Here's a great documentary made about Bernard Kiwia, a brilliant inventor from Arusha who we worked with on the stove project during our summer trip!
Documentary "The Inventor" Bernard Kiwia... by BeekeeperStories
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Friday, August 24, 2012
Adventure is out there!
8/21
Internet access on this island is terrible so, dedicated readers, I apologize I have not been able to post in a while. Unfortunately, I am unable to post photos yet due to unforseen circumstances. And yes, I can get more vague than that. So I do not bore you with the details, I have decided to make this post succinct but (hopefully) interesting.
DAY 1:
After getting through immigration, we dala dala'd over to Demani Lodge in Paje, a very laid-back village known for great kite surfing. Demani Lodge has a very chill atmosphere and is only a 2 minute walk from the beach, a small price to pay considering a dorm room is $12 a person. Upon arrival, I spent the evening at the beach, soaking in the beauty of clear turquoise waters.
DAY 2:
I attained snorkeling gear and explored the tide pools and sea grass beds closer to shorte. I saw many sea urchins and bristle star fish. Highlight of the day, I swam alongside a puffer fish! I spent all morning and most of the afternoon swimming. The water was so shallow, you could swim for a good 10 minutes and still touch the floor. For lunch, I enjoyed a seafood pizza with fresh octopus and shrimp. The food is good, but everything is much more expensive than on the mainland (figures).
DAY 3:
The mosquitoes here are TERRIBLE. I was eaten alive and counted over 35 bug bites on my arms and legs. I took benadryl and passed out on the dala dala ride back to Stonetown, the main city on the island. Apparently, the only ATMs on the entire island are in Stonetown, so we had to pick up more money before continuing our adventure. We ate at a Chinese restaurant and returned to Paje in time to watch the sunset. Highlight of the day, we got sushi!! It was an incredible 20-piece sashimi dish for the reasonable price of $15.
DAY 4:
You know you have a bad sunburn when Kevin asks, "Amelia, why is your back so wet?" and Nik responds "That's not water, those are blisters".
DAY 5:
Highlight of the day, I went snorkeling at low tide and saw a sea anemone that shone bright blue and orange with black and white striped fish swimming around inside. Not sure if they were clownfish, but still really neat! I also saw a very thin fish pretending to be seaweed, a very funny but useful defense mechanism. The tide was out far enough to walk halfway to the reef, since the east coast of Zanzibar has very temperamental tides. In Zanzibar, there are many expensive hotels with pools overlooking the ocean, so naturally I found a hotel and swam in the pool to rinse off for the day.
DAY 6:
I couldn't get enough of the swanky hotels, so I spent the entire day at the pool enjoying the benefits of the 1%. There was much swimming and sleeping to be had, but I also was productive by doing some chemistry reading in preparation for the upcoming year. Hey, I got bored.
DAY 7:
We travelled to Baby Bush Lodge in Kiwengwa, on the North Eastern coast of Zanzibar. This was a new and exciting change since we were able to see the ocean quite clearly from the hotel. Kiwengwa was nice because, unlike Paje where the reef was a little over a km from the shore, the reef was only 1/2 km out from shore in Kiwengwa. Unfortunately, food is very pricey and so we had limited places to eat. After jumping over massive waves (massive for Zanzibar standards), we went to a shady restaurant and I ordered a plate of calamari and octopus.
DAY 8:
After waking up to watch the sunset and pass out again, I was lucky enough to eat breakfast with a clear view of the ocean later in the morning. The tide was so far out in the morning that I was able to walk all the way out to the reef and explore the tide pools (and even see some coral!). The tide pools were littered with sea urchins. While I was walking on the beach, a man walked up carrying a monkey on a leash. Interested, I approached him and asked him about his monkey (named Freddy) who then proceeded to jump onto my shoulder. Ecstatic, I got the man to take a picture of me and Freddy. As if the day wasn't awesome enough, Nik, Kevin, and I went to an all-you-can-eat buffet at a swanky resort, and then went to a beach party later that night at "Obama Bar" on Obama Beach. I cannot explain how weirdly awesome it was to be dancing with Maasai to "Waka Waka", line dancing to "YMCA", and watching a gay Italian man rock out to this song (Caution: the video contains explicit language).
