Another day of Swahili and chilling in Dar. I visited with a few Tanzania friends today and now am finally able to quickly upload pictures so it's catch up time. The first link is from a trip to Bagamoyo we took. Beach town about an hour away that used to be a trading post during the slave trade. Very fascinating and beautiful.
http://www.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=67b0de21b328cee92566
Secondly, I heard there were problems with the Simba pictures so here is the link, fixed I believe!
http://www.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=67b0de21b328fac72552
Finally, a few pics from Dar. The last one of all the people watching TV are the Tanzanians watching Big Brother Africa. Not many people have televisions so they all watch at Daruso, the bar where we hang out. It's really fun! It's a great show too, a reality show for Africa.
http://www.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=67b0de21b328cfe765f0
I had fun today receiving my first letters from June and Earle Brown, and my Mom and Dad. So, the mail works! I also had fun explaining to my mom a big about swahili. We learned one of the final components yesterday of the language. It's fascinating because it is a building block kind of language. You start with the root verb, say "kulala" to sleep. (the ku is the "to" in the infinitive.) To say I sleep, you had the subject prefix ni and the tense prefix na, so you get ninalala, I sleep. to make it you sleep, you just change the subject prefix from ni, to u...so you get unalala. It's similar to make past tense. Change the tense prefix from na to li and you get ulilala, you slept. You can also add the object infix to get a direct or indirect object. It doesn't work with kulala, but say pa, which means get. You have the subject prefix ni, tense prefix na, direct object infix say ku which means you as a direct object and the verb pa. So you have ninakupa- I get him. It's very fascinating and seems to make much more grammatical sense than english! So, I expect you all to be fluent when I get back.
Wednesday, August 27, 2003
Tuesday, August 26, 2003
Monday, August 25, 2003
10 monkeys stared at me much like some Tanzanians do as I walked to the computer lab this afternoon. They must have been asking themselves why I was on their campus. Life here is going very well, with many crazy events everyday. It’s been awhile since I’ve been able to write with frequent internet problems here and a busy schedule. The newest edition to our schedule here in Tanzania is teaching. We started teaching 5th graders English at a nearby primary school and I now have a new respect for teachers! It is so difficult! I doesn’t help that most of the kids barely understand English and the teacher herself really can’t carry on a conversation outside of lesson. We attended a linguistics conference on campus this weekend and it gave me a new outlook on the whole English language in Tanzania. I think it’s really unfortunate because secondary school and the University are taught in English so only students who are adept at languages can advance in their education while others who might not learn languages well but who may be bright in mathematics or art or engineering or what have you cannot seek higher education. With that in mind I’m trying to help the kids, mostly through educational raps (like my 4th grade Central days) and interaction. It is a very weird situation because they follow the British education system and are so disciplined. It’s slightly frightening. We walk in and they all stand up and say “Education is a good foundation, good morning teacher.” They all are supposed to raise their hands when they speak but they get lazy and so their arms kind of fall into a hail Hitler sign…very strange. There are about 55 students in the classroom which is very small by Tanzanian standards. There are no books in the class. The teacher just has a handwritten bluebook essentially with exercises that she writes on the board and students copy. It’s obviously very hard to make sure they are all following because English is only 35min and there are so many kids. Also, their desks are long benches that sit 3-4 kids so it is virtual impossible to prevent cheating. But, through these challenges I did manage to make up a rap to try to teach does not and do not. “He, she, it, does not…(beat box)… I, you, we, they do not.” They liked it and now everytime class is close to done they start the rap. Also, I’m teaching them one colloquial American word a day. So far they know cool, what’s up, and nothing. Fun times. It is physically exhausting though when I get done with my class and my head always hurts from trying to translate into Swahili so they understand. A very new challenge for me. Hopefully it will get better as the semester progresses.
