Early Impressions

Almost a week now at our home stay, though it feels like a near eternity – to say nothing for how long ago it seems since we stepped off the plane into the hot, sticky air of Dar es Salaam. I remember thinking in the States how quickly time seemed to pass – week after week, month after month. But here, in village life, time seems to go by in a crawl – none of the hustle and bustle of America. Many of the Peace Corps volunteers we have met that are already working in country have commented how it seems like only yesterday that their service began. But after only two weeks, it’s hard to even imagine all the adventures that our 27 months of service will entail. And I don’t see life here becoming anything close to “routine,” though I am sure it must seem that way for the villagers.

One aspect of Tanzanian culture that I have come to enjoy is the people’s appreciation for proverbs and other short, pithy expressions. On one of our first days in the country, one of the other Peace Corps trainees and I were stopped at the Msimbazi Center by a local student who asked us if we could list any English idioms that we knew. We complied as best we could – e.g., to rain cats and dogs, to see the light, to be there in a pinch, quick and dirty – but honestly, I had never really thought about such phrases before this girl’s question. However after living in Tanzania and learning swahili for a little over two weeks, I understand why she had been assigned the question. Tanzanians love those kinds of short sayings and proverbs – they serve as the chorus to their musical language. And as an obvious “mzungo” (i.e., foreigner, or more specifically, white person) I can bring any group of Tanzanians to hysterics by simply repeating one of their common proverbs, which the Peace Corps swahili teachers have wisely made it a
point to include as part of language and culture training.

The following are some of the proverbs, idioms, and other expression that I’ve come to find useful, or just enjoy saying, in our short time here:
• “Haraka haraka haina baraka.” – “Haste has no speed.”
• “Pole pole ndiyo mwuendo.” – “Slowly is the speed.”
• “Mtoto umleavyo ndivyo akuavyo.” – “How you raise your child is how he/she grows.”
• “Siku njema huonekana asabuhi." – “A good day is seen in the morning.”
• “Nimelala fo fo fo” – I slept like a log.
• “Shaghalabaghala” – adverb; commonly translated as “in disorder,” but literally meaning a hot, sticky mess

We made it to TANZANIA! Whoo-hoo!

We have been here for a week now and I must say that so far everything is amazing! Well everything except the heat and humidity. One would think I should be used to it by now because New Orleans is crazy hot, but it’s a lot different without AC.

For this first week we have been living and training in the Msimbazi Center, which is a huge Christian Center in Dar es Salaam that is probably a little smaller than the Rhodes College campus. We were asked to stay in the gates of the center for the week so we can get all our shots and get prepared for life outside the gates... We have been learning about the Tanzanian people, the culture, and the language... it has been really interesting...

One thing that they have stressed is the importance of greetings. Whenever you pass anyone on the street or just walking in the opposite direction you are expected to greet them. If not, it is flat out rude. If this person is older than you, you must say: “Shikamoo” which means I respect you my elder, if they accept this greeting they will respond, “Marahaba,” which means I glad that you respect me. Greetings can go on for more than 5 minutes, which means that getting from one place to another often takes much longer than expected. In the U.S. we are so used to just walking from place to place without greeting each other, but here it is essential.

Another thing that will take some getting used to is the food. Everything is starchy and/or fried.... just what I love! Here is the average menu:

Breakfast @ 7:30:
-Fried bananas/plantains
-Fried cornbread balls
-Sambusa (fried ground beef shaped in the form of a triangle)
-White bunny bread with jelly
-Hot dogs (on the days that sambusa is not served)

Chai break @ 10:
-Chia Tea
-Coffee in the powdered form
-Fried circular things with meet or veggies inside
-Muffins (only once did they have yummy muffins)

Lunch @ 12:30:
-Boiled plantains (when boiled they taste just like potatoes, when fried they taste like a sweet hard banana)
-Potatoes
-White rice
-Beans
-Chicken or beef mixture to put on rice
-Stir fried onions with a little bit of greens

Dinner @ 7:00
-Exactly the same as lunch
-On the good days there is watermelon for dessert

Not exactly my ideal menu, but I’m growing to like just plain rice and beans. I must say that I am really looking forward to moving into our own house in two months, because then we can have our own garden and I can have vegetables again!!!

