And I thought I had gotten rid of the Celine Dion curse

So finally someone plays some music at the office.  This certainly breaks up the monotony of silence, I only wish that it was anything other than Celine Dion.  Those who know me well know that I have this conspiracy theory that Celine Dion is following me around since every department store, elevator and supermarket seems to play Celine Dion as I enter.  This wouldn’t be so bad I suppose for people who actually like her music.  And I certainly admit that I may be one of the few who do not, but come on, seriously, must she appear everywhere.  I would rather have silence right now.  Tomorrow I bring my own earphones for I cannot stand for this too much longer.  It’s like nails on a chalkboard. 

Add to this the fact that it appears Grace and Albert have returned, although I have only seen Grace, who when asked about following up on my questions, informed me that I would have to talk to Albert, who appears to have conveniently gone MIA.  Frustration overload right now. 

Oh well.  Life’s all about rolling with the punches, right?!  So as I am trying to tune out the Celine Dion playing in the background, I am trying hard to focus on the task at hand.  I have found some additional training manuals online (thanks Lucy, the Aids Alliance website was a great starting point!) for other organizations that offer some good insight on how to address the issue of talking to victimized and vulnerable children.  These are a great resource since this was an area I was feeling slightly inept in.  This has renewed my motivation and I am now working on making this portion much more thorough (as it should be) as my sentiment is that this is going to be a vital portion of the training.

I also managed to pick up a juicy pineapple yesterday (quite possibly my favorite fruit) and they appear to be in season now so I shall be eating a lot of those.  It’ll be trial and error to determine who sells the best ones.  I look forward to finding out J 

Also noticeable is an upturn in political campaigning.  Although I do not have a television or radio to determine whether they are using these mediums (I am sure radio is probably the more popular outlet since more people have radios than televisions, especially outside the city) I have noticed more trucks with big loudspeakers attached to them drawing attention to their candidate by playing loud music as they drive down the street covered in campaign posters.  Makes me wish I had my blackberry so I could’ve taken a quick picture.  There are also more people wearing t-shirts with their candidate’s face on it to show their support.  It’s still not quite like campaigns in the Netherlands or the U.S. but I feel as if campaign fever is at least picking up a little as Sunday (election day) nears. 

PS- The lemongrass is still alive (as of this morning) but keep those fingers crossed because I believe it's still touch and go...

Death Follows Me Some More

I have included a picture of a dead crow.  We seem to be collecting these.  Not sure if it's a bad omen (I choose to believe it is not) but it is weird.  Right now there are three in the back yard.  The other day we found one under the table as we were eating dinner- yuck!  There are also a slew of dead crows on the dirt street leading to the the neighborhood.  Very strange.  I am choosing to believe that either someone is really good with a sling shot or our new neighbors have laid out some poison to try and control the massive (and loud) crow population that has taken over the area.  It does seem weird that right at the one month mark of my stay I am once again confronted with strange deaths.  At least these are of the crow kind and not the human kind, I suppose.

This weekend actually turned out somewhat as I had planned.  I got to spend a significant amount of it with my nose in a book but still managed to get out and about and enjoy Dar, all in all, a good weekend.  I managed to see the sunset from Slipway (well, it actually ended up being the Irish Pub around the bend since the restaurant at the Slipway was all booked up but still amazing views of the red fiery sky and the little fishing boats in the ocean).  Magnificent. 

On Saturday, after a nice relaxing morning with my book, I got two calls from Zain, my mobile telephone company telling me I had to register my number or they were going to shut off my phone in 5 days.  Well, that definitely got my butt into gear so off I headed to the Zain shop which happens to be across the street from my regular daladala stand.  So after registering my telephone I decided to hop on the daladala towards town so that I could finally see what Dar city center is all about.  The only drawback of this otherwise awesome decision was that I did not have a map or my travel guide with me.  I actually thought that maybe I had read it enough already that I could manage.  Ha!  Big mistake!!  I got off the daladala at Posta which is the central bus station in town and just started walking.  I basically followed the largest group of people I could find and off I went.  I was actually looking for water since Dar is on the ocean and a good way to orient yourself is to have the ocean in view.  I never did get to see the ocean from Dar!  Anyway, as I was completely lost, there was a beacon of hope as I stumbled, purely by accident, on A Novel Idea, a local bookshop.  I went inside and casually looked up my location in one of their travel guides and cooled off in their air-conditioning before heading back out.  Confident that I now had my bearings and could find my way around I managed, somehow, to get lost again.  This time I ended up in what can only be described as little India.  I kept walking and knowing the general direction of the daladala stand, headed back in that direction.  After two hours of aimless walking, I was ready to head back and try again another time with a map or guidebook in hand.  To be honest, there was not much of Dar city center that was really worth the trip and it is very much like any other city.  This makes me feel like I was missing something so I will definitely have to do a little more research, however, most of the books seem to agree that Tanzania should not be judged by Dar.  From what I saw on Saturday, I think I may agree with this sentiment.

