I've been to my local bank a fair few times since we arrived here... mostly not by choice. I've always stayed calm and the assistant manager and his colleague now know me by name and smile when I go in (I'm the crazy mzungu lady). It took 8 weeks (and three application forms) to get a cheque book... but it finally arrived, with a smile...and even an apology for making me wait so long.
Today, for the first time in my life, I haggled in a BANK! Haha!
I needed to transfer a substantial amount of money from my US$ account into a Tanzanian shillings account. I wasn't happy with the exchange rate they were giving me so cheekily asked if they could do better.
The assistant manager said "let me try". Was not expecting that!
So he called head office and spoke to someone there, and got a better exchange rate. I pretended to be horrified that it was still so low so he tried again and came back with a better number. I smiled sweetly and said "I think you can do better than that" (soooo not me!)... so he ended up giving ME the phone and I spoke to the nice lady on the other end.
I'm learning how things work here. Greetings are an extremely important part of Tanzanian culture. Community and people are number ONE. So I dove in... in my best Kiswahili.... good afternoon, how are you? etc etc... and then...
"PLEASE can you give me the best rate today?" I did that bit in English!
She gave me a number, I kept asking for more, she gave me a better number, I kept asking.... and then eventually she stopped changing the number and I realised that was as far as she was going to go. I was on the phone for a good ten minutes!
The most shocking thing of all? The difference between the first rate and the final rate meant that I walked out $560 US DOLLARS better off!!!!! Insane. Imagine... I could have just walked in, none the wiser, and agreed to the first rate they gave me. I would not have known any different. Definitely keeping the staff at this bank on my side.
Getting more confident in my bartering skills here! Reminds me of the good old China days!!
Just need to learn a few more numbers in Kiswahili.... getting there slowly but surely!
Four days and three nights away from Dar es Salaam for October break. Photo album and movie at the end of this post... or read about our adventure first!
On Sunday, we flew to Arusha (about 600km from Dar es Salaam) with Precision Air. Arrived safely (precisely) and waited for our luggage. It was brought to us stacked on a metal trolley. You just took your own case off as it came in to view as the ones above it were removed by their owners.
We took a taxi to Arusha town and stayed in the 'Stereo Hotel'. Not sure how many stars it would have... maybe two... but it was clean and all we needed for the night. We had beds and a shower with hot water. It reminded me of some hotels I have been to in China - maybe the materials and decor came from China... We went out for dinner at a local place and had some local food - I had pilau rice with barbequed fish. YUM. My little guy had his Tanzanian favourite - chips myai (my-eye)...chips in fried egg. Interesting combo!
OnMonday, we drove about 150km toTarangire National Park.
Completely fascinated by the Maasai people we see along the way.
Herds of cattle (goats, cows, and occassionally donkeys) herded by young Maasai boys. We saw numerous youngsters, some no older than five or six years old, herding the animals. Alone. Not an adult in sight. Walking for miles and miles in the hot African sun. No food and very little water.
One wee lad walking with his herd was wearing a skirt made of empty plastic water bottles. Presumably ones he had found by the roadside (there is a LOT of litter lining this highway - thrown from passing buses and cars). At the end of the day, the boy will be filling these bottles with water to take home to his family.
We saw donkeys being used to carry water buckets to water holes. Collecting muddy water that will serve as the family's primary source of drinking water.
Round mud huts dot the landscape occasionally. Homes of the semi-nomadic Maasai. Makeshift animal pens made of branches to protect their livestock at night.
We heard of a famous Maasai elder who has about 14 wives and more than 300 offspring over two or three generations. He was apparently told by the government to build a school for his ever expanding family. We saw the school on the hillside. He was interviewed by the BBC Swahili and at 93 was the father of a 5-year-old!! He lives a good life - his children and their children are expected to care for and provide for him... it's their duty.
In all Maasai families, the children work. The younger you are, the more work you do. Youngsters tend to the cattle all day long. They don't go to school. Boys tend the cattle. Girls help their mothers in the home, cleaning and preparing food. There is a definite order to it.
Interesting info on Wikipedia (which I know to be true from local Tanzanians!):
Traditional Maasai lifestyle centres around their cattle which constitute their primary source of food. The measure of a man's wealth is in terms of cattle and children. A herd of 50 cattle is respectable, and the more children the better. A man who has plenty of one but not the other is considered to be poor. All of the Maasai’s needs for food are met by their cattle. They eat the meat, drink the milk and on occasion, drink the blood.
