Tanzania, I presume?
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Alive and well, I landed at Kilimanjaro airport in Arusha on Thursday evening for my first experience of the Tanzanian air. Humid, fresh, and ripe with the smell of damp trees, my olifactory impression of the continent contrasted with the impact of my immediate surroundings. For one, in the arrivals section I was completely surrounded by old white couples in sarafi gear and giddy students eager to tackle Mt. Kilimanjaro with their accompanying Columbia boots and Oakleys. I also couldn't really see the trees I was smelling, as the pitch black African sky enveloped all but the road that carried me to my guest house in Tengeru village.
From what I could see, the Meru roadside didnt look too different to country roads back home in Canada. I noted this to Brightson, my host, who was driving me back to his home. Brightson laughed with some incredulity, forgiving me for my lack of visibility and sleep. Brightson, who we also call “Lema” in a more affectionate term (his Meru name), is the owner of the guest house where volunteers coordinated through Experiential Learning International can stay. Located in the heart of a rural Meru community (one of 126 tribes spread across Tanzania), my new home feels safe and comfortable. Along with Brightson and Robin – a fellow volunteer from Edmonton, Alberta – we also live with Zai, a shy but friendly young housekeeper, who keeps our turf clean and ensures our bellies are full each day. I've been told that it is regular for long-term visitors to Africa to lose alot of weight, thanks to the dramatic change in culinary intake (swapping Big Ethel burgers for rice and bean stew). The food is very good, though my sensitive stomach has been slow to adapt to the various micro-organisms in the food and water that local Tanzanians are naturally used to. I'm sure I'll adapt in time, as my taste buds are in agreement that Tanzanian fruit is some of the best I've ever tasted. My first bite upon arrival at the guest house saw my teeth sink into a locally grown mango, and by God was it ever good.
Now where was I? Ah yes, first impressions. My vision-impaired, anti-climatic beginnings were to be cast aside soon enough as Friday's tour of the Arusha area enlightened me to the beauty of my surroundings. Nestled under the imposing height of Mount Meru, Arusha is now officially referred to as a city, as of recent years it was declared as such due to its burgeoning population and centralized developement. Still, to some locals (Brightson at least) it's not quite deserving of the label, as its development is still very much in-progress. Our tour guide, Noel (or Papa Christmas, as I called him upon learning the spelling of his name) firstly took us on a detour through the thick foliage decorating the Meru countryside, leading us to the home of Mama Gladness. In spite of a name that might be hard to live up to, Mama Gladness proved to be every bit the image of the cherubic, smiling grandmother that her name conjures. While we sipped chai (Tanzanian tea) under the shade of a tangerine trea, Mama Gladness fetched us pomegranete fresh from the tree and helped us to feel a little more at home with friendly conversation and more of her winning smile.
After this, we made our way to Arusha, which included my first dala dala experience – Kiswahili for “ride of death” – and went on a brief 6 hour tour of the “city”. Our visit included banks, markets, swatting away fly catchers (locals touting safari trips) and another personal first for me – Tanzanian bartering. I wasn't really sure what I was doing, but I think this played in my favour as I managed to haggle a mosquito net from Tsh 9,500 down to Tsh 6,000 (around 5 bucks). Noel was impressed by my skills, as the shopkeeper left me with a begrudging handshake and “did that just happen?” expression on his face. Another (more recent) Tanzanian tradition I partoke in was the ownership of a prepaid cell phone. For around $25 bucks I nabbed a brand new handset on the Zain network, allowing me to touch base with family and let them know that I wasn't still in Amsterdam eating a Quarter Pounder. I also nabbed Noel's number and proceeded to prank call him a few times. Cell phones are everywhere here, with everyone from schoolkids to bibis (grandmothers) nattering and texting away on their pocket-sized devices with reckless abandon. It was an interesting image to see an older woman working away in a field, pausing to pull out a Nokia from her tribal robes and touch base with her homies.
Sorted out with my two lifelines – a mosquito net to protect me from malaria (a rare illness even for visitors, according to Brightson, who hasn't had a malaria-sick volunteer since 2004) and a cell phone to keep me connected – we returned to Tengeru for some much-needed rest.
Saturday and Sunday have brought further orientation as Brightson educated us about Tanzanian history and culture. A lengthy Kiswahili lesson ensured that my limited communication skills get started off on the right track (currently restricted to jambo, mambo, and shikamoo – variations of greetings – followed by an awkard, apologetic smile). We begin our work with Educare Foundation on Monday, so more updates will follow as to what exactly we will be doing in our volunteering. For now, jetlag and general hysteria have tired me out, leaving me with an inviting bed to jump into, and a concluding sidenote for you.
Sidenote: I've had lots of people asking me how my flights were. An understandable question, though the trip was as uneventful as being 10,000 feet up in the air and drugged up on Gravol for 15 hours can be. Testament to my boredom is this brain-numbing anecdote: listening to the Beatles' remastered box set on shuffle, I managed to fall asleep for about an hour during my flight from Amsterdam to Arusha. I was awoken by the American couple seated to my left, who wished to use the toilet. At the exact moment, John Lennon sang “Please don't wake me, no don't shake me, leave me where I am, I'm only sleeping”. I shit you not. I failed to get back to sleep after this, either due to the sheer excitment of said circumstance, or turbulence.
Posted byplayerHAYTER at 11:22 PM