some pics maybe

Sue and I picnicing at the hippo pool, sun-rise

Safe from lions! Mikunmi Ntional Park Left to Right: Corrie, Neil, John, David and Max, Guide in fore)

Cooking Tanzanian food in Morogoro. Me, John (squeezing the coconut) Janette (yellow hat) Tes, (in blue)

Alan (left) Will and I

back from lovely beach stroll

Squeezed on the ferry over to Kipepeo Beach

Ahoy there! Will, Adam and I looking out at the sunset at Coco beach, Dar

Arriving at Dar Airport, early, early Sunday morning..behind you can see Minah from VSO office and Katie our brill Volunteer leader and now, friend on Zanzibar

Off Kipepo Beach, Dar

Week 5&6

14th November


Well, so week 5 was a week of FINALLYS:
I finally.. started work; well, in a manner of speaking
I finally moved into the house.. well, I say “my”.. more about that another time

So I’m working at TAP- the Teachers’ Advancement Programme at the National Teachers’ Resource Centre, based just out Stone Town on the beach. It’s stunning place: on the coast, green, grazing cattle, peaceful, little beaches..I’ll stop there..

The people in the office are just lovely; there’s a wonderfully fun and friendly atmosphere, with lots of banter.

The week has been very gentle.. with lots of orientation and tons of reading. Although I’ve been out of the office a bit getting stuff for my house. I’ve been lucky enough to be driven about to buy stuff and sort stuff out..

So here’s some highlights:
1. Stopping for tea on my way home from the market this eve: sitting as the dusk fell, sipping my spicy sweet Zanzibari tea and being laughed at by the children for drinking out of the cup not the saucer; discovering that the latter is infinitely better, firstly, because it cools quicker, secondly, the saucer was considerably cleaner and thirdly, it’s quite clearly, what you’re supposed to do.

2. The children laughing as I pretended to find a lion in my shopping basket.. one little boy actually dared to have a look.. guess he thought you never know with these white people..

3. Finding that the most humorous response to give to a child calling out the declarative “Wazungo!” (White person!) is “Mtoto!” (Child!), delivered with a broad smile. Well, I enjoy it anyway; it leaves them a bit perplexed!

3. Hiring a boat with 2 Canadian friends to sail out to Prison Island for snorkeling and feeding giant tortoises.

4. Seeing Hassan, our driver, crying with laughter at something I said…

5. Whizzing through Stone Town on the back of my friend Katie’s piki-piki (Don’t worry, not going that fast really, ma and pa!)

6. At the market: bargaining and buying; meeting and greeting; laughing and smiling. I’ve noticed I have developed a ‘market walk’- kind of loping stroll. Nice!

7. My night guard ringing me at midnight, wondering where I was, if I was ok and when I would be home. I was in fact out, not in bed.. just thought I should clarify that..


What I’ve learnt..
“Tomorrow” rarely means tomorrow ..but rather next week or some unspecified time in the future or not at all..

If you think you’re crawling with flying ants then you probably are

To drink tea out of the saucer

Plastic really is the work of the devil. See below

There is no rubbish collection here. Which generally works, as rubbish degrades / is eaten by goats / cattle.. but of course that leaves an unattractive sea of blue plastic behind. Grrrr!

Realising what we do in the UK isn’t any better.. it’s just conveniently dumped out of sight..

Teaching using English as the language of instruction for most subjects at secondary level is at least daft and at worst damaging, alienating, wasteful.. imperialist bull and should stop now!

Rah! (That one’s for you Manz xx if you ever read this)

I probably don’t have any belief in the value of my job, due to point 7
Oh dear…never mind..


What’s annoying..
Jelly fish stinging my boobs! (Whilst snorkeling, not loping through market. At least that’s something.)
Getting fat (I knew it)
Having to surrender passport for my visa extension so I can’t go to lovely Will’s birthday party camping fest..13 hours away on the mainland, up country ..boo hoo
Not being able to upload photos..sorry!
Water…
Wrestling to assemble water filter
Spending an hour trying to heat 2 pans to a ‘rolling boil’
Having to settle for a gentle simmer
Producing foul tasting, cloudy water
Dropping stupid filter candle and breaking it
Not being able to face repeating the process
Having to buy bottled water, thus adding to growing evil mountain of devil plastic..




