...so much to share.....

Sorry it has been so long since I communicated on here!

Computer issues, health issues, and the way of life here in Tanzania are all to blame!

What have I been doing?

I visited Kalimata NGO (Non government Organization), a center for women starting their own small businesses. I love the concept of this program. The organization was started by a few Dutch women providing micro loans ($2,000 to $6,000 loans,) to African women interested in a small business.

There are presently 15 members. The women apply to become a member and present their business plan. Following approval by all of the members, collectively, they are considered for a micro loan. The loan must be re-paid within 6 months with interest. Following some business training, these women obtained loans for raising chickens, growing crops, sewing clothing, purchasing goods for a small resale shop, and a variety of other ventures. The women meet every Tuesday for the sharing of ideas, successes and problems. Twice a year the members are provided with an amount that is to be dispersed between them. The women then break into groups and discuss the best way to divide up the money based one the business proposals of each member, their needs, as well as the past successes and loan repayment history of veteran members looking for another loan. The beauty of this system is that they take ownership of the total money available in loans and they are accountable to each other. I will work this into my plan for AEP at some point, as it is a simple and fairly self -sustainable project that truly empowers these women in many ways.

I am doing some research into what it takes to purchase land to be used to build a volunteer house. Land here is becoming a hot commodity so it is challenging to find land that is reasonably priced in good locations to house western volunteers. Many government developments are popping up in the Dar Es Salaam area so it is raising the cost of land. I am interested in building a volunteer house in an area that will have a local feel, but in a safe neighborhood close enough to the amenities that are important for the health and comfort of western volunteers, i.e.: bottled water, transportation to food markets, hospitals, and banks and possibly occasional internet access. It would also be great if the land were conducive to growing vegetables. I will meet with a woman next week about a small plot that meets these criteria.

First, I need to recover from the Malaria that I contracted recently…. No worries…. Hakuna Matata…. It’s all good… I took medication and should be better soon. This has , however, slowed down my progress over the past two weeks but soon I will be back in business!!! For those of you who are freaked out now… DON’T be… it is very common here and with medication it is like if you were to have strep throat, or pneumonia at home… you get medication and recover just fine. Without treatment it can be fatal…. which is why it is such a problem here. Many can’t afford to go to the hospital or even the transportation to get to the hospital… it cost me the equivalent of $20 for the lab test to confirm that I had Malaria, an injection, 2 IVs, medication for 3 days and the doctors visit. Nothing for me, but for many here… that amount of money must be used to feed their family for 2 weeks. For others here, they still believe in witch doctors so they use alternative means to treat the malaria, usually resulting in death. What are the symptoms? Joint aches, headache, fever, and loss of appetite, stomachache, achy, weak and tired, similar to those of the flu or mono. But I am truly on the mend and will be back to normal in no time.

I recently stood as the maid of honor at a wedding in Bagamoyo. The groom is a good Tanzanian friend I know from last year and the bride an American girl from California. We had established a facebook friendship over the past year and when I returned to Tanzania in December she and I met face to face but the greeting was as if we had been friends for years. As they say here in Tanzania, “Pamoja” “
We are one.” Anyway, Nicole and Ommy got married on Feb 12^th and I stood with her as they united in marriage.

I will share a few of the highlights of this African wedding:

They had two Masai killed 2 goats in the early morning in preparation for the reception. Though this is not something I would normally enjoy taking part in, I couldn’t let this cultural tradition pass me by so I woke up at 6 AM in order to go to observe and record the slaughtering of the goats. The Masai agreed to complete this procedure for free in exchange for the ability to drink the blood of the goats… Yes I have video and photos of that too… and then they skinned both goats, so now Ommy has some meaningful goatskin to make the heads of two drums! Following the slaughter of the goats, the stomach and other innards were taken to the kitchen to make stomach and intestine soup. It smelled atrocious and tasted equally as bad. Yes, I accepted the offer when Ommy suggested I try it. One half spoonful was enough to confirm that goat stomach soup does not agree with me. J

While this was all going on at least 10 of Ommy’s friends were preparing vegetables and rice in preparation of the reception later that evening. Again, the sense of community, family, and sharing among the people here is so refreshing. Pamoja!

During the wedding ceremony the Justice of the Peace began to speak in English briefly for Nicole’s sake in order to explain to her that in Tanzania a man can take more than one wife. Then he proceeded to explain to her that her and Ommy must decide now and sign a contract stating whether they choose to have a polygamous or monogamous marriage. It took no time for Nicole to respond with “Monogamous” and Ommy had to agree! After they signed the contract he said that if Ommy were to ever marry another woman that their marriage would be cancelled!