After getting back and finally getting my body temperature back to a normal degree (it was HOT out there and the packed to the max daladala did not help!) I returned to my book for a little while.  That night Sunday took me to meet some of his friends at the Doubletree bar for drinks and some smooth tunes.  We had a fantastic time and I thoroughly enjoyed my first night on the town, Dar style.  The ladies were dressed to the max and making me miss my glorious shoe collection tremendously.  No fear though, one of Sunday’s friends is in the shoe selling business and judging by the fantastic pair she was wearing, I will be a good customer J

Sunday was a bit of a lazy day.  I did return to the Slipway to buy some baskets.  I somehow managed to maneuver the car without killing myself or anyone else, dodging bicycles and daladalas left and right.  Driving here is like Super Mario Cart on crack (or at least what I imagine that to be like).  I also managed to get petrol even though I had no idea where the button to open the gas tank was.  Thankfully people are really helpful and looking confused is all it really takes for someone to step in and offer assistance!

I also managed to plant Olaf’s lemongrass this weekend.  It’s been sitting in plastic containers since I got here and since he has been kind enough to let me continue to stay with him, I thought it was the least I can do.  They are still alive today, which is surprising since I have the tendency to kill all plant matter I come into contact with.  Case-in-point, Olaf’s beautiful inside banana plant.  I watered it once and it died two weeks after I got here.  Please everybody, keep your fingers crossed that the lemongrass survives (at least long enough for Olaf to see my handiwork on Thursday).  I am being really diligent about watering them every day and checking on them obsessively.  It may help that the rainy season seems to have started since two nights in a row it has rained.  Not a lot of rain (not like Zanzibar) but enough to suspect that the season is about to kick in.  At least so far it has only been at night.  This has done very little to cool things off and it is still blisteringly hot. 

As for work, Grace and Albert are due back this week and I am hopeful they will have some good feedback for me regarding the girls’ thoughts on the trainings they have received so far as this will be infinitely helpful in drafting my manual.  I am currently also trying to put together some scenarios for possible role plays that the girls can participate in.  This is not as easy as it seems and I take my hat off to others who developed some of the scenarios that I myself have taken part in.  If I end up happy with the results and once approved by my supervisor, I may post some of the scenarios here and you can give me feedback on them.

Here below are some pictures of the sunset from Slipway and Dar.  I hope to get some better, more interesting pictures of Dar in the future, but so far, this is it. 



Found under the dinner table, stiff as a board



Ups and Downs

This week has been somewhat quiet.  Work is trudging along and I am making progress on the manual.  I am a little disappointed as Grace and Albert left to go visit some of the girls in Tarime and Mara region and I was not invited to come along.  In fact, I was not even informed about it until right before they left and it was somewhat offhand.  Since I couldn't go with them and I desperately want some feedback from the girls on what they do and do not like about the training that they have had so far (in the girls club programs), I asked Grace and Albert to please discuss this with them and bring me back some notes on what they said.  Keep your fingers crossed that they actually do this as it will be infinitely helpful and I fear that the promise that I would get to do some fieldwork is now just a pipedream.  Oh well.  I guess it can't all be glitz and glam.

I think I am finally settling into a nice routine.  I can't believe I have already been here a month.  It has truly flown by and I realize now that three months is nowhere near enough time to see all I want to see and do all I want to do.  I do feel that I am getting to know my way around a little more and am certainly far more comfortable with my surroundings.  I did have a brief moment this week that I was desperate for brunch and pedis with the girls and do miss having good female friends (or family) here to just relax and hang out with.  But as quickly as the feeling crept up, it also went away.  Sharing a good old fashioned bowl of hummus and pita bread with new friends will do that :)

This weekend I’m sorry to say, there will be no exotic journeys as I will be staying in town and my hope is to become a little more familiar with my new hometown.  I also hope to have some opportunities to practice my Kiswahili.  True to his word, Emmanuel has been teaching me a new word each day.  My neno la leo (word of the day) is taught to me during lunch and I am usually tested at some point on previous words.  I’m doing reasonably well, however, my memory is terrible, and this often trips me up.  So this weekend, I think I may devote some time to practicing my words, even if it’s just to myself in the mirror!

