Time to Celebrate!

Today marks my 6 months stay here in Dar es Salaam, which is sort of a surreal feeling. On one hand it doesn’t feel like it’s been 6 months at all and on the other I feel like I’ve been here much longer. I’ve really gotten to know the ins and outs of this city and yet I’m still discovering new things and places every day. It’s not like I don’t miss what I’ve always called home but yet I am constantly finding myself calling this home as well. I also miss my family and friends back in the states and of course they cannot be replaced, but I have found family and friends of my own here which relationships I know will last the rest of my lifetime.
Since I’ve returned from my vacation classes have consistently taken place, which so far is much improvement from last semester. I’m looking forward to my classes this semester. I’m taking Issues in International Law, Peace Making and Conflict Resolution, Democracy and Elections and finally War and Warfare in History. Also since school has started there has been an outbreak of pink eye. Here they call it “red eyes” and it really spreads like wildfire and apparently happens every year at this time. You can always tell who has it because they are wearing sunglasses. I know this doesn’t sound very odd somewhere so close to the equator and a majority of the time it is hot and sunny but on a normal day almost no one wears sunglasses. So now that I’m starting to see so many people wearing them it’s a little shocking.

I believe that 6 months is a milestone, an accomplishment and a reason to celebrate, therefore, I thought I’d describe how celebrations and party are hosted here. Firstly, for almost occasion (birthday, graduation, wedding, and farewell) the format is about the same: there are introductions, speeches, food, cake and dancing. These occasions are always big with all of the family and friends in attendance and there is always a Master of Ceremony (MC) to guide the celebration. The MC will ask certain people with relation to whom the party is thrown for to stand up and show themselves to the crowd. Later these people will always say something verily short concerning the host. There is always a LOT of food and drinks for everyone (provided by and paid for by the host). I’m also 99% positive that there is always a goat slaughter which then becomes part of the meal. The cake part is pretty interesting and new to me. It’s not like everyone gets one slice of cake but instead the cake is cut into bite size pieces which are then fed by the host to the important people in their life and then are also fed a piece of cake by them. It’s a way of expressing appreciation towards those who have impacted your life in a profound way. I think dancing is pretty self-explanatory which just happens to last all night. For celebrations like graduations and birthdays, I see it is common for people to bring gifts or at least give cash but not compulsory. Something I’ve found very interesting about hosting events here, especially birthdays is that the host is expected to provide for and pay for everything. This also applies to if you invite a group of friends out for dinner; the one who invited everyone is also expected to pay for everyone. So if I wanted to invite some friends for a birthday dinner I am actually going to be the one paying for their meals. Whatever it is that you are celebrating, it's always a fun time surronded by so many people who you love with lots of food and dancing, and all of that is just fine by me.

Hakuna Matata,

Kimberly

Vacation around Tanzania and Kenya

I have realized that I haven't been posting any pictures on my blog, so I will try and be better at doing that for those reading who aren't following my facebook. During this between semester break I was able to visit and see many wonderful places in Tanzania and Kenya.

My vacation started in Tanga where I went to visit some friends from university at their home. Tanga is north of Dar-es-Salaam, and one of Tanzania's largest cities (after Dar), but Tanga is much different from Dar especially in transportation and greenery. In Tanga many people use bicycles to get around where it's not very common in Dar. Tanga is absolutely beautiful and the vegetation is much more lush and green than can be found in Dar. In Tanga I spent a wonderful day at the beach with my friends.



From Tanga we traveled to Mombasa Kenya, another coastal town. Crossing the border between Tanzanian and Kenya proved to be very difficult for me and full of corruption. Because I am a student at the University of Dar es Salaam, I am a resident of Tanzania and therefore I am also a resident of the East African Community due to the East African Common Market. I have a valid residence permit which due to the common market should allow for free movement of peoples all of East Africa, however; when I got to the border they told me my residency isn't actually valid until I leave East Africa and return, so apparently I won't actually be a resident until I go back home. So I managed to pay as a US citizen and then some. While in Mombasa I didn't do or see much of Mombasa. I stayed in my little banda on the beach and had a few nice relaxing days. So it was very nice. Once again I noticed the transportation differences, I think I just like to notice that most. But in Mombasa they also use what Tanzanians call Bajajis but instead they call them Tuk-Tuks and they actaully follow the rules of the road and stay in traffic! This is very weird to me now because I like taking bajajis knowing that I can take the backways and off road and avoid traffic.

