Tanzania - Wiki Kumi na Tisa

Bismarck Rock - one of the most famous sights in Mwanza.

The streetscape at the bottom of the hill at Mabatini.

I'm writing this blog entry from the comfort and warmth of my den back home in Newmarket - reflecting on my last week in Tanzania with a blustery, snowy Canadian day outside the window, bundled in more layers than I thought possible as my body SLOWLY adjusts to the cold!

Alison and I at the airport in Mwanza - our last picture together in TZ!

On Monday morning (the 10th), I woke up to a cold, drizzly day in Mwanza. I bundled up (well, it's all relative...) and spent a couple hours at my laptop preparing an English lesson, a blog entry, and organizing my files. Alison and I had plans to run our normal Monday errands in town, but knowing that the connection would almost certainly be down because of the rain, we stayed home. We worked on our internship reports and spoke with members of the Kivulini staff before walking to town to meet Claire and Yemane for a goodbye lunch at Kuleana's. From lunch, we managed to find a working connection in town and ran into Jodie who was frantically trying to get everything finished before her evening flight to Dar. Luckily, we were able to take on some of her errands to help her out and later met her at our apartment for a proper goodbye and exchange of belongings! Afterwards, we rushed to Mabatini to teach English and spend the afternoon with the mamas. Mama Paskwalina was acting a bit off - I wasn't sure if it was because of her recent bout of malaria or what, until she came over to me and told me that we needed to talk. Apparently her aunt passed away and she had to take the bus to Dodoma the following morning, so she told me we'd have to say our goodbyes then and there. I was taken aback because I had not prepared myself for goodbyes, and was even more shocked when she went out on the front steps of the kitchen to cry. I'm a sucker for crying and eventually joined her, our hot tears falling on the dusty ground. We made our promises to write and to never forget each other... she was very maternal and comforting and I was extremely touched to see that I was able to establish such close and personal relationships with the people of Tanzania. After the kitchen, we grabbed a ride with Claire to yoga and spent a relaxing evening with the girls watching the sun set at Tunza.

Mama Paskwalina and I, saying our goodbyes.

On Tuesday morning (the 11th) I noticed that my henna was starting to peel off... kind of symbolic of my time ending in Mwanza! Alison and I travelled together up to Buswelu Primary School to pick up responses from the Tanzanian students to bring to London with me when I go in January for my debriefing. When we returned to Mlango Mmoja, we booked a room Alison's mom at the New Park Hotel next door and set off into the city. We ran a long list of errands - tailor, passport photos, photo printing, internet, immigration (poor Alison has to renew her visa again to accommodate for her extra weeks of travel), the Regional Commissioner's office etc. The exciting news of the day was finding out that we had funding approved in Canada for the purchase of the land at Nyamhongolo (OOPS... found out that I've been spelling it wrong this whole time!)... great to see that we can move forward on this before heading home. We had to skip our Swahili lesson to attend a conference call at Kivulini with Maimuna, Grace (the potential candidate for the translator position) and Mel Katsivo from UWO. The call went well… we were able to establish an agreement for funds for the land to be transferred to a Kivulini account and worked out the basics for a contract for Grace between Kivulini/WHE/Tukwamuane. Unfortunately, we found ourselves locked in the office after the call was finished – the Kivulini staff had to break down the door to get us out. Life in Tanzania is always exciting!! On Tuesday night, we joined Claire at Tilapia for a goodbye dinner along with Major and Manuela. It was really sad to say goodbye to her as we’ve been able to grow so close over the last 4 months, but I’m confident we’ll stay in touch in the future.

Alison, Claire and I - inseparable!

On Wednesday morning (the 12th), I prepared an English lesson and we met with Maimuna to get details about the Kivulini bank account, then hurried to City Council to meet with Mr. Luanda in the Urban Planning Department to get an invoice for the Nyamhongolo plot… we waited pressed up against a throng of people all pushing to get into the office – not really something you’d experience in municipal offices in Canada! After getting the invoice in hand, we met with Mr. Ngowi in the TASAF office and left to pass the news on to Canada at the internet café. We unsuccessfully attempted the bank on the way home and gave ourselves a quiet hour lunch at home, knowing that we were in for a busy evening. In the afternoon, we went to Mabatini to teach English and then came back home to cook a massive meal for the mamas – bananas, rice and fish. We were ready to go for 7pm, but we didn’t have any guests until 8.30pm and then only 5 of the 10 mamas arrived!! Needless to say, we had LOTS of leftovers but they were happy to take them home wrapped in foil for their families. I gave each of them all a goodbye letter and photos (they love to have photos of people who they meet). The goodbye dinner was lovely… we had lots of good laughs with the mamas and were able to reflect together on our progress over the last 4 ½ months.