We saw some teenagers walking along the roadside wearing traditional white face paint. This signals that they are transitioning from boyhood to manhood. We were travelling too fast for me to get a good photo, so here is one I found online (attributed below) to give you an idea of what they looked like:
A small group of Masaai men with about 20 camels. Definitely not a sight I would have expected to see!
After a full day game drive in Tarangire National Park, we drove slightly north to Mto wa Mbu (lit. River of Mosquitoes), where we stayed in the Park Ridge Resort. I'd use the term 'resort' very loosely here!!! The place had obviously just opened... we might have been the first guests! However, the people that ran it were lovely and seemed nervous and very anxious to please the whole time we were there. They made every possible effort to make us feel comfortable and well fed!!
On Tuesday, we drove about 10 minutes from the 'resort' to Lake Manyara National Park. I was surprised at how different the landscape was here. I was expecting more of the same, like Tarangire - broad, flat, open savannah. But Lake Manyara National Park is more like a massive forest with gorgeous Acacia trees, big hills, and lovely silver baobab trees dotted here and there. This makes animals all the more difficult to spot! After two days, simba (lions) remained elusive! Apart from one lioness way, way, WAY in the distance, we didn't get up close with any big cats this trip. At one point our driver heard a message on the radio that a leopard has been spotted so we raced to get to the place it had been sighted. Unfortunately, it was gone by the time we got there. We weren't too disappointed... we had already seen some lions in Mikumi back in August, and we know this won't be our last safari! We've only just begun... The little guy loved the thrill of the chase, though!
Highlights of the two game drives:
A humungous 'dazzle' of zebras! We certainly were dazzled... I'm estimating there were about 200 zebras in the dazzle we saw - walking mostly in single file, taking rolls in the dust, then moving on! More on group names later (I Googled "what is a group of zebras called?").
Extreme close-up with the biggest elephant I have ever seen. He was massive. Definitely over two metres tall. Most probably over two metres wide... and goodness knows how much he weighed. Very intimidating and VERY close to our vehicle. It was the only time I have ever been slightly worried on safari... I felt like he was looking RIGHT at me... one little nudge and our jeep would have been flattened. Wowzers. Incredible animals.
Seeing an ostrich in the wild for the first time. Very, very cool.
Hundreds and hundreds of pelicans, storks, and mixed breeds (pelicorks or stelicans?!) on Lake Manyara (and flying above it). Would love to visit when all the flamingo flock there.
Several 'towers' of giraffes. These 'twiga' are slowly becoming one of my favourites. They walk so elegantly. I learnt there is more than one variety of giraffe - some were typical giraffe colour, but the ones in Lake Manyara National Park are more black than brown. I wonder if this is to blend in with the very dark trunks of the millions of acacia trees that adorn the park.
List of animals we saw (in multiples):
Tarangire National Park - vervet monkey, wildebeest, impala, gazelle, warthog, waterbuck, vulture, giraffe, zebra, ostrich, lion, elephant (even saw two fighting!), Kirk's dik-dik, squirrel
Lake Manyara National Park - Olive baboon, hippo, warthog, impala, gazelle, stork, pelican, zebra, buffalo, waterbuck, blue monkey, giraffe, elephant, monitor lizard, eagle, vulture, flamingo, wildebeest, Egyptian geese, Bohor reedbuck
I might not have all those names right!! I bought a book today called "Animals of the Serengeti" - need to brush up on my deer-like creatures (and others)...
There were also thousands of tsetse flies - OUCH - they hurt! We became experts at tsetse swatting!!
On Wednesday, we left Mto wa Mbu and drove back to Arusha, straight to the airport. One brief stop on the way so I could buy a souvenir of our trip - got 4 Maasai shuka (blankets/cloths). Gorgeous patterns and colours.
We flew back to Dar via Zanzibar! As we left Arusha we spotted Mount Kilimanjaro peeking above the clouds!
It was incredible seeing Africa from above. So vast and flat and open. And dry. Lots of half empty lakes and dried up rivers in desperate need of some rain. In places the ground looked red:
Landed in Zanzibar for about 15 minutes for some passengers to get off, and a couple to get on. Then a very, very short (and quite bumpy) flight across the water to Dar. Flying over the ocean just past Zanzibar I saw lots of dolphins leaping out of the water! Zanzibar is definitely high on our list of places we want to visit in Tanzania.
An amazing trip.
I have no idea how long we will live in Africa for. But one thing I already know for sure... this continent is quickly creeping under my skin and is stealing a piece of my heart. I feel very grateful that I am having all these mind-blowing experiences. I will never forget them, I know that. I really hope that my little guy remembers them too.
Without further ado - check out my photos here (I wish I could shoot like a pro!)... I chose my best 66 shots out of over 600! Thank goodness for digital!
