Kili with Sunflowers

Mommy Dearest

My dearest mother insists on forwarding my emails to her entire address list, including family I haven’t seen in about 15 years. Here’s what you’re missing…

Hi Momma!

Sorry it’s been so long since I have written. Things have been busy around here and I don’t get to use the internet very often.

First, an update on Amani…

I’m trying to finish up my project with Amani Children’s Home. I’m working on a project to foster relationships with churches, schools, & businesses which will hopefully lead to cultural enrichment as well as diversified fundraising resources. Individual contributions—our bread and butter—are way down over the same time last year. The last figure I heard was a 50% decrease.

Belts are tightening here--literally. There was a really short rainy season so many fields failed to produce much corn. These are subsistence farmers that eat what they grow and if it doesn’t grow… they don’t eat. The rest of the year will be rather slim for area communities. I’m betting that the number of children served by Amani is bound to increase, since families won’t be able to feed their children. Amani’s monetary resources are dwindling, just as the need for contributions increases.

We figured out the situation with the power outages. Tenesco, the local utility, makes scheduled cuts every Tuesday and Thursday. Because it is run on hydro-electric, and because they’ve had such a mild rainy season, they’re forced to make scheduled cuts for the sake of conservation. The cuts, however, are lasting longer than they did before. As it becomes even drier, I’m sure we will see an increase in the cuts.

There was a 4th of July party at The Watering Hole on Saturday and I ran into a couple of young women from Arkansas, so that was really nice. The owner is a Tanzanian of German descent, but his wife is from Texas. She had the kids all decked out in red, white, & blue. We gave away a free treats to anyone who wore an Obama kanga.

Kangas are pieces of cloth about a meter and a half long which are usually worn as skirts, but can be used for a multitude of purposes. You often see women carrying them as satchels or as baby carriers, strapped across their backs. Kangas are worn all around East Africa. Obama is very popular around this area since his father was Kenyan. There are also kangas that feature the face of President Bush that were produced when he visited the country last year, but I haven’t actually seen one.

One of the most interesting things about Tanzania is the mix of cultures. I am often asked where I am from. This was surprising at first, I figured people would simply assume I was American because I spoke English. Silly me! Many of the Westerners (mzungus) are German. There are also many Australians, British, and French ex-patriots and volunteers. They all speak English.

What I found really interesting is that I have met several “mzungu” that speak English with an accent (German or Indian) but that were born here. I thought my tour guide was born in India because he spoke English (perfectly, I might add) with a clear Indian accent, but he was born in Tanzania. The man that runs the Watering Hole speaks in English with a definite German accent, but was born here. His children, too, speak English with a German accent.

I had a conversation with a gentleman a few nights ago, a fellow mzungu, at least by appearance. He works in the coffee industry and is a trained coffee and tea taster. If you know me at all, you know I was immediately fascinated by this guy! I had heard him mention Pakistan and I asked him if he was from there. No, he said, he was a fourth generation East Africaner. His grandfather was a public servant and a speech writer for President Julius Nyerere—basically our Washington, the first President of the newly independent nation. His grandfather had died writing a speech for Nyerere and the President was so touched by this, his grandfather was the first civilian to be given a state funeral. He noted, with a hint of bitterness, that he had once been reported to immigration and detailed all the trouble associated with proving he was Tanzanian. Upon hearing his frustration, I thought of my American friends who have neither white skin nor black skin. One friend, who is an Air Force officer of Filipino descent, often gets asked where he is from. America, he responds. No, they clarify, where is your family from. Pennsylvania, he says.

I returned from safari last week and it took me a few days to get settled back in. It was truly a wonderful, once in a lifetime experience, but if I ever tell you that I’m going on a five-day long trip where I sleep in a tent with another person and share an unattended latrine with 50 other campers… please stop me. There were six of us, two volunteers and a few of their friends and family that shared the car. We visited three parks: Manyara, Serengeti, and Ngorogoro. I got a few pics, but will steal more from a safari mate who had a great camera with a telescopic lens. We saw “everything”. A safari is largely gauged by whether or not you see the big five: lions, buffalo, rhino, cheetah, and elephants. We saw it all plus hundreds of zebras and wildebeests which we caught in migration. Also on the trip, we visited a Maasai village and Olduvai Gorge, home to the oldest human fossils ever unearthed.

The weather here has been amazing. It’s around the mid-70s during the day and I don’t think it’s hit 85 since I’ve been here. I so greatly miss Arkansas, but am dreading returning to the August heat. I will require many, many blue snowcones—discolored teeth be damned. I will post a few more pics at the end of the week, but I can only upload them at The Watering Hole, which is only open on weekends. They’re the only place in town that has wi-fi and it’s too dangerous to use a USB in the internet cafes in town--they all have viruses.

'Til next time!!

jkh

Celebrating Independence Day Abroad

At the Watering Hole this evening, celebrating the Forth. I've been feeling a little down, but perked up when a group of Americans from CCS, a local volunteerism cooridination organization, walked in. Turns out two of them were from Arkansas! Meet Lauren & Catherine Cupp...



Above, the ubiquitous Obama Kanga. This is probably more a symbol of Tanzania than America. They. Are. Everywhere.

Safari pics

Christmas in June

In my work with Amani Children’s Home, my focus is on furthering the organization’s sustainability through diversification of fundraising efforts. Can I get some love for diversification?

If you know James Mitchell, I’m sure you know all about Amani’s great Christmas card program and if you live in Little Rock, you probably either bought them, received them, or both. They were a huge success last year and Arkansas really showed its support for Amani.

This year, Amani is hoping to have a great fundraiser, but could use a little help. Individual contributions have been down significantly, as they have just about everywhere, and the printing costs can be expensive—around $2,000. As a result, Amani is hoping to find a printing company that would be willing to partner with Amani and assist in the effort or a donor who can help with the cost.