At some point this weekend I hope to take the daladala to Posta, the central post office in downtown Dar, and to venture out from there through the city.  It appears to be a very walkable city center that is very friendly and safe for tourists (which I will pretend to be although I live here : )  That actually reminds me of an observation I have recently made.  Although the Tanzanians pride themselves on their politeness, which is often expressed in comparisons between Tanzanian Kiswahili and the Kenyan use of the language (which Tanzanians claim is much less polite) and are generally indeed very polite and friendly, the one situation in which they are completely without manners is on a daladala.  Imagine a daladala packed to full capacity, similar I would suppose to a NY subway car packed to full capacity in the middle of a heat-wave.  Anyway, imagine this and then imagine that everyone wants to get out at the same time.  There is no order, no ‘please, you go ahead’, just utter chaos.  Even when it’s not full, people are pushing and squeezing out in front of you.  It’s actually quite inexplicable.  It does not mean they get anywhere any faster since I usually pass the person who shoved me aside a few paces past the daladala (I seem to walk quite fast by comparison to a lot of Tanzanians).  I can understand racing to get on the bus so you can get one of the prime spots next to a window, however, the racing to get off the bus seems to cause more chaos and discomfort than any other part of the ride.  It’s very strange.  I’m going to have to ask someone what that’s all about.  It’s a good thing I’m not usually in a rush but if I’ve blocked someone into a window seat, they’re usually not too thrilled with me and are probably politely wishing the Mzungu didn’t sit next to them J

There are a few items I want to get so I may also venture at some point this weekend to Slipway which has a lot of nice crafts and other locally made products for sale.  Although Mwenge Market, near my office is much larger, I find it much busier and a little overwhelming at times so I think Slipway might be a nice alternative and am looking forward to scoping it out.  If I am feeling courageous, I will drive myself (ha!  wish me luck) and since the alternative is the bicycle, which given my past experience would require even more courage, I think the car is the safer and more probable bet.  Taking the car will also allow me to stay out past dark and so if I manage to time everything right, I may even catch the sunset over the water.  Perhaps one of the things I never really missed but so appreciate and will never grow weary of is the fact that the sunsets here are gorgeous every single day.  No matter where you are, the sky turns a beautiful red orange color as the sun fades away.  When I get home from work, I usually sit outside reading my book and can see the sky changing color and it amazes me every single time. 

Speaking of reading, I have already managed to read three books since I arrived.  So far I have read Zanzibar’s Chest, The Ice-cream War and Solomon’s Mines.  All great books, all very different, however, I am sticking to an African theme.  I am now starting to read Shake Hands with the Devil, written by Lieutenant-General Dallaire about the failure of the UN Peacekeeping operation in Rwanda and a first-hand account of the genocide.  This was given to me to read by Sunday following a discussion about Rwanda that was spurred by my reading Zanzibar’s Chest.  I have just started reading it but am already well aware of the emotions this evokes in me having almost crumbled while reading the preface.  The complete loss of humanity seems so unimaginable to me which is why I want to know more about it.  You cannot defend against an evil that you do not know.  When asked how he could still believe in God given all that he had witnessed Dallaire’s response was that he knew there was a God because he had seen the Devil and if there is a Devil, there must be a God.  Although I by no means want to open a discussion on religion, I think his logic makes sense and it heartens me to think that for every evil person out there, there is someone equally good. 

So far the book is well-written and I hope to get through it quite fast so I may end up devoting much of this weekend to this mental excursion instead of cultural excursions.  This is partly because I already have my next book ready to be read.  It is called Do They Hear You When You Cry and it was recommended to me by Laura (thanks!!).  It is about a young woman who is forced to escape her homeland to avoid undergoing FGM and being married to a man more than twice her age and her struggles as a result of this.  Clearly, this is right up my alley and I am very much looking forward to reading this. 

It may seem somewhat odd that given that I am working on a program for victimized children that I would want to come home and read even more about it.  I too am wondering why I do this.  I suppose it’s because I want to learn more about why it happens so that maybe I can start to figure out how to stop it.  This probably gives me a little too much credit and more likely the reason is that I have no television and I love to read and now finally have time to actually do it.  If I can read and learn something at the same time, that is just a bonus. 

My weekend trips so far have allowed me to keep some balance and so even though I will probably still devote a substantial time to reading about Rwanda, I think it is important for my sanity that I also get out and experience the beauty of this country.  I may just end up combining the two and hit up the beach with my book in hand J  The opportunities are endless as there is much to do and always too little time to do it in.

To end on a cultural note, here’s a little language/culture glitch that occurred this morning.  Florence had asked me to pick up a goodbye card on the way into work.  I went to two different stationary shops before I found what I thought was a nice little going away card.  It said Send-Off in big letters and inside spoke of wonderful times had together and sad to say goodbye.  Perfect.  Or so I thought.  Turns out Send-Off is actually used solely for the purpose of sending one off to get married!  Go figure.  It led to some giggles at the office as we debated who the card would eventually get used on.  I think we decided Emmanuel J

Have a great weekend!

Syrian and International Market

My work here in Tanzania is not very glamorous.  For the most part I sit behind a computer trudging away trying to design this training manual.  Never having designed a training manual of this sort, a lot of time is spent researching other trainings that CDF offers, including the Girl Child Network trainings and the Sister-to-Sister training course.  Because of this, I thought it might be interesting for you to know a little about these trainings. 

