Final Post

Firstly, I want to thank you all for your support because without it I would not have been able to have such a wonderful time in Tanzania.  Now as most of you know, this has been a truly life-changing experience, so much so that I have decided to extend my stay in Tanzania indefinitely.  Your support of my work in Tanzania allowed me to volunteer my time to an organization that directly helped implement children's rights in the country.  Although I would very much like to continue to volunteer my time, I have decided for financial reasons to look for a paying job and am hopeful that I will find something that will allow me to continue to use my legal background to assist children in Tanzania. 

Once more I would like to thank you for your support in whatever form it was given as I am truly grateful for every contribution.  I am excited to be continuing my new life in Tanzania and look forward to sharing my experiences with each of you directly in the future.  Please feel free to contact me at any time at qblankvoort@gmail.com.

Almost to an End

I cannot believe that my trip is almost over.  It has really flown by.  Tomorrow my brother comes and in just over two weeks I'll be back in Holland.  I hear it's cold there-I've stopped complaining about the heat in anticipation of the cold which I'm sure is much worse! 

This weekend we went back to Kipipeo to spend some time on the beach but mostly to go kayaking which was another excellent excursion.  We spent just under 3 hours kayaking along the ocean and past mangroves that felt slightly eery but beautiful at the same time.  There were many obstacles such as the tide dragging us in the opposite direction, low hanging branches and sand banks but we managed to avoid most of them successfully.  Tandem-kayaking is definitely a team building exercise and it takes finding a good rhythm to really get going.  I had never been but am amazed at how quickly I caught on (yep- I'm tooting my own horn :)  Once we got into a groove it was pretty smooth sailing, that is except for when a jumping fish jumped right into Olaf's pants.  From my point of view in the front (away from the slimy fish, it was quite funny, but for him, not knowing initially what it was (it could have been a snake) it was a pretty daunting experience.  Definitely laughed about that one after the fact though.  Basically, I would say kayaking is recommendable to anyone interested in doing a little physical activity while still enjoying the beach/mangroves.

The evening before kayaking we had gone to another hotel to make sure that my Christmas reservation was received and when we got there we were invited to watch a turtle hatching.  This is extraordinarily lucky so of course we stayed to watch this.  And wow, what a sight.  All these super cute little turtles hatching and wandering about somewhat sleepily at first as they make their way to the water.  A really special sight to see.  I wish I had pictures but we forgot the camera.  I guess you'll just have to come visit and see it for yourself (if you're lucky)!  The turtle hatching is somewhat unpredictable.  Although there are conservationists who protect and observe the turtles, just like humans, they are on their own schedule and predicting when they might hatch is a matter of watching and waiting near the end of the cycle.  I couldn't believe our luck.  Many people come just to see it and never do and here we were just dropping by and got to watch this awesome event!

If the rest of my stay here is even remotely as special as my time here has been so far then I know I will end my 3 months here on a definite high note.  I hope to update in the next two weeks but may not have a chance.  I will definitely update when I get back.  For now, just in case I do not get another chance- Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everybody!!  Thank you all for your support.

A traditional ceremony to scare off evil spirits

Finally, As Promised, Pictures of Lushoto/Mkuzi

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Colobus monkey



At the edge of the world

not sure what I'm pointing at



does it get any better?



We stood right there

Our mid-day snack

This cow fell off the side and its owner couldn't get it back up

people

Amazing views

More amazing views

Clouds, but no rain, absolutely perfect weather

We also stood right there

Collapsed his own house to make red-clay bricks

Passion fruit flower

Chameleon

Being attacked by sugarcane plants

Our awesome guide Peter

Walking to the water to do laundry

So beautiful

Doing the laundry by the waterfall

And a little fishing to pass the time

Another chameleon- I touched it!

Just along the road

Two little ladies, lots of 'tude

Kiboko, our swiss host

Swiss Farm Cottage

Pretend picking tea leaves at the tea plantation

A-mazing :)

My driving was stalled by an obstacle- a wayward cow

Wow

That's one of the roads we drove on

More obstacles.

It's like a postcard :)



Here are the pictures of the Lushoto/Mkuzi trip.  As you can tell, I finally have internet again at the office (and power- all on the same day, it’s a miracle)

Finally I get a taste of the real “African experience”.  As you know we have not had power in the office regularly for about two weeks now.  Luckily we usually have power at home and have always had power at home at night.  That is, until yesterday.  Yesterday the power went off at the office just after four.  When I got home around 5 the power was off at home too.  No big deal since it usually comes back on again.  And it did this time as well.  Around 6 or so it came back on so I went to the supermarket to get dinner and when I got back pitch blackness greeted me.  I could hear the generator next door going and knew the power was out again.  This outage lasted all night and this morning when we left for work there was still no electricity. 

When it rains it pours or so they say.  It did rain last night, which was actually a blessing because it cooled everything down just a teeny tiny bit.  The bad news was that this weekend we had no water from the main so we were unable to fill up the tank.  Yesterday, we ran out of water so I was really glad when the water from the main was trickling at least a little bit into the tank.  At least we could shower.  Then I was reminded that without electricity, the pump would not work so it was all just a pipe dream and the shower would not be happening.  So this morning I had my first bucket shower.  It actually sounds a lot worse than it is.  I guess when you’ve been sweating all night long, a shower, bucket or otherwise is a welcome event. 

