another real winter
13 years ago
Monday, August 24, 2009
Morning Inspiration
This morning I embarked on another 5K run with my running partners Eunice and Gasper. Naomi, one of our neighbors, did not join us so I had no excuse to stop and walk for a little while. Once we got to the half way point though, I did walk, for just a minute. It really was only a minute, Eunice can vouch for me. This morning I noticed I had a lot of inspiration along the way that helped to keep me going. In addition to Eunice and Gasper's encouragement, I received a smile here and there from people that were walking to work or going to where ever they were going early in the morning. We passed by a group of guys on bicycles and they rang their bells and told me to keep going. Towards the end of our run, a young man joined us and as I was lagging a little behind, he said "twende" (Let's go!). Then I was joined by a little girl on her way to school named Laura. Laura provided the additional motivation I needed to make it to the end. She started running with me and when I told her I was tired, she replied, "pole" meaning, I'm sorry but basically I could see that she meant "too bad your tired, keep going anyway". I couldn't let a little kid out do me so I kept running and eventually made it back home. I was hoping that we would get a tide from Naomi to work this morning but we did not see her when we were leaving so after running 5K, we walked another mile or so to work. Now I'm really tired but I am hoping I will get a spurt of energy to make it through the day. Hopefully some more inspirations will be sent my way :)
“Anything is possible if you believe” + pictures!
This is the lesson we learned this weekend as we spent another restful weekend at Melissa’s host family’s house in Usa River US
We visited the orphanage again and there we met a lovely group of young ladies that attend the local primary school located on the campus of the
Most of the girls were between the ages of 12-14 and it was great to get to know them a little bit. They had come to the orphanage to visit and play on the playground there. As they were leaving, they invited us to come and see their school. Next thing we knew, we were in a short church service before dinner that was led by the children. A group of 3 young boys stood on the stage and proceeded to open up the service with prayer followed by singing, scripture reading, a short sermon, and more singing. It was one of the best church services I have been to in a long time.
We then went to see the girls dormitories since most of them were boarders at the school. They are finishing up their studies within the next couple of weeks and if they do well on their examinations they will go on to secondary schools. When asked if they were nervous about their exams, they replied, “Why should we be nervous? We have been practicing.” I admired their confidence. The girls also had high hopes and aspirations for the future which was apparent in their future career choices. Many wanted to be nurses, lawyers, and accountants. When they asked us what we want to go when we grow up, one girl said that I would be a good hostess. We told them that we were studying about conflict and also about how to bring more peace to the world and they seemed to think that was a good idea.
Not the healthiest breakfast but it gave us a break from the cookies we had been eating all weekend and of course it was good. I will need to step up my workouts if we keep eating this well. At the end of the meal, Mama Musa gave us some sugarcane from her field to take with us. This was my first time eating sugarcane and it seems like a lot of work to cut it and peel it but I think it was worth it. You have to chew it to get the sugary water out of the cane and spit out the rest of it. The sweetness of it was right up my alley.
I am really enjoying the hospitality that Tanzanians are extending towards us, especially when it involves food. We have had so many good meals and met many friendly people. It has really been a blessing for us and I hope that we can extend the hospitality one day. It is an honor for people who seem to have so little, share what they have with us. Although Mama Musa’s house was small (basically a small bedroom, kitchen and sitting area), she did not hesitate to invite us in and make us feel at home.
After we left Mama Musa’s house, we stopped by the primary school to see the girls one more time. They were outside playing so we joined in for a game of net ball. We then showed them some yoga moves, exchanged addresses and phone numbers, and wished them luck on their exams.
Although it was only for a short while, the bonding experience we had with the girls was one that cannot be captured on film or pictures. It is one of those things you just keep a mental picture of and go back to it from time to time to remember the innocence and genuine kind spirits that do exists in this world. Sometimes it helps you forget about all the craziness that takes place, even if it is just for a moment.
Everyday I'm Hustlin
This blog entry was inspired by the recent hustles that I have seen in and around Arusha. To me, a hustle is basically anything that you do to survive and pay the bills. It could be your regular 9-5 or a less conventional hustle such as selling bootleg dvds and cds or selling "hot" items out of the trunk of your car. In Atlanta, I am used to seeing certain hustles such as the dvd man coming into the beauty shop trying to sell the latest cds/dvds or the occasional person approaching you in the parking lot trying to sell anything from watches to perfumes. Arusha, though has led me to see hustling on a whole different level. Here people really get their hustle on and can be found selling anything from watch batteries to white baby dolls. The most creative hustle that I have seen so far though has been charging people to weigh themselves on scales set up on the side of the road. I guess in an area where not too many people have scales in their homes, making money off of people weighing themselves is not a bad idea. There is apparently a market for it b/c when I passed by I saw 4-5 people being weighed.
Another hustle I have discovered here is bootleg dvds. The dvds here are a little different from the dvds I would get in the States though. Here you can buy one dvd and it may have 13-15 movies on it. Not a bad deal! There is one catch, however. The movies are not always in the desired language. For example, I was all set to watch Madagascar 2 the other night until I discovered it was in Russian. The other 12 movies on the the dvd which included Shrek 1,2, and 3, and Beverly Hills Chihuahua, were all in English. Of course the one movie that I wanted to watch would be in another language. We tried to watch it with subtitles but the subtitles made no sense whatsoever. They were ridiculous and had me wondering whose job it was to translate.
