On Safari

Well, it's settled. I don't have to go the Serengeti after all. I saw the Big Five (Water buffalo, lion, rhinoceros, leopard, and elephant), and much, much more in the Ngorogoro Crater and Lake Manyara this weekend. And I saw the Serengeti from a distance...well the beginning of it anyway, and not only that, it's not the time for the great wildebeest migration, when a million or more of these creatures travel to the Serengeti from Kenya for procreation activities. So, I feel like I can spare myself that expence and time (It is a full days drive to get there, so it's hard to do it on a weekend.)

The Ngorogoro Crater is part of a large national park here that is a world heritage site. To get there we drove for three and half hours and then crossed the Great Rift Valley (which stretches from Jordan to the end of Tanzania), then over a mountain range to the crater which is a collapsed volcano formed some millions of years ago. The crater has the largest concentration of wild life in Africa, I believe. We spent our first day driving around the floor of the crater looking for and observing hundreds of zebra, thousands for wildebeests, a few elephants and hippos, three lions, a cheetah and lots of gazelles and birds. I was surprised that I loved it so much as I have never been a big zoo fan, and this was like going to a super deluxe zoo. It was very relaxing on one level because you stay in the van the whole time and when you spot some animals, you sit and observe them for awhile. But it's also exciting on another level to find the animals, especially those that are hard to find, like the lions and the elephants who happily forrage right next to the vehicles.

We spotted three lions, who clearly were not hungry, lounging about watching the wildebeests in front of them and the zebras behind them. The wildebeest and the zebras wanted to go to a river which was precariously close to the lounging lions, so they watched the lions for about ten minutes without moving. When the wildebeests concluded that the lions were not planning to attack, they send a scout to go down to the river and after another five minutes the others cautiously followed. The zebras at the other end did the same and in the end both groups made it down to the river with no interference from the lions. At one point something spooked the wildebeests and a group dashed up the embankment, but they then later calmed down and went back down. It was so interesting and fun to watch all this. On our way out of the crater we spotted a leopard sauntering down the road, but she dashed into the brush when our driver slammed on the breaks. We saw her watching us from behind a bush, but then he got bored with us and slipped away.

Day two we went to Lake Manyara which is a 250 square kilometer reserve area with scrub dessert, beaches and thick Forest. (the lake itself takes up the majority of the kilometers). We watched a clan of baboons grooming and playing with each other, tons of elephants foragin about, a couple of elegant zebras munching on trees and lots of zebras and wildebeests. Everyone was pretty much involved in the same activities: foraging and feasting. We also came across three lions who were having a big-time feast on a wildebeest. Oh yes, and the flamingos. Hundreds of them, but too far to see well, so at one point at a rest stop near the lake, I wandered off to get a closer look and was called back after a very short jaunt. I was then scolded by a ranger type person who said it was too dangerousbecause an elephant or rhino could appear and attack. Rhinos, I was surprised to learn, can run at 35 miles per hour, which is pretty darn fast.

Afterwards we had a picnic on a ridge above the lake with wonderful views of the lake, elephants foraging below us, and all manor of exotic birds flying above us. We also watched a girafe, every so slowly, walk down the beach. My travel companion suggested she might be suicidal walking on the beach alone because what would She have done is a Rhino had shown up. It felt prehistoric because there was no signs of human habitation: no structures or noise or even, for the most part, people. We all felt somewhat melancholy when it was time to leave and one person in our group (of three) was so moved by the experience that she is planning another safari in the Serengeti in a few weeks.

Not far from the Ngorogoro Crater and Lake Manyara is the Olduvai Gorge were the Leakey's discovered the oldest human fossils - the birthplace of our earliest ancestors. I would love to get over there as well, but I think it is too far (and expensive) to go for a weekend.

Instead, I have booked a trip to Rwanda where I will go on a gorilla safari in the misty volcanic mountains in the north and then in Kigali I will visit the office of Women for Women International, an organization that sponsors women in war torn countries to get a new start in life. I have been sponsoring women through this organization for five years or so. I think I might have had a sister in Rwanda a few years ago and if so, I might try to visit her.

So, I am becoming an wild life enthusiast in my old age. Fun.

Studying French in Tanzania

Yesterday I had my first refresher French lesson. I met my teacher, who is not really a teacher but a hairdresser from the DRC, at a hotel bar near my home base in Kiliminjaro. I walked to the place early and had the great joy of drinking a Kiliminjaro beer. Our home base is a dry zone, so that Kiliminjaro was heavenly, especially because I walked for thirty minutes in the boiling sun to reach the restaurant. Patrick Bologna is a very nice man so he didn't mind that I directed the French lesson myself. I don't expect to learn a lot of new things, but it's good practice just to sit and talk to him in French for and hour and a half. We will meet two times a week and unfortunately for me, he wants us to meet at his shop rather than the hotel restaurant because it is far for him to travel and it is a bit noisy there. I guess I could bring a Kiliminjaro to the shop.