This weekend we had a fun trip to a Tanzanian football (soccer) game. Tanzania is trying to qualify for the African Cup and is playing international matches to try to qualify. They played against a team from the Ivory Coast and it was an amazing spectacle. Kids climbing on the lights to get a good seat, kids selling peanuts wrapped up in old papers or invoices, and a sea of red, the team’s color. The name of the team is Simba which means lion in Swahili and even the Prime Minister of Tanzania was on hand to watch. Simba won 1-0 and plays Egypt in two weeks. If they win they are in the semi-finals. Fun stuff! It was great to go somewhere where language was not a barrier. We all knew football and was something we could share. I had another football experience on Saturday. I met a guy on campus name Ayubu who invited me to play football on Saturday so I went and had fun playing with a group of somewhat older Tanzanian guys. No one really spoke English but fortunately many of the words are borrowed English words like wingi (my position), goalkicki, corneri, and cardi. It’s funny because all Swahili words end in vowels so when they borrow words they usually just add an I, like daktari, hospitali, etc. It’s funny b/c we find ourselves adding I’s randomly when we speak English to one another.
The other highlight I can think of is a dala-dala drag race we were in a few nights ago. The dala-dala’s are the old rickety buses that you ride for 100-150 Tsh. We were on one of the last ones back to the university and we leapfrogging with another bus just ahead of us. We got to the university and the other tried to pass us, so our driver stepped on it. They started drag racing and I was yelling “Twende, Twende!” which means go, go, and of course all the Tanzanians laughed at me. We probably got up to about 50 kmh before we left the other dala-dala in the dust. Fun times.
Well, it has been a long update and I’ll do my best to update more regularly, but mostly life is slipping into routine here. About every night we go to DARUSO, the local hangout, where we talk with local students and play pool. Last night was a special night at DARUSO because Big Brother Africa was on. It’s a reality show like Big Brother in the US, but every member on the show is from a different country. One is eliminated each night and the Tanzanian is in the final 5. It is huge here and some commentary has claimed it to be the first thing to truly unite Africa. Very entertaing though. I’m going to meet with a man who works with HIV/AIDS orphans this week to start work on my project and Swahili is keeping me busy. I am missing home amenities like being able to drink from the tap and drive where I want to go, but Tanzania is becoming home a little bit more everyday. I hope all are well in the states. I’m missing luther as I think of people moving in but am sure all will be in order when I return. Hope to hear from you all soon. Baadye.
This weekend we had a fun trip to a Tanzanian football (soccer) game. Tanzania is trying to qualify for the African Cup and is playing international matches to try to qualify. They played against a team from the Ivory Coast and it was an amazing spectacle. Kids climbing on the lights to get a good seat, kids selling peanuts wrapped up in old papers or invoices, and a sea of red, the team’s color. The name of the team is Simba which means lion in Swahili and even the Prime Minister of Tanzania was on hand to watch. Simba won 1-0 and plays Egypt in two weeks. If they win they are in the semi-finals. Fun stuff! It was great to go somewhere where language was not a barrier. We all knew football and was something we could share. I had another football experience on Saturday. I met a guy on campus name Ayubu who invited me to play football on Saturday so I went and had fun playing with a group of somewhat older Tanzanian guys. No one really spoke English but fortunately many of the words are borrowed English words like wingi (my position), goalkicki, corneri, and cardi. It’s funny because all Swahili words end in vowels so when they borrow words they usually just add an I, like daktari, hospitali, etc. It’s funny b/c we find ourselves adding I’s randomly when we speak English to one another.
The other highlight I can think of is a dala-dala drag race we were in a few nights ago. The dala-dala’s are the old rickety buses that you ride for 100-150 Tsh. We were on one of the last ones back to the university and we leapfrogging with another bus just ahead of us. We got to the university and the other tried to pass us, so our driver stepped on it. They started drag racing and I was yelling “Twende, Twende!” which means go, go, and of course all the Tanzanians laughed at me. We probably got up to about 50 kmh before we left the other dala-dala in the dust. Fun times.
Well, it has been a long update and I’ll do my best to update more regularly, but mostly life is slipping into routine here. About every night we go to DARUSO, the local hangout, where we talk with local students and play pool. Last night was a special night at DARUSO because Big Brother Africa was on. It’s a reality show like Big Brother in the US, but every member on the show is from a different country. One is eliminated each night and the Tanzanian is in the final 5. It is huge here and some commentary has claimed it to be the first thing to truly unite Africa. Very entertaing though. I’m going to meet with a man who works with HIV/AIDS orphans this week to start work on my project and Swahili is keeping me busy. I am missing home amenities like being able to drink from the tap and drive where I want to go, but Tanzania is becoming home a little bit more everyday. I hope all are well in the states. I’m missing luther as I think of people moving in but am sure all will be in order when I return. Hope to hear from you all soon. Baadye.