Know anyone who would like to help? Send me a note to jennifer@amanikids.org or joe@amanikids.org.

Random Notes on Tanzanian Life

Sorry I've been bad about posting lately. I've wanted to wait until I could upload pictures, but haven't been able to get a good enough connection. I know you've been on the edge of your seat, awaiting my next post. Here's a little something for being so patient...

-Bring your own toilet paper or prepare to be disappointed. I’ve quickly learned which facilities are likely to have TP and western toilets.

-Coffee’s a big export item, but no one here drinks it. Instead, people drink mostly chai but sometimes drink “Nescafe” or “Africafe”—the horrible, icky freeze dried crap Americans got conned into some years ago.

-The Watering Hole is popular because it is the only place in town that offers Wi-Fi and the price is cheap. Also, they serve cocktails using ice made from boiled water as well as the most American burger in town. There’s no sign, just a blue light outside the gate where you must be allowed entry by the guard.

-Shop keepers and most in the market will charge foreigners ( aka “mzungu”) exponentially more than local Tanzanians. I’ve been quoted prices five times what other would be charged. I ask people that have been here for a while what they think I should pay before I buy anything without a price tag.

-Tanzania is a conservative society and extremely pluralistic in regard to religion. In Moshi, Christians probably outnumber Muslims. There may be some minor conflicts, but I have never heard of such. From all I’ve heard and witnessed, everyone gets along.

-I’m lucky enough to own a water heater which is attached to the shower head in the bathroom. There’s no stall for the shower, it just drains into the “squat” toilet. We have a separate bathroom with a western style toilet because we’re living the high life.

-Tanzanian songs last twice as long as the average American song. I do not find this to be a good thing. P Squared, a set of twins from Kenya, plays on the radio about 50 times per day. I am also not very keen on this. Shania Twain and Gloria Estefan are also big here. Again…

-There are more pirated DVDs in Moshi than there are mosquitoes in Stuttgart, AR. Particularly popular are Prison Break and Lost. Compilation DVDs are also popular. They feature an artist such as Brad Pitt and put all his films on one disk. They are sometimes mistaken however, and will include Leonardo DiCaprio by mistake. Apparently these come from China; I hear most of them have Chinese subtitles.

For a good rundown on the day to day of an Arkie in East Africa, you can’t beat Michael Hodson’s blog. Please go visit and add him to your blog roll. I haven’t really been able to take the time to blog the minutiae (otherwise known as “the interesting stuff”), so you may benefit from a gander over there.

http://mobilelawyer.blogspot.com

Updates

#1) I have located two sources of food which offer items that include neither rice nor beans. Success! I ate not one bean or grain of rice on Saturday and was full as a tick. The pizza at Milan's and mishikaki (grilled meat) at Taj Mahal have ensured I will gain back any weight lost in previous weeks. I also located the aptly named "The Coffee Shop" and ordered something that more or less resembled a cappucino.

#2) Until Saturday, I had been too occupied by the threat of malaria to remember to be scared of insects & snakes. Thanks to the giant tarantula spotted in the proximity of my flip-flop clad feet, that is no longer an issue. I now scan the floor for potential threats about once every thirty seconds. After the initial threat had subsided (it ran behind the fridge), the very mean Germans took the opportunity to share every story they had collected regarding flies that lay eggs under your skin & a monitor lizard that ate their neighboors dog.

#3) I'm leaving on safari on Thursday. What a great birthday present! I'll be visiting one of the most famous game reserves in the world, including a trip to Ngorangora crater.

Turning 28 in Tanzania

The only way to properly celebrate one’s birthday in Moshi is by playing poker at a speakeasy and eating soul food. We’re celebrating my birthday tomorrow instead of today, since that’s the group’s regular poker night. I kept backing out in previous weeks due to other obligations, but figure I’ve got no good excuse not to play on my birthday. Olaf, the German with the winning streak, will be absent so I will have to wait until sometime next month to take him down.


The menu for tomorrow’s affair is as follows:
1st course: Salted tomatoes & fried okra
2nd course: Macaroni & Cheese
3rd course: Fried hot dogs on white bread with mayonnaise

Accompanying libations will include Coca-Cola & Fanta Orange.

Kili

Walked out the door Thursday to this...



It was the first time I'd seen it so clearly in the morning. I opened the gate to walk to work and stopped dead in my tracks. Turned right back around and grabbed my camera. Kili is the kind of mountain you wouldn't want to run into in a dark alley--large, imposing, haunting. The photo is taken on the road between my home and Amani--hence the corn. My camera absolutely doesn't do it justice.

Here's a nice view from the road to The Watering Hole.

The Office

In Tanzania, there's bars on every window, but no screens... don't know why. Makes mosquito aversion more challenging. Nice view though.



UACS friends, please note the postcards on the table...

Just Desserts

Those beautiful, smiling pictures were taken well before the onslaught of a rather severe bout of dyspepsia erased the guacamole-induced smile from my face. Both Laura and I were sick as dogs for the past few days, but (disclaimer) cannot blame Bollate with 100% certainty. I was in agony for several days and it was so much worse since I was away from home. My phone refused to send text messages, so I could not even complain to friends and family half a world away.

When I finally began to feel slightly normal, I thought about the children I’d visited with in Arusha. We’d decided that it was, perhaps, a virus. Had I caught it from one of the kids? Are the kids ill now? The thought of suffering through such a sickness on the street is unbearable. Bathrooms are inaccessible and there’s no good place for a child to clean himself; something so contagious would spread like wildfire under those conditions. Already malnourished, as all of the children are—each and every one, a virus like that has the power to kill a child.

Bollate: The Best Mexican Food North of Kili