What’s bewildering
How people control their bladders for 10 hours bus ride.. v bumpy ‘roads’ mind! (only plus point for not going to Will’s.. I have a little more time to work out my pee strategy)
While I’m on the subject ..how ladies manage ‘on’ Tanzanian squat toilets; the whole malarkey of rolling trouser bottoms up while rolling rest of trouser down is a logistical nightmare

What’s funny.
Meeting people called : Ali Baba and Bahloo (not at the same time, phew, that would have been just too much)

What’s wonderful
Zanzibar Tea (Hot, sweet, spicy)
Any food with coconut
Zanzibari pizza (actually closed pancake type affair)
oohh bit of a food theme here methinks..

What’s weird
1. Getting used to having ‘domestic staff’.

weeks 3-6

Weeks 3-6
November 6th 2007

Well..what a lot has happened since I last blogged.. so much that clearly I haven’t had time to blog! SO, in short we finished our Swahili training and left lovely Morogoro to head back to noisy Dar for motorbike ‘piki-piki’training and finally I arrived on Zanzibar on Saturday.

It’s difficult to remember all that’s happened ..but here are some highlights..

My first football match..ever..in Morogoro with it’s stunning backdrop of mountains. The two big teams from Dar es Salaam; Simba and Yanga. Music, chanting, plastic bottle throwing, police with tear gas and truncheons, small boys braving a bashing and sneaking in, a great goal, amazing acrobatics from the goal scorer, witch doctors, opposing sides taunting each other, lovely ice cream, surviving the exit!

Visiting Godfrey (our dear Morogoro friend) at his home: meeting his family, eating fruit together; Sue and I being given 2 lovely ebony goblets, “size according to our age”- I’m pleased to say I got the little one!

Stunning thunderstorm: massive sheet lightning above the mountains; rescuing a little frog and Corrie, the Dutch Gynecologist, from each other.

Sights and sounds from the bus on the way back to Dar in the rain: beautiful bunches of carrots held up to the window like hands; towers of artfully arranged oranges, tomatoes, woven bags..

Arriving at the piki-piki training to realize it’s more a further introduction to living in Tz than actually learning to drive in local conditions ..and therefore infinitely more valuable. Eating in the canteen and seeing beautiful women cooking amazing food for hundreds in a couple of pots.

Successfully bribing our way into a very nice hotel for a decadent afternoon of swimming and sharing a beer. ..and feeling a bit smug that at least the cash goes to the attendants rather than the Swiss owner..

Luxuriating in a hot and powerful shower for longer than was strictly necessary

Last minute change of plan to head to Zanzibar on Saturday rather than Sunday ..having to sacrifice day on the beach for getting up obscenely early, heaving heavy luggage around, sweating… etc

Being amazed: by the porter who lifted my 25Kg bag effortlessly onto his head and carried it, weaving thorough crowds, to the ferry; by the fact that I actually found all my bags the other end; that Hassan, the driver for my project, found me at the ferry side and whisked me off to meet my boss, Mr Vuai who was waiting on land. Seamless! And despite the apparent chaos ..it all felt calm ..but that’s some of the magic of Zanzibar! Or as my friend Chris calls it, “The Zanzibari Vortex”.

Hassan’s smile which reaches all the way up to his beautiful eyes.

Seeing my house: Down town Stone Town, just far enough up from the fish market and opposite the Dala-Dala (bus) depot. It was built in1907 and has a beautiful Zanzibari door, full balcony, spilt level, lobby living area and 2 bedrooms (I’ll be sharing with occasional visitors from the Aga Khan Foundation). It’s on a narrow lane just off the main market area; I’ll be waking up early for sure! With a bit of love and some basic necessities it will be a wonderful home and quite a party palace!

Walking through the market outside my front door; everything under the sun there on stalls or on the floor or on a wagon: noisy, busy, smelly ..fantastic!

Meeting my colleagues at work; friendly, smiling and kind. Feeling like I can just feel my way for a while.. watching, listening and asking questions..

Dinner at the beach; watching the sun go down..

Spotting donkeys having fun being washed in the sea after a long day at work in the dust

Realising the amazing shimmering effect on the sand as I walk is hundreds of tiny crabs disappearing into tiny holes about 5 feet ahead

Ending up nearly knee deep in mud as I got lost in the sunset rather than looking where I was going.. typical!

Finally a day on the beach.. white sands, blue sea.. I think I should stop there!

So tomorrow I should move into my house ..and there the beginning of a new chapter begins.

Karibu Zanzibar!