Monday, August 18, 2003
Hi All!
Info update. I realized looking at my address that I typed it a bit wrong. The correct address is:
Scott Meyer
C/O Grace Mshigeni
Director Links Office
Box 35091
University of Dar Es Salaam
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
East Africa
I'm sure anything sent with the previous address will still get here. Also, I have a cell phone! My parents tried it out last night and it works. I can receive calls for free so feel free to call! Also, I have text messaging for free so you can always text me and I can text back if you would like. My phone number is: 255.744.091.832. You need to type the international prefix to get out of the country first, which in the US is 011 I believe. I hope to hear from everyone soon and will do my best to write real mail!
Info update. I realized looking at my address that I typed it a bit wrong. The correct address is:
Scott Meyer
C/O Grace Mshigeni
Director Links Office
Box 35091
University of Dar Es Salaam
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
East Africa
I'm sure anything sent with the previous address will still get here. Also, I have a cell phone! My parents tried it out last night and it works. I can receive calls for free so feel free to call! Also, I have text messaging for free so you can always text me and I can text back if you would like. My phone number is: 255.744.091.832. You need to type the international prefix to get out of the country first, which in the US is 011 I believe. I hope to hear from everyone soon and will do my best to write real mail!
Sunday, August 17, 2003
An exciting and crazy weekend in Tanzania! Friday night we ventured out to find a restaurant and after about an hour of walking in the dark (because there are few if any street lights anywhere) we came upon a pizza place in DAR which is unheard of! We settled for the pizza which tasted great. We ate 4 between the 5 of us. While there we met a crazy American who works at the embassy as a computer technician and who has lived all over the world and a pastor from Britain who's wife is a development worker. They just had twins so I think we scored a babysitting job which would mean hot shower and couch! It was really fun though talking to them. The crazy American told us about this bar called the Q bar which was the place to be. We went to check it out only to discover a room full of white 40 year old men and Tanzanian women who looked frighteningly like prostitutes. It was a weird experience. After listening to a little bit of music we headed out only to find the public buses (dala dalas) no longer running. About 4 cabs surrouned us asking if we needed a ride and we bartered a bit with them and finally got a 2,500 Tsh. ride back. (about $2.50). The following day we went to Bagamoyo which is a quiet town on the Indian Ocean about an hour north of us. It was great! We hung out on the beach and checked out a museum there dedicated to the slave trade because the town was a hub for the slave trade in the 1800's. It was very fascinating. The other amazing thing was the water. It was so warm! We lounged in the Indian Ocean before heading back for a night at D'rusos, which is the local bar/hang out, kind of like Marty's at luther. There we met some cool tanzanians who we taught the card game bullshit. It was very funny watching them try to lie and try to swear in English. I guess Americans are the only naturally talented liars. Today is a quiet day. Went for a run and enjoy a nice meal of rice and chipsi. I'm off to a church service this afternoon that the British guy is in charge of. I'm sure it will be another experience...
Friday, August 15, 2003
Hello Again!
I'm back in the computer lab working on pictures and I think I have them working. We're getting into the swing now. We found some great wood sculptures to buy at Mwenge and tonight are going to try to find the night life in Dar. We'll see how it goes. Check out these pics. they are all from the roof of my dorm except for the one of the dorm. I'm living by myself currently and will get a Tanzanian roommate when school starts at the beginning of October. More hopefully next week. Enjoy.
http://www.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=67b0de21b32a88006534
I'm back in the computer lab working on pictures and I think I have them working. We're getting into the swing now. We found some great wood sculptures to buy at Mwenge and tonight are going to try to find the night life in Dar. We'll see how it goes. Check out these pics. they are all from the roof of my dorm except for the one of the dorm. I'm living by myself currently and will get a Tanzanian roommate when school starts at the beginning of October. More hopefully next week. Enjoy.
