A few days I took a piki piki, or motorcycle to Nimri. It costs only 1000 shillings to hop on the back of someone’s motorcycle for about a fifteen minute ride. When I got on I asked the driver in my newly learned Swahili that I was so proud of what his name was, and he responded in English, “My name is George.” When I told him that I was trying to practice my Swahili he laughed and only spoke to me in Swahili for the rest of the ride. I had no idea what he was saying save a few odd words and phrases, but it’s slowly (pole pole)coming along. Later that night as we were finishing up a dinner of spinach cooked in peanut butter paste, which is delicious, a salad of tomatoes peppers onions and salt and green bananas cooked in sauce, the power went out. We use a gas stove here so we were able to finish cooking, then we ate dinner by candlelight. It was a nice atmosphere. Cooked bananas are a common recipe here and they taste similar to potatoes. The bananas need to ripe or they taste rotten when you boil them, and you can either boil them in plain water and add tomato paste once they are cooked, or cook them in sauce. I love trying all the food here, so far it has been really healthy!
Yesterday Dane and I went back to the kitchen in Mabatani and I learned a lot about the project and its potential in Arusha. When we arrived, we were once again offered a cup of maziwa mgando virtubisho or probiotic yogurt, which I am slowly coming around to, and sat with Esther in the kitchen chatting about things they are struggling with in Mwanza, such as packaging and selling the yogurt in the market, and ways we can prevent those issues from happening in Arusha. I’ve been in touch with Boniface, the leader of YSEP, the youth self empowerment organization in Arusha, who will be funding the project in there through the Mhando foundation, and he, as well as four others will be making a visit to Mwanza during the first week of June to see how the project is run here. Then, Emily and I can travel back to Arusha with them. Kathryn, Dane, Steph and I are currently going over Steph’s reports before she goes back to Canada and are working on preparing a booklet to give to Boniface and the others when they visit Mwanza, which contains all important documentation, a budget, a list of inventory, steps to making the yogurt and other information essential for launching another community kitchen. I am very excited about the project and am thrilled that everyone seems motivated and anxious to get things running in Arusha.
Later that say we had our first formal Swahili lesson with Mr. Gaudance, which we were able to apply later that evening at Steph’s going away party that we hosted at our apartment with the locals. Though it was difficult, it was fun to try and converse with them, and between the four of us we were often able to understand one another.
I cannot believe I have already been here a week. It has flown by, but we have already learned so much and surprisingly, it already feels like home. That’s all for now! Pictures don't seem to be working today, but I'll try again later.
Baadaye, Kwa heri. (later, bye).
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Friday, May 21, 2010
Pictures
Kathryn, Dane and I cooking dinner with Margret our housekeeper.
Walking down the street of Mabatini, where the kitchen is located.
Walking down the street of Mabatini, where the kitchen is located.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Karibu! (Welcome)
After a 15 hour flight plus a 13 hour layover in Amsterdam, Kathryn, Dane and I safely and excitedly, yet pretty jetlagged arrived in Mwanza, Tanzania! With the 7 hour time change we already have three days under our belt.
We spent our first full day in Amsterdam where we did a walking tour of all the major sites. We arrived at 7am Amsterdam time but only 1am our time, so we only made it through half the day before returning to the airport to crash. At 7am on a Sunday almost everything was closed, but by about 10 we were able to find an open coffee shop where a strong cup of coffee somewhat alleviated our sleepiness. We walked through the Red Light District which was pretty uncomfortable. I suppose because it is regulated it is arguably safer, but seeing the women on display in the windows made me feel like I was at a zoo. I was eager to get out of there and continue our tour. We walked by Anne Frank’s house and took a walk through a park near the Van Gough Museum. Even though we tired fairly quickly I’m thrilled we had the time to see the city. The many canals that weaved through the city were the coolest part for me.
Fun fact: the taxi’s there are BMWs.
After a long wait in the Schipol airport in Amsterdam we flew to Nairobi, and from there to Mwanza on a 15 person flight. As we were landing we got a fantastic view of “the Rock city,” known for its huge boulders in the middle of vast fields. The Mwanza airport was tiny, and very hot, but thankfully, being Canadian, we only had to pay $50 for our Visa into the country while American’s and the British were charged $150. We were greeted at the airport by Puis, the favoured taxi driver here, and Stephanie, one of the outgoing interns. From there we stuffed out luggage into Puis’s car, so much so that the trunk wouldn’t close. The open trunk however, didn’t deter him from zipping through the streets. Here, the cars and daladala’s (van-like buses used for public transportation) don’t stop for anyone, so it’s definitely up to pedestrians to get out of the way! It was about a fifteen minute cab ride from the airport to the intern apartment and coming in we saw people and their small shops lining both sides of the roads selling a variety of everything. Many of the women carried huge loads on their heads, and many of the men hold hands, a sight you wouldn’t see in America.