Afterwards we left for Nairobi. Nairobi was really cool, I got to see baby elephants and pet (and kiss) giraffes! We also went on a safari in Nairobi which is cheaper than doing on in Tanzanian because they have what is called resident prices for people like me living in East Africa but aren't citizens while Tanzania doesn't have that =( . The only complaints I have about Nairobi is that is is very cold in comparison to Dar and for me ahha also it is pretty expensive in comparison as well. A major difference between Kenya and Tanzania that I noticed was the language. Both Kenya and Tanzania has its national language as Swahili, but the Swahili is very different, much like the difference between British English and American English - completely the same yet totally different. Also there is no denying that Nairobi is more developed than Dar es Salaam and resembles more closely any city found in America.

From Nairobi I went to Mwanza, TZ and had the WORST bus experience ever! It was scheduled to leave Nairobi at 930 at night but didn't even arrive until 4am! Then we spent even more time waiting and changing buses and we got into an accident on the way there and had to change buses again. We were meant to arrive in Mwanza at 10am but instead didn't arrive until around 6pm. But once we got into Mwanza it was wonderful! Mwanza is also one of Tanzania's largest cities and is located in the north-east by Lake Victoria, the largest freshwater lake after Lake Superior. Mwanza is one of my favorite places now and it is so beautiful! I was also able to stay at a REALLY nice hotel for very cheap so overall my experience in Mwanza was great. Mwanza is beautiful and quiet and not many people yelled mzungu at me which made me very happy. =)


We made a last minute decision after that to go to Arusha and Moshi, another famous tourist destination for people who come to Tanzania because there are many many national parks and the Mt. Kilimanjaro. But to be honest I didn't like Arusha very much, I felt very disadvantaged there because everywhere we went or tried to stay in a hotel etc there were "white people" prices. I feel this is unfair because I'm living here and I'm a student and I'm not working so I don't have "white people" money haha. I also didn't get a good feel of what's really in Arusha to see and do so I think I need another trip to really make a decision about it. But on the bright side I was able to see Mt Kilimanjaro so I feel satisfied!

I am now back in Dar and eagerly waiting to start my next semester. It was scheduled to start this past Monday, 27th of February, however the students have not been awarded their loans yet by the government so no one can pay their school fees yet. So it's starting to look like I will be dealing with the same issues as last semester.

Hakuna Matata,
Kimberly

End of my First Semester

Finally I am finished with my first semester here in Dar. I feel it took much longer only because all of my fellow students at home ended in Dec, but it reality these first four months went by really fast. They were filled with a new language, a new culture and completely different life style, new friends and new perspectives. I thought tell some interesting things I've learned during my first semester here.

1) Swahili time. No this is not like "African time" where things are not done by a watch and everything usually starts much later than expected but instead an entirely new way of telling time. It differs by 6 hours of English time, for example, 7am in English time is 1am Swahili time. So instead of starting your day at 7 (when the sun is up) you are really starting the first hour of your day (aka 1). After getting used to this new way of telling time it actually makes a lot more sense. Well besides the people who work third shift ,who really starts their day at midnight or 1am?

2) I can here thinking I'd see what it is to be like in a country built on socialism but as it turns out I see capitalism as present as in any other place I've been. What I have found out is that peoples attitudes towards helping those they care about and giving them whatever they can is true and in that ideal socialism is alive. What I've witnessed is pure capitalism especially in the market, getting a bajaji and anything else where people are competing against one another for a sale. Let's just say I use this to my advantage to get the lowest prices possible.

3) Religions live harmoniously together. The two major religions in Tanzania are Christianity and Islam, both which play a major part in the daily lives of the citizens. There is no big rivalry that we hear about in American between the two, each person is free to believe in what they wish without the judgement of the other. Also due to this religious factor in the daily lives of Tanzanians, the culture and dress is more conservative than in America, but less then in a totally Islamic country. With that being said, it also depends on where you are for example Dar es Salaam vs Zanzibar. Zanzibar is a lot more conservative than Dar is due to its history and more Islamic presence.

4) I've seen more people with disabilities here then I can ever remember yet no one seems to notice. What I mean, is that they don't seem to be ostracized for it or made fun of because of their disabilities. The weird thing is how many people have disabilities with their feet or legs, yet almost all use crutches instead of wheelchairs (all wheelchairs I've seen are pedaled by hands like a bicycle).