The Sister-to Sister training was designed to help combat child marriage.  Girls between the ages of 13-25 are informed about child marriage, human and specifically, children’s rights, life skills, decision-making skills, leadership skills and how to establish and run girls clubs in their community.  The idea to establish the Sister-to-Sister campaign came from research conducted by CDF on child marriage.  From the research, done mostly by conducting surveys, CDF found that there was a lack of awareness and knowledge on these key aspects. 

The Sister-to-Sister program was designed to be the starting point for developing a network of clubs of girls, giving them a place where they can come together to share ideas, formulate projects and work as a group, first to help one another overcome obstacles and difficulties that they are confronted with and secondly to raise awareness.  Simply put, it creates a support system of peers for these girls.

The overall objective of the training is essentially to advance and protect the rights of girls and young women through education on health, empowerment and livelihood opportunities.  Specific objectives of the Sister-to-Sister program is to give a voice to victims and also to non-victims and to empower them to make changes by building confidence and teaching life skills so that they may teach others.  The general aim of the groups is to motivate girls to work in groups and empower each other through the sharing of experiences and information and the development of skills that they will be able to use to improve their lives. 

The Sister to Sister training is somewhat based on the Girl Child Network, a similar network of clubs in Zimbabwe designed by Hazviperi Betty Makoni.  The clubs are designed for girls aged 0-21 and look to empower them through training and building a support system.  The version active in Tanzania, currently in four districts, Tarime, Musoma Rural, Ilemela and Sengerema, is known as the Girls Club Network and is designed to expand into further areas.  The training manual I am working on is supposed to work in a similar manner in that the training originates in certain areas and then grows from there as the trainees become trainers and start their own branches of the program.  The additional caveat of my training manual will be that the participants will be trained very specifically in the law so that they not only offer support and encouragement, but also valuable advice on how victims should proceed.  Training will cover most of the aspects of the Sister-to-Sister training, such as confidence building and decision-making skills but will focus more heavily on communication skills and the legal aspect of children’s rights.

On a non-work note, I have been learning to drive here which is not an easy task since they drive on the opposite side of the road (we can thank the English for that) and traffic lights are considered more of a guideline than a strict rule.  Add onto that the fact that the daladalas make their own lanes and own rules and you have a messy traffic situation.  So far, I have successfully made it to the supermarket twice, and once was in the dark. 

Last night, after work, we went to the Syrian and International Market which I believe is named so because there is a heavier Syrian influence than any other country (just a guess!).  It was very similar to the craft markets you might see in the U.S. around Christmas time with lots of booths that sell various products, including clothing, furniture, jewelry, household products and other such things.  It was very interesting since there was a heavy Arabian influence in the style of the products and it was fascinating to see that here.  We managed to buy some flyswatters, which we were in dire need of (although I have gotten better at clapping away mosquitos, the flies still manage to evade my wrath) and some socks.  There never was such an exciting trip to the Syrian and International Market J.  Worth a peek if you’re here during the right time of year.  Not sure how often it rolls through but it lasts for 2 weeks and carries on each evening until 9:30 p.m. so plenty of time to swing by after work.  You can even grab a bite to eat as there are food stands as well which sadly I did not participate in since I had already eaten.  There’s always next time! 

And with that I wish you a Happy Hump Day everybody!!

Zanzibar or Bust

It will be really difficult to describe in words how fantastic Zanzibar was.  Even the pictures don’t do it justice.  I will try and give a rundown of the weekend but you will have to use your imagination to really make it come alive to even come close to how it was to be there.  There really is no question, I must go back, I didn’t even get to do nearly everything I wanted to (partly due to the torrential rainstorm that took over Sunday but also because there is so much left to see.

Our trip started on Friday, we took the ferry, aptly named the Kilimanjaro, which takes about 2 hours to cross the water to Zanzibar.  Although I was warned of rough waters, it was a smooth crossing.  It was rather windy, as you can probably tell from the picture (not the best shot but for pure entertainment purposes I thought it should be on the blog).  As we arrived the sun was setting over Stone Town.  This is a magnificent sight, especially from the hotel I stayed at, the Africa House, which has a perfect view of the water. 

Blown away before I even got there!

View of Stone Town from the Ferry

Sunset over the water.  View from the Ferry

Since it was almost dinner time, a quick drink at the hotel bar was swiftly followed by a visit to Forodhani Market where we gorged ourselves on barracuda and shark (!) as well as falafel and Zanzibar pizza which is really nothing like ordinary pizza and is truly phenomenal.  The barracuda and shark was also quite delicious.  I think it was the shark that was the most meaty of the two but both are very meaty and quite filling.  As you can see from the pictures, there was an abundance of yummy delights and there is no other option for me but to go back because I did not even come close to eating all that I wanted to!  Also note the sugar cane press.  This was used to make a delectable drink of sugar cane ginger and lime.  A little sweet for my taste but with a little extra lime, quite manageable and very refreshing as they pour it over ice.  There I am holding my glass of it next to the Zanzibar pizza being made.   Just the memory of that pizza is making my taste buds tingle.  Yum.

