Blogs from Mwanza, North, Tanzania, Africa - page 4

There is no simple way to describe Mwanza and the parts of Africa I’ve seen in the past six weeks. It’s a contradiction. Mansions are constructed on plots of land whose granite boulders were broken down into pebbles by day laborers using nothing more than hammers and their own strength. The neighborhood of the rich, with its houses leaning over Lake Victoria, is bordered by two small villages where entire families live in a single-room, dirt-brick house, their children running around barefoot and dusty. The chaotic rush of the city disappears in a 30-minute drive and in two hours, there’s nothing more than small towns, thatched roof houses and the plains of the Serengeti. The locals have been the most open and friendly people I have ever met, and the most mocking and disrespectful. No matter ... read more

Our last trip to Geita, well my last trip to Geita, and I think I’ve gotten use to the long days and interesting toilets. We started out Monday afternoon joining the bustle at the ferry terminal. There’s stands selling the local chips maii (they add eggs to a fry pan with the chips so its more like omlette than chips but still good) and vendors try to sell you hair scrunchies that belong to the eighties or English learn-to-read texts assuming that because I’m a mzungo (white) I’ll be interested be anything written in English. We joined in along with the locals pushing to make it through the ticket “booth” and onto the boat, filing in between the vehicles. A Brit could do great things at that place, teaching people how to queue. Living in London, ... read more

So I'm walking down the street, one of the few that's paved and has a side walk, and I hear this huge clunk sound from behind me and turning around there's a car rolling right in my direction! I say rolling because it couldn't have been moving any faster than 20 km/h and I wasn't all that concerned about having enough time to move out of the way but another pedestrian, adorned head to foot in traditional muslim dress, grabbed my arm and pulled me further off to the side. We both turned and watched the car, minus one hubcab, rumble past, bump back onto the road and continue around a corner. So here I am, with my arm still firmly in the grip of a stranger not quite sure what to make of the situation ... read more

I have to laugh at what, yesterday, I considered rural because today has totally changed my perception of the word. We visited health centers and dispensaries today that were down roads I initially thought were foot paths. There was nothing but wide open space, the sky went on forever and we could go for hours seeing only locals on foot or bicycle. Houses built of red brick made from the earth and thatched roofs were spotted along the side of the road and in the distance but the nearest thing we had to traffic was problems with cattle and goats crossing the road. No wonder some of these areas aren’t able to offer much in the way of health care, they are honestly in the middle of nowhere. The areas we travelled today are a far ... read more

The reality of having electricity set in this morning like a cold blast of water to the face, except that’s really how it happened. Eating dinner and going to bed by candel-light may hold some historic, romantic appeal, (is it not reminiscent of a different period when life was simpler, and heroic figures roamed the country side on horseback slaying dragons?) but having a cold shower on the one day the sun isn’t blaring down in full force is not appealing in the least. The electrician arrives today to sort out the problem; however, I’m not sure how successful that will be. Suzanne has little regard for the electricians in this town, I’m not of opinion in either way but I would like to be able to have warm showers for the next five weeks. I ... read more