5) It is always possible to open your room for someone. Multiple people sleep not only in the same room but even in the same bed. Many dorm room at the university are made for 2 people but instead 4 or 5 are actually sleeping there. Also in home life depending on your economic status, it would not be uncommon to share a bed with three other people.

Well now I'm off on a 3 week vacation to Kenya and other parts of Tanzania before my next semester starts.

Hakuna Matata,

Kimberly

Heri ya Mwaka Mpya

Firstly, Happy New Year to all of you and hope that is was a great time. I, myself, had a wonderful time and then it was right back to classes. During one of my seminars today, the discussion took an interesting turn on the accuracy of the statement "Africans are lazy". This then got me to thinking about stereotypes around the world and how inaccurate they actually are. This then reminded me of an hilarious article I read before I left, sent to me by Gwen Schaefer, How to Write about Africa. I recommend anyone who would like a nice laugh about outrageous inferences to read this.

http://www.granta.com/Magazine/92/How-to-Write-about-Africa/Page-1

Anyways, back to whether Africans are lazy or not, I would conclude that most people would choose to be lazy if given the chance but certain circumstances in life take away that choice. I realize this does not conclude about Africans in general, so I will tell what I have witnessed and experienced living here for a little over 3 months now in attempt to derive some sort of conclusion.

Within these 3 months I've realized there are certain aspects of life that are simpler and more easy-going than home. For example, people seem to be less materialistic or focused on possessions, and people seem to take their time doing tasks instead of being at a constant non-stop pace. Both of these things I appreciate greatly, however do either of these necessarily make someone "lazy".

At the same time, while some things are simpler, some of the most mundane tasks seem to require much more effort. For example, the daily task of cooking and the weekly chore of washing clothes. Both of these things I can do easily at home, however; I have failed to do them easily here. It's actually a little frustrating and creates a feeling of incompetence on my part. Firstly, when it comes to cooking I have never used a charcoal stove before, had to squat while cooking and be able to grab a very hot pot with your hands because there are no handles in order to stir. Secondly, to wash clothing is to do so by hand. I had no idea that this is actually a lot harder than it looks, nor do I do it well enough to actually get any dirt out. Both of these tasks are very normal and ones that I've been doing on my own for years and suddenly can't seem to grasp, and trust me you cannot be lazy while doing either.

Also some do not have the easiest access to water, by that I mean it's usually outside and one needs to fetch it with a bucket. So even if it's right outside you house if you need to take a shower, flush a toilet, get water for cooking you are always going to fetch water and then carry heavy buckets back with you. This also takes more effort than I really want to exert.

On the other hand, wait staff don't seem to be the most energtic or helpful people and it usually takes more time than average (according to American standards) to get service of any kind.

From what I've seen from living here, Tanzanians are not any more or less lazy than Americans that I know of, in fact just the increased toughness of their tasks is something to be admired. Doing tasks in these ways gives me a new found respect for new ways to do things and if my washer and dryer ever break at home then I can still have clean clothes.

Hakuna Matata,

Kimberly

Busy month in Bongoland

So a lot as happened in the month since my last post, including : tons of school assignments, protests and demonstrations at school, getting malaria, floods and now Christmas is upon us.

The amount of school assignments is expected considering it is now the half-way point so now comes all the papers and tests. Assignments here aren't so different, but they are different enough to make you notice. Firstly, I'm not so used to joint papers, or writing one paper for a group of people. This is done all the time here. Secondly, tests seem to always be essays style and so far I've been given a lists of questions before the test then when you get to the test you pick from that list which to write. I have not actually discovered how grading calculates how to be since I have not received any grades for my work yet, however; I do know that the grading system is different. For example 70-100 is considered an A here, this is throwing me totally off guard thinking that is isn't difficult to get a 70 which doesn't seem to be true. I'm still anxious to see exactly what kind of grades my work will get me here.

On to the demonstrations. Around the start of semester protest started for students whom had not received the student loans. How they were handled was rather interesting. When the students were walking around campus you can always hear them before seeing them, then you see other students running, and finally (if you stay around) you are greeted by students waving sticks. It apparently can turn rather violent (or from my assumptions) since people are always running from them. I heard numerous stories about students being hit with these sticks if they refused to join the strike. I happen to be at the right places at the right times and seemed to avoid all the commotion, (although I would like a better inside scoop). That was the start of the semester, and during the first strike, some students were arrested. Afterwards they protested to get the ones arrested out of custody, once that happened some students were suspended. So this month they started to demonstrate for the ones suspended which just seemed to result in expulsions. So during the days where the strikes were occurring there were no classes. Either the students or teachers didn't want to disrupt the protests or they were ran out of classes by the ones protesting. Nevertheless it was a lot of drama and no classes.