I’m currently in my last week of work because next Tuesday my brother is arriving.  I’m very excited to show him around and we have lots of fun things planned during his stay.  It’ll be a whirlwind but fantastic fun, I’m sure.  I’m also really excited to see a familiar face and to have a family member here.  Olaf and I are finally going to get to go to the Selous.  We were going to do a test run of it before my brother arrived but never got around to it.  We will also be going to Zanzibar and I will definitely be showing him all around Dar (although not the most exciting part of Tanzania, it’ll be fun showing him where I work and how I’ve been living here).   

Power outages some more and Sinterklaas goodies galore

So I know I promised to post pictures of the trip to Lushoto and Mkuzi but we still don’t have internet at the office.  I apologize to all the people whose emails I have not been able to respond to yet.  I will get to it as soon as I have a consistent connection.  Although I have been assured that the bill has been paid, it is impossible to tell since the power has been out in half the office the entire week and all the office half the week.  The half that is working right now can hardly be called half since it is two sockets and one fan.  This means no A/C and no internet and it means that we are all risking our lives hooking all the computers and printers up to the two functioning sockets.  It is like an electrical nightmare in the middle of a burning inferno.  It appears that they are rationing the electricity and this is apparently quite normal as no one is too surprised by it.  I think most people were surprised that we didn’t have more in September and October but now that elections are over, it all kind of makes sense.  It amazes me because they do not have a back-up plan when the power goes out.  When the power goes out I usually continue working on my laptop at the office until the battery dies at which time I go back home to finish working there if there’s power there (which it also a crap-shot since our area is also rationed but not usually at the same time as the office which is good).  I wondered what those working on desktop computers would be doing and I was surprised as they were still staring at their screen even though there was no power.  What I have learned is that they simply sit there and wait.  They don’t even pretend to be busy, for several hours, until someone brings up the idea to go home.  In the meantime they’ve texted all their friends a hundred times and read the paper cover to cover.  I feel almost bad for them for having to sit there waiting which must be extremely boring.  I did ask why we don’t have a generator since the hospital (in which we occupy an office on the top floor- no need to remind you that hot air rises) has one and I figured it would be big enough for the entire building.  I was told that the hospital indeed has a generator that we are even permitted to use for a small contribution.  This seems reasonable enough to me, especially given the frequency with which the power outages are hitting during working hours and the loss of production this clearly causes, however, this is not so apparent to the coordinator and so we do not contribute and do not get to enjoy the use of the generator.

Anyway, as frustrating as this is, I am getting used to the routine and have saved some money by being able to eat lunch at home.  This has also been a welcome break from the chips mayai and wali I’ve been having for lunch interchangeably until now.  It also helps my productivity as it gets extremely hot in the office in the afternoon even with the A/C and I have learned that my brain begins to fizzle a bit in extreme heat.  Although we don’t have A/C at home we do have a very powerful fan that I can position myself under while sitting in extremely airy clothing, something I cannot do at the office. 

I have been working on the brochures for the organization itself and for the child marriage campaign.  I have decided that all the brochures should have a common design element so that people can recognize them as the work of CDF.  Since the logo for the organization has the colors blue and pink in it the coordinator requested that these colors be represented in the brochure somewhere.  This is not an easy task as pink and blue can quickly make something look like a birth announcement and is difficult to make look serious, however, by using darker tones of the colors and some more modern designs, I think I have managed to make the colors the design element that flows through all the brochures.

In the meantime, I have also finished the book, "Do They Hear You When You Cry" and was very impressed by the story (not so much by the writing).  It is very simply written so an easy read and an important story.  I'm sure I should have liked it more because the story included a lot of the legal issues that surround FGM and asylum but there was just something missing.  I really can't explain what it was but the emotion just didn't really seem to be there.  Perhaps this is a cultural difference between the narrator (author) and myself but I felt very disconnected from her.  Anyway, still a worthwhile read, just to understand the progress made in the campaign to end FGM and to recognize it as a human rights issue.

On a happier note, to all my Dutch family and friends- veel plezier met Sinterklaas!!  and thanks to my mam who sent me a gift box with pepernoten, marzipan and chocolate letters in honor of the celebration.  They arrived just in time and will be heartily consumed this weekend :)  It's always nice to have a little bit of home when you're far away.  I am shocked by how well the mail appears to work (although I do have to have it sent to Olaf's office because there are really no physical addresses and most people simply have P.O. Boxes because buildings mostly go by plot numbers and I've never actually seen a postman).

A Relaxing Weekend in the Mountains

This weekend can only be described as amazing.  Everything from the drive up to the drive back to Dar was mind-blowingly fantastic!  I will definitely be repeating this experience again.  So now that I Have your attention, I’m sure you’re wondering what I did this weekend.  This weekend Olaf and I went to Mkuzi, near Lushoto, which is in the Usumbara Mountains, a beautiful mountain range where we were able to hike around in cool, crisp air.  Not only because we were at 1700 meters was it pretty close to heaven.