Following the ceremony a motorcycle lead a small caravan of the car which carried the bride and groom and myself and the best man, and behind us a dala dala filled with friends and family cheering and beeping horns on the way to the reception.

The day after the wedding I decided to act like a tourist for a few days and make the trek to Zanzibar by boat. Though I enjoyed my stay there somewhat, the fact that this is when the Malaria showed it’s ugly face, it was not the tourist experience I was hoping for. The only things I really have to say about Zanzibar is that the heat was unbearable, they haven’t had electricity on the island for 3 months, so there are no cold drinks and no fans, the streets in stone town are narrow and charming, the doors and doorways even on the most modest of homes, are made of exquisitely carved wood, Zanzibar pizza is fabulous, (nothing like Greek or Italian pizza but delicious.)

I will attempt when I am back in Vermont to make this calzone type pizza made with a very thin dough wrapped around a combination of onion, garlic, tomato, peppers, egg, cheese, mayonnaise and your choice of meat, and grilled till brown. All for the equivalent of $1.

However I recently paid the equivalent of $20 for another delicious lunch at Movenpick hotel in Dar Es Salaam. It just about killed me to pay the bill, but I am confident it will pay off as I was there to meet with the local Rotary Club of Dar Es Salaam to find some contacts in hopes of obtaining their assistance in bringing a water well to Mnangole Village. I was able to mingle with some with the members as well as present my idea to them. The response was rather positive, no promises , but now that I have internet access I will continue to pursue this and other resources in order to make this dream a reality.

We have burned (roasted) cashews from the cashew tree in the side yard a few times. The process is very interesting. You gather the cashews from the ground and spread them out in a home made metal tray, place them over a wood fire and use a stick to stir till the oils heat up so hot that the whole tray catches fire and you let it burn till the cashews are all black… then you pour them into a pile of sand and cover to cool them. When cooled you take each one individually and place on a rock and strike with a hard object till the shell cracks, then you remove the shell and eat!!! So good!

Our neighbors, a family of 7, mama, papa, 1 teenager, 1 young child , 2 toddlers and an infant, came to visit again today. They used to come to hang out with us in our yard everyday, but since the mangos have all fallen from the mango trees they rarely come any more. But they paid us a visit today and we enjoyed their company as they swung from the trees and ate rotten fruit from our compost pile. I was happy to see our monkey friends again

Now…more observations of the local life here:

Extreme inequity in the economy… Mama Africa spends hours preparing a delicious meal of fried fish, coconut rice, coconut beans and a sauce of tomatoes, garlic, onion, and green pepper. We purchase this amazing meal for the equivalent of 75 cents and next door to her shack is an Arabian run shop selling used televisions and other electronics for more than what you would pay for the new equivalent at Best Buy in the states.

Men taking used shoes, polishing and selling everywhere on the streets in the city.

Everything that we use heavy equipment and machinery for in America, they do by hand here… digging trenches along the side of the road for water pipes, carrying heavy loads, such as multiple cases of soda, lumber, multiple jugs of water, transferring piles of rocks or sand, 10 feet high from one location to another. The bodies of the men reflect this labor. You see very few heavy men. Perhaps closer to the city you can find those who appear as if they sit behind a desk all day.

Simplicity- we can really survive on so little if we are smart enough!

The Conga- a piece of fabric approximately 5’ x 3’ used for everything a women could need in a day, first and foremost, clothing. It is used as a skirt as a top as a scarf or a dress. But that is not all: it is tied into a sling on your back for a baby carrier, a grocery bag, or a sack for carrying anything and everything, rolled into a spiral as a cushion for carrying heavy items on your head, for a table cloth, for a mat to lay on, for a curtain, and much more. Cost of this useful item: Less than a dollar if you are not a tourist. Up to $10 if you are a naive mzungu (tourist or foreigner.)

Banana, coconut and other tree leaves and branches are staple material to the livelihood here, used to make roofs, fences, baskets, brooms, chicken cages, chairs, barns, etc.

Other items that we would throw in the trash become useful items. What we would put out on the street left over from our yard or tag sale with a sign that says “free” so that we don’t have to lug it to the dump, they are thrilled to own. Old worn out plastic bins and buckets water, silver wear, dishes, old fabric, old mattress, old curtains or bed sheets, towels, t -shirts. This is how they survive here and yet we see no use for these things and so we litter our landfills with them.

