Observations of Life in Dodoma

I have been meaning to write more about my observations of life in Dodoma. I always notice things when I am walking to work, riding the dala dala, walking around the market or at work, but by the time I get somewhere where I can write it down I forget. I will try harder from here on out. Here is what I do remember for now :)

It is amazing the things that people will carry on their bikes; the number of people and/or objects on a motorbike; the weight of peoples loads (fruit in 2 baskets carried on a pole over their back or shoulders); the stack of goods on a cart usually pushed by only one person (not sure how they don’t crash more often cause I don’t understand how they know where to go as there is no way they can see) and so on. I am working on taking pictures of all this for a photo blog one day :)

I am also amazed at how color does not really mean anything here. I have lost count of how many school boys I have seen with pink Little Kitty backpacks and men in bright pink shirts.They walk tall and proud! I love it! I would love to see my nephews with those backpacks and my brother in a bright pink shirt that shines and glimmers in the sunlight.LOL

On Friday we had a meeting with the two groups that built sand dams last October. They have not been taking care of their sand dams and so we are trying to find out why and what the town council can or will do. So once again we are sitting in the shade of a random Baobab tree, where we always tend to have our meetings. I am thankful for the shade of the large trees and there is usually a breeze. I also always get a seat of honour, being a mzungu (even though I’m female). That means I get a chair, a bench or stool or even a pail to sit on. I am usually grateful to have something to sit on, but honestly, sometimes I think the ground would be more comfortable, depending on what the chair of honour is. But I smile, say thank you and suck it up. :)

What I noticed at this particular meeting was that there was some cattle dung laying around but nobody else seemed to notice. It was not that it smelled (I couldn’t smell it from where I was) but that occasionally someone would touch it with their feet. Most people here wear sandals and because of a lack of water, the heat and sand their feet are often very dry, weatherworn and cracked. All I could think of was how easy it would be to pick up some disease from the cattle dung. 

Another man sitting there on the ground in front of me had some rather large sores on his feet which were very attractive to the flies. Every time I looked (and I tried to stop looking!) there were flies crawling all over the sores. I was watching the flies go back and forth from the cattle dung to the open sores on his feet. It made me really sad, especially when he did not even flinch from the flies on his feet. Whenever there is a fly crawling on me anywhere it makes me flinch cause it kind of tickles. The people here are so used to having flies on them that I don’t think they even notice them. You know those sad commercials on TV that show children with flies on their faces and they don’t try to swat them away? Well, that is real, not just for the children but for everyone here. 

And to end on a happy note, I am hoping to move into my house this coming week!!!

Happy August Long Weekend Canadian Friends and Family!

I Suck @ Coming Up With Titles For These Things! LOL

Last week;

As I sit here writing I can hear the call for prayer from the mosque. It is interesting how some of the calls are quite peaceful and some are just downright annoying. This one here is very annoying! When I was staying at the hotel downtown the mosque near there had a beautiful call to prayer. It was a very calming and serene voice singing. I actually enjoyed it.

I am so grateful to be living here with Jasmine (we meet at Rivervalley Campsite in Iringa). I moved in with her just over a week ago and will stay for a few weeks. It feels good to be in a house where I have some space and it is nice to have someone to talk to at the end of the day. Still not quite my home and it may never be, but much better than the hotel! We are talking about living together and I think we could make it work, especially if I have a vehicle. We are somewhat at odds about where we want to live (but I am really starting to like this area of town). Our work places are at opposite ends of town so both want to live on opposite ends of town. It will sort out somehow.

I am now walking and taking the dala dala (the public transport here) to work and home. It is okay for now, but once the rainy season comes (which isn’t for 4 months at least) it may really suck. And if we are out in the villages late I can get someone to drive me home or at least part way so I am not out and about in the dark. I do find that for now the walk is quite relaxing. It wakes me up on the way and allows me to ‘debrief’ on the way home. It only takes about 40 mins each way. That sounds like a long time but for here it’s not. I walk for 5 mins, get a dala dala which takes me into town. After 10-15 mins I get off and then I walk from town to the church which is about another 15-20 mins.

