MOSHI

31.02.2011

Moshi is quite a clean city and it’s pretty safe to walk around during the day. We left for town eagerly anticipating the things we would see. Walked the 10min route down the road to where we could catch the daladala to take into town. Many passed by but were too full for us to fit in. Most already had people hanging out the door clutching the roof of the minibus. The ride was hot and sweaty. Five people were squeezed on a seat meant for three. The door wouldn’t close anymore. The only thing blocking someone’s fall was a worker who always opens and closes the door (if it closes at all) and collects the ticket money. The center of Moshi is not that big and I’m sure with a few more visits I’ll have it figured out. There were a bunch of tourists on the streets, most of them preparing for or returning from a Kilimanjaro climb. There are also quite a few Westerners living in Moshi permanently. We ran errands and had drinks at a very cool café called the Coffee House. As we walked through an outdoor food market I have to admit that the smell of raw meat hanging on ropes in 38 degree heat was unbearable and made me feel sick. Puking on the street in the middle of food probably wouldn’t have been very polite so I tried to breathe through my mouth and fought back the nausea. Town is crowded, but it’s not the nice people you have to be vary of, but the cars that drive by. Tanzania has left sided traffic so be sure to look both ways before crossing starting with a glance to the left. Only a few places have cement pavement. Car rides are paired with a sore bum from the hole’s in the road and walks with dust in your eyes, ears and toes :D Probably the very best thing in town was the happiness and smiles of strangers and their welcoming demeanor, which wasn’t too much even for a Finn used to having a meter of personal space in each direction. Spent the daladala ride back tightly squeezed between a bosom and a basket of fruit... That will take some getting used to :D

The Tanzania Volunteers house is great and behind the closed gates surrounded by other Europeans you almost forget that you’re in Africa. That is until you step out onto the terrace and are greeted by never-heard-of-before birds, Kilimanjaro and the sun or stars lighting up the sky.

Just saw my first live mosquito! Have been bitten by something a couple times already, but no, they aren’t swarming around everywhere. Last night shared our bedroom with a tiny lizard. Left us alone though thanks to the mosquito nets J

A SNEAK PEAK

30.01.2011

Most of the volunteers went out to bars last night so it’s been very quiet until the afternoon when the last ones dragged themselves out of bed for a hangover cure of pasta salad and Fanta. One of the girls was complaining that she must have spent so much money last night. Well that was until she added up the costs of the ciders and taxi’s and realized she’d actually only spent  6 Euros in total. A large beer costs 0,50 Euros. I was too tired from the heat to join the others, but no worries there’s plenty of weekends left!

Today’s been strange for someone used to running from one place to another. We’ve done absolutely nothing. Well apart from a half an hour walk down the road. That was actually the first time I saw anything past the gates of the house since we arrived in the middle of the night in darkness. The house is in an area called Shanty Town, but quite the opposite of what it sounds like it’s actually where a lot of the foreigners in nice houses live;  the mzungu (white person) as we’re called here. It’s not disrespectful just a common word for Caucasian. You can hear people calling you that in the streets. Just a five minute trek towards the daladala (small local bus) stop and the scenery changes completely. It’s all very charming in its simplicity! There’s wooden “shacks” giving a home to locals and businesses such as little shops and hairdressers. Fruit stalls line the side of the road. Although they look tempting I don’t think my stomach would appreciate anything that’s been standing in the heat for days. At the house the food is always fresh. The cooks go to the butchers in the mornings for meat and get fruit and eggs etc. straight from local farmers. And keep it in the fridge. We only walked for about a kilometer and must have greeted at least 50 people. Kids especially were very excited and some started following us. A group of little boys wanted us to take their picture and afterwards wanted money for it, which says something about the perceptions of Westeners. We just smiled and thanked them pretending not to understand since we had no money with us. They laughed at our attempts to speak Swahili and ran happily down the road. There’s dust everywhere and everything gets covered in it. No big deal though. A shower and it’s all gone. The same can’t be said for our poor clothes which are washed outside in buckets of cold water and dry on lines on top of more dust blown around by the wind. I’ll have plenty of space for souvenirs J

ps. Talked with a couple of midwives who are staying here as volunteers and they said that women get no pain killers, no one stays with them except when the time comes to push and it’s not appropriate to scream or complain of the pain. If they do they get slapped.  So women with your epidurals and husbands by your sides, consider yourself lucky! Then again birth is natural. To cover the reality of it may just be selfish craving for comfort. Loving this multiprofessional group at the house. So much to learn!

MAMBO! (Day 1)

MAMBO! (Day 1)

I wake up a few times in the early morning because it’s chilly and think that I should get up to turn the fan off, but can’t be bothered and fall back asleep. At nine I start hearing voices from the dining room and slowly open my eyes. The sun is shining brightly, African music is playing and the girl I share a room with has already gotten up. Somehow I’ve failed to wake up to the roosters and chickens constant noise from Mama Kuku’s (kuku=chicken), a farm across the street. Nor has the barking of the countless dogs in the neighborhood bothered my sleep in any way. Traveling for fifteen hours the day before apparently took its toll. Although, I would call random chitchat, watching movies and getting ready meals handed to you a great day off work, not exhausting traveling J…

I first changed at homey and familiar Amsterdam (love airports, there’s always so much happening) then continuing onto Nairobi where I got my first hint of Africa. The airport was small but it took me ages just to find a screen with the flights to check my gate, don’t know if the one I stumbled upon was one of a kind… I wanted to ask a question and four women sat behind the desk. I waited a while until they all decided to take a break at the same time, telling me they’d be back in ten minutes. At the gate the staff hurried the passengers onto the plane, ripping our tickets in half and writing our names down on paper. After this we ended up waiting for 45 minutes in the seats before takeoff, the flight attendants letting us know regularly we’ll be leaving in a couple minutes. From the window I watched as nine baggage personnel stood around the cart talking to each other while one man was carrying the luggage into the plane by himself. He didn’t seem to mind though and cheerfully threw out comments to his fellow workers as he got the bags of us 17 passengers one by one. The Kenyan sky was much darker than in Finland and the stars much brighter. They’re so low that they almost seem as if they’re falling. If possible, in Tanzania they are even brighter! 

There’s been a warm breeze the whole day which takes the edge off the 35 degree heat. Mount Kilimanjaro with its snowy cap rises right in front of the house. There are lizards running around and the birds that occupy the huge tree in the front are four times the size of crows and apparently eat baby chicks. In the backyard there are mango, lemon and lime trees, a very friendly donkey, dogs and a few chickens. To the side of the house there is an authentic Finnish-Tanzanian sauna. Will have to give it a shot sometime. The staff at the house is very nice! A gardener/day guard, two cook/cleaners, who set the table full of treats for us three times a day, a night guard called Babu (granddad) and Beatrice in charge of the volunteer’s orientation. Should not forget Hanna and Louis, the owners and directors of Tanzania Volunteers. Admirable individuals!

I arrived yesterday together with a Danish girl and today we had orientation to Tanzanian culture and language sitting outside in the shade on the front terrace, advancing at a slow and steady pace not forgetting to get steered of the subject once in a while and to take breaks every half an hour. I quote: “In Tanzania people are not strict with the time at all. Everything happens slowly and people are late very often. Take your time to greet everybody and have some small talk. You have enough time to start your work after that. In Tanzania talking with people always comes first before work.” What do you think? Any chance of importing this attitude to Northern Europe!?? :D

Usiku Mwema (good night)!