And... here's a video I made completely with footage taken on my iPhone! Most of the footage you see uses NO ZOOM! So, so close to the wildlife. Unreal. Made the video completely on the phone using iMovie. Watch full screen if you can.
We landed in Dar nine weeks ago today. So much has happened since then. What an adventure we have had so far!
This week I finally feel like I am starting to settle and establish some routines (of sorts). Things I'm getting used to:
Always having extra snacks on hand! The kids who live on campus tend to gravitate from one house to another, so sometimes I might have 6 or 7 kids here, other times it will be just me! They live very happy, free lives within the compound. Huge football field, swimming pool, basketball courts, climbing frames... they have a complete ball. Friday or Saturday nights they sometimes go to one of the homes for a movie! They haven't been here yet as we have no TV! Seriously considering buying a projector at Christmas as we have a HUGE blank wall that would be GREAT for movies! It can get a bit lonely... in HK it was always just me and Oli. Now, most of the time, it's just me! An adjustment to be sure, but I have enough work to keep me busy for now. Hope to find some kind of project to get into, like a balcony garden or something... Or maybe I will now have time to READ!!!! :)
Having my kitchen back. The best thing about our shipment arriving was unpacking all my kitchen stuff. FINALLY, I can cook again. Just last night I made my own tomato ketchup, a lovely pineapple salsa, and some chocolate chia pudding! I know this is all going to help me to get my health back on track. Need to discover where to buy bigger garlic! Look at these tiny cloves! The alternative is the carcinogenic bleached white stuff imported from China...erm, no thanks... I'll stick to spending hours squinting to peel these little cherubs!
Beautiful, clean, fresh air and blue skies.EVERY day. Seriously never considered how much this would mean to me. I really do not miss the pollution of Hong Kong. I feel like we are breathing properly now. Oli's panda eyes, that were a permanent fixture in HK, are virtually GONE. He is out in fresh air and sunshine EVERY day and he is much, much, much happier for it. That alone makes everything else a hundred times easier to deal with.
Slow, intermittent, or non-existent internet! I had been warned about this before we came, so it was eyes wide open... and I think I have adapted easier than I thought I would. Yes, it can be frustrating... but there is absolutely nothing I can do about it, so why worry? I use the Wi-fi when I can, and when I can't it's OK. We have regular power outages... I'm guessing about 5 or 6 per day. Not for long as the generators kick in, but I am extremely grateful of my surge protectors or my electricals would have been FRIED by now.
Being a mzungu!This actually reminds me of my very early days in China. I remember travelling (alone) in rural China in the 90s, walking down a road in a village in the middle of nowhere (about 3 hours from Xi'an) and the whole street just stopping and staring at me because they had never seen a guilo (white person/mzungu) before. Nothing quite that noticeable here, but I obviously stick out like a sore thumb. It's hard to live like a local (for an expat... as I am so obviously NOT a local). I will never be able to pay local prices in a market. Prices double (or triple, or more) as soon as they see me coming!! I definitely want to integrate more than I am right now... it's very easy to stay in the bubble of the school campus. So I'm working on two things that will hopefully help with that:
Learning the lingo - Kiswahili is a gorgeous language and I'm trying hard to use it whenever I can. I pick up things from taxi drivers, staff at school, and anyone I meet on the streets! It definitely helps relations when people see that I am least trying! I laugh at me, they laugh at me... it's all good!
Buying a car - hopefully soon. Very, very soon! I need to feel more independent. I hate relying on Uber, taxi drivers, and very kind, generous colleagues to get to places. I want to be able to drive out of Dar for mini adventures at the weekends. Funds are coming within the next week or two and then my first stop will be WHEELS!
Definitely making the most of our time in Africa. Our first trip is BOOKED! We have a week's holiday in October. So we are heading up north to Arusha for 4 days/3 nights for some game drives! Can't wait! Watch this space.
Today, some Maasai visited our Grade 2 classroom. Connecting cultures as we learn about identity. An incredible learning experience for the students who were sooooooo engaged (as was I!).
The tallest one, Ibrahim, explained to the students many aspects of the Maasai culture. Some the students had heard before, some they had not! Completely fascinating and I had to pinch myself a couple of times as half of what he was saying just did not sound REAL! But it was...
Here's what I have learned about the Maasai so far:
Maasai are traditionally nomadic and move to places that are good for their cattle. Cattle are their main source of income and livelihood - they sell cows, they milk cows, they eat cows.
Maasai make their temporary homes from clay and cow dung.