The intern apartment is right in the middle of town, and from our balcony, if you look down, you can see the many shops, and if you look up, you’re looking at huge hills with houses built on them. The apartment is fairly large and clean. Margret, our house keeper comes in twice a week to clean, but she often sticks around and either helps us with Swahili, or even cooks us dinner. She and Esther, the project coordinator who we also met upon our arrival are so friendly and welcoming. Everyone in Mwanza always greets us with Karibu (welcome) to which the appropriate response is Asante Sana (thank you very much). Stephanie and Olivia, the outgoing interns are also extremely warm, and have been a huge help to us as we settle in.
Fun Fact: The toilet is level with the ground and doesn’t flush!
Because we were so jetlagged, we napped when we got in, and awoke to a full house. Mama Joyce was there, and brought over one month old baby Martha, the daughter of a woman downstairs. She was absolutely adorable, though I don’t know how much she enjoyed being constantly passed between the three of us. Still, we couldn’t help but coo over her. Once the apartment cleared out, we went to a place called Tunsa, a lodge about a twenty minute cab drive away, and only 8 000 shillings! (The equivalent of $8). Tunsa is gorgeous and looks onto the beach. When we arrived, we did yoga on the beach then walked to the water on the pier. It was beautiful, and it was nice to relax after our long flight. We ate dinner there, and I enjoyed a delicious meal of curried nile fish, followed by a few games of pool with Jan, the owner of Tunsa and his son Henku, who are both South African. Jacque, a young man about our age, who has been here for three years and works at the shipyard joined us for pool and a bonfire on the beach after dinner. They were all so friendly and welcoming, and it was a great first night in Mwanza.
Fun Fact: There were lizards on the wall in Tunsa! Like a typical tourist, I took a picture.
Our second day in Mwanza flew by. We were still pretty jetlagged, so we managed to sleep in until 11am, a luxury we will not be able to enjoy much more this summer, as it is about to get pretty busy. After we woke up, we walked into town to get cell phones and a voltage converter. It was a twenty minute, very hot walk into town in my knee length capris, but I was so enthralled with all the sites I didn’t mind the heat. It is so busy and bustling downtown and all along the sides of the streets people in their shops are selling their goods, which range from clothing, to electronics, to Vitumba (fried rice patties).
At Votocom, where we bought our cell phones for only 20 000 shillings, we met a really nice computer technician named George, who makes his own ringtones, and offered to transfer them over to our phones. Unfortunately our phones aren’t activated yet, but I think his offer warrants another visit from us. After we returned from town Margret took Kathryn, Stephanie and I into the market to buy food for dinner. The market is massive, crammed, and a little intimidating. Fish, vegetables and fruit lined the streets with vendors sitting on the ground selling them. We bought fish, vegetables, and flour for our Ugali, a favourite African dish made by adding Kasava and Corn Flour to boiling water until it thickens. It’s either dipped in sauce or eaten plain. When we returned from dinner, Margret cooked for us, as Esther gave me a Swahili lesson. I’m slowly adding to my vocabulary. The walk to the market was nice because since Margret does not speak English, it was a great opportunity to practice our greeting with people. Shikamo is a safe greeting for anyone older, as it is a respectful way of saying hello, how are you. If it is someone younger, we would say “Mambo,” to which they would respond “Poa!” (cool). The odd person would point at us and yell “Mazunga,” which means white person. It’s not meant to be derogatory, and was actually pretty amusing.
As Margret was cooking I would hear, “Marta! Camera!,” from inside the kitchen and I would go take pictures of her cooking as she told me what Swahilan words were for the food she was cooking. At dinner, we ate the fried tilapia, ugali and veggies with only our hands. It was delicious!
Today I started off my day with a trip to the local hospital...yes, only three days in. After paying 5 000 shillings to see a doctor, and another 2 500 shillings for a urine sample, it turns out I was having side effects from the Malaria Pills I am on, but I’m fine now. After my visit to the hospital we went to the kitchen (jikoni), where the Mamas make the probiotic yogurt, or as they call it, maziwa mgando, which directly translated means sour milk. The kitchen is small and clean with a colourful mural on the wall, and we got to try the yogurt. It is going to take some getting used to for me, as it is very sour and a little lumpy, which is how the people here like it. In the yogurt kitchen, the Mama’s get the probiotics from Nimri, the lab and begin making the yogurt in the morning. The kitchen is close to both primary and elementary schools, so many of the children come into the kitchen to buy a cup of yogurt. Some purchase larger quantities and take it home. After seeing the kitchen we went to another nearby kitchen where some of the Mama’s make chipaties which they also sell. Once again, everyone was so friendly and welcoming, especially the children, who would point and yell mazunga!, then proceed to converse with us in a mixture of Swahili and English. As we left the kitchen the children followed us holding our hands. They were very sweet.