Sugar cane juice, Olaf's favorite

Look at the size of those claws (and tentacles)

He was really proud of this crab

Awkward picture with the Zanzibar pizza maker

On Saturday we went into Stone Town and wandered around somewhat aimlessly most of the day, which was wonderful.  We hopped into several little shops.  Noticeable is that there appear to be several initiatives to help women in Zanzibar.  One of these initiatives is Moto which has a little shop with all hand-made products made by Zanzibari women to help them earn a living in a safe and supportive environment.  This is where I got my Kikoi.  A Kikoi is the male version of a Kanga but it is much softer and more comfortable than a Kanga so I had to have one!  I don’t have a picture of it but I’m certain it will pop up in the blog at some point because I’m pretty sure I’ll be living in it from now on! 

The nice woman I got my Kikoi from

Some of the crafts made by Moto

Moto policy

the opposition is noticeably stronger here

The House of Wonders

I’m sure everyone has seen pictures of the Zanzibar doors or a Zanzibar chest.  The carvings are incredibly intricate and somewhat breathtaking.  My brother (Thomas) can attest to the doors' dangerous nature, I think he still may have the scar.  We were able to visit a warehouse where they hand-make Zanzibar chests and Zanzibar beds and to see the work that goes into this is quite incredible.  The craftsmanship is timeless.  This felt like a truly authentic experience.  We also got to chat with the owner of the shop and warehouse and basically met the entire family; the matriarch, 2 sisters and a brother.  It was really fun as we helped them with their English and they assisted us with some Kiswahili.  

Me, infront of a Zanzibar door

Zanzibar Door

Beautiful hand-crafted wood carving

After our tour of the warehouse, we went to have a quick lunch at monsoon, a beautiful little lunch spot where you can sit outside under an awning of vines and flowers.  The food was good too but the ice cold water was heavenly as it had gotten seriously hot.  After lunch, we went inside the old Arab Fort grounds.  The fort, named Ngome Kongwe in local language, was constructed between 1698 and 1701 by the Busaidi group of Amani Arabs.  It was originally used as protection against the Portuguese and the Mazrui, who controlled Mombasa at that time.  In the 19^th century, the fort was used as a prison and apparently criminals were both punished and executed there.  Very ghostly.  Clearly I did not know this at the time and I am laughing and having a wonderful time in the pictures.  Had I known there were ghosts looming, I might have put on a more serious face.  You don’t want to anger the spirits.  Apparently nowadays the space is used as an open theatre and there are little craft shops all along the side- very touristy with special Mzungu prices if you catch my drift.

Obviously, I'm dancing with the ghosts in the Old Fort

Craft stands in the Old Fort

After some more dilly-dallying around, we headed back to the hotel to prep for dinner.  We went to dinner at 236 Hurumzi, the old Emerson and Green hotel.  This is the second highest roof in Stone Town and has a magnificent view of the city and the water from its rooftop restaurant.  You can either get comfortable among plenty of plush pillows on the floor or choose to sit at a table.  You couldn’t pay me to sit at a table when there are an abundance of soft pillows on the floor to sit on.  We got there just before sunset and were able to see the sun set over the city, a really breathtaking view.  I cannot recommend this place enough.  It was reasonably priced and the food, although somewhat of a fixed menu (at least two choices per course) was fantastic and the service was impeccable.  I couldn’t have asked for a nicer evening.  The company wasn’t bad either!  Although clearly this is already a perfect night in the making, it was only improved by the presence of some local musicians and a local dancer that was, for lack of a better word, captivating.  She would look at the men and just stare at them with her eyes, very medusa-ish as she swirled her hips in a somewhat unnatural looking motion.  I’m pretty sure none of us left there feeling quite the same again.  She was a great sport though and as soon as the music stopped she smiled and shook my hand (and she let me take a picture). 

At 236 Hurumzi with view of Stone Town

Sunset over Stone Town

Sunset over Stone Town

Do not stare into her eyes

The musicians and plush pillows

It’s a good thing we walked around all day Saturday.  Although we had plans to wander around some more and actually visit the Sultan’s palace and maybe the House of Wonders, those plans were rained out.  It seems like as soon as we stepped out of the hotel, the skies opened and although it appeared a light drizzle for the first few minutes, it very quickly turned into a downpour epic proportions.  I’m sure this will be occurring more often as we are about to enter the short rain season.  Clearly short rain is not describing the length of each downpour but is instead describing the length the season lasts because the rain did not stop until we got on the boat around 3:30 pm.  Although we tried to wander around a little when it lightened up, this was really difficult as you got drenched as soon as you stepped in the road.  So instead, we had some Zanzibar spiced tea and orange and almond cake and enjoyed watching the rain. 

