Tanzania - Wiki Sita

Kicking back in Claire's hammock at the CRS Guest House.

On Monday morning (the 10th), I woke up and prepared an English lesson for the Mamas while Alison worked with Jimmy from Kivulini to prepare some statements to be released to the local media on behalf of the project. We walked into town to run a handful of project errands and ran into a Spanish couple on our way – they were very lost and seemed very unsure of themselves. We were able to bring them to the city market where they met up with the rest of their group. We felt very proud of ourselves that we were no longer the new girls in town and could pass on some of our new knowledge to others. We had a meeting with some of the Kivulini Legal Aid team in the afternoon to discuss some project-related issues – we’re lucky to be able to draw on Kivulini’s resources when we need to! After walking up to Mabatini to teach our English lesson, I got a call from my mom who was over the moon about the Toronto International Film Festival Gala my parents had attended the night before. The night had been Africa-themed and was full of celebrities who support aid efforts overseas. She was excited to tell me that Matt Damon was flying out to Tanzania for a visit… I promised to keep my eye out for him on the streets of Mwanza. We had a restful night in watching "The Constant Gardener" (I had only read the book before) and were delighted to see how accurately the streets of Africa were portrayed in the movie (it was filmed in the slums of Nairobi). It was refreshing to be reminded of what a rich experience we are having here in Mwanza. I went to sleep to the sounds of someone’s new goat that has been bleating non-stop for the last few days.

On Tuesday (the 11th) we met with Mama Paskwalina (Tukwamuane’s chairperson) and members of Kivulini to discuss some more project issues. We spent the afternoon in town running errands as a follow-up to our morning meeting before going to our Swahili lesson. We brought a large quantity of yogurt with us to Swahili to pass on to Claire and our new friend Lauren – we’ve discovered that many Westerners in Mwanza are desperate to find a place to buy yogurt and hope to capitalize on this demand for the betterment of the project! After our lesson, we walked to the International School to swim laps. On our way home, we were let in on the latest Mwanza gossip – Matt Damon and Ben Affleck were actually in Mwanza visiting development projects! Through the grapevine, we discovered that they were staying at Tilapia Hotel. We felt very conflicted but decided to be classy and stay at Claire’s for dinner with Lauren and Debbie (a colleague of Claire’s, in town from Nairobi). The power went out midway through our cooking, but turned back on after 20 minutes or so and we managed to salvage the meal.

After returning home, Alison was getting ready for an early bedtime and I was drafting a letter of support for a grant proposal being submitted by UWO… then Janine texted me saying "Ben Affleck is on his way to Tunza" (Matt Damon had already gone to bed for the night). I called her to confirm and we decided that we couldn’t miss the opportunity to mingle with celebrities on our ‘home turf’ at Tunza! Major picked us and Claire up and we drove out to the lodge. Sure enough, there was Ben Affleck, chatting with our friends at the bar! His entourage bought us a couple rounds of drinks and we kept our distance for a while. Later in the night, Janine introduced me… though my memory has been clouded by my own swooning, I’m quite sure our conversation was brilliant and that I was eloquent, intelligent and witty. A girl can dream! We got home quite late (obviously we had to wait for Ben’s party to leave before we could)… just another typical day in Mwanza.

Ben Affleck and Janine! Celebs in Mwanza!

Wednesday (the 12th) began on the street – Jimmy orally translated a letter of support that I had drafted for Mama Paskwalina to sign so that we could fax it to UWO to affix to a grant proposal. We then set off with Mama Paskwalina to the Mwanza Labour Office to be advised on some of the legalities involved with being designated as a Community Based Organization, as Tukwamuane is. After the Labour Office, Alison and I split up to run a few errands in town before meeting for lunch. We walked to Sekou Toure Hospital to meet with the director, Dr. Mgango, and present him with another letter of support for the grant proposal. After he read and approved it, we discussed the recent celebrity visit (apparently word spreads like wildfire even in Mwanza!). I walked with Alison to the Nyakahoja Dispensary to get a check-up as she was feeling a bit under the weather, and went home as she waited for her results so that I could prepare an English lesson for the Mamas. Unfortunately, I received a text a short while later that she had been diagnosed with malaria – "2 rings" (measured on the diagnostic scale). We walked up to Mabatini to teach English to a full class of Mamas and came home for a quiet night of recuperation.

On Thursday morning (the 13th), I woke up early to write an English test to give to the Mamas on Friday morning and adjust a support letter that I had provided to Kivulini the day before, as per Maimuna’s (the executive director) proposed changes. We had to wait around the apartment for a bit until Maimuna returned from the airport, where she was picking up a group of Irish visitors in town to consult with Kivulini. Once we received her signed copy, we walked into town to fax off the letters of support to Dr. Isaac Luginaah at UWO. Of course, this is Africa (T.I.A.!!) and the faxing proved to be the most challenging part of the whole process. First, we were quoted the equivalent of $20 CDN to fax a 6-page document. Once we found a cheaper place to send the material off, we discovered that the fax numbers we had been provided were not working, and the power grid went out as we tried to sign online to double check the numbers. We were forced into a lunch break in the middle of a rainstorm (welcome again to the slow pace of life in Africa) until the power came back up. At the internet café, we ran into our friend Stephanie who recommended a new clinic for me to go to that afternoon. For the past 5 days, I had been battling with a very strange sensation in my throat… not a sore throat, but rather a sense of constriction and severe pain deep in my chest every time I tried to swallow. Since it wasn’t clearing up on its own, I thought it best to go to the doctor to ensure I hadn’t fallen victim to some exotic disease. As I expected, the doctor didn’t really know what to do with me, but gave me some strong anti-inflammatories that did the trick and cleared up the situation. While I was at the clinic, Alison had started to work on our "plan B" and located an internet café with a scanner, and we successfully sent off the material to Dr. Luginaah. Funny how something as simple as sending a fax can take almost a whole day in Mwanza!


