Party!

On Sunday we headed back to Arusha to get our new car and to go to a birthday party.

Our friends, the Petersons, live just outside of Arusha where they run their Dorobo Safari company.  My mom has led January Term trips for college students with them before and is how we know them.  The company is run by the three brothers and their families.  It was one of the brother’s son’s birthdays and so a birthday party was held for him and his girlfriend who also had a recent birthday.

To preface this introduction, I should tell you that Arusha is the big ‘tourist’ town as most visitors come here to go on various safaris and expeditions.  Because of that market there happen to be a lot of expatriates living in the area.  The Petersons were really the first to live in the area and since they moved in and increasing number of people have come to live around them. 

With that in mind you can begin to imagine the party we went to.  Though set to a background of acacia trees and African birds it was similar to a party you might find in the States.  It was a very non-African party.  American music blared through the speakers and multicolored balloons hung from trees.  Food was potluck, served buffet style the only difference being the whole goat roasted outside on a spit.  There was even a pool complete with splashing children.  One difference from American parties was that this party held a complete range of ages who all talked and mingled despite this difference.  Another difference is that there is no real drinking age in Tanzania and many of the older children were drinking, though admittedly there are underage drinkers in the States. 

Early on during the party I played a game of volleyball with some fierce competitors of all ages.  The game was identical to the one I had played for gym class except for one thing.  Acacia trees, as you may or may not know, are the staple tree of Africa and come with inch long thorns along the branches.  So to play volleyball in Tanzania you need a special kind of ball that will not deflate every time (which is a lot of times) it gets punctured with an acacia thorn.  To get around this issue, volleyballs are ingeniously filled with an inner layer of gel to protect them.  This makes the balls much heavier but works quite effectively. 

At the birthday party we met a lot of different people.  They all either guide safaris, teach at an international school or manage a business (such as exporting flowers) or are married or children of someone in one of those categories.  This was really the first time since we’ve arrived in Tanzania that we have seen and talked to other white people.  When you have been surrounded by people with thick accents, listening becomes a tiring chore and to be around people who’s first language is English was a nice change.  It was also nice to be around people who have gone through what we are going though now.  Right now we are struggling with learning Swahili (which isn’t as easy a language to learn as everyone says it is) and getting adjusted to the cultural differences.  All of the people at he party had gone through that at one time or another and it was reassuring to know that others have done it.  Also, usually being the only white people around for miles, we tend to get stared at and it was nice to be out of that kind of situation.  

The beginning is, as always, a difficult time.  We haven’t totally settled in yet and our Swahili skills are near non-existent.   I don’t really know what I will be doing yet so there isn’t a lot to do.  We are also very dependant on other people right now which is not entirely bad.  For example, even doing things like getting groceries is hard to do alone.  So far we’ve had someone go with us to the market so they could haggle and get a good price.  It is hard right now but hopefully within a month we will be on our feet and more independent. 

The real reason for our trip to Arusha was to pick up our new car – a 1994 Land Rover complete with rosary beads and fringes off the dashboard.  Though it’s old its quite nice and will do well this year. 

After staying overnight we gave Anne, on of the Peterson brother’s daughter, a lift to the international boarding school in Moshi where she goes to school.  She helped us navigate Arusha and gave us many tips for driving.  But there is so much to be said about driving here that I’ll have to leave that topic for another time. 

This little piggy went to the market

One of the first orders of business after arriving in Mweka was to go shopping.  Although we were provided with furniture, plates and cups, we had no towels, silverware and other such household items.  So off we went to Arusha.

In Tanzania you won’t find any department stores or shopping malls.  Shopping is done, for the most part, in large open air marketplaces.  Stalls packed with merchandise fill the streets and people come from all around to sell their wares.  At the market you can find everything from fruit and vegetables to pillows and Tupperware. 

In comparison with the States, some things are very expensive and some things are very cheap.  For instance, at the market you can buy ten oranges for only 1000/: (one thousand shillings is about 77 cents).  And they are very good, fresh oranges too!  On the other hand, electronics like computers are much more expensive than they are in the States.