After we left the kitchen we went to the lab, and on our way we stopped by Kivulni, the woman’s rights group who initially sponsored the yogurt Mama’s, until they were selling enough yogurt to pay their own salaries and pay for the supplies and ingredients. Nimri and Kivulni are also near the international school, so it is a fairly upper class part of town, located higher up on the hills that you can see from our apartment. We ate lunch outside at Nimri, where for only 1000 shillings I got a huge plate of chips mayai, basically and African version of an omelette, with potatoes thrown in. We spent most of the remainder of the day in town getting oriented, where I bought some material for a dress and a bag I am going to get made. I cannot get enough of walking around the city because I am so intrigued and enthralled with everything I see.
Although Mwanza is underdeveloped, there is definitely an inaccurate image of Africa that has been embedded in the Western mindset. While there are people who are hungry and malnourished, there is more to Africa than what is depicted on the world vision programs you see on television. Many of the people we have seen so far, though they are quite poor, are happy. That being said, I’m looking forward to learning more about the social and economic state of Tanzania.
Tomorrow I am getting in touch with a Swahili tutor who comes directly to our apartment! I’m looking forward to improving my Swahili so I will be able to communicate better. That’s all for now! Kwa heri!
We spent our first full day in Amsterdam where we did a walking tour of all the major sites. We arrived at 7am Amsterdam time but only 1am our time, so we only made it through half the day before returning to the airport to crash. At 7am on a Sunday almost everything was closed, but by about 10 we were able to find an open coffee shop where a strong cup of coffee somewhat alleviated our sleepiness. We walked through the Red Light District which was pretty uncomfortable. I suppose because it is regulated it is arguably safer, but seeing the women on display in the windows made me feel like I was at a zoo. I was eager to get out of there and continue our tour. We walked by Anne Frank’s house and took a walk through a park near the Van Gough Museum. Even though we tired fairly quickly I’m thrilled we had the time to see the city. The many canals that weaved through the city were the coolest part for me.
Fun fact: the taxi’s there are BMWs.
After a long wait in the Schipol airport in Amsterdam we flew to Nairobi, and from there to Mwanza on a 15 person flight. As we were landing we got a fantastic view of “the Rock city,” known for its huge boulders in the middle of vast fields. The Mwanza airport was tiny, and very hot, but thankfully, being Canadian, we only had to pay $50 for our Visa into the country while American’s and the British were charged $150. We were greeted at the airport by Puis, the favoured taxi driver here, and Stephanie, one of the outgoing interns. From there we stuffed out luggage into Puis’s car, so much so that the trunk wouldn’t close. The open trunk however, didn’t deter him from zipping through the streets. Here, the cars and daladala’s (van-like buses used for public transportation) don’t stop for anyone, so it’s definitely up to pedestrians to get out of the way! It was about a fifteen minute cab ride from the airport to the intern apartment and coming in we saw people and their small shops lining both sides of the roads selling a variety of everything. Many of the women carried huge loads on their heads, and many of the men hold hands, a sight you wouldn’t see in America.
The intern apartment is right in the middle of town, and from our balcony, if you look down, you can see the many shops, and if you look up, you’re looking at huge hills with houses built on them. The apartment is fairly large and clean. Margret, our house keeper comes in twice a week to clean, but she often sticks around and either helps us with Swahili, or even cooks us dinner. She and Esther, the project coordinator who we also met upon our arrival are so friendly and welcoming. Everyone in Mwanza always greets us with Karibu (welcome) to which the appropriate response is Asante Sana (thank you very much). Stephanie and Olivia, the outgoing interns are also extremely warm, and have been a huge help to us as we settle in.
Fun Fact: The toilet is level with the ground and doesn’t flush!
Because we were so jetlagged, we napped when we got in, and awoke to a full house. Mama Joyce was there, and brought over one month old baby Martha, the daughter of a woman downstairs. She was absolutely adorable, though I don’t know how much she enjoyed being constantly passed between the three of us. Still, we couldn’t help but coo over her. Once the apartment cleared out, we went to a place called Tunsa, a lodge about a twenty minute cab drive away, and only 8 000 shillings! (The equivalent of $8). Tunsa is gorgeous and looks onto the beach. When we arrived, we did yoga on the beach then walked to the water on the pier. It was beautiful, and it was nice to relax after our long flight. We ate dinner there, and I enjoyed a delicious meal of curried nile fish, followed by a few games of pool with Jan, the owner of Tunsa and his son Henku, who are both South African. Jacque, a young man about our age, who has been here for three years and works at the shipyard joined us for pool and a bonfire on the beach after dinner. They were all so friendly and welcoming, and it was a great first night in Mwanza.