Some interesting and/or some humorous observations:

People carry EVERYTHING on bicycles!

One bicycle can carry:

A massive pile of lumber up to 10 feet long

Six or eight -5 gallon water jugs (full)

5 baskets of live chickens (each with 5 of six chickens crammed inside)

Two huge baskets of mangos each the size of a standard size dishwasher

A family of 4 …J its true!

A crazy mix of the western world with the local culture here in the Dar Es Salaam area. Women dressed in congas carrying buckets and all of their wares on their head walking along side a man in a Fubu shirt and his Timberland boots with jeans 4 sizes too big hanging off his tush, bouncing down the street with his iPod, mimicking an urban thug.

I saw the first baby stroller I have seen since 11 weeks go when I was in the Montreal airport. The women carry children even as old as 4 years old on their backs with the conga tied as a sling.

You will find a pitcher of water and basin or canister of water at every restaurant as most locals eat with their hands. I have a adopted this manner of eating myself out of necessity, as many restaurants just don’t have silverware… Not sure what people will say when I return to Tiny Thai in Essex, Vermont and begin to eat my Panang curry with my hands!

Signs and names of shops:

Princess Diana Sewing Shop with a gigantic portrait of Princess Di in her wedding gown hand painted on the entire wall on the front of the shop.

A similar scene is displayed at Diana Ross’s music, video and TV shop.

Oprah’s shop sells traditional African fabric…

And Walmart is a small whole in the wall store that sells everything that you could ever need or want here in Africa, all made in China.

Tanzanians are similar to Bostonians in this way… a lack of r in their vocabulary:

A sign painted on a dala dala (small mini bus) that says ‘Plis the Loald’ , translated Praise the Lord!

And a sign in front of a shop where they wish for no one to park their car, that reads… ‘no packing’.

Some observations of respect and sense of community:

Younger people carry the wares of an older person.
Even a young woman will carry a moderately heavy bag for a man who is just a few years her elder.

Young people stand up on the dala dala to allow a person older than them to sit.

When a woman enters the dala dala with a few children or some bags and a child, anyone sitting close to her will take the child on their lap for the duration of the ride to her destination. The child accepts this seat on the strangers lap without hesitation… unless of course it’s a mzungu (white person). I attempted to help a woman recently and she graciously accepted my help and it appeared that this toddler did as well till I noticed that he was suffering with fear in silence…after about 5 minutes on my lap I noticed there were tears streaming down his face. So we switched and I took the sleeping baby from her lap so that she could comfort her traumatized young boy.

So, other than recovering well from Malaria, how am I doing?

Feeling a little discouraged lately trying to learn Kiswahili. It is soooooo difficult for me. I have had to write down the words that I do know so that I see that I have made some progress, as it feels as if I have made none.

I had a few days of homesickness recently prior to the Malaria. I used the negative feelings as a way to reflect on my purpose in being here, what I have accomplished so far, what I still need to do, what I am learning, what I still need to learn, what is holding me back, and what is inspiring me.

This was a healthy exercise for me and some brief conclusions are:

I am inspired by the persistence and the work ethic of the women.

I am discouraged by my own weaknesses yet I know that I have so many more opportunities and resources than the women here. …sooooo… I said to myself….pick yourself up by your bootstraps Beth, and forge on!!!

Then I made a list of my visions and dreams for the future here in Tanzania:

For the future prosperity of Mnangole Village:

A water well (possibly with a merry go round pump)

A hospital

Bicycles

A sewing center run by solar power

A women’s small business center funded by micro loans

Somewhere in Tanzania- perhaps Kigamboni

A women’s small business center funded by micro loans

A volunteer house / culture center

A nursery/primary school /training center for teachers of young children

A garden for sustaining the school/ volunteer house/etc.

I know these seem like big dreams and they won’t all happen any time real soon some may never come to pass… but one has to dream big to make a dreams reality!

Sorry this was so long but I had a long internet hiatus and wanted to get caught up.

Also, I am feeling that it is necessary for me to extend my stay a little bit so that I can complete all the research that I need to before returning to the states. I was able to extend my visa so I have decided I will pay a little over $100 to change my flight and stay an extra month here in Tanzania.

If anyone has any ideas, suggestions, resources, or comments they wish to share…. Please… I welcome them!!!!!

Photos are taking a long time to upload so give me another day or 2 to get some photos posted on here...

Until next time! Salama! (Peace!)