Blogs from Tanzania, Africa - page 320

45 apparently. 50 if I adorn myself with jewellry. Not quite the 500 I asked for. Apparently Mike the Maasai has only 60 cows but his father has 1500 and he reckons his community would be able to pitch in and help him and would I take 450? I wasn't expecting this. What do you reckon dad? Got somewhere to keep 450 cows? I have been having quite the time with the Maasai community lately. A lot of people here really don't like them. They are often not called by name (and instead just 'hey maasai'). The reasons I have been given include 'it is in my blood'. Of course I don't have much history with the tribe myself but the Maasai that I live with are a lot of fun. I introduced them to ... read more

KARIBU - I have never heard to word welcome more in 30 years than I have in the past three weeks living in Tanzania. Some of the things, phrases or otherwise I have come to love over the past weeks. Hujambo, Mambo, Jambo, Habari, Safi, Poa, Dole, Nzuri, Shikamo, Marahaba, Karibu sana, Asante sana- For the most part you can get by with the words above. All are different greetings, all are used all the time. The are sometimes different based on age and gender, but some combination fo the greetings above and you you can get a good conversation rolling. TIA - This is Africa The more I learn the more I realize how much I don't understand. Life should not be as complicated as it is here. The only response that makes any sense ... read more

1. i saw my first traffic light here in Stone Town the other day. But they do have Traffic controller people in Arusha that help direct traffic. 2. minibuses are the preferred vehicle for offroading. I can't even count the number of roads we have been on in a minbus that i wouldn't even attempt in my SUV. crazy! 3. Cows perfer garbage over grain, and banana leafs too. 4. 100 year old tortoises like iceberg lettuce. 5. Tanzania - the name was chosen when the mainland and Zanzibar joined to form 1 country. TAN from the former Tanganika, ZAN from Zanzibar, I from the name of the first president of Tanganika, A from the first president of Zanzibar. 6. There are over 120 different tribes in Tanzania. 7. I turned down a sip of goat's ... read more

I have some good news - I got my luggage!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Extremely happy about this! June 9th has been declared national bag day. We had a lot of help from Paradise. We actually met Paradise the night I arrived. An American girl, Liz, arrived on the same flight as me. She was going to be doing a similar volunteer project (but through a different company), and had not been met at the airport. We ended up taking her with our group, and dropping her off at a hotel in town, where she was met by her project leader, Paradise. He made quite an impression on us straight away as he made a big deal of thanking the British for the things that we have done for Tanzania - roads, hospitals, schools etc. I'd better not go into ... read more

One thing I have learned from our short time in Africa is not to take anything we have in America for granted--especially when it comes to worshipping!! Some things I took for granted are lights, sound systems, padded pews, classrooms, and a roof. Of course, none of these are necessary for worship, but certainly make sitting in a building a little more comforable. I thought I would take a few minutes and try to describe what the church buildings are like here and show some pictures. Most Sundays, we worship at the Arusha building, but have visited three other smaller congregations. Arusha has a nice, large building. The walls and floors are cement, no sound system, very few lights (lots of windows), and wooden pews---no cushions, but we do have backs on them. :). Most days ... read more