http://www.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=67b0de21b32a88006534
Wednesday, August 13, 2003
It's a hot day today in Dar...welcome to the middle of winter! It's been going well here, just trying to meet students and beginning our swahili lessons. We had an amazing day two days ago as we went to downtown dar to a restaurant called Addis at Dar. It was an ethiopian restaurant and you sit around a basket table that is covered in this very thin bread. Everything that everyone orders is placed on the breadtable so you just rip of the bread and eat everything with your hands. Easy to share and it tastes great! It was a very fun evening. I am also trying to master the dala dalas here. They are the public transit system here and are basically just 10 person vans modified to hold 20 some people. It's a crazy experience as people hop on and off and the conductor hangs out the door trying to convince people to get on. For my project for Luther I might undertake the attempt at mapping the dala dala system which could be quite interesting. The daily happenings are finally settling in. I'm learning where everything is on campus and am just trying to find a place near by that doesn't serve rice and beans! We'll see if I can be successful. Tomorrow we are going to a local cloth market where bunches and bunches of second hand clothes are sold usually between .25-.50 cents. I might come home with more interesting suit coats. Watch out Bekah! Well, I'm off to send a few letters and play some guitar. Tonight we are going out to eat at an Indian Restaurant which should be tasty! Enjoy summer and let me know what's up in the states! Tutuonana.
Sunday, August 10, 2003
Hello!
I arrived safetly in DAR and am getting settled in my dorm room. It is actually nicer than expected with flush toliets and all, but the water is pretty bleak. I'll be boiling water every night. Today we went to a church service near campus which was interesting and long. Everything here is laid back so there is no real time constraints. After about 2 hours of awesome acapella music and preaching, everyone walked outside and stood in a circle singing the closing hymn. then the pastor gave the final blessing and everyone shook hands and headed out. I thought that was cool!
Well, I got numerous comments about my failure to put the actual picture links, so I hope it works this time! Check them out. (remember, you don't have to type the whole thing, just highlight it all, right click and select copy, then click on the address bar, right click and hit paste).
Terengire pics.
http://www.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=67b0de21b325805505b2
Shamba, hospital, etc.
http://www.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=67b0de21b3258142c40d
Thanks for your interest and thoughts and prayers. Off to lunch and my introduction to Dar es Salaam.
I arrived safetly in DAR and am getting settled in my dorm room. It is actually nicer than expected with flush toliets and all, but the water is pretty bleak. I'll be boiling water every night. Today we went to a church service near campus which was interesting and long. Everything here is laid back so there is no real time constraints. After about 2 hours of awesome acapella music and preaching, everyone walked outside and stood in a circle singing the closing hymn. then the pastor gave the final blessing and everyone shook hands and headed out. I thought that was cool!
Well, I got numerous comments about my failure to put the actual picture links, so I hope it works this time! Check them out. (remember, you don't have to type the whole thing, just highlight it all, right click and select copy, then click on the address bar, right click and hit paste).
Terengire pics.
http://www.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=67b0de21b325805505b2
Shamba, hospital, etc.
http://www.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=67b0de21b3258142c40d
Thanks for your interest and thoughts and prayers. Off to lunch and my introduction to Dar es Salaam.
Friday, August 8, 2003
New adventures from tz!
We just returned from a shamba- a tanzanian farm. it was an amazing experience. we harvested the beans between mt. meru and mt. kilimanjaro as the tanzanian farmers do it: we picked the plants by hand, carried them back to the farm on a mule-drawn carriage, let them dry in the sun, hit them with sticks to get the beans out, then sifted the shucks from the bean by dropping in the wind. it was so different than the us and they couldn't believe it when we told them how machines did everything in the us. we spent three days there and one day also went to a nearby primary school where there are 60-80 kids in each class with one teacher. we played soccer with a ball made from twine tied tightly together. very unreal experience. the family was great, welcoming us to their home and engaging in questions and debate about everything under the stars. the family also had many children and took care of many other children as most families do. the kids were great. we taught each other songs and iwas able to impress them with my guitar and polaroid picture taking abilities. The return to the danish center and specifically showers and running water is very welcomed.
We also visited selian hospital before the shamba excursion. it looked very nice after our previous hospital visit. they started the first ever hospice program in tanzanian and are engaged in helping families to take in orphans- just what i recommended in my paper! the best part though was teh free prenatal area- they have an open air spot where mothers can come with their children to weigh them and make sure they don't have any growth defects from bad water. they just hang the kids up by their blankets on a vegetable scale and they hang there like a sack of potatoes as the nurse looks at the recommended growth chart. it is a sight to see- all these maasi women with jewlery and enormous holes in the ears in bright kangas handing their kids on a scale. on top of that, we went to a secondary school and helped the kids paint their school a bright blue and yellow color. it was crazy to see the extreme order they had there with kids lining up in rows and answering the teacher in perfect unison. the kids were so much fun there and whether it was singing j-lo or playing basket ball with the false ceiling, a good time was had by all.