Alison & I & Mamas Elisabeth, Leah, Joyce, Sabina, Asha in our apartment.

On Thursday morning (the 13th), we organized ourselves at home before heading to the city market with Ruben so that he could show us the curios section (which we had been unable to find after months of searching!). We were all able to complete some shopping for people at home and then went our separate ways. Alison and I trekked up to the Dubai Bazaar to investigate the details of making a purchase of a new refrigerator, spent some time online and then split up – Alison going to immigration and me making a trip to the bank and to a lab equipment store to purchase plastic Petri dishes to boost NIMR’s supply. In the afternoon, I had a meeting with Dan from Kivulini who was interested in speaking with me about what I had discovered about Tukwamuane’s business model. I had a very interesting talk with him which motivated me to move forward with the preparation of a research paper… I feel like I have a lot of things to say about the structure of the project and recommendations to offer for the creation of similar initiatives. After my meeting, Alison and I drove out to Dubai Bazaar to give them the payment for the fridge (from donor funds) and then went on to Tunza for our final yoga class. We had dinner after class and came home early for a good night’s sleep.

I prepared the day’s English test (my last one!) on Friday morning (the 14th) before running into town to do last-minute banking and internet. We rushed from town to Mabatini to ensure that I would be able to maximize my last day with the mamas. I was able to present the mamas with the bill for the fridge and give them pick-up instructions, shared a final chai with them and then set off to Forever Angels. I dropped Alison off on the main road en route so that she could grab a dala-dala to the airport to pick up her mom… so exciting!! I loved every minute of my final afternoon with the babies (even though I witnessed some of the most colossal tantrums of the year)… spending time with them really enriched my experience in Tanzania. I stayed later than normal and then returned home to welcome Mrs. Chen to Mwanza. We went out for dinner with Ruben and Ania to the Teppanyaki restaurant at Tilapia – a very big indulgence to celebrate Mrs. Chen’s safe arrival!

Watching my last African sunset with Manuela at Tunza Lodge.

Saturday (the 15th) was my last day in Tanzania so I wanted to soak up every last drop of the tropics. Alison, Mrs. Chen and I went for a last lunch at Kuleana’s in town before heading out to Tunza Lodge for a relaxing day on the beach – funny to be laying on the white sand beach listening to Christmas carols… tis the season! We were joined by many of our friends who wanted to say goodbyes… to our surprise, “Tiny” and Chris from the Buhimba gold mine also showed up. It was great to be able to see them again before I left! In the evening, we enjoyed a campfire and BBQ on the beach (thank you Jan!), I had a drink watching my last African sunset, a champagne toast courtesy of Alison, and a final night of dancing with friends. It was a perfect final night and so wonderful to be able to say a proper goodbye to the people who made my time in Tanzania so much richer.

A champage goodbye toast - Ross, Mrs. Chen, Major, Jan, Alison and I.

On Sunday morning (the 16th), Alison helped me to calm down and jam every last belonging into my very full & heavy suitcases. Ruben took me out on the back of his bike for a ride through town, fulfilling my dream since my trip to Amsterdam to ride on the back of a bike with a Dutch boy. I left for the airport with the Chens and managed to get through security paying only a relatively minor fee for my extremely heavy baggage. I got all the way back to Toronto without delays (what a miracle!) and spent my layovers in VIP lounges (I paid my way into the one in Nairobi and was thrilled to be able to use a pass from my Dad to get into the Heathrow Maple Leaf Lounge)… I was focused on getting through the trip home as painlessly as possible! I was ecstatic to be able to walk through the arrivals door at Toronto Pearson to be greeted by my family and Adam… the whole moment was over so much faster than I had expected but it was amazing to come home to my loved ones.