DAY 9:
For our last day in Kiwengwa, we went on a snorkeling tour at Mnemba Island, THE place to go snorkeling and diving on Zanzibar. On our drive over, it was pouring rain. Then out of nowhere, the sun came out just above the island. We took a dhow out to the island and geared up. The coolest creatures I saw were parrotfish, clownfish, sea snakes, eels, puffer fish, and a sting ray (really cool!). AND THEN... our guides told us to "hurry up and get back in the boat". I sprint-swam over and got in the boat to discover dolphins were less than one hundred feet away from us. Our boat gunned it and sped past the pod, and we watched a few dolphins breach and even leap out of the air. Our guides then told us to "get out of the boat now". Yep, that's right. We were going to swim with the dolphins. This was no Sea World, however. As we swam in the middle of the ocean, we looked down and saw around 18 dolphins swimming right under us and on both sides of us. I looked to my left to watch a dolphin breach no more than 6 feet away from me. Swimming with dolphins was unreal- I still am not sure it really happened. What was even more unreal was that we got a two-for-one deal, snorkeling and swimming with dolphins, all for under $20.
Internet access on this island is terrible so, dedicated readers, I apologize I have not been able to post in a while. Unfortunately, I am unable to post photos yet due to unforseen circumstances. And yes, I can get more vague than that. So I do not bore you with the details, I have decided to make this post succinct but (hopefully) interesting.
DAY 1:
After getting through immigration, we dala dala'd over to Demani Lodge in Paje, a very laid-back village known for great kite surfing. Demani Lodge has a very chill atmosphere and is only a 2 minute walk from the beach, a small price to pay considering a dorm room is $12 a person. Upon arrival, I spent the evening at the beach, soaking in the beauty of clear turquoise waters.
DAY 2:
I attained snorkeling gear and explored the tide pools and sea grass beds closer to shorte. I saw many sea urchins and bristle star fish. Highlight of the day, I swam alongside a puffer fish! I spent all morning and most of the afternoon swimming. The water was so shallow, you could swim for a good 10 minutes and still touch the floor. For lunch, I enjoyed a seafood pizza with fresh octopus and shrimp. The food is good, but everything is much more expensive than on the mainland (figures).
DAY 3:
The mosquitoes here are TERRIBLE. I was eaten alive and counted over 35 bug bites on my arms and legs. I took benadryl and passed out on the dala dala ride back to Stonetown, the main city on the island. Apparently, the only ATMs on the entire island are in Stonetown, so we had to pick up more money before continuing our adventure. We ate at a Chinese restaurant and returned to Paje in time to watch the sunset. Highlight of the day, we got sushi!! It was an incredible 20-piece sashimi dish for the reasonable price of $15.
DAY 4:
You know you have a bad sunburn when Kevin asks, "Amelia, why is your back so wet?" and Nik responds "That's not water, those are blisters".
DAY 5:
Highlight of the day, I went snorkeling at low tide and saw a sea anemone that shone bright blue and orange with black and white striped fish swimming around inside. Not sure if they were clownfish, but still really neat! I also saw a very thin fish pretending to be seaweed, a very funny but useful defense mechanism. The tide was out far enough to walk halfway to the reef, since the east coast of Zanzibar has very temperamental tides. In Zanzibar, there are many expensive hotels with pools overlooking the ocean, so naturally I found a hotel and swam in the pool to rinse off for the day.
DAY 6:
I couldn't get enough of the swanky hotels, so I spent the entire day at the pool enjoying the benefits of the 1%. There was much swimming and sleeping to be had, but I also was productive by doing some chemistry reading in preparation for the upcoming year. Hey, I got bored.