Other hustles I have seen here are charging people for bags at the local markets. Not sure if this is Arusha's attempt to "go green" and encourage people to bring their own bags, nevertheless it is a hustle. Usually young boys are walking around the markets trying to sell plastic bags. I have also seen someone getting their nails painted at a little stand on the side of the road and carts full of used clothes for sale. Additionally, people have tried to sell me newspapers from various countries and mosquito zappers that look like tennis rackets. You are always approached with the sales pitch that this is a special "muzungu" (white person/foreigner) price that is 10 times higher than the price for locals. You learn quickly to negotiate the muzungu price and get it the item for less than half of the original asking price or walk away.
The locals though are not the only ones that have perfected this art of hustling. The muzungus that have been in Arusha for a while, have also benefited from this art form. They are making money off of catering to other muzungus. This includes opening grocery stores, movie theatres, restaurants, clinics and coffee shops that the average Tanzanian cannot afford. Here the minimum wage is about $41 per month. On that budget, not many people can afford to pay $10 for a meal, $8 for a movie or $3 for a cup of coffee.
I guess, in the end though, hustling just makes good business sense. That is what good business is all about: finding a market, catering to that market and making money off of it. They say, "You can't knock the hustle" and I'm not knocking it, it just seems that the various hustles create more of a divide in the levels of society and these societies interact mostly in a business/ employee/ employer relationship sort of way. These are just some personal observations that I have made so far that I am trying to understand more and find out more about. I will keep you posted.
Another hustle I have discovered here is bootleg dvds. The dvds here are a little different from the dvds I would get in the States though. Here you can buy one dvd and it may have 13-15 movies on it. Not a bad deal! There is one catch, however. The movies are not always in the desired language. For example, I was all set to watch Madagascar 2 the other night until I discovered it was in Russian. The other 12 movies on the the dvd which included Shrek 1,2, and 3, and Beverly Hills Chihuahua, were all in English. Of course the one movie that I wanted to watch would be in another language. We tried to watch it with subtitles but the subtitles made no sense whatsoever. They were ridiculous and had me wondering whose job it was to translate.
Other hustles I have seen here are charging people for bags at the local markets. Not sure if this is Arusha's attempt to "go green" and encourage people to bring their own bags, nevertheless it is a hustle. Usually young boys are walking around the markets trying to sell plastic bags. I have also seen someone getting their nails painted at a little stand on the side of the road and carts full of used clothes for sale. Additionally, people have tried to sell me newspapers from various countries and mosquito zappers that look like tennis rackets. You are always approached with the sales pitch that this is a special "muzungu" (white person/foreigner) price that is 10 times higher than the price for locals. You learn quickly to negotiate the muzungu price and get it the item for less than half of the original asking price or walk away.
The locals though are not the only ones that have perfected this art of hustling. The muzungus that have been in Arusha for a while, have also benefited from this art form. They are making money off of catering to other muzungus. This includes opening grocery stores, movie theatres, restaurants, clinics and coffee shops that the average Tanzanian cannot afford. Here the minimum wage is about $41 per month. On that budget, not many people can afford to pay $10 for a meal, $8 for a movie or $3 for a cup of coffee.
I guess, in the end though, hustling just makes good business sense. That is what good business is all about: finding a market, catering to that market and making money off of it. They say, "You can't knock the hustle" and I'm not knocking it, it just seems that the various hustles create more of a divide in the levels of society and these societies interact mostly in a business/ employee/ employer relationship sort of way. These are just some personal observations that I have made so far that I am trying to understand more and find out more about. I will keep you posted.
Above: The group at Fotini, a vintage and souvenir shop on the outskirts of Arusha. It is owned by the couple in the picture (husband is from Greece and wife is from Kenya- they have spent most of their lives in Tanzania).Eunice and Michelle browse through books at Fotini's book swap and Gasper, our running partner and taxi driver, poses for a picture :)
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Internship
I am enjoying our internship, although the work is sometimes mundane. The mix of people we have met there is so diverse and I am learning a lot just from interacting with them. The IT guys that come fix my computer when the internet goes out (which was 3 times on Friday) always teach me new Kiswahili phrases. Sumari, one of the custodians that works on our hall, greets me in the morning and attempts to have a full conversation with me in Kiswahili that can be pretty challenging. There is also Nelson, the copy guy, who is so friendly and always asks, “Habari za kazi?”, “How’s work?”. There are 2 French guys on our hallway that always tease me about my hole in the wall office and about our robbery experience at the Ethiopian restaurant.
My favorite UN character right now is a little Indian guy that reminds me of King Julian from
Our supervisor, who is from
It’s Friday, it's Friday, it’s the end of the week and the last day!
Selina its on you, so what you gonna do! I’m gonna get my skype on, I’m gonna get my eat on, I’m gonna get my hair done, all weekend long!
