Thursday, June 24, 2004
Travel Log
My apologies that it has taken me so long to add this entry. Such is life here in Africa.
Since I last wrote, I have been on the road a lot. For the sake of organization, I will divide this entry into 5 parts:
1. IST
2. Dar Part I
3. The Wedding on Zanzibar
4. Dar Part II
5. Back Home
1. IST (In-Service Training)
This was the first leg of my great adventure. Peace Corps required all of us 1st year volunteers to travel to Morogoro for a week of training sessions. Morogoro is about a 9-hour bus ride from Moshi. At least the road is paved the entire route. Asphalt did not prevent crazy driving. We saw a bad wreck that included an overturned double petrol tanker. Aside from that and a mad sprint to the bushes, it was an enjoyable ride. (I learned that 2 cokes at 6 AM is not a wise idea before a bus ride.)
IST kicked off with "Prom". Yes...prom. Thanks to the wonderful used clothing markets in Tanzania, the ladies were able to acquire actual prom dresses. Some of them circa 1980s, but still prom dresses. I must say that my burgandy dress with 4-inch heels was quite classy. Even our PCVL (volunteer leader) Andrew got into the spirit by wearing a revealing blue dress. The photos are providing some wonderful blackmail material.
The training sessions ranged from being helpful to being a good cure for my insomnia. By far, the best aspect of IST was being able to talk with the other volunteers. It was good to exchange ideas about how to tackle different situations. Many of these group therapy sessions happened on the roof of the hostel at night with a crate of beer.
2. Dar Part I
After IST, many of us headed towards Dar. My business in Dar involved medical check-ups for some on-going issues. It is such a relief to have free health care and prescriptions. Peace Corps even provides us with free non-prescription supplies like mosquito lotion, sunscreen, vitamins, and condoms (for the romantically-inclined volunteers).
One of the highlights of this trip to Dar for me was being invited to lunch at Edith's house. Edith is one of our PCMOs (Peace Corps Medical Officer). She is one of the hardest working members of the Peace Corps staff. Also at the lunch was the bishop for the Anglican Church in Madagascar. It was an amazing cultural experience to have prayers in Swahili, French, English, and a tribal language from Madagascar. The food Edith cooked was incredible. It had been a long time since I had eaten that well.
3. The Wedding on Zanzibar
Zanzibar is a short 2-hour boat ride from Dar. The ferry I took was really nice. It even had a snack bar selling Cokes and Mars bars. It was luxury compared to some of the bus rides I have taken.
The wedding was held at a beach resort in Matemwe village. The bride's parents paid for hotel and food for 2 days for all the volunteers. They even included an open bar for the entire time. You can only imagine how happy all of this made the volunteers. Free food, lodging, and alcohol when you make less than $200 a month makes you feel like you have gone to heaven.
The festivities included a goat/cow ceremony the night before the wedding. The groom presented the father of the bride with some goats as her "bride price". He attempted to include a cow as well, but the animal was very uncooperative. After the ceremony, the eating began. Yes, it was in a volunteer's favorite form...BUFFET. After dinner, the guests gathered on the beach for a giant bonfire. The bride's parents brought Hershey bars, graham crackers, and marshmellows from the US so we could make smores.
The wedding ceremony was held the following day at sunset on the beach. The groom rode in on a donkey and the bride was carried in on a platform. The local villagers formed a drum circle. It was a very moving experience.
4. Dar Part II
After a late night of celebrating, it was time to head back to Dar. Unfortunately the ferry ride back was not as smooth as the ride there. You know it is going to be rough when they pass out plastic bags. I am proud to say that I was one of the very few people on-board that did not vomit.
After fulfilling my official duties in Dar with the medical office, I took a taxi back to the hotel. A large crowd was gathered outside the hotel entrance. When you see large crowds like that, they are usually beating a thief. I paid the taxi driver and started to make my way to the entrance. To my surprise, they were not engaged in Tanzanian justice. There were 2 Tanzanians with some very large snakes. They agreed to take a picture with the python wrapped around me. The crowd went crazy watching the white girl with the snake.
That night, I accomplished my main goal in Dar...to see the new Harry Potter movie. Dar has the only movie theatre in Tanzania. It is quite nice by US standards. The movie was great and provided a nice end to my vacation.
5. Back home
I was happy to finally return home to Moshi. I missed my neighbors, the local bakery, and my hot shower. I was pleasantly surprised to find no sigh of the rat. The neighbors left poisoned food for it while I was away. I hope it is enjoying rodent heaven
I am back in Moshi for a few more days until I leave for vacation part II. I am traveling with another volunteer to the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater. We will get back just in time for the Peace Corps 4th of July party in Arusha. Nothing celebrates America better than Tanzanian beer.