Taking a final spin around Mwanza with Ruben.

I still can’t really believe that I’m home. I’ve arrived home to the coldest Canadian winter in 20 years… my body doesn’t really know what to do with itself! Overall, my trip to Africa was more than I could have ever imagined it would be. I’m completely satisfied with my progress in terms of project work, the relationships I was able to establish with others, and my personal development. I look forward to working closely with the project in the future and can’t wait to see the progress that is made by future interns. I will never forget the time I spent in Tanzania.

Watu wa Tanzania, nitakukosa, nitakukumbuka, nakupenda sana! Nataka kurudi Tanzania baadaye… mpaka lini!

A group of Maasai walking along the main road in Mwanza.

Stirring the milk in the community kitchen.

Tanzania – Wiki Kumi na Nane

A "rugged" bridge over a creek in Mwanza.

Alison and I spent Monday morning (the 3^rd) at our computers – blogging, preparing English lessons, and writing up a contract for the translator. When we finished, we walked into town to run errands via the Maasai Market. Our Maasai lady (Anna) has been inundated with requests as we commission jewellery to be made by her to give to people at home… we’re giving her lots of business! After a couple unsuccessful attempts to get online, we grabbed lunch and managed to get online for 20 minutes before the connection cut out completely. We did a grocery shop and splurged on some vegetables from the “Veggie Boys” who sell plastic-wrapped produce across from the “mzungu” supermarket, because we didn’t have time to go to the city market. From town, we hurried to Mabatini to meet with the mamas & teach our English lesson, then hurried to Tunza to make it to our yoga class. After yoga, we drove out to Capri Point to have a sushi dinner with Jodie, Ania, Lyndsey and Nina… Ania had brought all the necessities for sushi from Canada (including bamboo mats and wasabi!), so we enjoyed a fairly authentic meal – delicious!

I started my day off on Tuesday (the 4^th) at the internet café, trying to finish up the tasks that the connection wouldn’t let me finish the day before. I came back upstairs for an arranged meeting with Mama Joyce, who brought several hand-written letters/spreadsheets/meeting minutes (in Swahili) for the TASAF and NGO applications which we typed up together while Alison prepared an English lesson for later in the week. After a brief meeting at Kivulini, we headed to town. We had another unsuccessful internet attempt, ate a quick lunch, and walked to the Regional Commissioner’s office to drop off our documents for the NGO application. We waited for a while for the Community Development Officer to finish up his other tasks before he was ready for us… he then proceeded to take us through the application process (which we are familiar with from a previous meeting with him) painstakingly slowly, step by step… and later informed us that our application couldn’t be completed as we’d need to hand the material in ourselves in Dar es Salaam. Needless to say, we were feeling very frustrated with him and pushed him to try and come up with a solution for us within the RC’s office in Mwanza, promising to return the following week for an update. We managed to get online before rushing to our Swahili lesson and then returning home. We had a visit from the Tuelimishane boys before we left for Tilapia for a celebratory “just the two of us” dinner, giving us a chance to reflect on our time here as we near the end of our internship.

Neighbours - a mansion and a shack near the orphanage in Bwiru. Classic example of the divide between rich and poor in Mwanza.

On Wednesday (the 5^th) morning, we had a 9am meeting at City Council with Mr. Luanda, the Project Manager for the new plots of land at Nyamongoro. After waiting for a typical hour or so for him to be ready, we drove up to the site together (picking up Mama Elisabeth along the way). We were able to see the plot plans and survey the land ourselves to get an idea for position and size. It turns out that the plots which are ideal for our project (bigger, close to the main road etc.) are significantly more expensive than what we were first quoted, but I still think it’s a very worthwhile investment for the project to make as we look to the future of Tukwamuane. We returned to City Council to get some supporting documents and to meet briefly with Mr. Ngowi, the TASAF coordinator. After our morning meetings, we ran a bunch of errands (internet, travel agency, Maasai Market – to pick up a gift for us made by Anna, tailors etc.) and then walked to Mabatini to teach. I went over the kitchen’s November bills with the mamas… unfortunately, their costs are still soaring high above their sales figures… this is the result of the large quantities of yogurt which they give away to the HIV+ population. It’s difficult for me to see how this gap will be filled in the future, but increasing sales is certainly the first step to take towards making profit. It is a bit frustrating to see that this discrepancy is still so significant after we’ve put in months of effort to mediate the problem, but I suppose that’s typical for aid work in some senses. Even the simplest problems can sometimes seem nearly impossible to solve because of the complications of culture, poverty, lack of infrastructure etc. Although not all of our results are tangible at the moment, I hope that the steps we’ve taken in regards to protocol, education and planning will have laid the groundwork for future success.