Skype on- I’m lovin skype! Being able to talk to people half way around the world for little to nothing, is a great invention! I hung around work a little longer on Friday so that I could skype home and not have to call people at the crack of dawn. It was great being able to talk to my boo and see him on the video and just catch up with him. I also got to talk to my girl on the eve of her 30th birthday as she wondered about what the weekend had in store for her. I will have to catch up with her this week, hope it is good news :).
Eat on- Friday evening we decided to invite friends over for dinner and cook to redeem ourselves for the first meal we cooked that was edible but not really good (I actually wasn’t a part of that meal b/c I was already sick- I think it was a blessing in disguise). We cooked for about 10 people and it was actually good. Our new recipe that we have cooked variations of (paste and tomatoes with olive oil, wine, onions, garlic, basil and cheese) was a success. It took about 4 hours from us to make it, given the tedious process of cutting and peeling everything (this is why I don’t cook) and the fact that our stove is very slow. It takes about an hour to boil a pot of water for pasta. In addition to the pasta we had fresh, cooked vegetables, oregano sliced potatoes, and cucumber and tomato salad. I don’t like to brag but it was a pretty good meal. I asked everyone to give a video testimony so those of you that know that I don’t/ can’t cook can hear it straight from the horse’s mouth that the food was great! I will post it soon :)
I found that many people here are pretty creative in their forms of income and many have an entrepreneurial spirit. There are many local stands/ side of the road shops where people sell anything from clothes to vegetables, watch batteries to vocha for your cell phone, and mosquito zappers to white baby dolls. We have also been approached by people selling newspapers from all over the world and their own paintings and handmade crafts. I guess there must be a market for these things but it can get pretty overwhelming at times, especially when you just want to get to where you are going.
On our way to work every morning, we pass a sweet older lady that would be considered a panhandler/ beggar. She sits by the side of the road and collects money to get food for her family. We greet her with “Shikamo” and she melodically responds “Marhaba”. We sometimes bring her fruit in the mornings, but wanted to see if we could invite her to lunch one day. With the help of a friend from the ICTR to translate, we invited her to lunch but were told that she really appreciated the offer but she could not leave her “office” because she would miss out on collecting some money during that time. She also did not want to eat in town b/c the money or food she collects is for her family so she would prefer to take food home to them. That said, we decided to bring her groceries from time to time that she could take home to the family.
After church, we took another daladala to Njiro, which is the more well to do area of town. This is where the cinema is along with a “mall” with a couple of shops, a new grocery store, some restaurants and coffee shops. There is also a beauty salon called "Glorious" there where you can get your hair and nails done. To get a break from this pony tail that seems to have a life of its own on my head I decided to get my hair done. A wash and set at this salon costs 3,500 shilling (less that $3.00!!!!). That is even a better deal than the Dominican salons back home. A pedicure costs about $7.00. The cinema complex is one of the areas in town that has a generator so I figured we would not have to worry about the power going out but what we didn’t bank on was the water being turned off. Not sure why it was off, but the ladies had to constantly bring in buckets of water to wash our hair. Not really sure where they were getting the water from but they managed to keep it rollin like it was nothing out of the ordinary and never missed a beat.
Yes You Can!
This Friday, inspired by Eunice and Gasper (my running partners), the words of Obama (“Yes, You Can!”) and Martin (You Go Girl!), I managed to run 5K straight, no stopping. Eunice and I have been running about twice a week at 6am before we go to work. This is the first time, however, that I have made it all around without stopping- I usually have to walk about 5-10 minutes. I am not much of a runner (I actually don’t like it) but there is something about running the streets of Arusha as the sun comes up that really gets my adrenaline rushing and gets me off to a great start of the day. This particular morning we were also joined by a group of guys that tagged along for a while, (one was a local Maasai, in his traditional Maasai garb- rubber flip flops, a walking stick, and a 2 pieces of traditional cloth material wrapped around his body, and one guy who had a beer bottle and offered my some beer while we were running). The guys hung in for a while (the Maasai guy started singing/ chanting something in Maasai language as we were running that helped build up the momentum of the run) and then they politely said “badai”, meaning see ya later!
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
More Pictures - Usa River Orphanage
Group Picture
Planting a garden
Tug of War :)
Bennie pushing me on the swings. He is pretty strong for a 3 year old!
Singing my infamous 3 Little Bears song. Always a hit with kids no matter what culture:)
New meaning for multitasking!
More planting.
Looking at his re-creation of Mt. Kilimanjaro.
All smiles :)Monday, August 10, 2009
More Random Thoughts
Power Outages:
Yesterday we had our plan A all worked out regarding our power outage but we are realizing you always need a plan B and a plan C wouldn't hurt either :) Knowing that power goes out every Monday and Thursday (occasionally on Sundays), we rushed home after work to try to get there before it was cut off so that we could warm up our dinner. We prepared the night before by cooking extra pasta and vegetables so we could just throw them in the microwave. I think that our walk home on Mon. and Thurs. goes by much quicker b/c we are consciously trying to get there before the power goes out to make a mad dash for the fridge and microwave. We got there with about 10 minutes to spare. Just enough time to warm up our food and start eating. Afterwards, we headed to the cinema with our friend Alfred to watch Ice Age 3 but to our dismay, the cinema is closed on Mondays :(. Hence, plan B. But, we really didn't have a plan B so we just walked around the shopping complex (most of the other stores were closed on Mondays as well) to see what they have. I found out where the salon was that I have been hearing about. Apparently I can get my hair done there (wash and set) for 3,500 shillings (about $3.00)! That is cheaper that the domincan salons back home! We did stop in to the new grocery store that caters to foreigners but it was really expensive. I saw a box of cereal for 12,000 shillings. that about $10.00 (ridiculous!). We grabbed a few things and were out. On the way home we stopped at a new coffee spot called Starcup which is right next to Star grill. It was a nice, relaxed atmosphere and you can tell they also cater to foreigners.