Today is farmer's day in tanzania- a national holiday! So i definitely feel between today and the shamba that i am getting back to my "roots." tomorrow we leave for dar es salaam where we will be spending the remainder of the semester. i have many more stories, like our visit to terengire, but i'll let the pictures do the talking. check them out. also, if anyone wants another version of our trip, my friend anna osterbur is also keeping a web blog. her website is annaosterbur.blogspot.com. We'll probably be talking about different things so visit there to read more. take care.
kwaheri.
Terengire Pics
hospital, shamba, school pics
We just returned from a shamba- a tanzanian farm. it was an amazing experience. we harvested the beans between mt. meru and mt. kilimanjaro as the tanzanian farmers do it: we picked the plants by hand, carried them back to the farm on a mule-drawn carriage, let them dry in the sun, hit them with sticks to get the beans out, then sifted the shucks from the bean by dropping in the wind. it was so different than the us and they couldn't believe it when we told them how machines did everything in the us. we spent three days there and one day also went to a nearby primary school where there are 60-80 kids in each class with one teacher. we played soccer with a ball made from twine tied tightly together. very unreal experience. the family was great, welcoming us to their home and engaging in questions and debate about everything under the stars. the family also had many children and took care of many other children as most families do. the kids were great. we taught each other songs and iwas able to impress them with my guitar and polaroid picture taking abilities. The return to the danish center and specifically showers and running water is very welcomed.
We also visited selian hospital before the shamba excursion. it looked very nice after our previous hospital visit. they started the first ever hospice program in tanzanian and are engaged in helping families to take in orphans- just what i recommended in my paper! the best part though was teh free prenatal area- they have an open air spot where mothers can come with their children to weigh them and make sure they don't have any growth defects from bad water. they just hang the kids up by their blankets on a vegetable scale and they hang there like a sack of potatoes as the nurse looks at the recommended growth chart. it is a sight to see- all these maasi women with jewlery and enormous holes in the ears in bright kangas handing their kids on a scale. on top of that, we went to a secondary school and helped the kids paint their school a bright blue and yellow color. it was crazy to see the extreme order they had there with kids lining up in rows and answering the teacher in perfect unison. the kids were so much fun there and whether it was singing j-lo or playing basket ball with the false ceiling, a good time was had by all.
Today is farmer's day in tanzania- a national holiday! So i definitely feel between today and the shamba that i am getting back to my "roots." tomorrow we leave for dar es salaam where we will be spending the remainder of the semester. i have many more stories, like our visit to terengire, but i'll let the pictures do the talking. check them out. also, if anyone wants another version of our trip, my friend anna osterbur is also keeping a web blog. her website is annaosterbur.blogspot.com. We'll probably be talking about different things so visit there to read more. take care.
kwaheri.
Terengire Pics
hospital, shamba, school pics
Sunday, August 3, 2003
A day of highs and lows today. Well, first, last night.
We went to a wedding send-off party which essentially is the bachelor, bachelorette, and bridal shower all wrapped into one. It is so different here because time doesn't exist. The first thing the MC of the send-off party said was where the bathrooms were, and that was a good idea because the party lasted from 6pm until well after midnight! The funny part about this send off was that it an Englishman and a Tanzanian woman were getting married. It was a bit odd to think that because we were white we were automatically associated with the groom, but that is what happened. The party itself was crazy. There was a pep band basically that marched in with the couple and throughout the night they would just randomly play loud notes whenever someone would get done saying something or when a present was given. There was also a choir that sang in Swahili. The highlight was definitely the Swahili Halleilujah's Choirs. It was so funny to hear and was especially funny because at the time they started I was going to the bathroom in the long drop toliet, which is exactly as it sounds, a long drop to a hole in the ground. Instead of a wedding cake they had a goat that was cook whole and they also had an enormous gift presenting ceremony in which everyone danced up the aisles singing and kissing the cheeks of the couple before setting the gifts down on the table. It was a high energy night that was incredible!