On Wednesday evening, we went to Papae’s house in Capri Point for a dinner to celebrate the start of wedding festivities for his sister, Kiran. They were playing host to friends and family who flew in from all over the globe and the celebrations started early and in full force as is typical of Indian weddings. We arrived in his colourful courtyard and were treated to singing and drumming before enjoying a delicious meal. Definitely a taste of things to come with an entire weekend of wedding events ahead!

Kiran (the bride), me, Alison, Papae, Ania, Vandy and Jodie.

We celebrated Sinter Klaas (Dutch Christmas) on Thursday (the 6^th) with shoes filled with treats… I managed to keep the tradition alive for yet another set of roommates, but unfortunately my Dutch roomie (Ruben) wasn’t in town to enjoy the day. We tackled piles of project emails at the internet café but realized that we’re still essentially at a standstill waiting for answers from Canadian and Tanzanian partners on several pressing project issues. We came back to the apartment and I worked for a few hours on my internship debriefing report, which I had started earlier in the week – basically a breakdown of all WHE-related issues pertaining to my involvement with the project both at home and during my time in Africa. In the afternoon, we met Jo at our tailor’s to pick up a bag of Indian clothing which was being passed around the volunteers in town so that we could all dress ourselves appropriately for the weekend’s events. We walked on to Swahili lessons, where I’m sad to be realizing that my Swahili efforts are coming to an end – I hope that I won’t lose it all completely when I get home but I know that’s the likely outcome without somewhere to practice! After class, we went to Tunza for yoga and dinner with friends.

Pascal, hiding in the trees at Forever Angels.

On Friday morning (the 7^th), I went down to the internet café to check for progress on the WHE front and came back up to work on my internship report as Alison wrote the day’s English test. We walked up to Mabatini and made it to the kitchen just before a rainstorm hit. We were a bit surprised to find Mr. Ndassa (the Community Development Officer) sitting in the kitchen, talking with the mamas – although we met with him earlier in the month to get his approval of our constitution and other material related to our NGO application, after receiving 5 bound copies of our documents (not cheap to do in Mwanza!), he found some minor changes that he wanted us to implement. We had another painstakingly slow discussion with him to review the changes and promised to return with the updated material before our departure. After the meeting, we travelled to NIMR to drop off Mama Elisabeth (who went to pick up another batch of probiotic milk since the Wednesday batch was spoiled) and went on to the orphanage for the afternoon. I was happy to find out that Forever Angels has received more funding for construction and are now able to start building a pre-school adjacent to the main building. After returning home, I met with Jovita (from Kivulini’s Legal Aid) to discuss some logistical matters about the potential purchase of the Nyamongoro land. We’ve been so lucky to have had access to Kivulini’s staff… they’ve been invaluable in terms of the advice and support they’ve given us since August.

Getting my henna done at Friday night's party.

On Friday evening, we were invited to Tilapia for a Henna/Mendhi party for Kiran’s wedding. We joined the other women sitting on mattresses to get the intricate designs drawn onto the backs and palms of our hands, and watched as the older women sang and danced to the beat of drums. Later in the evening, Kiran and her ‘ladies-in-waiting’ joined us. Kiran’s mendhi designs were amazing… it took five hours to complete the designs on her hands, forearms, feet and calves, and the result was nothing less than a work of art. We spent the rest of the evening waiting for our hands to dry, watching dance performances, and indulging in a delicious dinner.

Kiran's (the bride) intricate mendhi designs.