Unlike in the States, shopping in Tanzania requires bargaining.  Vendors  quote a high price (especially to foreigners) initially and bartering is required.  Haggling is found even in stores like the ones found in the States.  For example when we went to a store to buy a cooker (a sort of mini oven with burners) the price was negotiated down from the initial price tag.  In Tanzania there are few fixed prices.  Luckily for us mzungu (white person, tourist) we had someone from the college with us to help.  Since we don’t know general prices or Swahili yet, Betsy was very helpful in assisting us. 

The one exception to the bargaining rule is grocery stores.  There, prices are fixed like they are in the States.  But a Tanzanian Shop Rite is still different than a St. Peterian Econo Foods.  There is not near the selection in Tanzania as there is in the States and the shelves are not packed and fully in stock.   Another noticeable difference is milk.  Here it comes in small rectangular containers and is not refrigerated.  Also, some items (like bread) are not as fresh as they would be in the States. 

Although I do like the Tanzanian markets it will take some time to get used to the bartering. 

We’re not in Kansas anymore…

After many hours of airtime, several security checkpoints and tasteless airline food we find ourselves far from the rolling hills of corn and soybeans in Southern Minnesota.  But I should start at the beginning.

On Friday we left in the afternoon with six large duffle bags and two carry-ons from the Minneapolis airport.  From there we flew to Amsterdam via Northwest.  The fight was long but manageable.  In flight movies and a window seat make time fly.  We arrived in Amsterdam early in the morning and had a three hour layover until our next flight to Kilimanjaro airport in Tanzania.  For the second leg of the journey we flew KLM, which you should fly if you ever have the option (They have good food and comfy seats).  Now although airline food - like school food - has a bad reputation, it really isn’t all that bad.  When you’ve been on an enormous hunk of metal flying 30,000 feet up for 5 hours, chicken and pasta eaten with plastic forks and knives can taste really good. 

And so we arrived in Tanzania at 8.00 pm the next day.  The Kilimanjaro airport is an experience in and of itself.  There are no boardwalks to the terminals, merely staircases lined up against the aircraft from which you have to walk across the tarmac to the airport.  The first thing you notice when you step of the plane is the smell.  Africa, or at least Tanzania, has a unique scent.  It is musky and smoky yet light and sweet.  It is a scent unlike any other that I will always remember. 

Inside the terminal, you are crammed back together with all the 100+ people you just spent the last eight hours with to get visas and go through customs.  (For now we have visitors’ visas but we will be going to Dar es Salaam soon to apply for residential visas.)

After we had claimed all six fifty pound bags we headed out to meet whoever was there to greet us.  Three people (a lecturer, a secretary and a driver) from the college were there to help us with our baggage and drive us to Mweka.  It takes about an hour to get to the Mweka Wildlife College where we will be staying for the next nine months.  Unfortunately, we couldn’t see much of the landscape because it was dark, but the drive was good nonetheless and everyone was very nice.  By the time we arrived at the college it was late and were tired.  The next day we would meet everyone and get oriented. 

And so, Toto, we are not in Kansas anymore.  The next nine months will be an interesting adventure indeed.

Since we have arrived I have learned that the internet (or intranet as some here say) is iffy.  I will be writing regularly, but only publishing as I have connectivity.  I encourage both of you who are reading this to become followers if you wish so that you can receive notices when I publish something new.  I also want this to go both ways.  Don’t be afraid to comment, ask questions or just tell me what is happening in the States – I’d love to hear and I’ll respond if I can.

T – 24hrs

There are officially 24 hours left until our departure.  Tomorrow we leave from the Minneapolis airport bound first for Amsterdam and then for Kilimanjaro airport in Tanzania.  The flight is a long one – we will land some 24 hours after we depart from the Twin Cities. 

Once in Tanzania we will have our own house and car (see picture) and, with any luck, someone will be at the airport to pick us up. 

For now, we have our tickets (I have a window seat!), passports and the rest  is being assembled.  We have been running around the past few days finding camera batteries and matching socks.  We should have everything we need.  the trick is being able to locate all of those things.  Hopefully everything will be packed by tomorrow morning. . . .