The energy continued into this morning as we went to a Tanzanian church service. There, everyone sang their lungs out in Swahili, even though most of the time they were out of key. They had a little pump organ in the corner to play the music and had a 20 minute offering. It was crazy. This little church that collects 151,000 Tanzanian Schillings a Sunday (equivalent to about $151) is building a new Lutheran University with a few neighboring congregations. The cost of the new university is 75 million T Schillings! They are very ambitious and had a huge ceremony for offering. Everyone brought their 5-10 cents and contributed. They had anyone who had been blessed give a special offering and people give offerings after the general and blessing offering for specific funds. It was great to see the generosity out of these people who have so little. Very unlike America. Also, unlike America was the alter- there were two chickens on it! IT was really funny because after the service they were holding an auction, so two people donated chickens and put them up by the alter with all the other offerings, and randomly throughout the service, the chickens would start to squawk and try to fly away! It was a sight to behold. So after church the auction was held. I had brought fabric that we bought at wal-mart for $10 for 10 yds. AT the auction it was bought for 21,000 T sch. Almost $21! It was a hit! Also a hit was my polaroid camera. Everyone wanted to get their picture taken because most of them don't have any pictures. It was a bit overwhelming as all the kids shouted "mi mi" which means me. I had to tell them I was out of film so I could leave.
The need for attention was also seen at the hospital we visited today. It was kind of a bleak site. A nicely kept area, but there were 4-6 people per hospital room. They treated everything from births to burns to malaria to broken bones, but their lab and facilities were frighteningly basic. The other portion of the trip that spooked me was the orphanage. There is a small orphanage associated with the hospital and it houses about 30 0-6 year olds. We walked towards it and when we got near we heard them shouting "wagazi" which means visitors. Before we even got to the door they were running out and trying to hold our hands and get us to hold them. We all had a kid in each arm, but they were so attnetion deprived they didn't want to get put down and just followed us around. Kids were screaming and a 5 year old was carrying an infant tied around his back. It was a sad sight. A little boy stuck his shoe out indicating he wanted me to tie it. The whole time all I could think about was the research paper I did this summer and how I know that orphans in Africa especially have a hard, almost doomed life. With only 2 supervisors for all these kids, it obviously is hard for them to receive the care they need. When we had to go, they wouldn't let us put them down and followed us to the door. It was a sad afternoon to think that we just come in and look at this kids and think, oh, they're cute, but don't take enough time to help. I sincerely hope to get back to the hospital, perhaps on vacation time to help. There just isn't enough hands here to help everyone.
So that's today I guess. I put some new pics on the web, so check them out! They are very exciting.
We went to a wedding send-off party which essentially is the bachelor, bachelorette, and bridal shower all wrapped into one. It is so different here because time doesn't exist. The first thing the MC of the send-off party said was where the bathrooms were, and that was a good idea because the party lasted from 6pm until well after midnight! The funny part about this send off was that it an Englishman and a Tanzanian woman were getting married. It was a bit odd to think that because we were white we were automatically associated with the groom, but that is what happened. The party itself was crazy. There was a pep band basically that marched in with the couple and throughout the night they would just randomly play loud notes whenever someone would get done saying something or when a present was given. There was also a choir that sang in Swahili. The highlight was definitely the Swahili Halleilujah's Choirs. It was so funny to hear and was especially funny because at the time they started I was going to the bathroom in the long drop toliet, which is exactly as it sounds, a long drop to a hole in the ground. Instead of a wedding cake they had a goat that was cook whole and they also had an enormous gift presenting ceremony in which everyone danced up the aisles singing and kissing the cheeks of the couple before setting the gifts down on the table. It was a high energy night that was incredible!