Now that I am living with Jasmine I have had to make some adjustments. Until now I have rarely needed to use a squatty potty. I‘ve been fortunate enough to have a western style toilet. I must admit I was a bit worried about how I would adjust to that (mainly because of my crappy knees) but it is okay. I got used to it right away and my knees are okay with it. And it’s good to get comfortable with it in an environment I’m comfortable in because I know there will be many times I will need to use a squatty potty. (But I am not looking forward to when I get the runs next!)

I also have to get used to having a bucket bath every night as there is no hot water tank and it is not hot enough to take a cold water shower. I don’t mind bucket bathing but it is an adjustment to have the toilet and shower almost on top of each other. Other than these two things I am well settled in and am enjoying Jasmines company in the evenings.

Sunday night;

What  a good weekend! Spent the day yesterday with Jasmine and friends. We met Pendo (who I work with) and Rueben (he works with Jasmine and is from Germany) for a nice long brunch and then went and got groceries. Then we headed home for an hour before heading over to Chloe’s house for waffles! I never thought I would eat such yummy waffles here in Dodoma! It was good to just hang out, laugh while Chloe cut Jasmines hair, share how we are feeling and curse a little.

Today I got up ‘early’ around 8am and went for a good bike ride with Jasmine and Groth (Tanzanian friend of Jasmines) before it got hot. Well, I biked and they jogged. It felt really good and I am going to start going with Jasmine when she goes for a run (and I will bike). I am really starting to like it over here in area C. I like the noise and the people and there are some great little dukas  (stores) and vegetable stands here that I have not seen on the other side of town where I was thinking of living.

I spent I nice ‘quiet’ afternoon today editing photos from the last few months, making dinner and reading magazines. It was especially nice and quiet when the power went off for a few hours in the middle of the afternoon :). I also had a really good chat with Jeff and Carissa on Skype. Even talked to Jack and Beckett for a few minutes. They are so funny those little guys! Jeff said he asked Beckett earlier if he wanted to talk to his aunty Jodi and he said yes. When they sat down at the computer he goes, “No not on the computer again!” and walks away!. And there is no way of convincing him to do something he does not want to do, so I was surprised when he eventually came and said HI close to the end of the call. Jack told me all about his birthday party that he had yesterday. It felt good to hear their voices and that they are having a good summer so far!

I am still feeling homesick and that I just want to go home and see my family and friends and go back to my normal life. But then I think, why? It’s not like I was truly happy with my ‘normal’ life back home either.  And besides, I know I can be happy here if I just give a chance. I really have only been in Dodoma for more than a few weeks  at a time yet so of course I feel unsettled and uncertain. Also the ‘honeymoon’ phase is over and reality is settling in. Just like a marriage, I need to give it time, work on it, communicate and be honest with those around me and myself.

Also I have not done anything tangible yet which for me is not normal. I am such a go getter and get things done kinda person. To not have started anything or really done anything yet is not my normal. I have been here for over 5 months. But,  I am still very much in the learning phase and with time I will be able to contribute.  Not only did I need to learn the language, but I also need to learn about the culture and agriculture here. I just need to be patient with myself!

So I think I’ll stay for a little while longer :)

Reality Check

Friday  was a good day but also had a bit of a reality check that morning. I went with the team to the hospital to visit one of the fundi’s  (mason) from Kawawa  (one of the sub-villages of Zuzu which we work in). It was so shocking and appalling for me to see the state of the hospital and the poor condition this man is in. This is my second time going to Miremba Hospital and it is very disturbing. It is known as the mental hospital but this man was there for other reasons. I know this sounds cynical but I would have automatically suspected he has HIV/AIDS because it is quite prevalent here and people are ashamed to admit it. I can understand that. What was even more sad is that his family and friends did not have enough money to pay for the proper medicine to treat his condition and so there is a good chance he may die. (Everyone in the sub-village and us came together to find the money for his treatment so there is hope).  It is amazing how many people die from diseases that are easily treatable like malaria here. I know two people who have lost a child to malaria in the last year. This sadness helps to reinforce why  I am here, even though I am very homesick right now and sort of want to go home! If I do go home I will not be giving my whole self to my heart and giving in to temptation. I will be giving up and I don’t give up! Otherwise I would not be who I am and where I am today!