We stayed at the Swiss Farm Cottage which is owned and run be Sepp, a great big Swiss man with an appetite for food and life the size of Tanzania and a personality to match.  He was extremely hospitable to us and took excellent care of two very exhausted city-slickers who were much in need of a relaxing weekend in the mountains.  His cooking is phenomenal and, best of all, reminds a little of home as it is home-cooking at its best, from the pork-chops to the goulash to the home-grown vegetables used.  After a long day of hiking, having a delicious meal made by Sepp waiting for you is sure to revitalize you for the next hike!  Understandably, I sound like a walking advertisement for this place.  Truth is, we only discovered it slightly by accident as Sepp (or as everyone here calls him, Kiboko- meaning Hippo) has only recently taken over the place and completely revitalized it.  It’s not in any of the guidebooks, although it definitely should be.

Anyway, back to our little slice of Switzerland in the middle of Tanzania.  We left on Friday and naturally the Dar traffic made us somewhat behind schedule.  It is about a 5 hour drive, however, it took us close to 6 ½ to get there.  Not to worry, we had plenty to eat and drink and lots of good music to entertain us along the way.  Not only that but the drive up, once you get the Usambara Mountains in view, is so breath-taking you’ll hardly notice the rest of the trip.  I drove some of the way (Olaf apparently likes to live dangerously!) and I learned some new Dar driving rules.  When a bus is trying to overtake a truck coming towards you, move out of the way- playing chicken with a bus is never a good idea.  When the road is not clear to pass the truck in front of you will sometimes turn his right blinker on, then when it is clear to go, he will turn on his left blinker.  This is enormously helpful given that the roads can be windy and traffic slow.  This and the fact that lots of the dala dalas and private vehicles don’t have any break lights (that is not an exaggeration, there are probably more without than with) and the endless random speed-bumps make for a somewhat exhausting drive.  We arrived at the farm having already placed our dinner order as Kiboko takes his food very seriously and you have to order dinner in the morning as some dishes take all day to prepare.  He also maintained contact with us through text to make sure we didn’t get lost or have any problems.  Truly a generous and considerate thing to do which was much appreciated.

We were warmly welcomed and since we were the only ones staying in the cabin, we had the whole place to ourselves- including the fireplace which was immediately lit because it is cold up there.  In fact, I would say the temperature in Mkuzi is perfect.  Not too hot, but sunny during the day and crisp and cool at night- perfect hiking weather.  It also means there are no mosquitoes (which means no fighting with the mosquito net) and that you can sleep with the window open.  Kiboko joined us after dinner for a drink and to discuss some of the Tanzanian idiosyncrasies.  It was really nice to commiserate with someone who has been here going on 30 years and still can share the same frustrations (apparently they don’t go away).  We also learned about his carpentry shop (everything in the cabins made from wood was handcrafted in his woodwork shop) and discussed the hikes we would be making while there.  Such an extremely personable man with a huge personality (to match his huge belly).

On Saturday we met our guide, Peter, who, besides being a guide, is a carpenter working for Kiboko but also has his own shop.  We were planning a day trip that would include Yogio Point and Irente Point with a stop for lunch at Irente Farm.  Peter and Olaf and I quickly built up a strong rapport and we talked him into taking us down some new paths (not that it took a lot to convince him, he was as excited about it as we were!)  Peter was extremely nice and had an immense vault of information about the Usambara Mountains, but also just in general.  He was very generous with his time and took us to some amazing spots along the way.  He even managed to point out some colobus monkeys (twice) which is rare.  We were incredibly lucky to have Peter guiding the way. 

I do not feel that I can accurately describe the beauty of these mountains.  The pictures will have to do that.  We could see for miles and miles from the peaks we reached and it felt like you were on the edge of the world.  Taking new (at least for us and Peter) routes only made it more fascinating and exciting.  We didn’t stop for lunch until almost 4 pm but didn’t feel hungry.  That is, until we got our food.  Irente Farm is a non-profit farm that makes delicious cheese, yogurt and many other dairy products, as well as fruit jams, muesli and bread.  All home-made, all delicious.  These are all very high commodities in Dar where cheese is imported and super expensive, as is yogurt and don’t even talk about sour cream.  As you can imagine, after finishing lunch, we stocked up.  Kiboko had asked us to bring him some cheese as well so we bought all they had and loaded up the back-pack.  Olaf is training to climb Mount Kili so it was good practice to carry that heavy load! 

We arrived back at the lodge just as it was getting dark and Kiboko was so disappointed as he was very excited to show us property, which includes half a mountain apparently.  We were a little disappointed too as the views from the cottage seemed amazing and it would’ve been nice to get a tour (don’t worry, we managed to squeeze one in before we left on Sunday).  However, exhaustion was starting to hit so we returned to the cottage for a hot shower and a seat by the fireplace.  Dinner was served promptly at 8 as requested and was brought to our cabin which has a really nice dining area.  Let’s just say, the mashed potatoes were incredible and the only thing that could beat them was the fantastic vegetable medley that we got with it.  I’m salivating just thinking about it!  True home-style cooking is sorely missed and I am definitely looking forward to my mom’s cooking again! 