Only after the expulsions and classes resumed did I get the wonderful parasite of malaria. I'll be honest, before arriving here I was terrified of contracting malaria (especially with my history of being sick); but after being here I realized how common it actually is and because of this how easily it is tested and treated. The tests itself is a simple finger prick with results in about 30 minutes. The medication to treat malaria, in my opinion, makes you feel worse than malaria actually does! The dosage is so strong, it caused severe dizziness along with nausea and vomiting. I couldn't eat or walk around for about 3 days. Aside from that malaria feels pretty much like any other illness and was nothing compared to pneumonia that I went through before. So I preserved and according to my host mom handled it very well and was very strong. =)

Luckily for me malaria kept me inside the house all week. This was a good thing because it rained so heavily since Monday causing floods which have affected thousands of citizens. Around 5000 people have been displaced from their homes, and numerous roads and bridges have been damaged. I don't know the current statistic of the fatalities due to the floods but I know it isn't good. Many houses are completely filled with water and many streets are impassable. With so many people affected, you feel the devastation around.

With everything going and the lack of freezing weather, I had almost completely forgotten that tomorrow is Christmas Eve. It is like it has snuck up on me, and on top of all that it just doesn't feel like Christmas to me. While it is still celebrated here and many families are Christians, it lacks the obsessive and flare as Christmas is the states. The mall is decorated and I hear Christmas music playing in most places but for some reason it doesn't feel like in your face Christmas spirit.

On the music note: Tanzanians love country music especially Kenny Rogers. This I've just found a fun, interesting and surprising fact here. So to everyone Merry Christmas and Happy New Years to you and yours! Wishing I could be around family and friends at home to celebrate during this time but instead I'll be there in spirit!

Hakuna Matata,

Kimberly

Thanksgiving away from Home

Wow, I cannot believe that today is my absolute favorite holiday and that I will not be spending it with my family and friends in the states. I will not have the traditional feast nor will I be spending the day watching my favorite sport football. However, I have so many things to be thankful for so in the true spirit of Thanksgiving I will just remember what I have instead of what I do not. I am first thankful for the opportunity to be here at all. Secondly for the loving and supportive parents who have made it possible. Thirdly, I am thankful for all of my friends back home who are keeping in touch. I am also thankful for my host family and the new friends I've made here who have made this transition smooth. Lastly, I am thankful for the technology to easily reconnect with everyone.

So since Thanksgiving is centered around food I thought I'd let you guys know what my new diet here in Dar es Salaam is. For breakfast, I usually take chai (black tea) chapatti (fried flat bread) or mandazi (similar ot dounuts). I absolutely love chapatti and mandazi, I will continue to make is when I return. For lunch, I usually have a plate of fruit or chips mayai. Chips mayai might be one of the best things ever thought of. It is chips or for us Americans, french fries cooked in a skillet with 2 eggs. I will also be making this all the time when I'm home. One of the perks about living with a host family is that I get to try all the different traditional meals such as ugali and makande. Ugali is like a stiff pourrige made from maize while makande is a mixture of beans and corn. Ugali is eaten with you hand and by itself it doesn't have a strong taste but you eat it with a variety foods and come with a sauce like baked beans of example. Also I have a patterned diet of rice, beans and meat (usually chicken, fish or beef) in a stew. I'd say this is the staple diet of most Tanzanians. These meal is also sometimes added with chips (french fries) or cooked banana. Little bit of useful information bananas when cooked no longer taste like bananas but instead more like potatoes. Aside from the traditional food there is a strong Arab and Indian influence in diet, which makes me very happy because I can find samosas, shawarma and curries which adds a little spice to my life.

Sometimes I find myself missing food (especially condiments) from home, however I haven't found a cure for this and the only fast food chain from home I've seen is Subway. That's right no KFC, which as translates to most Tanzanians haven't heard of Kentucky at all. To deal with this I remind myself that I will have American food again so for a while I can deal with missing the traditional Thanksgiving meal.