Societal divides:
As we were at the Starcup talking to the son of the owner I started to think more and more about the societal divides here. It seems that there is a society that caters to the locals and another society that caters to foreigners. The guy at the shop was telling us about a new medical clinic his father also owned that would be opening up soon. He said that there is a need for such a clinic because many people travel to Nairobi and South Africa for medical care. As we talked to him more and more I realized that this would be another place that would cater to foreigners. He talked about how it would be a state of the art center and they would bring in foreign doctors and nurses and it would be a private facility, possible with a gym or a daycare center attached to it. I assume that the center would employ locals as the coffe shop has (our barista was a nice local guy with a shirt that said "coffee and sandwitches" on the back) but I just have this conflicted feeling about the inequality that seems to be created in Arusha. The thing is that I also take part in creating that inequality because I like to frequent these places that cater to foreigners because they remind me of home. I guess from a business stand point it makes sense to provide what people want or need but I am sure that that the local people are also in need of better health facilities and they cannot afford to travel to Nairobi or South Africa. This is just something that I have been thinking about lately as I start to notice this divide in society more and more.
Laundry:
On a lighter note, I have realized that I have a new way of separating my laundry. Instead of separating them by colors to be washed as I would back home, here are my new categories:
- clean clothes (the ones that I was able to wash in the wash machine at Melissa's and now I don't want to get them dirty)
- not so clean clothes (ones that can be refreshed with Febreeze at least 2 more times)
- almost dirty clothes (the ones that have been Febreezed 3 or more times but could go for atleast one more spray)
- dirty clothes (the ones that have been febreezed to death and no amount of febreeze will make them look or smell better!)
I think I am getting a system down now so it is not bad. Hey, you gotta go with the flow!
Yesterday we had our plan A all worked out regarding our power outage but we are realizing you always need a plan B and a plan C wouldn't hurt either :) Knowing that power goes out every Monday and Thursday (occasionally on Sundays), we rushed home after work to try to get there before it was cut off so that we could warm up our dinner. We prepared the night before by cooking extra pasta and vegetables so we could just throw them in the microwave. I think that our walk home on Mon. and Thurs. goes by much quicker b/c we are consciously trying to get there before the power goes out to make a mad dash for the fridge and microwave. We got there with about 10 minutes to spare. Just enough time to warm up our food and start eating. Afterwards, we headed to the cinema with our friend Alfred to watch Ice Age 3 but to our dismay, the cinema is closed on Mondays :(. Hence, plan B. But, we really didn't have a plan B so we just walked around the shopping complex (most of the other stores were closed on Mondays as well) to see what they have. I found out where the salon was that I have been hearing about. Apparently I can get my hair done there (wash and set) for 3,500 shillings (about $3.00)! That is cheaper that the domincan salons back home! We did stop in to the new grocery store that caters to foreigners but it was really expensive. I saw a box of cereal for 12,000 shillings. that about $10.00 (ridiculous!). We grabbed a few things and were out. On the way home we stopped at a new coffee spot called Starcup which is right next to Star grill. It was a nice, relaxed atmosphere and you can tell they also cater to foreigners.
Societal divides:
As we were at the Starcup talking to the son of the owner I started to think more and more about the societal divides here. It seems that there is a society that caters to the locals and another society that caters to foreigners. The guy at the shop was telling us about a new medical clinic his father also owned that would be opening up soon. He said that there is a need for such a clinic because many people travel to Nairobi and South Africa for medical care. As we talked to him more and more I realized that this would be another place that would cater to foreigners. He talked about how it would be a state of the art center and they would bring in foreign doctors and nurses and it would be a private facility, possible with a gym or a daycare center attached to it. I assume that the center would employ locals as the coffe shop has (our barista was a nice local guy with a shirt that said "coffee and sandwitches" on the back) but I just have this conflicted feeling about the inequality that seems to be created in Arusha. The thing is that I also take part in creating that inequality because I like to frequent these places that cater to foreigners because they remind me of home. I guess from a business stand point it makes sense to provide what people want or need but I am sure that that the local people are also in need of better health facilities and they cannot afford to travel to Nairobi or South Africa. This is just something that I have been thinking about lately as I start to notice this divide in society more and more.
Laundry:
On a lighter note, I have realized that I have a new way of separating my laundry. Instead of separating them by colors to be washed as I would back home, here are my new categories:
- clean clothes (the ones that I was able to wash in the wash machine at Melissa's and now I don't want to get them dirty)
- not so clean clothes (ones that can be refreshed with Febreeze at least 2 more times)
- almost dirty clothes (the ones that have been Febreezed 3 or more times but could go for atleast one more spray)
- dirty clothes (the ones that have been febreezed to death and no amount of febreeze will make them look or smell better!)