Kiboko kindly allowed us to store our dairy products in his fridge and even let us freeze our cooler packs so that we could safely transport our goodies back to Dar on Sunday.  As you can imagine, Saturday was an early night.  Kiboko kindly brought us some hot chocolate (the real stuff not the sugar and milk they give you in Dar where it’s too hot to drink it anyway).  We hiked for about 6 ½ hours that day and that will wipe you out.  I was surprised to discover on Sunday that I had no muscle aches and that I was ready for another day of hiking.  Peter was ready too and we got an early start since we needed to leave on time to make it back to Dar.  We went to the Mkuzi waterfalls, taking the long route (because that’s just how we roll).  There we relaxed for a little bit as we watched a group of boys/young men do their washing and fish with a stick and some string.  Whereas the day before we visited some of the peaks, on Sunday we walked through parts of the rainforest.  It is so lush and alive, the complete opposite to Dar which is hot and dusty and very, very dry.  Again, I cannot do it justice by simply describing it and hope the pictures give you a better idea of the environment.  We were lucky enough to see another colobus monkey (some people come for a week with the special purpose of seeing one and don’t get to, so we feel extremely lucky- of course, they are super fast so the pictures are a little blurry) and we managed to curb our hunger by eating some berries Peter found.

Peter, being a wealth of knowledge, kept us entertained with stories of Mbega, the first Shambaa King and was even able to explain why a passion fruit is called a passion fruit (it has to do with Jesus, not with love- who knew!).  Truly an intelligent, kind man who not only took us on longer, more interesting hikes, but also showed us his home and his workshop.  He even let Olaf name his cow after he told him it was something they do in Europe.  He named the cow Eva.  Not only that, but Peter also gave Olaf a copy of a book about the history of the Germans and their relation to the Usumbara region which he helped translate from Kiswahili to Shambaa, and offered to ride with us as we left on Sunday to show us a back way that is much more scenic and takes you in between the eastern and western Usumbara mountains.  This turned out to be an almost four hour drive from which he took the bus back home.  A very generous offer that we did take him up on (thinking it was only 2 hours).  It was an incredible way to end the weekend as we drove winding roads through the mountains (I got to drive as well- thanks Olaf!) and saw not only the changing vegetation from rain forest to drier areas, but also managed to see four tea plantations.  We also managed to be slightly slowed down twice by cows.  It's a normal occurrence here :)  As we bode farewell to Peter, we heartily, and truthfully, promised to return soon.  We made the same promise to Kiboko who took some time before we left to show us his estate and to describe to us his fantastic plans to expand.  The Swiss Farm Cottage is not just comfortable and serene, the people make it colorful and rich.  An unforgettable experience to put it mildly. 

On the way home, I drove until dark to give Olaf a break and to continue practicing my driving (although we can hardly call it that since I’m driving around on my own now) when all of a sudden I am pulled over.  To be pulled over in Tanzania means a police officer stands in the road and points you to the side where you pull over.  I hadn’t done anything wrong but since my Kiswahili has not been improving as fast as I wish it were, I let Olaf do the talking.  The guy asked where we were coming from and where we were going and then whether we had any vegetables, which we didn’t.  For a minute I thought he might confiscate our cheese and sour cream and became very nervous.  No worries, we were able to bribe him with approximately 6 chocolate chip cookies.  The guy was just hungry (police get hungry too) and it was nearly dark so he was satisfied with our cookies.  A strange, but apparently not unusual experience.  He wished us a pleasant continuation of our journey and off we went.  We got home around 9:30, had some muesli and yogurt from Irente Farms (fantastic!!), looked at the pictures and went to bed.  It was an exhausting but exhilarating weekend that completely revived me and renewed my love for Tanzania after a somewhat exhausting and frustrating week.

As you may have noticed, I only updated the blog once last week.  This is because on both Tuesday and Thursday we were without power (in all of Dar- apparently they’re rationing) and on Wednesday and Friday we were without internet at the office so there was nary a chance to update.  On Friday I went to the immigration office downtown to try to extend my visa only to discover I had the wrong office- so frustrating.  Thank goodness for my relaxing weekend or I may have blown a gasket on Monday when there was still no internet at the office (they forgot to pay the bill I discovered) and after sitting in traffic for over an hour each way, I was told that they could not extend my visa until it was almost (as in a day or two) expired.  Of course, they could not tell me this when I called numerous times.  The ice-cream I bought as I sat waiting in the endless and senseless traffic of Dar helped ease the frustration.  So now hopefully we will maintain power and I can get back to work as I am trying to finish the brochures and the training manual in the next two weeks before my brother comes to visit. 

So sorry but the pictures will have to wait!  As usual, there was another power outage at the office today and my home internet is just not able to upload the pics.  Hopefully tomorrow I’ll have access again and I’ll be able to share the wonders of Lushoto with you.

A Cautionary Tale

It was a somewhat uneventful weekend here in Dar.  That is, except for the excitement that occurred on Friday evening.  I put this on here as a cautionary tale for all those coming to Dar es Salaam.  Olaf’s blackberry was stolen on Friday evening as we were stuck in traffic.  It’s amazing how fast these things can happen.  Thankfully, no one was hurt but it is still shocking and scary.  We were sitting in traffic around 7:00 p.m. coming back from the supermarket when it happened.  I was driving since I’ve been trying to learn my way around and practice my driving (which is going really well- I’m getting the hang of it quite nicely and have become a suitably aggressive, yet defensive driver to mix well with the lack of rules here).  Olaf was calling the boys to make sure everything was still on for movie night and since he’s used to driving he was holding his phone in his left hand (which is usually the inside hand but in this case is the window-side hand).  As we’re stopped in traffic these kids come up asking for money to wash your windshield.  This is fine but it happens every time you stop and they are super super aggressive (to the point where I had to close my window because I thought the kid might grab at me and he stood there with his face against the window until I was able to drive away).  We had already given one kid money and actually had no more change so when this group came up we were trying to tell them no and they kept pushing and pushing and Olaf hung up the phone but was still holding it and some bigger kid/man ran past and took the phone right out of his hand.  As this happened the kids were still asking for money and didn’t stop until we drove off. 

