Travel Info

And so it begins…I have finally arrived in Mwanza, Tanzania! Christopher and I were warmly greeted by Missy at the “New Mwanza” Airport and we could not be happier! After 3 days of sleepless nights, resting in airport lounges, and airport food we are so glad to have a semi -permanent home for a few months. Just to give you a perspective, we left Toronto Pearson Airport on Wednesday January 12^th, and arrived in Mwanza on Friday January 14^th.

I want to begin by saying I am extremely excited about the adventure that awaits me! I am very grateful for everyone who has been helping me prepare for my trip, all the advice and encouragement really means a lot! A big thanks to my family and friends for their support and love, and especially to all the past interns who have given me some amazing tips! I will miss you all so much!

Travel information

In Transit

T.O Airport

Arriving at the Toronto Airport with lots of time to spare proved to be a good idea. After figuring out that one of my bags was over the weight requirement (50lbs) I essentially had to unpack, transfer some things to my other suitcase, frantically decide what I could do without for 4 months to send home with my mom, and re-pack. Thankfully everything turned out OK and I avoided having to pay the $100.00 fee for excess baggage. It will be interesting to see whether this can also be accomplished on the way home, something tells me it may be more difficult!

                                                  Chris and I before we leave!

Toronto to Amsterdam!
            Our 7 ½ hour flight to Amsterdam went very well, all things considered. At the beginning Christopher and I were slightly concerned when we took our seats directly in front of a family consisting of a screaming baby and a young child who seemed to find it quite amusing kicking the back of our chairs sporadically. However, we made the best of it and told each other that this is “all part of the adventure.” Fortunately, very soon after take-off, the baby drifted off to sleep and the young child became fascinated with the entertainment provided on board, which was actually quite impressive. We were able to personally choose what source of entertainment we wanted such a s T.V, movies, games, audiobooks, news and more.

The long flight also gave Christopher and I time to practice some of our Swahili and quiz each other in preparation for our stop in Nairobi and ultimately our time in Tanzania!

We landed in Amsterdam around 7:00am local time which was 1:00am back home. Our flight to Nairobi was not leaving until 8:40pm that night, so we had a very long day ahead of us in Amsterdam! Surprisingly, neither of us was tired, so we headed to the nearest tourist information booth and learned we could take a train to Amsterdam Central (downtown Amsterdam). On our first attempt we got on the wrong train, but nevertheless we made it to downtown Amsterdam and had a great time!
            This was both mine and Christopher’s first time in Amsterdam and we found it to be quite a unique experience. Everyone seemed very friendly and laid back. Although Dutch is the primary language, most people we encountered could also speak English which made asking questions and locating places much easier! In the downtown area that we visited everything was very historical and quite beautiful similar to old Montreal.

There were a few things that stood out to us during our brief time in the city. One thing was the degree of multiculturalism that we observed; it was similar to Toronto in that there seems to be people from all over the world there. Chris informed me that this was probably because it was a colonizing city.  Another thing I found shocking was the number of bicycles around the city. There are literally people riding bicycles everywhere, far more than people driving cars. This was surprising considering that it is still quite cold there (about 6^oC). There are also racks and racks of bicycles at every corner (or so it seemed) and they are parked all along the sidewalks, buildings, or against trees and none of them seemed to be locked up. Finally there are hundreds of coffee shops, Christopher and I must have seen at least 25 after walking down just two streets!

After our 7 ½ hour flight to Amsterdam followed by a day of strolling through the streets, we had been up for over 30 hours and were definitely both ready for a peaceful flight to Nairobi!

                                  Chris catching some Zzz's in Amsterdam International Airport

Amsterdam to Nairobi

After that extremely long day in Amsterdam, we were more than ready to board our flight to Nairobi. Again, everything went very smoothly, other than the flight feeling like it never ended. I was in and out of consciousness for the entire 8 hour flight, but for some reason it felt like everytime I woke up, no time had passed. On a more positive note, I was seated beside a very interesting man. He was an experienced traveler and had been living in Africa for over 30 years. He gave me lots of advice about living in Africa which could not have come at a better time as my apprehension intensified upon our landing in Nairobi.

            One particular thing that stands out, and something I have never heard, was his advice regarding preventing malaria. He eased my mine a little when he said he had had malaria many times and that it was no big deal, as long as you get treated properly within a few days. However, for the past 10 years he has been eating the seeds of the “pawpaw” fruit after reading an article by a lady who has lived in Africa for 25 years and never had malaria. She claims the seeds of this fruit to be the miracle for her health. He said the fruit is similar to a melon and when you cut into it you can obtain the seeds. He said to dry the seeds in the sun. grind them up, and eat a spoonful every day. I thanked him very much for all his advice, and I am sure he is the first of many people I will meet throughout my journey.

            I must admit I was a little nervous about stepping into the Nairobi airport, but this was definitely a waste of energy! It was 100x better than I had anticipated as there were many tourists and I felt very safe. Christopher just kept telling me to use my common sense and when in doubt smile and nod! The biggest perk of all was when I heard that the temperature when we landed was 18^oC and would be rising to a high of 27^oC.

Nairobi to Mwanza!

           Finally the last leg (or so we thought). Chris and I were both a little confused as to why the flight from Nairobi to Mwanza was over 2 hours considering their close proximity on the map. It all made sense when we learned we had to stop at the Kilimanjaro Airport first! But, it was not as bad as we thought and we only had to weight there for about ½ an hour which turned out to be worthwhile because I ended up sitting beside an amazing woman from Mwanza! We met because I was accidently sleeping in her seat before the plane took off and she politely tapped me on the shoulder and said something in Swahili that sounded completely foreign, luckily I only ended up having to move over one seat. I thought this was the perfect chance for me to practice some of my Swahili! So I asked her where she was from (“unatoka wapi?”). Her face lit up and she said Mwanza. We conversed back in forth, me using some of my broken Swahili and she using what little English she new. She was such a nice lady, and told me she worked at the Central Bank in Tanzania on station road and gave me all her contact information. My wonderful first encounter with a Tanzanian made me that much more excited to arrive! The flight was a little rocky, and my stomach definitely did a few somersaults, but we arrived in one piece at the New Mwanza Airport!

I was probably the most relieved I had been the whole time when I saw my luggage being loaded off the plane (one of my biggest fears was having my luggage lost). After we got everything sorted out with our Visas we met Missy (past intern who is currently living in the Apartment we are staying at) and took a taxi back to the apartment. Soon after Dane arrived (also living in the apartment) and we all got to know each other. We also met our house lady Margaret and her daughter Lola who are both so sweet and constantly said “karibu, karibu” (welcome, welcome). Maragret only speaks Swahili so this will also give me a chance to practice.

            My first impressions of Mwanza is that it is a very vibrant and busy city. Dane informed me that it is the fast growing city in Tanzania. I was also intrigued by the number of children. On the way to our apartment there were herds of children everywhere, it probably seemed this way even more so because most were just ending their school day. But, then I thought about it, it made sense for there to be a lot of children and younger people around considering the life expectancy in Mwanza is only about 45 years.

            After a delicious dinner at the New Mwanza Hotel, I was so ready for my first full night sleep in 3 days!