Fun Fact: There were lizards on the wall in Tunsa! Like a typical tourist, I took a picture.
Our second day in Mwanza flew by. We were still pretty jetlagged, so we managed to sleep in until 11am, a luxury we will not be able to enjoy much more this summer, as it is about to get pretty busy. After we woke up, we walked into town to get cell phones and a voltage converter. It was a twenty minute, very hot walk into town in my knee length capris, but I was so enthralled with all the sites I didn’t mind the heat. It is so busy and bustling downtown and all along the sides of the streets people in their shops are selling their goods, which range from clothing, to electronics, to Vitumba (fried rice patties).
At Votocom, where we bought our cell phones for only 20 000 shillings, we met a really nice computer technician named George, who makes his own ringtones, and offered to transfer them over to our phones. Unfortunately our phones aren’t activated yet, but I think his offer warrants another visit from us. After we returned from town Margret took Kathryn, Stephanie and I into the market to buy food for dinner. The market is massive, crammed, and a little intimidating. Fish, vegetables and fruit lined the streets with vendors sitting on the ground selling them. We bought fish, vegetables, and flour for our Ugali, a favourite African dish made by adding Kasava and Corn Flour to boiling water until it thickens. It’s either dipped in sauce or eaten plain. When we returned from dinner, Margret cooked for us, as Esther gave me a Swahili lesson. I’m slowly adding to my vocabulary. The walk to the market was nice because since Margret does not speak English, it was a great opportunity to practice our greeting with people. Shikamo is a safe greeting for anyone older, as it is a respectful way of saying hello, how are you. If it is someone younger, we would say “Mambo,” to which they would respond “Poa!” (cool). The odd person would point at us and yell “Mazunga,” which means white person. It’s not meant to be derogatory, and was actually pretty amusing.
As Margret was cooking I would hear, “Marta! Camera!,” from inside the kitchen and I would go take pictures of her cooking as she told me what Swahilan words were for the food she was cooking. At dinner, we ate the fried tilapia, ugali and veggies with only our hands. It was delicious!
Today I started off my day with a trip to the local hospital...yes, only three days in. After paying 5 000 shillings to see a doctor, and another 2 500 shillings for a urine sample, it turns out I was having side effects from the Malaria Pills I am on, but I’m fine now. After my visit to the hospital we went to the kitchen (jikoni), where the Mamas make the probiotic yogurt, or as they call it, maziwa mgando, which directly translated means sour milk. The kitchen is small and clean with a colourful mural on the wall, and we got to try the yogurt. It is going to take some getting used to for me, as it is very sour and a little lumpy, which is how the people here like it. In the yogurt kitchen, the Mama’s get the probiotics from Nimri, the lab and begin making the yogurt in the morning. The kitchen is close to both primary and elementary schools, so many of the children come into the kitchen to buy a cup of yogurt. Some purchase larger quantities and take it home. After seeing the kitchen we went to another nearby kitchen where some of the Mama’s make chipaties which they also sell. Once again, everyone was so friendly and welcoming, especially the children, who would point and yell mazunga!, then proceed to converse with us in a mixture of Swahili and English. As we left the kitchen the children followed us holding our hands. They were very sweet.
After we left the kitchen we went to the lab, and on our way we stopped by Kivulni, the woman’s rights group who initially sponsored the yogurt Mama’s, until they were selling enough yogurt to pay their own salaries and pay for the supplies and ingredients. Nimri and Kivulni are also near the international school, so it is a fairly upper class part of town, located higher up on the hills that you can see from our apartment. We ate lunch outside at Nimri, where for only 1000 shillings I got a huge plate of chips mayai, basically and African version of an omelette, with potatoes thrown in. We spent most of the remainder of the day in town getting oriented, where I bought some material for a dress and a bag I am going to get made. I cannot get enough of walking around the city because I am so intrigued and enthralled with everything I see.
Although Mwanza is underdeveloped, there is definitely an inaccurate image of Africa that has been embedded in the Western mindset. While there are people who are hungry and malnourished, there is more to Africa than what is depicted on the world vision programs you see on television. Many of the people we have seen so far, though they are quite poor, are happy. That being said, I’m looking forward to learning more about the social and economic state of Tanzania.
Tomorrow I am getting in touch with a Swahili tutor who comes directly to our apartment! I’m looking forward to improving my Swahili so I will be able to communicate better. That’s all for now! Kwa heri!
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