We are actually leaving the Msimbazi Center tomorrow and we will be moving to Mkanyageni, Tanga to live with our host family, Mr. and Mrs. Akida A. Mbaruku. We will be there for two months and have intense training. I don't think I will have internet access while in Tanga, so I might not be able to update you all for a while. Hope life is going well in the U.S. Miss you.

XOXOX

Merritt

Packing and Getting Ready

The Peace Corps gives us a pretty detailed list of the packing essentials, but it's still not an easy task deciding exactly what to bring for the next two years of life. We each get to bring two bags, and each bag can't weigh more than 40lbs. So that's a total of 80lbs of luggage that we must be able to carry on our backs. That's a little intimidating... I am going to try to pack light, but that's not a strength of mine and all the random stuff adds up in weight.

My mom and I went to Walmart the other day and bought all the little things, like a 2 year supply of tooth paste, deodorant, face wash, and toys for the kids. So in addition to clothes, outdoor gear, and presents for the family we will be living with for two months, we also need to bring kitchen items like spices, measuring cups, and the kicker... Moss found a 5lb cast iron skillet- it's heavy!

Here's a glimpse of our packing process:




In addition to packing, we have been doing a number of other things to prepare for the journey. I sold my car on Thursday, canceled auto insurance, health insurance, and subscriptions. I also chopped off my hair! I figured my hair products alone probably weigh close to 5lbs, so that's one reason why I decided to take the plunge and just cut it off. It's definitely not the most attractive look, but hey I will most probably be living in the bush with no running water or electricity, so looking cute is not going to be a priority.

So far the hardest part about getting ready to leave is the "Goodbyes." I will miss my family and friends so much!

That's the latest news for now. I will have to update you when we get to Tanzania.
XOXO

The Journey Begins...

We leave in 6 days!!! In less than a week from today we will be heading to Philly to meet the rest of the Peace Corps volunteers going to Tanzania. I think it will be about 35 or 40 people in our training group. We will all spend one day in Philly for "Staging" where they prepare us for the journey to Tanzania. They give us a few shots and then we are off.

We are traveling by bus the following day (June 15) to JFK airport, and then we fly to Zurich, Switzerland and on to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. We will spend our first 2 months in "Training" living with a host family in a village outside of Dar es Salaam. In training we learn about the Tanzanian culture, about safety issues, and about how to speak the language- Swahili (the language in the Lion King- Hakuna Matata). We will be eating a lot of rice & beans along with another staple in their diet- Ugali (corn mush)....yummm! I'm sure we will also be taking a number of bucket/sponge baths, as it is likely that there will not be running water or electricity.

We already have our tickets, and so now the packing fun begins.

Background Info

After two years of applying to the Peace Corps- with applications, interviews, doctors, dentists, and a crazy amount of paperwork- we finally got invited to go to Tanzania, Africa!

Moss will be working as an Environmental Extension worker doing Environmental Education and Sustainable Agriculture in Rural Communities. Our welcome packet describes his job as follows:

"As an Environmental volunteer, you will be helping to raise awareness of environmental conservation, assist village communities in effectively managing their natural resources, and promote sustainable agriculture practices. You will teach soil improvement techniques, agroforestry, bee-keeping, and fish farming. You will work to improve vegetable gardening... You will teach farmers how to construct and use appropriate technologies such as energy-efficient stoves. And you will promote improved livestock practices, including raising goats, cows, and pigs."

I will be working on the Health Education Project as a Health Education Extension Worker. Our welcome packet describes my job as follows:

"The purpose of the Health Education Project is to assist the Tanzanian government to improve the health of Tanzanians, especially in rural communities, by promoting Primary Health Care and healthy behavior among community members, particularly to out of school youth, students, teachers, service providers and community groups....
As a Health Education Volunteer you will help to support their communities to combat tuberculosis, diarrheal diseases, malaria and malnutrition as well as encouraging income- generating projects for people affected by HIV and AIDS, including Orphans and Vulnerable Children."

Sounds like we have exciting tasks ahead of us! It is also common for Peace Corps volunteers to have secondary projects outside of their primary jobs, so Moss and I are thinking about starting some sort of sports team... maybe basketball/soccer/kickball...who knows. I will keep you updated.

XOXO,

Merritt