Twenty six weeks in Tanzania: Time to start doing some work...tomorrow

Hakuna Matata. Yes, that is Swahili but it's not very cool to say it here (it apparently became very unpopular after The Lion King). It's still used but mostly in Kenya, "hamna shida" is what you might hear here. Exciting news! I am officially a Resident of Tanzania! I can legally live and work here for the next year. So last week I left off with my plan to go to Moshi on Wed. Everything went as planned and our 10 hour bus ride was rather uneventful. It was very cool to see the landscape of the country and though the bus was a tiny bit cramped, the trip went by pretty quickly for me. We made it to our new home which is like a hostel/share house but for volunteers only. So its incredibly cheap but you have to work with them or for another organization. As it stands, I think Jay and I are going to be the only guests for most of our time here but the family lives here too and they cook (amazing) food for us so we won't be lonely. On a less exciting note we have not yet actually seen kili :(. The climate in the mountain area is usually overcast and cloudy so I haven't gotten to see the mountain in all it's glory. I have spent some time in the foothills seen Mt. Meru which was cool but I'm excited for when Kili finally comes into view.

Last week we had some high school students from the US partnering with Tanzanian Roots and Shoots students to learn about the community and environment here by doing some service projects. They had activities Tuesday through Friday but because of the work we were doing with Jane in Dar we were only able to join for the last two days. On Thursday, we spent the better part of the day at "Machare" which is a coffee farm in the foothills of KIli run by a German woman. She has about half of her land used for coffee and the rest she preserves for conservation. She has for the last few years, dedicated what would seem like all of her spare time and money trying to help the local villagers, and in a way that has made them more self-sufficient rather than more dependent. She has helped them collect money to buy water piping to get a steady stream of cleaner water. She donated some small hydroelectric pumps, taught them how to make fuel efficient stoves, donated an incinerator and helps them to collect their trash so that they can keep their land clear, and has helped them to find a co-op to sell their coffee to, which provides them with a much greater (but still small) percentage of the overall profit. She has done some really great work and is fully dedicated to helping these people, I only hope that it makes a lasting impression such that when she is no longer able to help them, they can continue their work. Like watching Dr. Goodall, it was very inspiring to hear her tell us what she has accomplished and aspires to as well as visit the village and help out a tiny bit.

After the farm, we visited a local Chagga village where we were able to hear about the history of the tribe and see the house that was used by each tribe chief since maybe the late 1880's. It was interesting to see and do but he was apparently furious that we were late and was basically yelling at us and demanding that we give them money. Of course the girl translating didn't add that part in but about half the people there spoke Swahili so it became apparent to everyone in time.

On Friday, we went to the environmental education site in Mweka which is in a Chagga village in the foothills of Kili. This site is funded by Roots and Shoots and Jay and I expect to spend at least one day a week there. For the students, they had a variety of activities planned starting with a traditional breakfast which was Ndizi (banana) soup with meat (or bean porridge for the veg freaks), yams and delicious tea. Then they rotated through cooking lunch, building a picnic table, weaving a bed, and planting grass to prevent soil erosion and provide food for the cattle. The kids had a couple of school lessons after that and then lunch, which was more traditional Chagga food: stewed bananas, rice, and potatoes. At the end, the American students, the Tanzanian students, and the Chagga Mama's (who did all the cooking) each did a dance for everyone. It was a lot of fun to watch and of course, the American students looked the silliest doing Mambo number five but everyone had a great time.

This was the end of the two groups time together so at the end of the day there were many hysterical high school girls saying goodbye to all of their new friends, much to the amusement of the rest of us. We said less tearful good byes and headed home with some new contacts of people to see and work with in the area. Saturday we were up early to go to Arusha so that Erica could leave Jay and I with the knowledge of how to get there on our own in the future. The bus was comfortable enough but it took us about 3 hours to get from our house, to our destination. Coming back on Sunday also took about 3 hours total so we're going to have to find a better bus to take or there would be little point in going to Arusha for a day every week. While we were there we got to see the Roots and Shoots office and Erica's old house (she used to work in Arusha) and I spent the afternoon at an orphanage with her roommate Becky. The two of us brought some donated books to the kids and they were pretty excited about the new books and to have people to talk to and hand out with so it was a fun experience. Everyone else went out but I stayed in to rest and though I was disappointed to miss the Christmas in July party it was probably for the best because yesterday I started feeling a bit off. Nothing serious, just a little abdominal, back and head pain. Hopefully a good night's sleep will help and I'll be ready for another fun day tomorrow!