I think I am getting a system down now so it is not bad. Hey, you gotta go with the flow!
Ulifanya nini weekendi?
This past weekend we had a little weekend getaway to a place called Usa River (not USA river as we originally though:). Our friend, Melissa, who is also in our program is currently doing her internship there at a clinic (she is a nurse). Usa River is a little town about 30-40 minutes outside of Arusha and is in between Mt. Meru and Mt. Kilimanjaro. It is a little higher in elevation than Arusha so we experienced a little bit of fresh air, which was nice. To get there, you travel on the main road to the airport but eventually detour off to a much more bumpy and not so comfortable road. Luckily our driver, knew his way around and knew how to avoid most of the big potholes.
Melissa's house ( actually it is a couple from America's house that have allowed Melissa to stay with them) is very nice and located on the campus of the University of Arusha. The campus is surrounded by 5 villages with about 25,000 people. I really liked the way the houses were interspersed within the campus, made it fell more community oriented. We were actually visited by one of the village elders who came to check on Melissa because he knew she was staying there by herself.
A couple of big differences between Melissa's house and our apartment:
1. They house had a big kitchen which we actually utilized and prepared some great meals (we are not such bad cooks after all).
2. The shower was nice and hot and I did not have to rinse off with the spray nozzle. It was a "real" shower.
3. They have a washing machine!!! I actually got to wash a load of clothes although it did require a little extra work. You have to manually fill the washing machine with 3 big buckets of water and 2 more during the rinse cycle. It was better than hand washing though!
4. The house comes with dogs. I'm don't really do dogs but these dogs were really nice and well behaved so it wasn't bad.
5. Also in the kitchen we had access to alot of stuff we don't have at home like various spices, cheese and fresh eggs. I haven't eaten eggs since I have been here but did eat scrambled eggs this weekend (scrambled well with cheese, just like I like them). I also ate french toast, cinnamon toast, pasta with fresh vegetables, baked rosemary potatoes, and cookies (eunice's specialty).
While we were at Melissa's we also got to visit an orphanage where she has been volunteering. The kids are between the ages of 3-10 years and we spent about 2 hours playing with them. The kids are all from Tanzania and some have lost their parents while others parents are still alive but are unable to provide for them. I believe the orphanage was established by a German couple and they have put a lot of time and effort into making it a great place for the kids. The kids were all playing outside when we got there and invited us to join them. We played soccer, red light, green light and just ran around with them. I also hit them up with my ever famous "3 little bears" song that is always a hit with kids (apparently no matter what age or culture). They quickly got the hang of some of the words and the movements. It was a great experience to hear, see and feel the laughter of little children who despite their situation, really seemed to enjoy life and look forward to all it has to offer. They were such a joy to be around and I can still see the smiles on their faces as they played on the playground and invited us into their rooms to see their stickers and beds.
Other than eating, chillin with my crew and the kids, I also got a chance to relax and read this weekend which was also nice. I finished my book about the UN and I am starting another book about peacemakers throughout the world. This evening, since the power will be out, we are venturing to the cinema for the first time. Just like back home I have a bag of sweets to sneak into the movies with me thanks to my mom :) I got a package of German gummy bears and chocolate today that only took 2 weeks to get here. I am still waiting on packages from 2 of my other friends though that were sent about a month ago. I'm not giving up hope yet!
Melissa's house ( actually it is a couple from America's house that have allowed Melissa to stay with them) is very nice and located on the campus of the University of Arusha. The campus is surrounded by 5 villages with about 25,000 people. I really liked the way the houses were interspersed within the campus, made it fell more community oriented. We were actually visited by one of the village elders who came to check on Melissa because he knew she was staying there by herself.
A couple of big differences between Melissa's house and our apartment:
1. They house had a big kitchen which we actually utilized and prepared some great meals (we are not such bad cooks after all).
2. The shower was nice and hot and I did not have to rinse off with the spray nozzle. It was a "real" shower.
3. They have a washing machine!!! I actually got to wash a load of clothes although it did require a little extra work. You have to manually fill the washing machine with 3 big buckets of water and 2 more during the rinse cycle. It was better than hand washing though!
4. The house comes with dogs. I'm don't really do dogs but these dogs were really nice and well behaved so it wasn't bad.
5. Also in the kitchen we had access to alot of stuff we don't have at home like various spices, cheese and fresh eggs. I haven't eaten eggs since I have been here but did eat scrambled eggs this weekend (scrambled well with cheese, just like I like them). I also ate french toast, cinnamon toast, pasta with fresh vegetables, baked rosemary potatoes, and cookies (eunice's specialty).