We attended our Swahili lesson in the afternoon, and then drove out to Tunza with Claire for yoga. After class, we played with the puppies (they’re getting SO big!) and Alison shot archery with the Maasai. We stayed at Tunza for dinner and a movie… came home and fell asleep to a storm.

Archery lessons on the beach.

Both Alison and I were woken up at 6am on Friday morning (the 14th) to a raging thunderstorm that flooded the streets in the early hours of the morning. A couple hours later, the surging water was gone from the streets and business resumed as usual in the city. We worked from home for a couple hours in the morning, as I started to piece together a cost/benefit report regarding the expansion of the Tukwamuane business. We walked through the rain to Mabatini to drop off the English tests, chat with the Mamas and buy a large quantity of yogurt for the orphanage and a growing network of Americans and Europeans who we’ve discovered are desperate to purchase yogurt, which apparently isn’t available anywhere in town except our kitchen. We’re capitalizing on this opportunity to increase sales and are spreading the word as best we can! The mamas got a good laugh (as usual) from my attempts to explain myself in Swahili to them… in the absence of a translator, both groups are forced to work on the other’s language in order to communicate. I know that they appreciate my trying and I think I’m getting better… hopefully, anyways. After walking back to the apartment in the rain (Alison walked half of the way with the 5L tub of yogurt on her head like a true African mama!), we spent the afternoon at Forever Angels. On Friday night, Claire invited us to the roof of the CRS guest house (aka the Sunset Terrace) for dinner and a movie projected onto the big screen.

On Saturday (the 15th) Alison and I did a big stock-up run at the U-Turn grocery store (a "mzungu" store with lots of imported, and therefore expensive, food) and invited Claire for lunch. In the afternoon, we packed up and drove to Tunza where we met Major and Jan for a camping trip at a historical site in Igombe, on the shores of Lake Victoria. We set up camp on the beach, bought Tilapia fish and firewood from the family who maintains the site, and settled in for the night. We helped Jan to prepare his Pojke meal, and Major taught Claire and I how to gut fish while Alison tended to the fire. Later in the evening, we all fell asleep around the fire for a couple hours (accompanied by our "guards" who I think were mostly interested in our meal and the warmth of our fire!) before being forced to relocate to the tent once the rain began.

Gutting Tilapia with Claire on the shore of Lake Victoria!

On Sunday morning (the 16th), we packed up camp, washed the dishes in the aggressive waves of a choppy Lake Victoria (challenging to keep hold of the dishes as they were very easily swept out with the waves!), and drove back through Igombe. I loved sitting in the back of the pickup truck, watching rural Africa unfold behind us – the rolling hills, scattered mud-brick homes, cassava fields, rice paddies etc. It continues to amaze me how everything seems to freeze as the "wazungu" vehicle drives past. Reactions are mixed – children summon all their energy to scream, wave, and run after us; some adults smile and wave; others seem to be issuing almost scathing looks; and rowdy groups of young men choose to heckle in both English and Swahili. It’s going to be strange to come home and no longer have celebrity status!

Jan sitting in his car-top tent - safety is #1 in the wilds of Africa!

We got back to Tunza, played with the puppies on the beach, gave them their first bath, and then had a hot shower of our own. We stayed for a light lunch and a terrible made-for-TV movie before coming home to make dinner and apple crisp with Claire. We had visits from both Beatrice (back from school for a couple of weeks to our great excitement!) and the "popcorn boys" (the street boys’ youth group) before tucking ourselves in early.

Bathing the pups - couldn't be more in love with these little guys!

I am feeling increasingly settled in Mwanza and am trying my best to keep my eyes wide open to the hardships of the people who make this place their home. I was in the internet café the other day and watched a crippled man hobble in with his red flip-flops on his hands, dragging his legs behind him… he hoisted himself up into the chair and went about his business online. After buying a loaf of bread one day, we were approached by a street boy asking for food… he was delighted when we offered him some of our purchase. Even something as simple as teaching English to the mamas uncovers the neediness of this place – Mama Leah Mpangala always needs to sit by the door because she’s becoming very short-sighted with age. Unfortunately, she won’t be able to remedy this on her own because she doesn’t have the funds to do so. I still am having difficulty working out the divide between the "haves" and "have-nots" in this town (and this world!) and finding my place in the middle.

As always, Stephen Lewis has an uncanny way of putting my thoughts into words: "Time stopped. I looked at those lovely [orphans], in their tattered uniforms, faces shining through the greys of malnutrition, every one of them seeking an adult touch or hug, and I thought about the often unbearable lottery of life. Has their ever been greater injustice in this world?" (closing remarks from his CBC Massey Lectures – Race Against Time).