but it was interesting to see how their judicial system operated. As I sat in a tiny room filled with massive stacks of paper and file folders piled up in no particular order, I was surprised to see a space asking for my religion beside the one asking for my nationality on the incident report I had to fill out. The detective that helped me out was extremely friendly, but the inefficiency of the entire process was astounding and it was nice to have Canada Day party to attend with the international students after spending the day sitting in a tiny room. One of our Canadian friends interning for the UN prepared an all Canadian playlist for the night, so Emily and I spent most of our evening singing and dancing to Great Big Sea and Celine Dion. Considering we were in Tanzania, it was one of the best Canada days I have had. I have never considered myself to be especially patriotic, but after having spent two months in a developing country, I have never been more proud, and grateful to be Canadian.

The weekend only got better. The next day, Emily and I took it upon ourselves to organize a day trip to a local waterfall with our friends from ICTR (International Criminal Tribunal of Rwanda). We have really gotten to know all parts of Arusha and we surprise ourselves daily with how easily we find our way around and how many friends we run into along the way. We are really starting to feel like we fit in. On that note, it was encouraging to be able to stroll into town and sit down with our local friends and plan an incredible day trip. The hike started from town, where our group walked to a village at the base of a small mountain. From the base we hiked for about three hours uphill through villages on the mountain, all the while looking onto Mount Meru and the summit of Kilimanjaro in one direction and all of Arusha in the other. I still find it hard to believe that people lived at the top of this mountain and did this hike daily to get into town! I was also amazed by their resourcefulness, as the entire side of one of the larger hills was used for farming. I can only imagine how onerous it would be to work the fields on the side of a mountain. The hike was difficult and I was definitely winded at the top, but the view was one of the most incredible things I had ever seen. We ate lunch at the top of the mountain before descending into the river. I couldn’t help but feel like I was in The Sound of Music, surrounded by lush green mountains and hills. The descent into the river was extremely steep and slippery, so we took things slow and once we got to the base we hiked for another hour or so through the water until we arrived at the waterfall. Oh the waterfall. It was about seventy feet high and surrounded by some of the lushest greenery I have ever seen. The water was bitterly cold, but we swam nonetheless because we promised ourselves we would. Heading back home was definitely challenging as we were already tired and had to hike he three hours back, but we rewarded ourselves with a chips mayai upon our return.

It was fantastic to have a few days off as we waited for funding to come through, but Emily and I are definitely wound up, now that we are able to continue with the project. More updates son to come!


Fun fact: Although it is nice to have running water and privacy in our new apartment, we no longer have the luxury of having our laundry done for us. A few days ago Emily and I spent two hours each squatting over a bucket in our bathroom scrubbing away at our clothes with a bar of soap. It was a tedious task, and I have promised myself that when back in Canada I will never again complain about doing laundry!