Rain

More rain

And....more rain

Toilet paper truck had to be unloaded in the rain

As I said, as soon as we got on the boat, it stopped raining.  Apparently it was also not raining in Dar and as we docked back in my new hometown, I was able to capture the sun setting on the city.  A really nice way to end a fantastic weekend.  Like I said before, there is no question I have to go back since I did not get to see/do everything I wanted to.  Next time, I will be visiting the beaches to snorkel, going to Jozani Forest to see the monkeys and visiting the Sultan’s Palace.  And lest we forget, a trip to Zanzibar would be a complete waste if you do not go by Forodhani Market every time you go.  Enjoy the pictures J

The moon reflecting on the ocean.  My favorite picture.



A view of the Dhows



The Africa House

A Street in Stone Town

The sunset over Dar

Just a Little Update

The focus of my project this week (and probably a big chunk of next week) is record-keeping.  Being an attorney in the U.S. has taught me one thing if anything and that is that you always keep a written record.  The problem I am facing is that in a country where literacy rates are in the 70 percent range, it may be difficult to express how vital it is to keep a written record of everything that transpires.  Not only to cover bases within the organization itself, but also because under the Law of the Child Act, enacted in November of 2009, there is a mandatory reporting provision of any evidence of violations of a child’s rights.  This would place an affirmative obligation on all volunteers to report any allegations that arise out of their discussion with victims.  In order for this program to work, it is clear that it will probably need to work on an anonymous basis if the victim so chooses.  However, even if anonymous, in order to comply with the law the volunteers will still have to report any allegations of infringements.  Whereas where I practiced law, only certain members of society (i.e. doctors, teachers, etc) are mandatory reporters of abuse, the Tanzanian law is far broader and places the obligation on “any member of the community”.  To be honest, this law is not implemented as it was designed to be, however, if you are training people to stand up for their rights and the rights of others, it is imperative that they be aware that you cannot pick and choose which laws you follow or you would be no better than those that choose to break other laws.  It creates an interesting conundrum in that the reporting may have a negative impact on the number of children who come looking for help, however, it is simply something that cannot be overlooked.  Hopefully, by giving the option of coming to the center for help anonymously will alleviate some of the negative impact this might have. 

Since I don’t have a neat little segway into more fun topics such as my weekend, I’m just going to jump right into it.  This weekend I’m heading to Zanzibar.  Since I worked yesterday, on a national holiday, I feel sawa about leaving a little early today so that we can grab the 3:45pm boat across the water to the island.  My understanding is that Zanzibar has a large Muslim presence and is very culturally unique from the mainland.  I’m very much looking forward to seeing the differences.  I am also looking forward to the fantastic food they have there (do we see a pattern here?  Those who know me know how important food is to me and in this blog I’m sure that is simply highlighted even more!)   The plan is to go to Forodhani Gardens Market for some super fresh, very authentic food.  Apparently you just move stall to stall trying different things at each one- it’s like a foodie heaven and I am definitely eating a light lunch to prepare myself J  Yes, there will be plenty of pictures (of the food and all the other culturally intriguing things I will be doing).  I am hoping not to get seasick as I have been warned that the late afternoon boat ride is the roughest and they hand out barf-bags as you get on.  I usually am pretty good on the water, but having said that, I’m sure I’ve jinxed myself!  I just need to remember to look at the horizon J  Just to stay positive, if I do get seasick, it wouldn’t necessarily be the end of the world as I would certainly have more room for when we go to Forodhani Market!  But all in all, I do hope that my iron stomach (ha!) holds up and that I can brave the rough waters between Dar and Zanzibar without problems.  Since I like to keep things educational... a little known fact is that Freddie Mercury was born in Zanzibar. 

I also want to take an extra moment to thank you for the additional donations that I have been receiving.  They are all very generous and I am truly grateful for the contributions.  It is also very important to me that my sponsors are all aware that although I am having a lot of fun while here (not at your expense) I am working very hard and do feel that this project will have a lasting impact even after I leave.  If it is as successful as is hoped and CDF maintains momentum the goal is to have this manual be used throughout the country to establish a network of centers.  In order not to dream too big, even if it is a success in only a few areas, the thought that this could quite possibly help so many children by giving them a place to seek not only help but also knowledge about their rights, is very powerful.  With that in mind, I wish everyone a fantastic weekend and I look forward to telling you about my newest adventures on Monday!

Nyerere Day

Tomorrow is a national holiday in Tanzania.  It is Nyerere Day which honors Tanzania’s (formerly Tanganyika) first President, Julius Kambarage Nyerere who was born on 13 April 1922 and passed away on 14 October 1999.  He served as President from the country's founding in 1961 until his retirement in 1985.  In honor of this day, I thought it might be nice to tell you a little bit more about this quite visionary politician. 