Alison and I had a delightfully quiet day on Saturday (the 8^th). I enjoyed breakfast while watching “A Muppets’ Family Christmas” which is still one of the greatest holiday films of all time, in my opinion. I spent some time online before we walked to town to run errands and then returned home to relax. We had visits from friends and were happy to greet Claire and Ruben when they finally returned home from their travels. Claire had been in Ghana all week at a CRS conference, and Ruben in Dar to settle immigration issues – both had their planes delayed/cancelled and had a disastrous trip back to Mwanza. Here’s hoping I don’t have the same luck on my way back home! (knock wood!) We were happy to extend an invitation to them to come with us to Stephanie and Riaan’s house for a BBQ to celebrate Riaan’s birthday and enjoyed hearing stories about their week away.

Alison, me, Ania, Claire and Jodie outside of the temple.

We woke up early on Sunday morning (the 9^th) to get ready to attend our first Sikh/Hindu wedding ceremony. Uncle Sira (a jovial older man who has taken us under his wing during our time in Mwanza) picked us up at 9am and we drove together to the temple in town for the wedding ceremony. We joined the women waiting in a hallway looking onto the courtyard and made our first social faux-pas as we neglected to remove our shoes… luckily that was as bad as it got for us. Kiran and her ladies arrived soon after and she was escorted up to a waiting room away from the crowd. Shalin (the groom) came in later with an elaborate headdress on, complete with tassels covering his face. We watched as the two families arrived and greeted each other, exchanging garlands and hugs. Finally, the bride descended from her room and met her groom… they were hoisted up in the air in celebration and then she returned to her room again to prepare for the ceremony. After an interlude for refreshments, we all went to the temple (with shoes off and heads covered) to watch the ceremony. The bride and groom must make 4 circles together (the bride is ‘supported’ around the circle by brothers and close male friends) to complete the service. Afterwards, we stayed for lunch (where the men and women ate separately) and then returned home.

The bride and groom receiving blessings in the garden.

I spent part of the afternoon at Jodie’s fundi (tailor) getting alterations done on a dress so that I’d have something to wear to the reception, and then met Claire and Alison at a salon below our apartment. We decided to splurge and spend 1,500 Tsh (about a dollar) to get our hair curled for the evening… a very funny experience to share together! We set off to Tilapia for the wedding reception and finished off a beautifully traditional weekend celebrating the union of the bride and groom. I was so happy to have the opportunity to be involved in the wedding… it was a perfect way to spend one of our last weekends in Mwanza!

Hennaed and in traditional Indian attire.

The next time I write will be from Canada (I depart Mwanza on the 16^th and arrive in Toronto midday on the 17^th)… it’s incredible that my time in Africa has come and gone already! I have been avoiding thinking about the goodbyes that I will have to say next week as I prepare to leave for home. Though I’m excited to return home, I’m sure that within a few weeks, everything will have returned to ‘normal’ and I will be pining for the adventure of my time in Africa again. This experience has given me such an incredible opportunity to develop and challenge myself… I know I will treasure the memories of my time spent in Tanzania for the rest of my life.

“You get a strange feeling when you’re about to leave a place, I told him, like you’ll not only miss the people you love but you’ll miss the person you are now at this time and this place, because you’ll never be this way ever again.” - Azar Nafisi, Reading Lolita in Tehran

Tanzania – Wiki Kumi na Saba

Walking through Mabatini with some local boys.

I woke up early on Monday morning (the 26th) and finished all of my computer work (blog entry, English lesson and an amended visa application for Stephanie, WHE’s new student intern) much earlier than expected. I attempted to put some things into suitcases to get an idea of how much space I have available for my trip home and then went into the city without Alison, who decided to go get checked out at the clinic (and tested negative for malaria, thank goodness!). I did some administrative errands at a secretarial shop, went to the bank, and then spent a productive hour online at the internet café. I met Alison and Claire for a quick lunch before Alison and I were expected at NIMR for a meeting with Mr. Temu (the chairman of the microbiology department), Simon & George (the lab technicians) and one of the mamas. Our discussion was very productive – we established everyone’s role and commitment to the project and identified the gaps where communication has failed… hopefully this will allow the production of probiotic milk to run more smoothly in the future. After the meeting, we travelled up to Mabatini with Mama Elisabeth to meet with the mamas and teach English. We stayed late with them to trade stories and laughter over ugali and dagaa (very small fish that you eat whole… not my favourite Tanzanian dish). I am very proud of the progress that we have made as a group – our communication is strong and our ability to transcend the cultural barriers between us continues to amaze me. I never thought we’d be able to share this kind of a relationship with the mamas in the absence of a translator… it’s been a wonderful surprise.