While we were at Melissa's we also got to visit an orphanage where she has been volunteering. The kids are between the ages of 3-10 years and we spent about 2 hours playing with them. The kids are all from Tanzania and some have lost their parents while others parents are still alive but are unable to provide for them. I believe the orphanage was established by a German couple and they have put a lot of time and effort into making it a great place for the kids. The kids were all playing outside when we got there and invited us to join them. We played soccer, red light, green light and just ran around with them. I also hit them up with my ever famous "3 little bears" song that is always a hit with kids (apparently no matter what age or culture). They quickly got the hang of some of the words and the movements. It was a great experience to hear, see and feel the laughter of little children who despite their situation, really seemed to enjoy life and look forward to all it has to offer. They were such a joy to be around and I can still see the smiles on their faces as they played on the playground and invited us into their rooms to see their stickers and beds.
Other than eating, chillin with my crew and the kids, I also got a chance to relax and read this weekend which was also nice. I finished my book about the UN and I am starting another book about peacemakers throughout the world. This evening, since the power will be out, we are venturing to the cinema for the first time. Just like back home I have a bag of sweets to sneak into the movies with me thanks to my mom :) I got a package of German gummy bears and chocolate today that only took 2 weeks to get here. I am still waiting on packages from 2 of my other friends though that were sent about a month ago. I'm not giving up hope yet!
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Random Thoughts
Today I am pretty much all over the place so here are some random thoughts/occurrences that I thought I would share:
- Last night we watched "Surf's Up" on TV. Apparently we have HBO (I don't even have HBO at home :). In my apartment the movie was in black and white or "gray" as my goddaughters would say but still good to watch nonetheless. We watched the movie while cooking a delicious and nutritious pot of vegetables. We had carrots, brocolli, green beans and cucumbers. We bought all these veggies for about $2.00. It was really good and exciting to have something that did not have a lot of carbs. The vegetables took about an hour and 15 minutes to cook though b/c we do not have a great stove. So, Michelle and I attempted to do a workout while we watched "Surfs Up" and cooked. HBO seems to be an Indian channel here b/c there were a lot of Indian commercials during the movie. We even saw one commercial, we could not understand what they were saying, but it seemed from the portrayal that it was a commercial for the morning after pill for an abortion. I have never seen that advertised on TV so that was interesting.
- After "Surf's Up" I watched another random movie b/c it was only 8pm and wasn't sure what else to do. I came across a "movie" channel. I am not sure how this channel works exactly but at the end of the movie I saw the screen come up that you would see when you come to the end of a dvd and you load another dvd into the dvd player. I am assuming that all this channel does is play movies through a dvd player and somehow we have access to it. "Enter the Dragon" came on after the movie I was watching and I saw the screen with the main menu for the movie where you could select different scenes or start the movie. Oh, TIA!
- This morning I woke up to the sound of the call to prayer mixed in with the dog chorus again. I am trying to figure out a way to capture the sound and post it on my blog so other people can hear it.
- Since I woke up early this morning, I continued reading a great book that we got from the UN. It is called "We Did Nothing: Why the Truth doesn't always come out when the UN comes in." It is written by Linda Polman who was a journalist and spent time in Haiti, Somalia, Rwanda, and Bosnia. It tells about some of the UN's struggles and sheds new light on the UN in both positive and negative aspects. Here are some interesting things I have learned so far:
- "UN Resolutions are like hotdogs. If you know how they make them, you don't want to eat them. You just swallow. No questions asked."
Somalia
- UN peacekeeping soldiers are sent for a little R&R at a resort in Kenya where they are encouraged to visit the local clubs and bars, get drunk and have sex.
- at the camps set up by the UN, the soldiers from developing countries are placed on the outskirts of the camp with less resources (i.e. they are sleeping outside or in tents) and less protection. The soldiers from the developed countries are located closer to the center of the camp with great protection and resources (i.e. make-shift houses flown in from their repsective countries equipped with air-conditioning, ample food supply, a gym, and other luxuries)
- Headline: "The UN pays out more for rich dead than poor dead" Industrialized countries whose soldiers die in UN peacekeeping missions get paid $85,000 from the UN while 3rd World countries get paid $19,500 for every soldier that dies.
- Quote from the US representative delivering a message from George Bush as the US came into Somalia with Operation Restore Hope
" Under American leadership the world is going to stop this country from committing suicide. The President of the US is quite determined. We come in peace but you know what the American army can do. You saw it for yourselves in Desert Storm. Now those same American forces will be landing here. If you don't cooperate, we will pulverize you."
- The US initiated the mission in Somalia under Operation Restore Hope but then pulled out expecting the UN to come in with less resources and "clean up" Somalia under Operation Continue Hope. Needless to say it was not successful and we still see the effects of it today in Somalia.
Haiti
-The US initiated the entry into Haiti under the Operation Restore Democracy. Many people say there was no democracy to restore in the first place and the country was bankrupt.
- The Organization of American States (OAS) imposed an embargo on Haiti to try to put pressure on the military coup and drive them out of the country. However, this had an adverse effect and ended up driving many innocent civilians out of the country. Many refugees tried to flee to the US and Clinton eventually granted some asylum. Others were allowed to live in a refugee camp set up at Guantanamo Bay (which was soon overflowing so cruise ships were rented to house more people).
- Clinton gave a speech at the UN saying that the UN needs to learn how to say "no" to missions that it does not have the resources to handle. 2 days later, he requested that the UN come into Haiti to pick up where the Americans had left off with Operation Support Democracy.
Just some food for thought....