Of course we couldn’t catch the guy and there’s not much you can do about it here.  I’m sure the guy just saw an opportunity and took it and the kids weren’t involved but you wonder.  As much as I feel for the orphans (and support those who are actually trying to earn their money with odd jobs such as window-washing) I don’t like the aggressive ones and it makes me so mad at the government that they don’t do more so that these kids don’t have to be out on the street and that I have to be afraid that I’m going to get grabbed at waiting at a traffic light.  It’s definitely the underbelly of an otherwise wonderful nation.  But it’s an underbelly everyone should be aware of which is why I include this cautionary tale in my blog. 

Like I said, other than this unfortunate event, it was an otherwise calm weekend.  We had a movie night on Friday in which we played Avatar from a projector onto a sheet.  It was like I imagined it to be.  The projector stayed around all weekend so yesterday we watched Red with Bruce Willis- to me that was more fun to watch!  I highly recommend it, if only to see Dame Helen Mirren kick ass and take names. 

As for work, I’m getting back into the grind working on the CDF brochure right now.  If you saw their old one, you would understand why they need another, I’m just not sure I’m the right person for the job!  But right now, I’m all they’ve got so here we go!  Have a great week everyone J  It’s nice to be back in Dar (but very very hot)!

The Big Trip Up-Country

What a week it’s been.  I returned just Tuesday night from an eventful trip to Mwanza, Tarime and Nyamwaga where we kick-started the FGM campaign.  Travelling on a bus for 15 hours on Tuesday and 4 ½ hours the day before to make it back to Dar es Salaam you would think I’d have had enough time to put all my thoughts together so that this post would basically write itself.  I wish!  The truth is that it’s a good thing yesterday was a national holiday here because I was exhausted (and still am a little).  So many new things to experience and to absorb that it will probably take me a while to process everything.  I hope to include as much detail as possible about the trip in this post but be forewarned that for the next week or so there may be some posts that include stories I had forgotten to mention.

Day 1

On Wednesday last week I somehow managed to wake up at 4:30 am to jump in a cab to go to Ubungo bus station which is the central bus terminal in Dar.  This is where all the big buses congregate along with a slew of salesmen selling everything from popcorn and candy to belts and shoes- all in baskets so they can hold it up to the window of the bus and you can pay them from your seat.  It’s quite ingenious really and I noticed that they do this at all the main bus stops along the way.  Anyway, I got to the station and although it was very dark, it was extremely busy and the hustle and bustle of the station was a little much for a half-awake mzungu.  The taxi-driver was nice enough to escort me to my bus, aptly named the Lucky Star, built in circa 1970.  I cautiously watched them load my bag in “the boot” or trunk for you Americans and went to find my seat.  I was disappointed to find I had not been given a window seat and asked if that could be changed.  It was and as I found out on the return trip, it was a better seat at that since it was near the front.  (sitting in the back is almost unbearable because speed-bumps are frequent (probably influenced by the British) and the driver does not always seem to pay them much attention causing the rear end of the bus to literally fly off the road and everyone sitting in the rear out of their seat).  When you’re sitting near the front however, you have full view of the road and can therefore prepare yourself for upcoming speed-bumps.  The negative side of the front is that you also get to see the oncoming traffic as the bus is trying to pass another massive vehicle of some sort or is narrowly missing that bicyclist and all his bananas.  Not to mention the goat that he almost hit or the cow that almost his us.  A harrowing experience but certainly well worth it as I can now say that I have travelled across Tanzania.  We even made it to the actual capital, Dodoma.

As you can imagine, fifteen hours on a bus is not a lot of fun.  Given that toilet breaks are infrequent (just one after 3 hours and another after 6- leaving another 9 hours without a stop, except for the other three stops in deserted places where the men all jumped out and went wherever and the poor women who couldn’t hold it scampered to find a dried out bush somewhere to hide behind as they lift their kangas- life is not fair)  The toilets along the road are holes in the ground similar to the one I found at the stadium.  I am now getting quite good at squatting over these but am extremely glad I brought along my hand sanitizer because just being in there makes you feel dirty.  After we arrived in Mwanza around 9 p.m. we grabbed our stuff and headed to our hotel for the night.  I was exhausted, (strange considering I did manage to sleep a little in between speed-bumps and horn blows) I think all the excitement and the early wake-up call finally hit me and I went to bed without dinner. 

View from the hotel in Mwanza.  There's a lake behind there

The famous fountain in Mwanza

The Lake

Day 2

Tarime is a small town and Mwanza is the closest “city” to it.  Although I didn’t manage to see a lot of it, it is quite beautiful.  It sits on the lake and is called “Rock City” because it has these beautiful rock formations all around.  Since Mwanza is the closest city to Tarime, most of the journalists and news outlets are located there so we spent the morning organizing and holding a press conference about our campaign and what we hoped to achieve.  This news conference was held in a tiny little office and we had to pay all the journalists to show up and report on it (not much, 10,000 TZS- approximately 5 Euros) however, it did seem a little odd.  After the news conference we had an interview with Radio Free Africa which was very important as most people in the Tarime area do not have television and some can’t read so radio is the best medium to reach them with.  We wanted to inform them of our campaign and invite them to attend our community awareness raising forum that was being held on Sunday.  This all went off without a hitch and the journalists even had some interesting questions (or so I’m told- it was all in Kiswahili, so who really knows!)