DAY 7:
We travelled to Baby Bush Lodge in Kiwengwa, on the North Eastern coast of Zanzibar. This was a new and exciting change since we were able to see the ocean quite clearly from the hotel. Kiwengwa was nice because, unlike Paje where the reef was a little over a km from the shore, the reef was only 1/2 km out from shore in Kiwengwa. Unfortunately, food is very pricey and so we had limited places to eat. After jumping over massive waves (massive for Zanzibar standards), we went to a shady restaurant and I ordered a plate of calamari and octopus.
DAY 8:
After waking up to watch the sunset and pass out again, I was lucky enough to eat breakfast with a clear view of the ocean later in the morning. The tide was so far out in the morning that I was able to walk all the way out to the reef and explore the tide pools (and even see some coral!). The tide pools were littered with sea urchins. While I was walking on the beach, a man walked up carrying a monkey on a leash. Interested, I approached him and asked him about his monkey (named Freddy) who then proceeded to jump onto my shoulder. Ecstatic, I got the man to take a picture of me and Freddy. As if the day wasn't awesome enough, Nik, Kevin, and I went to an all-you-can-eat buffet at a swanky resort, and then went to a beach party later that night at "Obama Bar" on Obama Beach. I cannot explain how weirdly awesome it was to be dancing with Maasai to "Waka Waka", line dancing to "YMCA", and watching a gay Italian man rock out to this song (Caution: the video contains explicit language).
DAY 9:
For our last day in Kiwengwa, we went on a snorkeling tour at Mnemba Island, THE place to go snorkeling and diving on Zanzibar. On our drive over, it was pouring rain. Then out of nowhere, the sun came out just above the island. We took a dhow out to the island and geared up. The coolest creatures I saw were parrotfish, clownfish, sea snakes, eels, puffer fish, and a sting ray (really cool!). AND THEN... our guides told us to "hurry up and get back in the boat". I sprint-swam over and got in the boat to discover dolphins were less than one hundred feet away from us. Our boat gunned it and sped past the pod, and we watched a few dolphins breach and even leap out of the air. Our guides then told us to "get out of the boat now". Yep, that's right. We were going to swim with the dolphins. This was no Sea World, however. As we swam in the middle of the ocean, we looked down and saw around 18 dolphins swimming right under us and on both sides of us. I looked to my left to watch a dolphin breach no more than 6 feet away from me. Swimming with dolphins was unreal- I still am not sure it really happened. What was even more unreal was that we got a two-for-one deal, snorkeling and swimming with dolphins, all for under $20.
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Tanzania hates volunteers
8/12
After our quick and easy ferry ride from Dar to Zanzibar (you know it's nice when you pay $5 extra for first class), we walked onto the island, ready with our bags and passports. As we waited in line, a man came around telling us we needed our Yellow Fever Immigration papers if we were new to the country. He asked us when we arrived and what we had been doing for the 2 months in country. Without thinking, I replied "we were volunteers in Arusha". Oops.
Apparently, in order to volunteer in Tanzania, you need to pay an extra $200 along with the visa fee for permission to volunteer. Of course, we did not get this problem in the Dar Airport because, as the immigration officer said "this is Zanzibar not Tanzania". Confused and frustrated, we then spent the next two and a half hours arguing against us having to pay the fee. Long story short, the officer just wanted to make 200 bucks and didn't actually have any reason for holding us and our passports. We argued for so long he realized he was wasting time getting money out of other foreigners, so he finally stamped our passports and let us through. Welcome to Zanzibar.
After our quick and easy ferry ride from Dar to Zanzibar (you know it's nice when you pay $5 extra for first class), we walked onto the island, ready with our bags and passports. As we waited in line, a man came around telling us we needed our Yellow Fever Immigration papers if we were new to the country. He asked us when we arrived and what we had been doing for the 2 months in country. Without thinking, I replied "we were volunteers in Arusha". Oops.
Apparently, in order to volunteer in Tanzania, you need to pay an extra $200 along with the visa fee for permission to volunteer. Of course, we did not get this problem in the Dar Airport because, as the immigration officer said "this is Zanzibar not Tanzania". Confused and frustrated, we then spent the next two and a half hours arguing against us having to pay the fee. Long story short, the officer just wanted to make 200 bucks and didn't actually have any reason for holding us and our passports. We argued for so long he realized he was wasting time getting money out of other foreigners, so he finally stamped our passports and let us through. Welcome to Zanzibar.