The energy continued into this morning as we went to a Tanzanian church service. There, everyone sang their lungs out in Swahili, even though most of the time they were out of key. They had a little pump organ in the corner to play the music and had a 20 minute offering. It was crazy. This little church that collects 151,000 Tanzanian Schillings a Sunday (equivalent to about $151) is building a new Lutheran University with a few neighboring congregations. The cost of the new university is 75 million T Schillings! They are very ambitious and had a huge ceremony for offering. Everyone brought their 5-10 cents and contributed. They had anyone who had been blessed give a special offering and people give offerings after the general and blessing offering for specific funds. It was great to see the generosity out of these people who have so little. Very unlike America. Also, unlike America was the alter- there were two chickens on it! IT was really funny because after the service they were holding an auction, so two people donated chickens and put them up by the alter with all the other offerings, and randomly throughout the service, the chickens would start to squawk and try to fly away! It was a sight to behold. So after church the auction was held. I had brought fabric that we bought at wal-mart for $10 for 10 yds. AT the auction it was bought for 21,000 T sch. Almost $21! It was a hit! Also a hit was my polaroid camera. Everyone wanted to get their picture taken because most of them don't have any pictures. It was a bit overwhelming as all the kids shouted "mi mi" which means me. I had to tell them I was out of film so I could leave.
The need for attention was also seen at the hospital we visited today. It was kind of a bleak site. A nicely kept area, but there were 4-6 people per hospital room. They treated everything from births to burns to malaria to broken bones, but their lab and facilities were frighteningly basic. The other portion of the trip that spooked me was the orphanage. There is a small orphanage associated with the hospital and it houses about 30 0-6 year olds. We walked towards it and when we got near we heard them shouting "wagazi" which means visitors. Before we even got to the door they were running out and trying to hold our hands and get us to hold them. We all had a kid in each arm, but they were so attnetion deprived they didn't want to get put down and just followed us around. Kids were screaming and a 5 year old was carrying an infant tied around his back. It was a sad sight. A little boy stuck his shoe out indicating he wanted me to tie it. The whole time all I could think about was the research paper I did this summer and how I know that orphans in Africa especially have a hard, almost doomed life. With only 2 supervisors for all these kids, it obviously is hard for them to receive the care they need. When we had to go, they wouldn't let us put them down and followed us to the door. It was a sad afternoon to think that we just come in and look at this kids and think, oh, they're cute, but don't take enough time to help. I sincerely hope to get back to the hospital, perhaps on vacation time to help. There just isn't enough hands here to help everyone.
So that's today I guess. I put some new pics on the web, so check them out! They are very exciting.
Saturday, August 2, 2003
Habari Gani?!
I have safetly arrived in Tanzania and hit the ground running! It has been a great last few days, but it seems like it has already been a month! I am spending this week at the Danish Center near Arusha. It is kind of a safe bubble with a bunch of blonde hair Scandinavian development workers running around with their kids, but it is very nice, and it's probably best to have a transition from the US to Tanzania. Today we got up and left the center at 8:30am for the sokoni- market. It was an orgy of color and people- tons of fruits, vegetables, used clothing, and people. We walked amongst the crowds, always followed by an entourage of little kids who were fascinated by us. After the market we went to a potter's association where a group of women formed a type of co-op where they make pottery, farm, and keep cattle. They all work a few days and split the profits. The highlight however was the coffee farm. We visit this small farm where coffee beans are grown. We picked, shucked, dried, grinded, and roasted the beans and then were able to drink our labors! It was amazing how much work goes into a cup of coffee and how most of the money we would spend on a kilo of coffee beans does not go back to the grower. They make about a dollar on one kilo of coffee beans. We enjoyed having a cup of coffee with the farmer, who also had 5 very shy daughters. We convinced them to take their picture with us, and as soon as I figure out how to install a USB driver for my camera I will post them. Tonight we get to go to a wedding send-off party which will be a blast.
In terms of unusual sights, I think that just the massive number of people outside has been the biggest. There are virtually no private cars, and everyone walks with broken flip-flops and harvested crops balanced on their heads. The people are extremely friendly and I am very happy I learned the little Swahili I did because English is rare, which is slightly refreshing.
Yesterday we saw an entertaining performance by the Maasi warriors who are a tribe in Northern Tanzania and Southern Kenya. They wear bright red kangas and some of them pierce their ears and incrementally make the hole bigger so they have a large circle flap of skin on their earlobe. It was amazing to see their culture, but it also frustrated me that here this amazing culture had to perform for the white people who only then would validate the culture as "cute" or "entertaining." I guess I've just discovered how rich Tanzania is in talents, skills, and friendly people. Sometimes the whole idea of development is frustrating because it seems that Tanzanians are better off without use interfering in their lives. Granted their hygene and living conditions are poor, but they are happy and work hard in the fields and enjoy their large families and community.