Those are all journalists except for Grace, our representative,
 in the polkadots

Following this, Grace and Esther went to pick up a package we needed to take to Tarime and Albert and I walked around Mwanza for a little while.  We all met up for lunch overlooking the lake before heading out to catch the bus to Tarime.  We barely made it to the last bus for the day and jumped on right as they were about to leave.  Unlike the Lucky Star, this bus was not nearly as classy and was quite uncomfortable (almost a week later I can still feel the metal bar digging into my back) however, the view makes it well worth it.  During the four and a half our trip, we passed right by the Serengeti where we saw zebra, wildebeest and gazelles and even a baboon or two that are really daring and will come up all the way to the bus.  We arrived in Tarime around 9 p.m. and headed to the hotel where we ate a quick meal and went to bed.

View of the Lake from our lunch spot

Day 3

This is when it really got started.  After a quick breakfast we headed out into town where we met with a slew of government officials to introduce ourselves, our cause and let them know what we were planning on doing while in town.  We received warm welcomes everywhere and garnered support for our cause.  During the day, we met with the Community Development Officer, the District Commissioner, a very lively and colorful Anglican Bishop, the District Director, the prosecutor and a traditional community leader.  As I said, all were very warm and friendly and appeared interested in the cause (again, this is what I am told as most of it was in Kiswahili).  The bright moment for me was when the District Director suddenly addressed me in Dutch.  As it turns out, he studied for a year in Groningen.  I have learnt that the Netherlands has a sponsorship program in Tanzania that is quite well-known and popular.  He told me that while studying in the Netherlands he used to make money on the side fixing bicycles.  How’s that for interesting side jobs.  Now he’s the District Director.  As we were meeting with all these people we also managed to hang up posters and hand out brochures to those interested.  It was a busy but successful day.  When we were finally done and ready for a nice long shower (although the climate is much better than in Dar, it was still a hot day full of waiting outside in the sun for whichever dignitary was next on our list) we were welcomed by a hotel that, just like the rest of the entire town, was without electricity.  Although they have a generator, they only turn it on for about an hour a day and it only actually generates electricity for the lights and nothing else.  Thank goodness I’m used to cold showers and it was not so bad.  By the way- we did have actual toilets in the hotel- thank goodness!  In fact the hotels were probably an upgrade considering they had warm water and an actual bed (for the most part)!

Meeting the District Commissioner

And the District Director (who speaks a few words of Dutch

That's Albert with a little old lady whom we bought lunch for

Day 4

This morning we were holding our group discussion with community leaders, ngaribas, a teacher, some representatives from local women’s groups and other important figures from the villages.  It was to be a round table discussion to determine what some of the main issues are surrounding FGM.  Although again this was all in Kiswahili, I could tell it was going well.  Everybody was extremely respectful and everyone spoke at least once.  There appeared to be good back-and-forth discussions going between some of the participants and Albert, our moderator, did very well in keeping everyone on point and asking questions to further the discussion.  Having never seen a Ngariba before I was very curious about that.  We had two present.  The woman that is touching my shoulder in the group picture is one of them.  Albert explained to me that one of the Ngaribas had stopped cutting and had instead offered the service of talking to the girls brought to her about their rights and the importance of education and such.  However, she was told to stop this by her traditional community leader or threatened that he would advise the community to send their girls to another Ngariba.  Although the parents who were sending their daughters to her were aware that she was not actually cutting, they would follow the traditional leader’s advice and go elsewhere.  Now she is back to cutting, but as she explains, she only cuts a tiny little cut and does little harm.

Some of the participants of the round table discussion

This day I also had the opportunity to meet some of the PEER research girls who now have their own business- a restaurant.  They expertly provided the refreshments for the tea that we served around 11 a.m.  They provided delicious Tchipatas (don’t really know how to spell that but they are sort of like pancakes) bananas, eggs and a very surprising tea that was made with ginger and had a little spice to it.  All very good.   Most interestingly, during the tea break they asked me whether in my country the males are circumcised.  Quite appropriately really, they compare FGM to male circumcision which is also done in hospitals and quite acceptable.  Of course they are not the same (but are they really so different?) but it is a good question to raise, especially since the lack of knowledge of the health risks associated with FGM makes it appear to many who are participating in it as if it is a safe procedure, similar to male circumcision.  This is also why it is so important to focus on the health effects of FGM and not approach the subject from a moral standpoint (science is difficult to argue with, morality is always open to debate). 

Sister Pendo, me and the PEER research girls

As a result of this round table discussion we got some interesting information on the techniques used and the practice surrounding FGM.  We also learned that the traditional community leaders are of vital importance in changing the mindset towards FGM.  The community leaders present were against FGM but said that their position is unique and they needed help in convincing their fellow leaders of the importance of ending this practice.  They specifically requested having a similar discussion with only traditional leaders and perhaps the doctor present.  This is now a high priority in moving the campaign forward.