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Things I learned in Tanzania
8/11
This list is a result of 8 weeks of life in Tanzania's third largest city. Take heed of this knowledge!
1. You can tell the wealth/status of a person by the quality of their teeth
2. Hustle or be hustled
3. How to easily differentiate between people going on a safari and people hiking Kilimanjaro
4. The price you pay is (almost) never the price locals pay
5. If you know Swahili, you are more likely to bargain to a lower price
6. Food made on the street. Just do it.
7. You know someone is new to Africa when they use bottled water to brush their teeth and wash their hands
8. Drivers cannot drive without communicating though using their horn incessantly
9. Electricity is optional
10. Free internet does not mean the internet service actually works
Goodbye, Arusha. Hello, Zanzibar.
This list is a result of 8 weeks of life in Tanzania's third largest city. Take heed of this knowledge!
1. You can tell the wealth/status of a person by the quality of their teeth
2. Hustle or be hustled
3. How to easily differentiate between people going on a safari and people hiking Kilimanjaro
4. The price you pay is (almost) never the price locals pay
5. If you know Swahili, you are more likely to bargain to a lower price
6. Food made on the street. Just do it.
7. You know someone is new to Africa when they use bottled water to brush their teeth and wash their hands
8. Drivers cannot drive without communicating though using their horn incessantly
9. Electricity is optional
10. Free internet does not mean the internet service actually works
Goodbye, Arusha. Hello, Zanzibar.
Things I will miss about Tanzania
8/11
1am.
We leave Arusha in under 6 hours and I must say, though Arusha has tested me and frustrated me and made me wish I had lived in a village with no running water all trip, I'm going to miss this place. I dedicated 8 weeks of my life here and have made great friends and formed incredible memories. I'm really going to miss it. So, as a tribute, I've created a (in no way exhaustive) list of the top 10 things I will miss about Tanzania.
1. Enormous $0.15 avocados and the ripest $0.30 mangoes I may ever find
2. Freshly grilled corn plus lemon and chili powder for $0.20
3. Chapatti and Chai for $0.75
4. Monkeys in your backyard
5. Piki piki rides with the wind in my hair and holding on for dear life
6. Watching the sunset with wine and cheese on the roof
7. Arusha Ultimate League
8. The smile on the mamas faces when we sold them our briquetting press and showed them briquettes burning
9. All of the marvelous people I've met in these past 8 weeks
10. Slowing down and enjoying the simple beauty of each day
Goodbye, Arusha. I may never return, but I must say it's been a pleasure exploring your streets and meeting your people in my attempts to discover the beauty of the city.
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Komunyo
8/5
There is only one week left in our stay in Arusha, and I still had not gone to a Tanzanian church service! On our drive out to coffee plantations one day I saw a gorgeous yellow church, so I decided that would be a safe bet for a Sunday morning service. I thought St. Peters 8am service was early, but the only Sunday service this Roman Catholic church had was 7am! It was a nice looking church that I knew I would be safe at if I went alone (the guys enjoy their sleep above cultural experiences), so I sucked it up and woke up at 6am to make it to the service in time via dala dala. 5 minutes before the service began, the dala dala still had not left the stand (surprise surprise). I ran out and got a taxi to get to church on time.
I knew we were getting close when I saw large groups of people dressed in Sunday attire walking down the dirt roads. We arrived promptly at 7 and I was amazed to find the church packed with people (and more still arriving). Once I found a seat, I estimated there was an impressive 400 people crammed in to the church. The entire service was in Swahili, but I proudly recognized a word every five minutes. There was a lot of clapping during the singing, and the music was more upbeat than most church services I have attended in the states. The music was like St. Peter's 10am service on crack and with an African twist, which I had expected. When we prayed, we knelt on wooden benches (ouch) and the children were extremely well behaved (even the babies). I do not know how best to describe it, but more or less Tanzanian mothers are less patient than American mothers with their children when it comes to misbehaving.