Since I last wrote, I have been on the road a lot. For the sake of organization, I will divide this entry into 5 parts:
1. IST
2. Dar Part I
3. The Wedding on Zanzibar
4. Dar Part II
5. Back Home
1. IST (In-Service Training)
This was the first leg of my great adventure. Peace Corps required all of us 1st year volunteers to travel to Morogoro for a week of training sessions. Morogoro is about a 9-hour bus ride from Moshi. At least the road is paved the entire route. Asphalt did not prevent crazy driving. We saw a bad wreck that included an overturned double petrol tanker. Aside from that and a mad sprint to the bushes, it was an enjoyable ride. (I learned that 2 cokes at 6 AM is not a wise idea before a bus ride.)
IST kicked off with "Prom". Yes...prom. Thanks to the wonderful used clothing markets in Tanzania, the ladies were able to acquire actual prom dresses. Some of them circa 1980s, but still prom dresses. I must say that my burgandy dress with 4-inch heels was quite classy. Even our PCVL (volunteer leader) Andrew got into the spirit by wearing a revealing blue dress. The photos are providing some wonderful blackmail material.
The training sessions ranged from being helpful to being a good cure for my insomnia. By far, the best aspect of IST was being able to talk with the other volunteers. It was good to exchange ideas about how to tackle different situations. Many of these group therapy sessions happened on the roof of the hostel at night with a crate of beer.
2. Dar Part I
After IST, many of us headed towards Dar. My business in Dar involved medical check-ups for some on-going issues. It is such a relief to have free health care and prescriptions. Peace Corps even provides us with free non-prescription supplies like mosquito lotion, sunscreen, vitamins, and condoms (for the romantically-inclined volunteers).
One of the highlights of this trip to Dar for me was being invited to lunch at Edith's house. Edith is one of our PCMOs (Peace Corps Medical Officer). She is one of the hardest working members of the Peace Corps staff. Also at the lunch was the bishop for the Anglican Church in Madagascar. It was an amazing cultural experience to have prayers in Swahili, French, English, and a tribal language from Madagascar. The food Edith cooked was incredible. It had been a long time since I had eaten that well.
3. The Wedding on Zanzibar
Zanzibar is a short 2-hour boat ride from Dar. The ferry I took was really nice. It even had a snack bar selling Cokes and Mars bars. It was luxury compared to some of the bus rides I have taken.
The wedding was held at a beach resort in Matemwe village. The bride's parents paid for hotel and food for 2 days for all the volunteers. They even included an open bar for the entire time. You can only imagine how happy all of this made the volunteers. Free food, lodging, and alcohol when you make less than $200 a month makes you feel like you have gone to heaven.
The festivities included a goat/cow ceremony the night before the wedding. The groom presented the father of the bride with some goats as her "bride price". He attempted to include a cow as well, but the animal was very uncooperative. After the ceremony, the eating began. Yes, it was in a volunteer's favorite form...BUFFET. After dinner, the guests gathered on the beach for a giant bonfire. The bride's parents brought Hershey bars, graham crackers, and marshmellows from the US so we could make smores.
The wedding ceremony was held the following day at sunset on the beach. The groom rode in on a donkey and the bride was carried in on a platform. The local villagers formed a drum circle. It was a very moving experience.
4. Dar Part II
After a late night of celebrating, it was time to head back to Dar. Unfortunately the ferry ride back was not as smooth as the ride there. You know it is going to be rough when they pass out plastic bags. I am proud to say that I was one of the very few people on-board that did not vomit.
After fulfilling my official duties in Dar with the medical office, I took a taxi back to the hotel. A large crowd was gathered outside the hotel entrance. When you see large crowds like that, they are usually beating a thief. I paid the taxi driver and started to make my way to the entrance. To my surprise, they were not engaged in Tanzanian justice. There were 2 Tanzanians with some very large snakes. They agreed to take a picture with the python wrapped around me. The crowd went crazy watching the white girl with the snake.
That night, I accomplished my main goal in Dar...to see the new Harry Potter movie. Dar has the only movie theatre in Tanzania. It is quite nice by US standards. The movie was great and provided a nice end to my vacation.
5. Back home
I was happy to finally return home to Moshi. I missed my neighbors, the local bakery, and my hot shower. I was pleasantly surprised to find no sigh of the rat. The neighbors left poisoned food for it while I was away. I hope it is enjoying rodent heaven
I am back in Moshi for a few more days until I leave for vacation part II. I am traveling with another volunteer to the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater. We will get back just in time for the Peace Corps 4th of July party in Arusha. Nothing celebrates America better than Tanzanian beer.