In the afternoon we hired a PA system- this is a SUV with speakers attached to the top and lots of loose wires hanging around everywhere.  To the speakers a microphone is attached and they announce whatever you want to say through the speakers as they drive around town.  We had to go with them because, as Grace told me, you can’t trust that they’ll actually say what you tell them to.  As we ventured off, kids were running full speed behind us, waving at us until they couldn’t run anymore.  As we drove down the main streets and through the market area we handed out more posters and brochures and it became noticeable that people were actually reading them and paying attention to what was being said.  It felt like we were already having an effect.  We also went into less populated areas towards the villages as those are really the people we needed to reach.

The PA system

Our PA driver and announcer

Children that came out to see what the message was

That evening we went to a local restaurant where the Mama cooked us a whole chicken (when I say whole, I mean whole- legs, eggs and all- see picture- by the way, those are not egg yolks like I thought they were, those are undeveloped eggs (I think that makes them ovaries?!)- they taste like egg yolks, though I won’t be repeating that experience any time soon) and bananas and we drank a little konyagi (local gin- actually very good with some fresh juice, or soda as is the preference for locals) in honor of Grace’s birthday which had been the day before.  We only had one drink each as the next day was to be a big one since we were having our big community awareness raising forum.

Mama's Chicken and bananas

Chicken legs and eggs (not fully developed)

Albert showing me how to eat a chicken leg/paw

Tanzanian gin, quite tasty

Day 5

We started early because we had a lot planned for the day.  Our big community awareness raising event was to be held today.  We set off towards the market area where we were going to hold the event.  As we arrived they were starting to put up the tent.  Although it didn’t look very stable (metal held together with string) it managed to last all day without problem.  It took several hours to get the tent up but we were entertained by the goat sale going on right beside us.  Once the tent was up, people started coming by to ask what was going on and we went ahead and started our day by handing out brochures and telling people why we were there.  Noticeably, most people were interested and were actually reading the brochures and walking away to tell their friends.  It looked like the day was starting successfully.  In the meantime we had to find sheets to hang so we could play the awareness raising video we had brought.  This was a task in itself.  Although finding the sheets was no problem given that the market was right there, due to it being daylight, we had a problem getting it dark enough.  We managed to get some bamboo screens to put behind the sheets and a little DIY action and we were ready to go.  The guys who had been our announcers during our PA ride were also on hand to work the logistics of actually playing the movie and making sure there was sound.  Again, it was a good idea to be near the market as we went back and forth looking for certain wires.

Putting the tent up

As we were working on getting everything set up a small group of men formed to take shade under our tent.  I was told by one of the other volunteers that they were discussing FGM and that the man sitting alone was an elder who was against FGM and he was debating with the other gentlemen about why he was against it.  It was really encouraging to see that we were having an effect without even really getting started.  When we were ready to start the crowd really grew.  The children were drawn towards the fact that we were playing a video- I think they would have been satisfied just watching a blue screen- and we ended up with a massive group of kids (this is good since we want to instill in them the importance of this issue at a young age).  The group was varied to say the least and there were old, young, men and women present.  Albert again led the discussion and as an incentive to get people talking we offered t-shirts for comments or questions (regardless of which side of the spectrum they fell).  The t-shirts, I have learned are a huge incentive here and people will do just about anything for them.  Given that this is such a poor area, the t-shirts are a high commodity.  Thankfully we had a doctor present who was able to answer a lot of the questions.  Our focus remains on the health aspects and people seemed very receptive to this.  The interaction was really great as people seemed to pay attention throughout the four hour event (including the children).

group of men discussing FGM amongst themselves

Albert handing out brochures

As we were starting the video sadly the weather turned on us and the rainy season reared its ugly head.  Given that we had a loosely constructed metal tent, a generator and lots and lots of exposed wires we decided it was unwise to continue.  The crowd did not seem to disappointed and the disbursement went without issue.  Getting the tent down took a while and thankfully the storm held off just long.  This day was truly exhausting and it is quite impressive that Albert was able to keep up the momentum and keep everyone focused and involved throughout the event.  I think it was a big success.

Picture of a portion of the crowd

More people (there must have been at least 300)

Local musicians that provided some light entertainment

Since we didn’t have lunch, we were all very hungry.  We’d had Mama’s chicken two days in a row so thankfully we agreed to eat somewhere else.  It had gotten quite cold in Tarime, with the rains coming and it being cooler anyway so warm tea was a welcome pre-dinner drink.  Notably, this day, I received three marriage proposals and one even included the bride price offer of 20 cows.  It’s good to know that even at my age I’m still worth 20 cows.  The proposals were very flattering indeed.  And no, I did not take any of them up on their offer, although 20 cows is nothing to laugh at. J

Suiter number 1

Suiter Number 2

But this little guy, Samson, won my heart!

The child of one of the PEER research girls- so cute!

Day 6

We were supposed to have an early start since we had to drive to Nyamwaga where we were having an assembly type discussion with a group of school children.  We had to be there early so that we could finish before lunch because the last back to Mwanza left at 3 p.m. and if we missed it we would have to waste away a day in Tarime.  Apparently only I felt the time crunch as we left an hour after we were supposed to (you would think I was used to this by now since we had been on African time throughout the trip- very frustrating).  After meeting with the ward director, he escorted us to the school and the children quickly gathered around the big tree in front of the school to sit in the shade as the “assembly” began.  As our discussion with the children went on we again gave out t-shirts to children who had comments or questions.  I must say, the children were very respectful and engaged.  There must have been at least 200 of them and they all behaved extremely well.  As the morning went on, more and more people gathered to hear what we were discussing and even some of the elders from the village came and some children who did not attend the school chose to listen along which I thought was really impressive.  I offered for them to join the group but they were happy to sit away from the other children.  It really made me wish I spoke more Swahili so that I could have asked them why they weren’t in school.  My assumption is that they cannot afford the fees for the uniform or some other hidden fee that makes the free primary education unattainable for many.