They have only 3 'weapons' - a shield, a spear, and a knife (a big one, think machete). He had his knife with him in a pouch hanging from his waist, but declined one student's request to take it out.
They brush their teeth with parts of a tree.
Their bottom two front teeth are removed. This is in case they suffer from lock-jaw - they can still be fed medicine and water.
The Maasai do not hunt or eat wild animals. They will only kill wild animals to protect themselves or their cattle. Ibrahim explained (in detail, very matter of factly) how he killed a lion - he hit it on the head with his shield to stun it and then threw his spear.
I read somewhere that part of the initiation ceremony for a boy to become a man (warrior) is for the boy to be sent out into the wild to survive by himself (against the predators etc).
If they need to slaughter cattle (for food) they will sometimes call a local Muslim to do it (I think that's what he said).
The Maasai drink cow blood when they are sick as they believe it will make them well faster.
Certainly a different life here. When Oli is not at school he is out playing football, exploring the campus, or swimming in the pool with his new friends. My only rules are:
- be back by dark
- only swim when there is an adult there (other teacher parents are always around).
He is out in the fresh air and sunshine. I no longer worry about pollution (instead, I worry about malaria and dengue!).
He comes back intermittently for food (!).
He seems like a completely different (and much happier) human already. The 'panda-eyes' have almost completely faded.
He sleeps very, very well - ten hours per night, usually more.
Moving to Africa was a GOOD thing.
There is certainly more to life than getting good grades and finishing homework (IST is a homework-free zone - YES!). It's like we have stepped back from the rat-race and taking time to enjoy just BEING. So incredibly important, yet so easy to forget.
I'm not pretending that this was an easy move. Living in Africa has its challenges for sure. But I relish challenge. It brings me alive. HK was way too easy and I definitely stopped growing there. I do not miss it (HK, the place) one bit.
Who knows how long we will be in Africa. I have no idea about that right now (except that for sure I will finish this two year contract!). What I do know is that every time I leave the bubble of school campus, I see something new and interesting and I'm excited by it. And that is a very, very good thing.
We had been warned that fumigation (for mosquitoes) would begin at 10am this morning. Best not to be around all those chemicals, so I planned a morning out. I called Felix, a taxi driver who had been recommended to me by a colleague, and we set off in search of my tailor (recommended by another colleague!). Prisca already visited me on Monday to measure me and collect the shirt that I wanted her to copy. She called yesterday to ask if I could visit her shop in Mikocheni to try on the first shirt she made. I also needed to do some grocery shopping. So rather than rely on Uber and flagging down taxis (which can be quite stressful and not always the safest option), I decided to hire Felix for the morning.
We left home at 9:30am (Charambe Street at the bottom of the map) and headed for Rose Garden Road. Prisca's shop isn't actually on Rose Garden Road, so when we got close I called her and handed my phone to Felix. We drove around the back streets with her directing him until we got there! Tried on the shirt, they took measurements for alterations, and she said she will deliver all three shirts I'm having made tomorrow!!! Here are the fabrics I've chosen. Lovely and bright! Hope they turn out OK.
From there we headed to the bank and stopped off for some cash, then to Shopper's Plaza (top right of map). This is turning into my local supermarket. I can get most things here, SOME good veggies but it is hit and miss. I go here for general household stuff, like foil, shampoo etc etc. Best to go with a car, so made use of having Felix today and stocked up on a few things.
Had a good chat to Felix along the way... he is from southern Tanzania and moved to Dar two years ago. He has 8 kids (that's quite normal here!) most of them grown up and with kids of their own (he has 8 grandchildren so far). He and his wife live with two of their grandchildren as his daughter (their mother) passed away. I didn't like to ask how... only just met him! He knows Dar VERY well as he is driving the roads every day. He lives about 25km from the town and drives in at 5:30am every morning to avoid the traffic. He heads home at about 9pm, sometimes later if he gets called by a customer. I really love talking to locals and getting their spin on things, so asked him to recommend some good places to find Tanzanian arts and crafts. He talked of a place I have heard of and intend to visit - Uhuru Street - but will save that for another adventure on another day!
As if by magic about 5 minutes later he drove down a road that looked like an art market! WOW. Then I realised it was the place to buy 'Tinga Tinga' paintings (and other styles). At first I thought it was just a tourist place, as there were some other white faces there, but Felix told me that most of the Tinga Tinga art is made here at this workshop and they have one more place outside of Dar. Some of you Brits might have seen Tinga Tinga Tales... based on the Tinga Tinga artworks (video at bottom of this post).
Main sign
Tinga Tinga workshop
The artist said it would take him two days to finish this.