In Tanzania Nyerere was known by his Kiswahili name Mwalimu which means 'teacher'.  This was also his profession prior to politics.  He is also referred to sometimes as Baba wa Taifa which means Father of the Nation.  Although Nyerere received his higher education outside of Tanzania, studying in Kampala and Edinburgh, he returned to his homeland to become a teacher.  Nyerere was instrumental in Tanzania’s plight for independence and managed to help Tanzania (Tanganyika at the time) gain independence without war or bloodshed.

It was not until 1961 that Nyerere was elected Tanganyika's first Prime Minister, and following independence, in 1962, the country's first President.  In 1964, Tanganyika became politically united with Zanzibar and was renamed to Tanzania. In 1965, a one-party election returned Nyerere to power. Two years later, he issued the Arusha Declaration, which outlined his socialist vision of Ujamaa that came to dominate his policies.

Nyerere retired in 1985.  He died of leukaemia in London in 1999.  Posthumously, in 2009, Nyerere was named "World Hero of Social Justice" by the United Nations General Assembly.   It is undeniable that he had an immense impact on this country as many of his policies infiltrated the community and are still followed.  The party that will most probably be re-elected at the end of this month, CCM, was also his party.  His influence lingers on not just in politics but in the character of Tanzanians. 

Since I have arrived, it has been quite noticeable that Tanzanians are extremely friendly (generally) and there is a strong sense of community and family.  From what I have read about Tanzania, this is a general observation that has been made by many authors.  Tanzania is considered one of the safer countries in Africa and the people are considered to be extremely open and pleasant (which I know to be true).  Nyerere believed socialism was an attitude of mind that barred discrimination and entailed equality of all human beings.  Although economically, Ujamaa, which is what his African Socialism theory was referred to (means familyhood in Kiswahili), did not succeed, the moral aspect of this political theory clearly still lives on in Tanzania.  The anti-discriminatory foundation of this theory appears quite modern for his time but clearly this social development policy is one that should transcend boundaries.

Although there are reports of abuse of power and Amnesty International investigated human rights violations in Tanzania during Nyerere’s rule, there is no question that he still much revered by his people.  There is still a deep sense of pride for the Father of their Nation.  One thing we can all learn from him is acceptance of all human beings as equal.  So in honor of Nyerere Day, I beseech you to be tolerant and accepting of all human beings, not just the ones you like J

Better Late than Never

Since I have received some comments about not including enough information about my work, I thought I’d give you a quick update on what I’ve been doing since completing the brochure on female genital mutilation.  On a side note- the brochure is being translated into Kiswahili which is somewhat of a challenge given that the Kiswahili language is limited in vocabulary and just as the Eskimos may have ten words for snow, English has more words than Kiswahili so finding a way to translate some of the terms is turning out to be quite difficult.  However, to make the brochure accessible to those it is designed to reach, it needs to be in Kiswahili. 

As for my larger project, the training manual for the children’s help center volunteers, last week at work I worked primarily on the ice-breaking and confidence building portions of the training manual.  This was actually a very interesting exercise for me as I think we probably could all use some confidence building every now and then.  I also find that my training as a Guardian ad Litem and Mediator has come in useful here as I recognize that a lot of the tools such as role playing and participant interaction actually cross boundaries and cultures and are therefore also good tools when designing a training manual such as this one.  I had to have a lengthy discussion with my supervisor over who the target volunteers were to be.  This is the first time that there was a noticeable culture difference in our approach to this project.  My supervisor was suggesting that girls as young as 12 could work as volunteers at the help center.  Although I agreed that if they were victims themselves that this would certainly make them able to connect to the victims that would be seeking help, I did raise the point that at that age, although they may seem quite adult due to the fact that they have probably seen more hardship than most people see in a lifetime, it is not fair to make them have to process the hardship of others too.  Furthermore, given that they will be taught the law and part of their job as a volunteer is to advise the children seeking help on their options, they have to be able to process and make decisions quickly and effectively and it is my opinion that at 12 you are not able to do this.  As I said, this appears to be a cultural difference as where I am from, we want to protect our children from as much as we can (I dare say that few of us would want out young children to know about FGM or some of the other horrors out there) and it appears that here, because you cannot protect them you must teach them.  I have a hard time reading some of the stories of these young girls so I cannot imagine as a young child having to listen to these stories over and over as a volunteer with this program.  We agreed that some of the information being handled would probably be too technical for young children and settled on the fact that 16 may be a good starting age but that the volunteers would have to be screened to make sure they have reached the maturity necessary to deal with the very sensitive subject-matters they will be dealing with. 

This week I am going to face a bit more of a challenge when it comes to work as I am focusing on the communication aspect of the manual.  Given that the trainees will be speaking primarily to victimized children the training should really cater to that.  Given that I am by no means a specialist in this area, this is a daunting task.  It does help somewhat that the constrictions that exist in the legal system that I was trained in do not exist to the same extent here with regards to interacting with children who have been victimized.  In speaking with my supervisor about this portion of the manual I did indicate it would probably be a good idea to have a child psychologist involved to give some advice on this part of the project. 