At one point, everyone got out of their pews and lined up to go up to the altar, so of course I, the mzungu without a clue what was being said, assumed it was communion and lined up too. When I got to the front I realized it was offering and I was supposed to have brought up money with me. Yes, I was that msungu who went up to offering and gave nothing. And yes, I was that person who was so embarrassed she stuck her hand inside the offertory box and pretended to place money inside. It was embarrassing and I am sorry I couldn't have donated something for the service, but I sure as heck wasn't going to go back to my pew to get money and go back up to the altar just so the church could make an extra buck! I'll admit, I have too much pride for that one.
Overall it was a lovely service and I was excited to know some of the prayers (mainly because during Communion prayer they used the same songs only translated to Swahili). I made it a personal goal to attend a religious service in every country I visit for the future, since the cultural additions I noticed in this Tanzanian service were beautiful.
There is only one week left in our stay in Arusha, and I still had not gone to a Tanzanian church service! On our drive out to coffee plantations one day I saw a gorgeous yellow church, so I decided that would be a safe bet for a Sunday morning service. I thought St. Peters 8am service was early, but the only Sunday service this Roman Catholic church had was 7am! It was a nice looking church that I knew I would be safe at if I went alone (the guys enjoy their sleep above cultural experiences), so I sucked it up and woke up at 6am to make it to the service in time via dala dala. 5 minutes before the service began, the dala dala still had not left the stand (surprise surprise). I ran out and got a taxi to get to church on time.
I knew we were getting close when I saw large groups of people dressed in Sunday attire walking down the dirt roads. We arrived promptly at 7 and I was amazed to find the church packed with people (and more still arriving). Once I found a seat, I estimated there was an impressive 400 people crammed in to the church. The entire service was in Swahili, but I proudly recognized a word every five minutes. There was a lot of clapping during the singing, and the music was more upbeat than most church services I have attended in the states. The music was like St. Peter's 10am service on crack and with an African twist, which I had expected. When we prayed, we knelt on wooden benches (ouch) and the children were extremely well behaved (even the babies). I do not know how best to describe it, but more or less Tanzanian mothers are less patient than American mothers with their children when it comes to misbehaving.
At one point, everyone got out of their pews and lined up to go up to the altar, so of course I, the mzungu without a clue what was being said, assumed it was communion and lined up too. When I got to the front I realized it was offering and I was supposed to have brought up money with me. Yes, I was that msungu who went up to offering and gave nothing. And yes, I was that person who was so embarrassed she stuck her hand inside the offertory box and pretended to place money inside. It was embarrassing and I am sorry I couldn't have donated something for the service, but I sure as heck wasn't going to go back to my pew to get money and go back up to the altar just so the church could make an extra buck! I'll admit, I have too much pride for that one.
Overall it was a lovely service and I was excited to know some of the prayers (mainly because during Communion prayer they used the same songs only translated to Swahili). I made it a personal goal to attend a religious service in every country I visit for the future, since the cultural additions I noticed in this Tanzanian service were beautiful.
Tarangire
7/30
Our final day of safari. We woke up early again to head over to Tarangire National Park. As we arrived, we felt it necessary to take many group photos. Oh, I forgot to mention we had played card games for hours on end the night before and group members had lost bets (some lost more than one). So our photos throughout the day were very interesting to say the least.
Our final day of safari. We woke up early again to head over to Tarangire National Park. As we arrived, we felt it necessary to take many group photos. Oh, I forgot to mention we had played card games for hours on end the night before and group members had lost bets (some lost more than one). So our photos throughout the day were very interesting to say the least.
the car with the most bets lost
Baobab, acacia, and wildebeest/zebra
Ostrich
The elephants were shy but not enough to stay away from our car
Baby giraffe!
Photo not included because it was so awesome I did not even consider getting out my camera: a group of lionesses chasing a warthog ("pumba") and a valley filled with elephants (about 40 total)
Shout out to Brendan, Thom, Tyler, and Tobe for being awesome additions to our usual group of four for the safari! You guys rocked and it was great getting to know you before, during, and after the trip.
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