- Last night we watched "Surf's Up" on TV. Apparently we have HBO (I don't even have HBO at home :). In my apartment the movie was in black and white or "gray" as my goddaughters would say but still good to watch nonetheless. We watched the movie while cooking a delicious and nutritious pot of vegetables. We had carrots, brocolli, green beans and cucumbers. We bought all these veggies for about $2.00. It was really good and exciting to have something that did not have a lot of carbs. The vegetables took about an hour and 15 minutes to cook though b/c we do not have a great stove. So, Michelle and I attempted to do a workout while we watched "Surfs Up" and cooked. HBO seems to be an Indian channel here b/c there were a lot of Indian commercials during the movie. We even saw one commercial, we could not understand what they were saying, but it seemed from the portrayal that it was a commercial for the morning after pill for an abortion. I have never seen that advertised on TV so that was interesting.
- After "Surf's Up" I watched another random movie b/c it was only 8pm and wasn't sure what else to do. I came across a "movie" channel. I am not sure how this channel works exactly but at the end of the movie I saw the screen come up that you would see when you come to the end of a dvd and you load another dvd into the dvd player. I am assuming that all this channel does is play movies through a dvd player and somehow we have access to it. "Enter the Dragon" came on after the movie I was watching and I saw the screen with the main menu for the movie where you could select different scenes or start the movie. Oh, TIA!
- This morning I woke up to the sound of the call to prayer mixed in with the dog chorus again. I am trying to figure out a way to capture the sound and post it on my blog so other people can hear it.
- Since I woke up early this morning, I continued reading a great book that we got from the UN. It is called "We Did Nothing: Why the Truth doesn't always come out when the UN comes in." It is written by Linda Polman who was a journalist and spent time in Haiti, Somalia, Rwanda, and Bosnia. It tells about some of the UN's struggles and sheds new light on the UN in both positive and negative aspects. Here are some interesting things I have learned so far:
- "UN Resolutions are like hotdogs. If you know how they make them, you don't want to eat them. You just swallow. No questions asked."
Somalia
- UN peacekeeping soldiers are sent for a little R&R at a resort in Kenya where they are encouraged to visit the local clubs and bars, get drunk and have sex.
- at the camps set up by the UN, the soldiers from developing countries are placed on the outskirts of the camp with less resources (i.e. they are sleeping outside or in tents) and less protection. The soldiers from the developed countries are located closer to the center of the camp with great protection and resources (i.e. make-shift houses flown in from their repsective countries equipped with air-conditioning, ample food supply, a gym, and other luxuries)
- Headline: "The UN pays out more for rich dead than poor dead" Industrialized countries whose soldiers die in UN peacekeeping missions get paid $85,000 from the UN while 3rd World countries get paid $19,500 for every soldier that dies.
- Quote from the US representative delivering a message from George Bush as the US came into Somalia with Operation Restore Hope
" Under American leadership the world is going to stop this country from committing suicide. The President of the US is quite determined. We come in peace but you know what the American army can do. You saw it for yourselves in Desert Storm. Now those same American forces will be landing here. If you don't cooperate, we will pulverize you."
- The US initiated the mission in Somalia under Operation Restore Hope but then pulled out expecting the UN to come in with less resources and "clean up" Somalia under Operation Continue Hope. Needless to say it was not successful and we still see the effects of it today in Somalia.
Haiti
-The US initiated the entry into Haiti under the Operation Restore Democracy. Many people say there was no democracy to restore in the first place and the country was bankrupt.
- The Organization of American States (OAS) imposed an embargo on Haiti to try to put pressure on the military coup and drive them out of the country. However, this had an adverse effect and ended up driving many innocent civilians out of the country. Many refugees tried to flee to the US and Clinton eventually granted some asylum. Others were allowed to live in a refugee camp set up at Guantanamo Bay (which was soon overflowing so cruise ships were rented to house more people).
- Clinton gave a speech at the UN saying that the UN needs to learn how to say "no" to missions that it does not have the resources to handle. 2 days later, he requested that the UN come into Haiti to pick up where the Americans had left off with Operation Support Democracy.
Just some food for thought....
Monday, August 3, 2009
Sounds of Arusha
Here are some sounds that I have noticed quite frequently here in Arusha. Some are a little harder to get used to than others:
- symphony of dogs barking
- the call to prayer (Adhan) 5 times a day- this morning I heard it at 5am along with the dog choir:)
- honking of horns (usually notifying you to get out of the way b/c the cars will not yield to pedestrians)
- people calling you "mazungu" or in my case "halfcast".
- the sound of the dala dala (cheap vans) drivers as they call out the place that the dala dala is going (i.e. "mashono, mashono" or "njiro, njiro")
- kids laughing, playing, and talking outside my window at 6:30 in the morning (there is a school right behind my apartment)
- beating drums as the kids at the school are called to come to the morning meeting ( i am assuming that is what the drum is used for)
- back firing of cars mistaken for gunshots or vice versa
- various bird sounds on the way to work
- the swishing sound of the street sweepers as they clean the streets with brooms made of branches and leaves.
- "taxi, taxi?" eventhough we walk most places, we are always getting approached by taxi drivers wanting to give us a ride.