Work aside, I promised on Friday that I would give a rundown of my weekend today.  It was fantastic.  Although I didn’t make it to the wedding on Friday, I did manage to have Florence at work henna my nails for me just like hers and Grace’s.  As you can see from the picture, only half the nail is actually covered.  It looks really cool in person, I’m not sure if the picture does it justice.  It also does not chip.  It was a really bonding experience and I think I am finally starting to get a little closer to some of my coworkers.  Although I was a little disappointed not to make it to the wedding, I did have a wonderful time at Kipipeo Beach and had a truly local experience at the Tanzania v. Morocco football match.  Kipipeo Beach is a ferry ride away from Dar es Salaam and is maybe 9 km outside the city.  Once you get there you feel like you’re in a different world.  I stayed in one of their bandas (Kiswahili for hut) which is made from predominantly local materials and is very eco-friendly.  The bandas are located a little behind the beach in a completely secluded wooded area and when you’re in them you feel like you are completely alone in the world.  A truly mesmerizing feeling.  They are extremely simple; there is a bathroom downstairs and upstairs is just a plain open room with a beautiful balcony with a hammock.  The place is very open and with the sea breeze blowing through, it stays a perfect temperature all day and night.  It is so quiet that you can hear the ocean.  It helped that it was a relatively quiet weekend and the bandas around mine were empty!

On Saturday we went to the Tanzania v. Morocco football match.  It was a shame that Tanzania lost but the atmosphere was really great.  The stadium was packed.  Benjamin Mkapa National Stadium holds 60,000 people and it appeared pretty full to me.  Interesting bit of random information- the stadium was predominantly funded by the Chinese government who paid more than half of the 56.4 billion TZS it cost to build the stadium.  You would think with that kind of investment that they would have functioning bathrooms.  Since I’d spent the morning at the beach, I had drank a lot of water.  Normally, this would be a good thing, except when you are at the Tanzanian National Stadium and the toilets do not have a seat.  Instead it is a hole in the ground and you pee standing up, just like the fellas.  I’ve never had to go so bad and not want to go so bad in my life!  I have now officially opened myself up to all kinds of new experiences given that this is the first time I have actually peed standing up (hovering over the toilet in a skeevy bar is not quite the same).  The picture is not super clear, but I think you get the idea.  Had there not been a tremendously long queue to get out of the stadium, I would’ve made it. 

After the game, Olaf’s colleagues from Finca invited us to go to a local bar, Jollies, for some food and drinks.  As we sat in the back of the pick-up truck Sule and Mussa took the time to explain local football to me.  This started after they took a picture with the head coach of the Young Africans football club who happened to be wandering around the parking lot after the game.  Mussa wanted to make it clear to me that he was not a Young Africans supporter but that he just wanted a picture with the guy because, well, he’s famous.  You see, Mussa is a Simba fan, and Simba is a big rival of Young Africans.  As the debate between Mussa and Sule went on they decided I would be the deciding vote.  I told them I could not decide without watching each team play.  Hopefully, this will mean many more football matches will be watched with Sule and Mussa (as well as Gershom, Mike and Olaf) because I had a truly fantastic time and am very much looking forward to choosing a local team to root for. 

As I said, the game was such a great experience.  We got to sit super close to the action even though we were a little bit late.  Although we were late, we did not miss the national anthems.  Usually these are played before the beginning of the game, turns out that for the second time in a row there was a glitch with the sound system and they could not play the anthems at the beginning of the match and instead played them just before the second half.  Lucky for me because I got to hear the Tanzanian national anthem being sung by 50,000 Tanzanians. 

As with the last Tanzanian football match, the President was in attendance.  Very important, especially now, since the elections are at the end of the month.  My understanding is that CCM is the favorite and that Jakaya Kikwete will win once more.  At least in Dar it is clear that he has devoted much time and effort (money) to campaigning.  His face is everywhere which is noticeable mostly because you see very few posters or billboards for the opposition.  I guess we’ll know soon enough if it worked.  As for the debate of which is better, Simba or Young Africans, that remains to be determined J

my  banda at the kipipeo beach village

There were lots of navy personnel on the beach, not sure what country they were from though

seriously comfortable, seriously difficult to get out of

the view from my bed

my banda

Kipipeo Beach

Kipipeo Beach

This picture does not do it justice, the water was so beautiful, clear and blue

View from the ferry

View of Dar from the ferry

Tanzania is in blue, Morocco in red

Olaf and I at the game

Sula, Mussa, Gershom, Mike and Olaf at the game

Sule and Mussa with the coach of African Youth

Alfred and Twaha with the coach from African Youth

Mussa, Sule and I in the back of the pick up truck



My henna-ed hands





the infamous toilet in the floor