Originally we agreed to meet from 5 - 6:30, but the sun sets at 6:30 here and it is about a ten minute walk down a dirt road with no lights to get home, so we have been told by many people actually, not to walk that road after dark. Patrick agreed that I should get home before the bandits come out, so we'll meet earlier in town with enough time for me to take the daladala back.

I am looking forward to talking to Patrick more about his life here and in Congo and smoothing out my basic French in the process. I am paying him $10 and hour which is quite a good wage for someone who is not really a teacher.

This weekend I am going on safari! We'll be away for two nights in a crater called Ngorogoro where you can see the big five on a good safari weekend. More on all that later.

Getting around in Kiliminjaro

Well, I did it. I took the Daladala home yesterday from Moshi. It was quite an interesting and even fun experience. The Daladala refers to the van/bus that Tanzanians use for inter and intra-city travel. It is basically a minivan which comfortably seats about 13 people. It's really cheap (20 cents)and goes everywhere all the time, except maybe late at night.

So yesterday I climbed in and got myself a comfy seat near the door. It looked to me as though there were three empty spots were a person could sit, so I didn't expected much of a wait. The daladalas won't leave until the van is stuffed. Three poeople got on a minute or so later, and I thought to myself, "Oh, good. It's full. We'll be leaving now." But we cotinued to wait. Then three more people got on and I thought, "Now it's really is full. Off we go!" Well I went through this process about five times as more and more people entered the van and moved to the back black hole that was the back of the bus. When we finally left, we had about thirty passengers, a number of whom had to stand hunched over filling up every inch of space in the van.

The good thing about the daladala's is that they are so weighed down with humanity and therefore have to drive slowly, so I wasn't so worried about traffic accidents (as I usually am) The ride took about 20 minutes through town and then on the highway. You inform the condutor who stands near the door with his body hanging out through the window when you want to stop and he pounds on the van so the driver knows to stop. It was a great adventure and now that I know how to ride the daladala, I will take it more often.

Daladala, I am told comes from "dollar dollar" which is what the conductors used to yell out the windows to attract passengers, although a dollar is way too much for a doladola these days.

Graduation Tanzania Style

Yesterday Nick and I attended the Form Four graduation ceremony at St. Teresia's. We were told that it would start at 9:30 and that we should come at 8:30 to help with the final preparations. The graduation started at 12:30 and we left at 6:30. It was a wonderful event. Each class performed dances and songs that were lively and touching and there was a drama skit and, of course, there were the usual boring speeches. Nick and I each prepared some remarks in Swahili and we were quite the sensation. We also gave each student a geometry set. Everyone was impressed with our Swahili even though we read most of it; in fact, a while later, one of the speakers mentioned our names (the whole event was conducted in Swahili) and we later learned that he had warned the crowd to be careful of what they said around us because we probably spoke Chagga too. The Chagga is the main tribe in this region and, of course, has its own language.

There were some rituals that were new to us, such as children feeding bits of cake to their parents to thank them for their support (and we did that too with the other faculty later on) and there was a DJ and MC for the event, so it had a party feeling most of the time. The DJ played music at even the slightest lull in activities, filling up all the dead seconds and minutes with popular music. It was an excellent way to keep the spirit alive and flowing.

When students received their certificates (with a music back ground of course) parents and other family members met them after they ran the shaking-hands gauntlet with the dignitaries and gave their children decorative wreaths, gifts and flowers and lots of hugs. It was very moving to see the joy and pride that everyone felt. Completing secondary school here is no small task for the students or families, making this graduation very special to everyone involved.

Following the ceremonies came the food. Great pots of rice, beef, chicken, bananas, and lots more that we didn't eat arrived. There were about 300 guests attending, and we were fortunate to get our meals from a side kitchen which we really appreciated because lunch wasn't served until 5:00! After eating we proceeded to take photos of the graduates and to top off the day, as we left the school at 6:30, Mount Kiliminjaro was out it all its majestic glory and we got lots of pictures of it. The mountain is mostly hidden from view by clouds; I have only seen it three times since I have been here.

So it was a wonderful way to spend ten hours here in Tanzania. Nick and I are developing very close relationships with our students now and it's going to be real hard to leave them in a month. I may have to come back next year.

This afternoon I am off to interview my prospective French instructor, and if all goes well, I'll start class on Tuesday afternoon.

Kwaheri (Bye) for now.