Besides the people, I have also had an interesting experience with animals here. I got back from the travels today and as I walked to my room, four monkeys ran away from my door. They had been nibbling on a little bit of trash someone had dropped. They are just like squirrels, except faster and better in the trees. Also, there are these animals here called "bush babies" that have this cry at night that sounds like a crying baby doll, sort of muffled and artificial, but very loud. It might take bit to get used to.
Last night we also enjoyed a dance with a Tanzanian band. They played a lot of reggae type music even playing a few familiar tunes like La Bamba. Then the 4 other girls in our group and I went back to my room where we had what I have to get used to: girl talk. Actually it was fun, we just got to know each other and we all get along very well. It seems already like we've been through so much together. It's like a little family. Hand to it the Lutheran Colleges to get that to work out.
I will hopefully get my amazing pictures up within the next 24 hours so check back to see them! Tanzania is an amazing place and the journey has just begun. The beautiful weather and exciting people beckon now. I will post again as soon as I can. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers and remember the Tanzanian motto: Hakuna Matata!
I have safetly arrived in Tanzania and hit the ground running! It has been a great last few days, but it seems like it has already been a month! I am spending this week at the Danish Center near Arusha. It is kind of a safe bubble with a bunch of blonde hair Scandinavian development workers running around with their kids, but it is very nice, and it's probably best to have a transition from the US to Tanzania. Today we got up and left the center at 8:30am for the sokoni- market. It was an orgy of color and people- tons of fruits, vegetables, used clothing, and people. We walked amongst the crowds, always followed by an entourage of little kids who were fascinated by us. After the market we went to a potter's association where a group of women formed a type of co-op where they make pottery, farm, and keep cattle. They all work a few days and split the profits. The highlight however was the coffee farm. We visit this small farm where coffee beans are grown. We picked, shucked, dried, grinded, and roasted the beans and then were able to drink our labors! It was amazing how much work goes into a cup of coffee and how most of the money we would spend on a kilo of coffee beans does not go back to the grower. They make about a dollar on one kilo of coffee beans. We enjoyed having a cup of coffee with the farmer, who also had 5 very shy daughters. We convinced them to take their picture with us, and as soon as I figure out how to install a USB driver for my camera I will post them. Tonight we get to go to a wedding send-off party which will be a blast.
In terms of unusual sights, I think that just the massive number of people outside has been the biggest. There are virtually no private cars, and everyone walks with broken flip-flops and harvested crops balanced on their heads. The people are extremely friendly and I am very happy I learned the little Swahili I did because English is rare, which is slightly refreshing.
Yesterday we saw an entertaining performance by the Maasi warriors who are a tribe in Northern Tanzania and Southern Kenya. They wear bright red kangas and some of them pierce their ears and incrementally make the hole bigger so they have a large circle flap of skin on their earlobe. It was amazing to see their culture, but it also frustrated me that here this amazing culture had to perform for the white people who only then would validate the culture as "cute" or "entertaining." I guess I've just discovered how rich Tanzania is in talents, skills, and friendly people. Sometimes the whole idea of development is frustrating because it seems that Tanzanians are better off without use interfering in their lives. Granted their hygene and living conditions are poor, but they are happy and work hard in the fields and enjoy their large families and community.
Besides the people, I have also had an interesting experience with animals here. I got back from the travels today and as I walked to my room, four monkeys ran away from my door. They had been nibbling on a little bit of trash someone had dropped. They are just like squirrels, except faster and better in the trees. Also, there are these animals here called "bush babies" that have this cry at night that sounds like a crying baby doll, sort of muffled and artificial, but very loud. It might take bit to get used to.
Last night we also enjoyed a dance with a Tanzanian band. They played a lot of reggae type music even playing a few familiar tunes like La Bamba. Then the 4 other girls in our group and I went back to my room where we had what I have to get used to: girl talk. Actually it was fun, we just got to know each other and we all get along very well. It seems already like we've been through so much together. It's like a little family. Hand to it the Lutheran Colleges to get that to work out.
I will hopefully get my amazing pictures up within the next 24 hours so check back to see them! Tanzania is an amazing place and the journey has just begun. The beautiful weather and exciting people beckon now. I will post again as soon as I can. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers and remember the Tanzanian motto: Hakuna Matata!
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