Random Thoughts

I realized it has been a long time (if ever) since I talked about how I am really doing, the culture...

For the most part things are going well here. I am done Swahili school and so am now back in Dodoma 'full-time'. I am hoping to go up to Kenya and Arusha for some training/learning tours over the next few months. It is the dry season here now, so this is a good time to take advantage before the onset of the rains next November.

I still really have no idea where I am going to be living. I have been staying in hotels since I left Iringa. I stayed at the MAF (mission aviation fellowship) compound for 4 days after I got back from Iringa. It was nice staying there because they have decent sized rooms, a communal kitchen and living room, free internet and a swimming pool. But they are booked now so I am staying at a hotel right beside the market. I was worried it might be too loud but it's not really bad. It is loud during the day, especially when there is power so the guys in the dukas have their stereos blaring! Yesterday was a holiday here but no sleeping in for me because the music started by 7am! Those little buggers! lol. There is also a bar right behind the hotel but thankfully they shut down around 10 or 11pm during the week so it's not so bad. We'll see how it is now that it's the weekend?!? The hotel itself is clean and as quiet as it will ever get in Tz (everything is extra loud because of all the tile and concrete, there is nothing to soundproof). I also stayed at a hotel when in Arusha last week.

I must admit it has been getting a bit hard for me this last week. I am really tired of living out of a suitcase and more importantly not knowing where I am going to be living. I know it won't last forever but I am tired of shuffling around and not having space; being cooped up in a little room. Thankfully tomorrow or Sunday I am moving in either with the Bishops sister-in-law near Tiffanee and Albert or with Jasmine ( a German girl I meet at Iringa). Jasmine and I have been talking about maybe getting a house together and if we do decide to live together the house search will get easier as we will have a bigger budget. I had no idea that finding a decent house in a compound (with a tall, gated fence) would be so difficult but it is! I looked at one house the other day where they were in the process of building the fence but the inside was a quite filthy (mostly because they were cooking on a charcoal cooker). I couldn't even picture it after a good scrubbing and fresh coat of paint!

It is hard to believe it has been over 5 months since I last left home. I am feeling a bit homesick right now too (the living situation doesn't help). I have been having moments the last few weeks where I say to myself, 'Okay you've had some adventure, now it's time to go home'.  I know everything will be okay and I will get settled in and forget that I was even feeling like this.

I sometimes struggle with the culture a bit too. I don't know how friendly I should be when I am walking around town because so far when I have been friendly it has ended up with either them asking for something from me or marriage proposals. I am sure that as I get more comfortable here in Dodoma and with the language it will get better. I don't feel as comfortable here as I did in Iringa. I seem to get a lot more attention. Probably because there are are lot less white people or tourists here. For the most part I feel safe and I am grateful for that! One of my colleagues lives in a town where he is on the only white person and the only adult that speaks English. I could not do that on my own!

Last night I walked from my hotel to the Chinese restaurant to meet some friends that were passing through town. It was after dark when I left and was my first time walking in town in the dark. I wasn't too bad as the power was on and early enough that there were still people walking around. If I had felt unsure I would have gone back to the hotel and gotten a taxi. I don't think I would want to make a habit out of it. I am still so undecided if I want to try and buy a vehicle or not. I could wing the cost of the vehicle but then there is the cost of insurance, fuel and upkeep. Fuel here is almost 3000 Tsh (~$2Cdn) a litre, which is only going to get higher with time. But I would most likely have more peace of mind and freedom with a vehicle.

It is also interesting how 'behind' the rights of women are here. I had a discussion the other day with my Tz colleagues about marriage and cross-cultural marriage. I said I would most likely never marry cross-culturally because a marriage is hard enough without complicating it with issues of culture differences. One of the guys argued that it shouldn't be a problem if you both learn about each others cultures. I said it is not just about learning each others culture but accepting them and being willing to do things that would not be normal for you. The example I use was household chores and child-rearing. I said that most men now help with the household chores such as cooking, cleaning and laundry. They said no way! especially to the cleaning and laundry. They could probably compromise with the cooking. Then I mentioned that most men now also help with the children, such as bathing and changing diapers. I think I just thwarted a couple more marriage proposals! The guys were appalled at the idea of changing a diaper. I did have a good laugh, but it goes to show how much things have changed for us in the Western world, where we women are of equal standing with men and are treated with respect. If my husband beats me or cheats on me I have rights, here you don't. And to leave your husband (or for him to leave you) marks you with shame. The same goes for rape.

A few hours later:
Had a great talk with Mom and Dad tonight (mainly Mom cause Dad had to get ready to go drive beer carts for the Wilkie Centennial Celebration golf tournament (the town I grew up in)). It always helps to talk things out because then things sound so much better. (I find the writing really helps too). As I was walking home from the office after writing the above letter I was feeling much better. I was apprieciating the beauty of my surroundings and realized that I was the only white person among a crowd of black and I am lucky to be here! :)

Love and miss you all back home!!!
XOXO

A Blurb from Arusha

Happy Canada Day!!

Arrived in Arusha on Monday after 7 1/2 hours on the road. I know that may sound like a long road trip, but its not! Normally when travelling from Dodoma to Arusha we go the long way around through Morogoro and Moshi on the tarmac. This time we took the 'back road' which means driving essentially straight north to Arusha through Kondoa and Babati. 

It was amazing to see some very different countryside and to take a route that is not travelled much or developed. I felt like I was in ‘real’ Africa. We had to go through a mountain pass and it was stunning to see some of the vistas and to see the change in the environment as we went along. Within 30-45 mins of leaving Dodoma there were trees everywhere. I couldn’t get over all the trees. We also hit a section in the mountains that was almost like a rain forest. It was actually misting/foggy the whole way so could not see as many vistas as I would have liked. And the road was a little slippery due to the mist so it goes to show how horrible and dangerous the road would be in the rainy season. The only downfall to the back road is that it is hard for me to hear so was not able to talk much with Al and could hardly hear the girls in the backseat. But it still beat the 12-13 hour drive the other way (~500km instead of over 900km!).

On Wednesday I had hoped to go visit an organization and tree nursery called Trees for the Future. But as we were leaving town I called to check on how far it was from Arusha and he said an hour and half. Whoops, didn’t have time for that! I thought it was only half an hour from town. So it will have to wait for another day. Al and I spent some time trying to find a couple shops that sell piki piki’s (motorbike) but of course only found the one.  And they did not have the bike we were looking for :( for the water/ag project.

While we were sitting at one of the two traffic lights in town a boy came and cleaned the window. Of course he asked for money when he was done but you can’t give him any. If you do it just perpetuates the problem and for all you know he is using it to buy drugs, not food. It was the first time since arriving here that my heart broke! Weird that it took 5 months for me to come across something that really got to me. I have seen plenty street kids and people affected by polio begging but it does not seem to affect me. I feel for them definalty, but there was something about this boy that almost broke me. I for the first time actually wanted to give him a few shillings or get out and give him a hug! 

And then about two minutes later I saw my first accident! Amazing that too, being here for 5 months and have not seen an accident yet as they happen a lot here. I have seen the aftermath of numerous accidents, but not one in motion. My first reaction was hoping everyone is okay and my second reaction was I need to get away from here. If I was back home I would have gotten out of the vehicle to see if anyone needed help. But here that would be very dangerous for me to do as I am white and mob justice is very common and it can get very heated and dangerous very quickly. I thought it was interesting my reactions to the accident and concern for my own well-being.

Today we had our MCC team meeting where we all shared what we have been doing and what our upcoming plans are, challenges and accomplishments. I haven't really started working on anything yet so I shared my '1 year plan' which is in quotes because realistically it is a 3-5 year plan that I have developed. The feedback and response from the team was encouraging! But I must say I am emotionally and mentally exhausted so I am going to sleep! (It's 9pm which would be my normal time to go to bed lol).