On Tuesday morning (the 27th), I put the finishing touches on a working contact list for Stephanie to use when she arrives in Mwanza and updated the Tukwamuane balance sheet with new financial information from NIMR. We had a quick meeting with Maimuna before heading into town for the day. As we passed the Maasai Market, we spotted a guy looking dreadfully touristy – a backpack on both his front and his back, frantically thumbing through a Lonely Planet travel guide. We decided to stop and give him a hand – I escorted him across town to the dala-dala stand that would take him to a bigger bus station outside of Mwanza. I appreciate the unspoken kinship that exists between travellers who find themselves out of their element on the other side of the world! Alison was busy running errands in my absence, so I met up with her later at the internet café to get some work done.

We grabbed a quick lunch before meeting with Mr. Batenga, who has been promoted to the role of Vice President of the Tanzanian Chamber of Commerce… hongera (congratulations!). Batenga was able to provide us with some information about the capacity for transportation/distribution of dairy products and some names for potential business partners that Danone may use if they decide to establish themselves in Mwanza. From Batenga’s office, we walked to City Council to meet with Mr. Luanda, the City Planner’s project manager. He advised us on our impending purchase of the new plots of land outside of the city – the good news is that we are allowed to raise a small number of cattle on the plot and that we should be able to work through the process by early 2008. We hurried up to Mr. Ngowi’s office (the TASAF coordinator) to tell him the good news. He advised us to postpone our TASAF application until the land purchase has been settled, which would result in the project being initiated in March 2008 if all goes well. After our meeting, we ran to our Swahili lessons before driving out to Nyegezi to Tini’s house to celebrate her birthday over a gourmet dinner (it’s always good when the birthday girl is also a talented chef!).

Me, Tini, Claire and Major at Tini's birthday party.

We spent Wednesday (the 28th) working at the apartment and (accidentally) started to listen to Christmas music – it’s a little bit hard to get in the holiday spirit with palm trees swaying in the breeze outside the window, but we’ll struggle through! Maimuna popped by with a potential translator’s contact info (in preparation for Stephanie’s arrival), which Alison used to book an interview for later in the week. We headed into the city to investigate flight information for Steph and send the details back home. After lunch, we walked to Mkuo Mkoa (the Regional Commissioner’s office) to meet with Mr. Kiamba to follow up on Tukwamuane’s application for NGO status… unfortunately, he informed us upon our arrival that he had retired from the position the week prior. He brought us down to meet with Mr. Ndassa, the Community Development Officer (who we were familiar with due to his involvement in the late Deputy Minister’s visit in August). Together, we reviewed the mamas’ constitution and went over the application requirements. From the city, we stopped at home briefly and walked to Mabatini wearing kangas – Paskwalina requested that I put one on as I never wear them… the concept of layering another piece of material over my capris in this heat isn’t that appealing to me! We shared some pictures from home with the mamas and taught an English lesson before walking to the International School to swim & have dinner with Claire and Lauren.

On Thursday (the 29th), I prepped Friday’s English test and went online to check for Steph’s flight info while Alison had 5 copies of the Tukwamuane constitution made & bound for the NGO application. I interviewed Gracie, the woman who Maimuna recommended we consider hiring as a part-time translator… I was very pleasantly surprised and hope that we can work out the contract details to everyone’s satisfaction. After the interview, Pendo came with us into town to get a new gas canister – they have changed the regulations in Mwanza, forcing us to shell out a lot of money to purchase a new ‘compatible’ container. Later, we walked into the city to the bank and the travel agency, where we officially booked Steph’s flight into Mwanza – she arrives on January 4th and we will be very proud to pass the torch on to her. We completed a typical Thursday with Swahili, yoga, and dinner at Tunza Lodge.

Michael, swinging in the afternoon sun at Forever Angels.