Albert leading the discussion

The children who didn't go to the school but still listened

The girls club girls taking a bow following their skit

We did actually manage to finish on time and following an apparently very funny skit by some of the girls from the Girls Club we closed the assembly.  We had a reporter from the Daily News present who was also there the day before for our community awareness raising event who shared with me that he preferred the event directed at the children because he believed it would have more impact.  Although I certainly agree that children are the future (thank you Whitney Houston, now that song will be stuck in my head for the rest of the day) I believe that the correct approach is to target the whole community as it appears to be a community issue that starts with the traditional leaders, trickles down to the parents and then down to the children.  Certainly changing their mindset should be part of the plan, however, I find it shortsighted to ignore the importance of the other members of the process and therefore think that the approach used during this trip (having three separate events directed at three separate groups) is a good way to approach this issue. 

Anyway, we made it to our bus with time to spare and thankfully this bus was a bit more comfortable than the last one (although not much).  There was no bar digging into my back but this time it was into my thigh as we were sitting three in a row in a bench seat probably made for two and a half.  Again I was sitting on the wrong side and the Serengeti passed me on the opposite window.  I did manage to see the same animals again, however it was from a distance. 

Back in Mwanza we turned in early as we were set to return to Dar the next day, meaning we had to catch the bus at 5:30 a.m. so it would be an early wake up call. 

Day 7

The bus ride was nowhere near as fun as on the way there.  I guess all the excitement had worn off and I was just exhausted.  Add to this the fact that we had seats at the back of the bus (I’m pretty sure mine was directly above the wheel) and the fact that I could not sleep and you get the picture.  Again we had very limited (and really gross) bathroom stops.  Thank god for my travel size anti-bacterial disinfectant.  I had saved some cookies and sweet bread from the trip there to feed myself on the trip back and limited my water intake to that which was completely necessary.  Although we stop for lunch, eating chicken out of a black plastic bag on a bus did not sound appealing to me.  It apparently did sound appealing to the lady sitting diagonally in front of me as she devoured two bags (which I think is two chickens).  Please picture if you will a woman who looks like a cross between Martin Lawrence as Big Mama and Tyler Perry as Madea.  She was wearing her Sunday best (including a lovely hat) but had a definite butch-like quality to her that was only highlighted by the way she slurped and sucked on her chicken.  She let nothing go to waste (including the bone marrow which she sucked out noisily).  When she was done, with her hands still glistening with the grease she managed somehow to slide open the window and toss her bag of bones out the window.  This may seem shocking, and I myself have not quite gotten used to it, but littering here is quite normal.  Given that there is no central garbage arrangement all garbage is simply burned at the side of the road and I have yet to see a street that isn’t littered with all sorts of trash.  I think at this point even if they had a garbage system it would be difficult to convince people to stop simply dropping their empty bottles and such onto the street. 

Anyway, the never-ending chicken eating process was not even the highlight of this wonderful ride back to the city.  About three hours outside of Dar the little old man sitting beside me, who was also dressed in his Sunday best suit and tie started to pick at his nose.  Apparently he found gold as for the next three hours he proceeded to rub a booger between his forefinger and thumb.  Yuck. 

The best part of the trip was after we stopped in Morogoro.  Every time we hit a speed bump (which was often) there was a strange sound coming from the undercarriage of the bus.  It sounded like a child screaming.  Of course, given my exposure to goats at the goat sale during the community awareness raising event I knew that it was indeed a goat.  What I couldn’t figure out is whether we had hit it or something else had happened.  Given that the sound continued at every speed bump and no one else seemed in the least interested in this, I deduced that we had a goat in the boot (the trunk).  I was proven correct when just outside of Dar we dropped off a man who proceeded to unload his goat.  I now also know why they are called kids- because they sound like children screaming.  It is a painful noise to hear and somewhat unbearable. 

I made it back safely to Dar right around 10 pm.  After 16 hours in a bus, I was ready for a shower, some water and some food.  As always, without explanation, there was a traffic jam (at 10 pm on a Tuesday night).  There was no reason for it and where all the people come from I don’t know so there was a little delay in getting home.  In the meantime I did learn that Wednesday is a national holiday here and so I could sleep in.  Thank goodness because it felt like I could sleep for a week, especially considering the night before I had to mummify myself by wrapping up tightly in a sheet to avoid the ants that were crawling all over the hotel room (including the bed). 

So there you have the gist of it.  The trip was a success and I managed to survive without much fuss.  (just a little frustration was aired here and there- thanks for listening those who got the brunt of it!)  Now it’s back to work as normal.  Given that the trip wore me out our Selous Game Reserve camping trip we had planned for this weekend has been postponed (again) and hopefully we’ll go next week.  This weekend I think I am just going to relax and unwind, eat some regular food and maybe catch a couple of movies.