Home is where the brand is
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
It’s funny how easy it is to be reminded of home when you’re far away from it.
Walking uphill to our volunteer placement (the house of Ruthie David, one of the six women we are currently working with as part of Mama Machumba Crafts) last week, I spotted a Tanzanian fellow wearing a Trailer Park Boys t-shirt. Montreal Canadiens shirts and toques are very common, as I’ve spotted several examples of such clothing items that wouldn’t look out of place on King St in Waterloo, but certainly are amusingly odd sightings on a dirt road in Tanzania.
With the Trailer Park Boys - my favourite Canadian comedy show - and the Habs, I had familiar memories of television and sports from home thrust into my periphery in spite of unfamiliar surroundings.
Today, I was reminded of more personal favourites from home: beer and music. A Molson Dry-branded t-shirt passed me by on the street in Arusha, after my visit to a safari company to inquire about a 4-day trek to the Serengeti, Ngoro Ngoro crator and Lake Manyara. Being honest, I dislike Molson - but the branding was a quaint reminder of some Canadian products I definitely miss - the microbrews of Brick (Waterloo) and Robert Simpson (Barrie).
Upon my return dala dala trip, I sat (squeezed) beside a gentleman wearing a Rufus Wainwright concert t-shirt (for the uninformed, Rufus is a singer-songwriter from Montreal, and a favourite of my mum’s). I don’t know which Canadian second-hand clothing organisation donates to Tanzania, but I’ve appreciated the diverting sights. I’ve chuckled to myself upon seeing each such example, mostly because they also remind me of the satirical The Onion world atlas - which profiles Zambia as a country full of unwitting people wearing extremely inappropriate t-shirts.
I would have taken photos of such amusing discoveries, but I’ve kept my Canon unarmed for fear of soliciting pan-handling, or worse, wretched screams as my subjects’ souls were wrenched from their bodies into my picture-box of voodoo magic. Not meaning to sound racist - according to my Rough Guide, it’s a common belief at least among the Massai people located in this area.
Tomorrow brings a trip to a nearby orphanage to spend time with children in need - a break from our regular volunteer work. Tanzanian kids have so far been invariably adorable, so I‘m looking forward to it. Hopefully, I’ll spot some more funny memories of home.
Posted byplayerHAYTER at 6:26 AM