Celebrating 100 years in Tanzania

On Wednesday I and a fellow volunteers attended a birthday celebration of a Tanzanian woman who has recently completed 100 years. It was quite a celebration. We started with a mass attended by 21 priests, 20 or so nuns, a large choir and about 200 guests. Fortunately the mass was held outside so we didn't have to kneel a lot,but there considerable bouts of standing and sitting. The choir was wonderful, very gay and rhythmic and the women's trilling added a special flavor to the service. We were lucky to have been invited by and insider so after the ceremony we were joined the family inside to sit and celebrate with Mama Yetu Maria (the centenarian) and her family and all the priests and nuns. There was incredible amounts of incredible food and lots of beer and hard liquor that everyone enjoyed. It was great fun to see nuns drinking St. Martin and beer and Mama Maria had two large Kilimanjaro's(a local beer) herself. There was singing inside and lots of rituals (sharing of meat and drinks, gift giving, grandchildren presenting dances). We were there for seven hours and it seemed like a few minutes.

The party was in a district near ours, a few kilometers up the mountain so it was lush and cool. A very lovely day. Tomorrow is the grand graduation ceremony at St,. Theresia's. Nick and I will be giving short speeches in Swahili and we have bought geometry sets for all the graduates (most hope to continue to their A level studies after they take entrance exams in October.) It will be, we are told, and all day affair with more than 300 family and friends attending. We watched students rehearsing songs and dances this afternoon, and it looks like it is going to be a fabulous affair. More on that to come.

Hope you all are doing well.

Volunteering in Tanzania

CCS brings in new groups of volunteers each month and volunteers stay for varying lengths of time. A large group left on Saturday, and, saddly, I lost some of my favorite people. Now we are a group of about ten and life has quieted down a bit. We all fit in one van to go to our placements each day and it is a lot easier planning trips to town with a smaller group.

I and one other person (a teacher from Canada) are working at the secondary school. Others work at preschools and primary schools, orphanages, health clinics and hospitals. One placement is in a nursery at a nearby prison. The prison guards and other staff and their families live on the prison property, and there is a day care center for the children of prison workers. This is considered a minimum security prison (petty crimes include defaulting on debts or taxes) and the prisoners are seen working the numerous gardens on the property in their bright orange jumpsuits. Sometimes they even help out at the nursery.

We work in the morning, come home for lunch and then organize afternoon activities. I have been walking into town in the afternoons. It takes about an hour, is good exercise, and provides me an opportunity to see what is around in my area and meet people in the community. Tomorrow we are going to an NGO that works with HI/AIDS to learn more about the epidemic here. And we also are planning a visit to Arusha to visit an ex-Black Panther who operates art program for youth. Next week I will stay at school in the afternoons one day a week and I have arranged to have a French tutor two afternoons a week to brush up on my French. One of the women from my school will join me in the class, and possibly a fellow-volunteer (Monica).

The struggles that people face here to overcome obstacles brought on by poverty are the most difficult aspect of my work here. Only 12% of the population has electricity and less than that own phones, and access to clean water or water in general is a major problem here. The need is great here and we are often asked to help out monetarily. I have been asked by three students this week to sponsor them by paying their school fees so that they can continue their educations. Their stories are heartbreaking to hear. At the same time there are many good people doing inspirational work to alleviate poverty and illness here, and that sustains everyone I think. We focus on the good work rather than the difficulties. That's the best way to manage.

Tomorrow I will go on a field visit with a woman’s organization here to meet women who have started micro-businesses. We will also attend a birthday celebration of a woman who is 102!

HIV/AIDS in Tanzania

The president of Tanzania and his wife, a few weeks ago, publicly announced that there were gong to be tested for HIV which is major considering that there is still a lot of stigma around having HIV/AIDS here. I think the infection rate has been reduced to 7 or so percent in the last years although the official figure is probably modest according the a health minister I sat next to on the plane to Zanzibar. Still, the infection rate is much lower than other countries in the region, particularly those in southern Africa. There is a major push here now to have people tested and there are reports every day in the newspaper about the numbers of people showing up at the voluntary testing clinics. One article, however, stated that people in one district stopped going to the testing centers after it was revealed that the health care personnel where spreading rumours in villages and towns about the people who tested positive. Hopefully, they will get folks from out of the area to continue the testing there.

There is a lot of talk about HIV/AIDS in schools too. My Form 4 students were required to write a message on the topic for their Monday test, and most talked about the importance of using condoms and staying with one partner. They still have a lot of misconceptions though, such as the virus in spread only by prostitutes, that once you have it it is a death sentence (antiretroviral drugs are available here at fairly low costs), that it came originally from America, etc. I found a great article in the newspaper that discusses the gender politics of the disease....women are most vulnerable to getting HIV/AIDS for a wide variety of reasons...and my students have been assigned to read and summarize it for class on Monday. They have a lot of questions about the disease so I think this will be a really enlightening discussion for us all. More on that later.

I'm off to take a walk to town. We are about 7 kilometers from town and some of us have taken to walking in rather than getting a cab. It only takes an hour and you notice so much more when walking.