What I've found different here is definitely eating habits and table manners. Before eating, there is a bowl with a pitcher of hot water on the table to wash your hands with. Therefore, eating with your hands, is perfectly normal and not considered rude. Interestingly enough however they don't seem to lick their fingers after eating but instead wash them again. My thought process tells me to lick my fingers afterwards, I mean after all I was already eating with them. Elbows on the table seem to give you better leverage to eat with you hands. You are expected to finish your whole plate as well, although in some parts I've been told that if you finish your whole plate it means you weren't satisfied and then you get more. Sorry baby sister, slurping is done often.

In reality it wasn't that hard to get used to the diet or a less composed way of eating. When it comes down to it I'm still eating meat, a carbohydrate and vegetables for my meals so is it really all that different?

Hakuna Matata,

Kimberly

No car? No problem.

As most of you know I do not like staying in one place for long. Therefore transportation is an important part of life and it's one thing I tend to notice most about places I visit, especially now where I do not have my own ride to get anywhere that I need or want to go. Here I am relying on public transportation (or nice people with cars). When living in Kentucky I did not use public transportation, one because I had a car that I could drive and two, because it's not all that common for most people.

Here, I have to use public transport everyday and I'm actually pretty happy with it for the most part. I love daladalas, they are cheap are easily found and get you close to where you need to go. They remind me a lot of the mini-buses in South Africa especially with the amount of people packed into them and the rules of the road according to the drivers. While this is a method of public transportation, they are privately owned buses. I have seen them switch drivers and conductors on route which leads me to believe that a few people get together to buy one and then share in the profit of the day. There is always one driver (obviously) but also there is always a conductor which beckons people in and collects the fair. Once while riding a daladala a friend and I saw another one for sale in which we devised a plan that we should buy it and then I would become the driver and she the conductor and we would then have a nice little side business. Daladalas drive on a specific route which is clearly marked on the front and while there are certain stops along the way there isn't a set schedule. You cannot plan when one will come you just stand and wait but usually it does not take very long to find the next one.

Daladalas stop running after 9 and I've been advised by my family not to take one after dark anyways (about 6:30pm) so the other forms of transportation include bajijis and taxis. Bajijis are also another privately owned vehicle which looks like a motorized tricycle with a carriage to me. You can fit about three people inside and they will take you anyway for a negotiated price. The trick is to barter for a cheap price (especially being white they always try and charge more) but overall I'd rather take that than a taxi. Taxis are like taxis everywhere else, with the exception that I haven't seen a meter counter yet, so here you also negotiate prices with the drivers.

This weekend I traveled to Morogoro which is about 2-3 hours away from Dar es Salaam which gave an interesting insight into driving here and made me really think about the differences in ways people drive. One obvious difference is that they drive on the left side of the road and the steering wheel is on the right side of the car. This, I was already used to thanks to my stay in Cape Town but it would definitely be an adjustment to others coming here. Also I'd like to point out that while I am in Africa and it's a third world country a majority of the roads are paved. There are some that are not but even to other towns and cities there are paved roads. One big difference I've noticed is that there are a lot less stop lights and I haven't seen one stop sign but there are more speed bumps then I've even witnessed. Speed bumps are everywhere you can't get away from them! In general driving is the same except people have no problem going around you if you are in their way, too slow or for whatever reason and by whatever means.

Ok now back to the trip to Morogoro, we traveled there by tour bus which is supposed to take 2-3 hours depending on traffic so we decided to wake up and leave early Saturday morning. Everything was going very well at the station; we easily got our tickets, found the bus and were on our way until right as we were pulling out of the station. So as we were pulling out a motorcyclist stops to let us through but the truck behind him does not, he tried to go around and over the highway divide and ends up running over the motorcycle and hitting the tail end of our bus. Luckily the motorcyclist had jump off and was therefore unharmed also it did not cause a lot of damage to our bus, but none the less it caused us a great deal of time lost and we had to go back in the station to change buses. We eventually got to Morogoro in the second try without any problems. However, on the way back into Dar es Salaam we experience heavy traffic which took us about an hour just to get back into the station. Sure I've experience heavy traffic before but nothing really like this, especially with only one street light there was barely any movement for quite some time.

So sometimes I miss having a car of my own to drive and get me to where I need and want to go but public transportation has been doing just fine here and I've not run into any major problems.

Hakuna Matata,

Kimberly