Artists in their workshop
Tinga Tinga style pencils
And, of course, I couldn't come away empty-handed! I didn't buy any Tinga Tinga artwork, but I did get these:
Oli chose the blue one for him, orange one for me... and white one will become my coffee mug at school! Loving the colours here. Also love when things just happen. This wasn't planned at all, just came upon it, and decided on the spur of the moment to stop and take a look. Perfect.
From there we headed to the Woodberry Cafe. I think this will become my 'chill out' breakfast spot. My little man likes it too... he had a mean chocolate pancake for lunch!!!
Went to the Garden Market next door to get some nice veggies (if a little pricey).... then Felix drove us home. There was a faint odour of fumigation chemicals when we arrived, but thankfully not too strong.
Almost as soon as we got home, Oli headed onto the field to play football with his mates. Great to have other kids living on campus. They are pretty much free to roam. Parents take it in turns to watch them in the pool... it's a great little community. That's why I have time to write this now - Oli is at the pool!! I'm very aware of the fact that it would be EASY to stay on campus all the time and never leave (some teachers do that!)... so I'm making a concerted effort to get out and about at weekends.
Weekday outings will be few and far between I think. I'm up at 5am and leave for school at about 6:10am, getting to my classroom about 3-4 minutes after that (LOVING the commute!). School's out for students at 1:45pm (for the first 3 weeks at least)... I'm usually home by about 4pm. Hoping that will gradually get earlier, but as a newbie and being the first weeks of the school year it is pretty full on. By 4-5pm the traffic in Dar is horrendous, so it's really not worth going out then as it would take hours to get anywhere and hours to get home (we are not real close to much here!). It gets dark by about 6:30-7pm, and it's best to be home by then. Oli goes to bed at 7pm anyway (on a school night), I usually have some work to do and try to be in bed before 9pm.
So weekends OUT it will be!!!!! Definitely planning to get a car. For safety. For independence.
I have my Tanzanian driving licence already, so hopefully soon...
The extent of my Kiswahili so far:
Hello.
Good Morning.
I'm fine.
Please may I have a coffee?
I live in Dar.
Thank you (very much).
One.
Two.
Yes.
No.
Goodbye.
See you tomorrow.
(the essentials! - haha!)
I'd better love you and leave you... I need to whip up something edible for a potluck brunch tomorrow - all living on school campus are invited! It should be a nice easy morning getting to know my neighbours. Loving the slower pace here. People make time for IMPORTANT stuff.
Today was quite a successful day. I managed to get two big jobs done which is quite an achievement.
In order for my shipment to be allowed through customs when it arrives, I need a TIN number. In order to get a TIN number I have to supply a small mountain of paperwork and visit a couple of government offices. Most people here work on something I'm calling 'stretchy time'. Things are pretty laid back here, so take much longer than we would expect... It took about three hours to get it. That included a short drive to a different office that we didn't need to do! Complicated.
Then I went to Airtel, the mobile phone provider. I'd paid for a plan last week, but suddenly I was unable to text or phone. Apparently they had a record of me paying the money, but had not activated the plan. Mmmmm. I was assured it would be sorted today. We will see!!!
Two big jobs done.
I'm still struggling with finding places to buy nice fresh vegetables... Today Oli and I went to Oyster Bay... One of the teachers very kindly gave us a lift there. Veggies still not great. It's hard for me, when. Veggies make up 80% of our diet. Used Uber to get home. Will definitely be using that from now on!!!!!
I know I am a few posts behind... So much has happened in the 10 days we have been here in Dar es Salaam. I will try to write about those soon. While you wait here are a few words about today. Focusing on the positives and, although a small one, this is a definite positive today.
We discovered that we have a 'berry man'! This guy comes every Tuesday at 6pm with fresh berries. Strawberries, raspberries and blueberries.
He comes to where we live on campus, opens the back of his van, and brings out the berries! We bring our containers and he fills them with succulent produce. Good quality, delicious tasting, REAL berries. Awesome!!!
Today he only had strawberries. I paid 5,000 Tanzanian shillings (£1.70) for a container's worth. Far cheaper than Hong Kong! So far this is the BEST fresh fruit I have seen here. I will definitely be buying his fruit every week. Oli and I love berries!! Yum. Hope there are other fresh fruit vendors like this!!
Hard to believe that October 2012 was the last time I wrote in this blog! Definitely time to reactivate. In just over a week we leave Hong Kong. 'Home' for 6 years.
After 19 years in Asia, it is time for a change. A big shake up. Moving continents should do that! Africa, here we come!
Hoping to have time to write about our African adventures here - there are sure to be a few! In the meantime, here are some photos I've taken while here in HK:
