Our final week was perhaps the best, and our description will work backwards, starting with the last two days in Tanzania.
One of the staff members, Honest, was married March 21st, unfortunately after we left Tanzania. However, in preparation for the wedding, a reception was held in the village of his bride, Natalia. It was in Byno, a village in Mbulu district south of Karatu, about 3-1/2 hours over the usual nasty roads.
Mbulu is quite different than Karatu. The rolling hills reminded us of areas in New Zealand, minus the sheep. It appears to get more rain as the landscape is a beautiful green, with pastures and cultivated fields. Karatu has suffered from lack of rainfall in recent years and the fields reflect that.
The reception was the ceremony for the family to give Natalia to Honest, and the only opportunity for most if not all of them to celebrate. Honest and Natalia are getting married in Moshi, near Mount Kilimanjaro, more than six hours by road away from Byno, the latter having no public transportation.
We were the only non-Tanzanians at this event and were treated like family. We were the first to eat, had a special place in the temporary shelter where the wedding party sat, and had the best view during the entire celebration.
The evening was filled with song, villagers coming into the shelter to congratulate the bride and groom to be, apparently passing on advice with good wishes, and eagerly having their pictures taken by us.
Unfortunately it started about 8 PM, so many crammed into the house of Natalia’s family. Eventually, because of the rain, a significant number had to stay the night, and we were fortunate to be given the only bed.
The next morning featured a procession out of the village, with family members walking with the bride back to our Land Cruiser (there is no road to the part of the village where the celebration took place so we had a 15 minute walk up and down a slippery, muddy path). Again there were songs, this time accompanied by tears as the family said goodbye.
Our two months in Tanzania were filled with wonderful experiences, but these two days were the highlight of our time there. We felt privileged to be a part of it all.
After reading our previous blog entries, someone asked if all we did was have fun. Well yes, because our volunteer work was fun, and we did have things to do in the office, going every day from 8AM to 5PM. More or less.
To summarize, MIHV is in the Karatu district of Tanzania to help improve the health of mothers and children under five. Part of that is creating Survive and Thrive Groups, designed specifically for young single mothers and their children, who have very few resources and are very vulnerable to health problems. A goal is to develop income-generating activities for them, and our time was focused on that. As you perhaps read earlier, we spent time in the field to get a feel for the project and the culture in the area. From there we designed training materials to help with marketing, and developed tools for running the businesses. We also created an Excel training to help improve the skills of the MIHV staff, who use the software for data gathering and analysis.
The days leading up to Honest and Natalia’s reception were spent in the office, finalizing these projects and spending more time with staff going over the materials we left. The last day we brought in lunch and showed pictures from our travels in Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Peru and the United States.
Before we went to Tanzania, it wasn’t clear how we might contribute to the project, since it is a public health organization and that isn’t our background. MIHV is doing wonderful work in Karatu, working hard to make the project sustainable after they leave. At the end we hope the resources we left behind will add to that effort. Beyond that, the opportunities to experience the culture, to visit the villages, and peek into a slice of life there was amazing. In addition, we saw some beautiful parts of the country, and were in some of the most famous places in Africa for wildlife safaris. Sharon has described the whole experience as “phenomenal”, and it was.
Thanks for joining us on this adventure.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Monday, March 9, 2009
Last update from Tanzania
We are in our last week here in Tanzania, leaving Sunday. If you are still reading along, thanks for joining us on the journey. We’ll have some final thoughts to add after our return to Minnesota.
Yesterday (Sunday) we spent in Tarangire National Park. It was time for one more animal fix before leaving the country.
Tarangire is reputed to have the highest concentration per kilometer of elephants in the world. It is also beautiful, located in the Great Rift Valley, with some of the classic vistas seen in movies. Trees include the acacia, with the widespread flat-topped canopy so identified with the Africa savannah, and baobab trees.
The latter have a shape like a fat-stemmed mushroom. The trunk can grow to 33 feet diameter in only 100 years. “Only”, because tests suggest some live to more than 3,000 years. Baobabs’ trunks can store large amounts of water, which get them through droughts. Animals, especially elephants, sometimes help themselves to the precious liquid when rains fail to come.
Our main reason for going there was animals and we found them. Supporting Tarangire’s reputation, we did see a lot of elephants. At one small water hole we came upon a group of at least 35, from small babies to the big bulls. They were all trying to spray themselves or lie down in the wet mud to cool off. It was an incredible sight! There were many more scattered throughout the park and we never tired of seeing them. We even witnessed what appeared to be a sibling fight, finally broken up by mom.
Unlike the other parks we visited, giraffes were also plentiful and they too had babies. They are amazing to watch, walking or even running in that swaying graceful fashion you’ve likely seen in movies or nature shows. Giraffes eat the leaves of acacias from the tops of the trees, which have long, sharp, nasty needles. They can do this because of a remarkable tongue, and it was fun to watch them feed.
One surprise was to see lions running by us, three females and a young one. When we arrived we were told that the lions were elsewhere and we wouldn’t see any in the park. When our driver reported back the sighting there was disbelief, but we have the photos to prove it.
We also saw a wide variety of gazelle-like animals, including topi, waterbuck, impala, eland, dikdik (VERY small), and some we couldn’t identify. There were many so-ugly-they’re-cute warthogs, including babies, all running with tails sticking straight up in the air. We did see a battle between two males. In addition there were baboons, ostriches (and many other birds), wildebeest and zebras.
We do need to make a correction. Previously we had referred to “water” buffalo. In fact we have been seeing cape or African buffalo. The former can be domesticated, the latter can’t.
This week we are finishing up our projects, including working with the great people on staff. Our expectation is that there will be continued work for us after we return to the United States.
Yesterday (Sunday) we spent in Tarangire National Park. It was time for one more animal fix before leaving the country.
Tarangire is reputed to have the highest concentration per kilometer of elephants in the world. It is also beautiful, located in the Great Rift Valley, with some of the classic vistas seen in movies. Trees include the acacia, with the widespread flat-topped canopy so identified with the Africa savannah, and baobab trees.
The latter have a shape like a fat-stemmed mushroom. The trunk can grow to 33 feet diameter in only 100 years. “Only”, because tests suggest some live to more than 3,000 years. Baobabs’ trunks can store large amounts of water, which get them through droughts. Animals, especially elephants, sometimes help themselves to the precious liquid when rains fail to come.
Our main reason for going there was animals and we found them. Supporting Tarangire’s reputation, we did see a lot of elephants. At one small water hole we came upon a group of at least 35, from small babies to the big bulls. They were all trying to spray themselves or lie down in the wet mud to cool off. It was an incredible sight! There were many more scattered throughout the park and we never tired of seeing them. We even witnessed what appeared to be a sibling fight, finally broken up by mom.
Unlike the other parks we visited, giraffes were also plentiful and they too had babies. They are amazing to watch, walking or even running in that swaying graceful fashion you’ve likely seen in movies or nature shows. Giraffes eat the leaves of acacias from the tops of the trees, which have long, sharp, nasty needles. They can do this because of a remarkable tongue, and it was fun to watch them feed.
One surprise was to see lions running by us, three females and a young one. When we arrived we were told that the lions were elsewhere and we wouldn’t see any in the park. When our driver reported back the sighting there was disbelief, but we have the photos to prove it.
We also saw a wide variety of gazelle-like animals, including topi, waterbuck, impala, eland, dikdik (VERY small), and some we couldn’t identify. There were many so-ugly-they’re-cute warthogs, including babies, all running with tails sticking straight up in the air. We did see a battle between two males. In addition there were baboons, ostriches (and many other birds), wildebeest and zebras.
We do need to make a correction. Previously we had referred to “water” buffalo. In fact we have been seeing cape or African buffalo. The former can be domesticated, the latter can’t.
This week we are finishing up our projects, including working with the great people on staff. Our expectation is that there will be continued work for us after we return to the United States.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
R & R in Zanzibar
A week away in Zanzibar and Dar es Salaam gave us another perspective on life here in Tanzania. It started and ended with bus trips across the country.
It took us about 12 hours to reach Dar. We drove along the pretty Pare and Usambara Mountains, past fields of corn and sisal (a plant that looks like aloe vera & used for making rope and twine), seeing places where farmers were making charcoal, and a few places thirsty for rain.
Passing through three cities we saw a very different slice of life than in Karatu, a town of perhaps 15,000. Nearly every road in the cities is paved and every main street was packed with cars. Karatu has only the main highway through town paved, and it never seems busy in spite of all the tourists passing. In the larger cities, as in the U.S., the pace of life is faster.
The next day we ferried across to Unguja, the main island of the archipelago and what many non-Tanzanians think of as Zanzibar. Our goal was the east coast and three days on the beach. We enjoyed snorkeling each day, including a great afternoon at an atoll. However, the water near shore was too hot to be comfortable for long.
Our beach was protected by an off-shore sand reef, creating at low tide a lagoon. This is when women harvest seaweed for eventual export. The have “fields” of stakes that stick out of the water with twine between the stakes under water. The twine is for the anchorage-dependent crop, which is ready about every two weeks. At high tide the women leave, the stakes disappear, and it is time to snorkel again.
Back to the west coast of the island we stayed in Stone Town, a World Heritage Site. It is the heart of Zanzibar’s reputation as a convergence of many cultures. There ships stopped while heading east and west. There it was discovered to be an ideal place to grow spices, still today an important part of their economy. The sultanate of Oman moved there because of the riches that trade provided. From Stone Town traders moved through the mainland, selling and buying goods, and unfortunately, people.
All this activity brought about the spread of the Swahili language through east Africa. In Tanzania there are more than 120 different tribes. To facilitate communications for commerce, Swahili became the lingua franca, a common or commercial tongue among people who speak different languages. It is Bantu based, but with so many influences it has many borrowed words from other languages. By one estimate as much as 40% of the vocabulary is Arabic based. Swahili is now an official language or widely spoken in Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, parts of Congo and small portions of Somalia, Mozambique, Madagascar and Comoros.
