Mambo!
We arrived in Tanzania late at night on Monday the 31st after almost 20 hours of flying. After a bumpy bus ride we arrived at our camp. Literally 11 tents around an open air classroom. We have flushing toilets and a fire-heated shower. These are huge luxuries so I’ll enjoy them while they last. After almost a week here a rhythm has been established and we’re on day 5ish of Swahili lessons.
We’ve been into town once so far but it’s clear that things move more slowly here. Pole pole. We’re staying near the city of Arusha. A town that has doubled in size in the last 13 years. Some streets are paved and some areas are just dirt roads and narrow alleys. Our first stop was to get some Tanzanian shillings. Everything here is much cheaper than in the states. Next we went to a market to get Kangas; the traditional fabric garments. We will need these when we visit the more Muslim islands and coastal areas. Next we visited a cultural heritage center which was basically a gallery displaying works of art centered around Tanzania and Arusha. The grounds and the building were fenced in and perfectly manicured, a sharp contrast from the dusty city outside. Looking out the windows of the silent gallery onto the streets and crowded markets of Arusha was very odd for me. I felt like an outsider visiting a place not many native Tanzanians would ever really think to go. There were some interesting artifacts in the basement so we stopped there to sketch.
Towards the end of the day we made a stop at the Dare Women’s Foundation. This is a foundation started by Maggie that aims to help women learn a marketable task. Maggie explained to us that the men in Tanzanian families often call the shots and may deprive their wives and children of food and proper care. If the women do not have any way to make money themselves, they cannot stand up for themselves because they will be beaten or left without food. But if they know how to make earrings or necklaces or rugs that can be sold they have an income of their own. With this money comes power to govern oneself and provide for a family without relying on an abusive husband. When we arrived at the foundation there were a few women in the gardens making rugs from old feed bags and yarn. We were each given the same materials and taught the crochet-like technique. This was definitely my favorite part of the day. The foundation seems like such a positive place to be and the mission is so genuine and truly helpful. I will cherish the memories of meeting the women.
After a whirlwind of a day we went back to camp and prepared for another day of class.
The Internet is fairly unreliable, making it difficult to blog and stay in contact with loved ones. For much of the trip we won’t have internet at all. This post is about a week behind.