Mamas Paskwalina, Elisabeth and Joyce met us at the apartment on Friday morning (the 30th) where we reviewed the NGO application before heading into town together. We stopped at a number of hotels/restaurants to drop off our marketing package (which should be fully translated to Swahili in future) and have the mamas talk up their product a bit. We stopped at a photo place in town to get passport pictures taken for the NGO application, and then walked to the Dubai Bazaar near the sokoni to shop for a new refrigerator for the kitchen (a necessary purchase as we focus on growth and increasing production!). We headed back to the kitchen to pick up yogurt orders for Kivulini Kitchen and Forever Angels, grabbed lunch at a local place nearby our house, and drove out to the orphanage for the afternoon. We came home minutes before a massive storm blew through the area and perched on our balcony to watch the weather pummel Mlango Mmoja below.

A Land-Rover splashing through the floods in Mlango Mmoja.

We invited Pendo’s entire family (her, her mother, and 11 children when you count extended relatives) for dinner, so Alison and I got started on cooking early. We prepared a traditional meal (rice, bananas, and fish) and spent a very nice but chaotic evening at home with our visitors. Ruben arrived late and riled up the children, initiating singing, dancing, limbo and jumping contests. Needless to say, we were exhausted when they left (but didn’t have any dishes to do as Pendo insisted that her kids clean the dishes and the floors of our apartment after eating).

A tray of food for Pendo's kids to eat (with their hands, as is traditionally African) - bananas, rice and fish.

Ruben, leading (dangerous) jumping contests in our apartment.

I woke up on Saturday morning (December 1st – World AIDS Day) to a sweet surprise – Alison made me an “Advent” calendar counting down the days to my flight home… very thoughtful! We walked into town early to go check out Jenny’s soccer tournament at an old stadium in the city. There were six teams from local youth centres and orphanages, bleachers full of fans, and DJs pumping music that incited dance-offs all around the field. It was a great event… wonderful for the children to get an opportunity to show off their skills and to be celebrated by their community. We grabbed a quick lunch in the city before heading out to the CCM Kirumba Stadium, where there were massive festivities going on for World AIDS Day. There were thousands of people there watching rap performances and speeches, perusing the booths (Kivulini and our mamas had space there), and getting free tests for HIV. It was really powerful to see the city come together to advocate and raise awareness for such an important cause. From the stadium, we took the dala-dala to Tunza to relax on the beach. Later in the evening, we joined our friends at the Yun Long Chinese Restaurant on Rock Beach for dinner and went back to Major’s to watch a movie.

Coach Jenny and her girls team.

On Sunday (the 2nd), Alison and I walked to Mabatini to accompany Mama Paskwalina to church. We arrived at the church a bit late after waiting for her to meet us at the kitchen… although it was standing-room-only for latecomers, the crowd typically managed to find us chairs to sit on. I appreciate the gesture but it makes me feel awkward to always be singled out! I maximized the utility of my chair by having a child sit on my lap for the whole service. The mass was nice, as usual – I’m impressed by the American pastor’s Swahili and was proud of myself for being able to decipher large portions of the homily. I still find it funny to see the little “African” details of life here – for example, the wine is carried to the front of the church in a large Dasani bottle, and the hosts in a plastic bag. After mass, we had chai with the mamas at the kitchen, and then went to Tunza to chill out & read on the beach. I helped Alison to finish up the paint job on the entranceway to the lodge… doing our best to make a permanent mark on Mwanza! We came home to a quiet apartment as Ruben has gone to Dar es Salaam for the week to settle up his research & resident’s permit… we know from experience with immigration in Mwanza that this is not an easy task to accomplish!

Reading in the shade on the beach at Tunza.

I’m getting extremely excited to come home to my family and friends, especially because I’ll be arriving home during the holiday season (apparently to one of the coldest winters that Toronto has seen in the last 15 years… I’m definitely going to have a hard time adjusting!). Saying goodbye to this place won’t be easy, though… I’ve loved so many things about Africa and will be looking forward to returning in the future.

“If I know a song of Africa – I thought – of the giraffe, and the African new moon lying on her back, of the ploughs in the fields, and the sweaty faces of the coffee-pickers, does Africa know a song of me? Would the air over the plain quiver with a colour that I had had on, or the children invent a game in which my name was, or the full moon throw a shadow over the gravel of the drive that was like me, or would the eagles of Ngong look out for me?” -- Karen Blixen.