As traders from different parts of the world came, some started families, creating a rich rainbow of influences and colors. Islam is dominant, but Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism are present along with influences from the original indigenous faiths.
With attacks from the Portuguese and later the British, the sultanate was slplit between the islands and Oman. In Zanzibar the sultans were “guided” by the British until independence and then a revolution overthrew the sultan in 1964.
As a result of its interesting history, the architecture of Stone Town is a mix of Arab, Persian, Indian and European influences, with a maze of streets and alleys that are fun to wander. The government has struggled to maintain Stone Town. Unfortunately most of the buildings are in poor condition, which made the experience a bit depressing. There is an obvious effort to save and rehab, but to us it will require an enormous amount of money and careful work.
Back to the mainland we spent time in Dar es Salaam, the economic center of the country. Dar bursts with activity. It doesn’t have the character of Zanzibar, but was fun for us to wander none the less. We spent time in an outdoor Village Museum, where we could see the variety of village housing used even to this day.
We took the bus part way back, then met Jolene and rode the rest of the way with her. We had to be careful because of the ostriches hanging around on the side of the road, and the crossing by several zebras. A little different than Minnesota. The evening light and scenery were gorgeous.
We are back in Karatu, back in the wonderful weather here, back with the great people of the area. It was a good week away but great to be “home”. The coast is hot and humid, and this ideal weather has refreshed us.
It took us about 12 hours to reach Dar. We drove along the pretty Pare and Usambara Mountains, past fields of corn and sisal (a plant that looks like aloe vera & used for making rope and twine), seeing places where farmers were making charcoal, and a few places thirsty for rain.
Passing through three cities we saw a very different slice of life than in Karatu, a town of perhaps 15,000. Nearly every road in the cities is paved and every main street was packed with cars. Karatu has only the main highway through town paved, and it never seems busy in spite of all the tourists passing. In the larger cities, as in the U.S., the pace of life is faster.
The next day we ferried across to Unguja, the main island of the archipelago and what many non-Tanzanians think of as Zanzibar. Our goal was the east coast and three days on the beach. We enjoyed snorkeling each day, including a great afternoon at an atoll. However, the water near shore was too hot to be comfortable for long.
Our beach was protected by an off-shore sand reef, creating at low tide a lagoon. This is when women harvest seaweed for eventual export. The have “fields” of stakes that stick out of the water with twine between the stakes under water. The twine is for the anchorage-dependent crop, which is ready about every two weeks. At high tide the women leave, the stakes disappear, and it is time to snorkel again.
Back to the west coast of the island we stayed in Stone Town, a World Heritage Site. It is the heart of Zanzibar’s reputation as a convergence of many cultures. There ships stopped while heading east and west. There it was discovered to be an ideal place to grow spices, still today an important part of their economy. The sultanate of Oman moved there because of the riches that trade provided. From Stone Town traders moved through the mainland, selling and buying goods, and unfortunately, people.
All this activity brought about the spread of the Swahili language through east Africa. In Tanzania there are more than 120 different tribes. To facilitate communications for commerce, Swahili became the lingua franca, a common or commercial tongue among people who speak different languages. It is Bantu based, but with so many influences it has many borrowed words from other languages. By one estimate as much as 40% of the vocabulary is Arabic based. Swahili is now an official language or widely spoken in Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, parts of Congo and small portions of Somalia, Mozambique, Madagascar and Comoros.
As traders from different parts of the world came, some started families, creating a rich rainbow of influences and colors. Islam is dominant, but Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism are present along with influences from the original indigenous faiths.
With attacks from the Portuguese and later the British, the sultanate was slplit between the islands and Oman. In Zanzibar the sultans were “guided” by the British until independence and then a revolution overthrew the sultan in 1964.
As a result of its interesting history, the architecture of Stone Town is a mix of Arab, Persian, Indian and European influences, with a maze of streets and alleys that are fun to wander. The government has struggled to maintain Stone Town. Unfortunately most of the buildings are in poor condition, which made the experience a bit depressing. There is an obvious effort to save and rehab, but to us it will require an enormous amount of money and careful work.
Back to the mainland we spent time in Dar es Salaam, the economic center of the country. Dar bursts with activity. It doesn’t have the character of Zanzibar, but was fun for us to wander none the less. We spent time in an outdoor Village Museum, where we could see the variety of village housing used even to this day.
We took the bus part way back, then met Jolene and rode the rest of the way with her. We had to be careful because of the ostriches hanging around on the side of the road, and the crossing by several zebras. A little different than Minnesota. The evening light and scenery were gorgeous.
We are back in Karatu, back in the wonderful weather here, back with the great people of the area. It was a good week away but great to be “home”. The coast is hot and humid, and this ideal weather has refreshed us.
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