- loud music or singing in the middle of the night, especially on the weekends. Not sure what is going on, haven't investigated that yet!
- mosquitoes buzzing in your ear
- "rafiki, rafiki" the ladies at the vegetable stand calling you "friend" as they try to get you to buy something from them. This is also heard a lot at the markets, "Rafiki, karibu. It is free to look."
- symphony of dogs barking
- the call to prayer (Adhan) 5 times a day- this morning I heard it at 5am along with the dog choir:)
- honking of horns (usually notifying you to get out of the way b/c the cars will not yield to pedestrians)
- people calling you "mazungu" or in my case "halfcast".
- the sound of the dala dala (cheap vans) drivers as they call out the place that the dala dala is going (i.e. "mashono, mashono" or "njiro, njiro")
- kids laughing, playing, and talking outside my window at 6:30 in the morning (there is a school right behind my apartment)
- beating drums as the kids at the school are called to come to the morning meeting ( i am assuming that is what the drum is used for)
- back firing of cars mistaken for gunshots or vice versa
- various bird sounds on the way to work
- the swishing sound of the street sweepers as they clean the streets with brooms made of branches and leaves.
- "taxi, taxi?" eventhough we walk most places, we are always getting approached by taxi drivers wanting to give us a ride.
- loud music or singing in the middle of the night, especially on the weekends. Not sure what is going on, haven't investigated that yet!
- mosquitoes buzzing in your ear
- "rafiki, rafiki" the ladies at the vegetable stand calling you "friend" as they try to get you to buy something from them. This is also heard a lot at the markets, "Rafiki, karibu. It is free to look."
Sunday, August 2, 2009
A week of great meals!
This past week we were blessed with some very good meals (a lot different from tne ones we have been cooking ourselves or the Ramen I have been eating :). We were invited to dinner 4 nights this week. On Tues., our friend Ben cooked spaghetti bolonaise (not sure if I spelled the right but basically spaghetti with meat sauce). It was delicious. We also had salad and garlic bread.
On Wed., we were invited to our supervisor's house for dinner and he and his wife cooked a great meal that included fish and pork kabobs, beef fried rice, plantains, sweet potatoes and regular potatoes and a spinach soup. We were in heaven! I will post some pictures of the meals soon so that you can see what I am talking about.
Then on Friday, we were invited to a barbeque for Ben's birthday. There were hamburgers, sausage, steaks and all kinds of good stuff. Ben is a big fan of Kenyan beef which we have heard is the 2nd best beef in the world. I think I would have to attest to that because the hamburger that I ate tasted like steak!
On Sat., we were invited to have dinner at the home of the Deputy Secretary General of the East African Community, Madame Karasu. This was a big time dinner. Madame Karasu is from Uganda and used be a member of the Ugandan Parliament. She is now working for the EAC and it was an honor to be invited to her house. She was very hospitable and down to earth despite her status within the East AFrican Community. There we had another feast of meat, potatoes, salad, dessert and lots of drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic). Our host made sure that everyone was satisfied and had plenty to drink.
On Sunday, we celebrated Eunice's birthday (Happy Birthday Eunice!) at the Impala Hotel with chinese food, and pizza. We realized that we did not order enough food and ended up adding a pizza on at the end of our meal!
So as you can see, I am eating well here, atleast for this past week. Even when I just eat beans and rice (or refugee beans and we have been told they are called) it is still a very good meal and it is very cheap. We are working on perfecting our cooking skills but if we keep getting invited to dinner, that may make us less apt to practice. Tonight the power will be out so plan B is to have left overs from lunch that we can warm up quickly for dinner.
On Wed., we were invited to our supervisor's house for dinner and he and his wife cooked a great meal that included fish and pork kabobs, beef fried rice, plantains, sweet potatoes and regular potatoes and a spinach soup. We were in heaven! I will post some pictures of the meals soon so that you can see what I am talking about.
Then on Friday, we were invited to a barbeque for Ben's birthday. There were hamburgers, sausage, steaks and all kinds of good stuff. Ben is a big fan of Kenyan beef which we have heard is the 2nd best beef in the world. I think I would have to attest to that because the hamburger that I ate tasted like steak!
On Sat., we were invited to have dinner at the home of the Deputy Secretary General of the East African Community, Madame Karasu. This was a big time dinner. Madame Karasu is from Uganda and used be a member of the Ugandan Parliament. She is now working for the EAC and it was an honor to be invited to her house. She was very hospitable and down to earth despite her status within the East AFrican Community. There we had another feast of meat, potatoes, salad, dessert and lots of drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic). Our host made sure that everyone was satisfied and had plenty to drink.
On Sunday, we celebrated Eunice's birthday (Happy Birthday Eunice!) at the Impala Hotel with chinese food, and pizza. We realized that we did not order enough food and ended up adding a pizza on at the end of our meal!
So as you can see, I am eating well here, atleast for this past week. Even when I just eat beans and rice (or refugee beans and we have been told they are called) it is still a very good meal and it is very cheap. We are working on perfecting our cooking skills but if we keep getting invited to dinner, that may make us less apt to practice. Tonight the power will be out so plan B is to have left overs from lunch that we can warm up quickly for dinner.
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