Last weekend I went on my first camping adventure! Well, actually I was informed by my travelling companions that it was nothing like “real camping”, and I think I would have to agree. It began on Saturday when we headed to the bus station which was a bit of an adventure in itself. It was so chaotic with people everywhere pestering us to buy things, and crowding us to purchase tickets. I found the whole ticket buying process so informal and random. There were buses everywhere and they were all brightly colored, they sort of resembled carnival buses. We basically just walked over to the bus and bought our tickets from a man standing infront of it, and were told the bus would be leaving in 45 minutes (it actually left in about 15 so it was a good thing we got on immediately). About 5 minutes into the bus ride, a man stood up and began preaching over a microphone in Kiswahili, and at one point I thought I would be listening to this for the entire 3 hour bus ride. Luckily this was not the case, and the rest of the ride went pretty well, apart from the bumps and dust.
We arrived in Bunda (our destination) and were taken up a HUGE hill (about 6km high) by the manager of the campsite we were staying at. I must admit my heart was racing a little bit, because we were pretty much in 4 wheel drive the whole time, and sometimes I couldn’t see the road and it looked as if we might drive off the cliff, but the view was pretty spectacular.
We arrived around 3:00pm and I was blown away by how beautiful it was! There were 12 of us, and we were the only people staying at the site. We had a restaurant/bar all to ourselves, and 4 tents. But these were not your typical camping tents – they consisted of beds, warm blankets, a bathroom, and hot water! Definitely 5 star camping if you ask me! We were also spoiled with having a restaurant for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The only downfall was the weather because shortly after we arrived there was a huge rainstorm and it was really cold, probably the coldest weather I have been in since arriving in Mwanza. But we still had the opportunity to explore and admire the picturesque few from the mountain we were on which overlooked the Serengeti! I would say it was a great way to ease me in to my first time camping!
View at the Bunda Campsite
Unloading everyone at Bunda!
Awesome view!
Valentine’s Day in Mwanza
Valentine’s Day in Mwanza is nothing like the hype it receives in Canada. There were no signs, announcements, advertisements or anything leading up to the day or on the day itself. In Canada, the ads begin weeks in advance but here, you wouldn’t have even known it was Valentine’s day!
This week I received my schedule for my Mtoni Secondary School Presentations for the next 3 weeks! I gave two presentations this week to two different sets of Form 1, which is the youngest group of students (around 13-14 years old). They went extremely well and I had my translator assisting me as these students do not know too much English. I discussed the health benefits of both milk and yoghurt as simply as possible including the important nutrients they contain and why they are important to consume on a regular basis. I began with asking them a few questions at the beginning to get a sense of how much they knew. I quickly realized they didn’t know much at all about nutrition and the teachers confirmed this by explaining that many people in Tanzania are not educated at all about the importance of healthy eating. I think this is an area that can use a lot of work which is good news for dietitians looking for international work!
This week I received my schedule for my Mtoni Secondary School Presentations for the next 3 weeks! I gave two presentations this week to two different sets of Form 1, which is the youngest group of students (around 13-14 years old). They went extremely well and I had my translator assisting me as these students do not know too much English. I discussed the health benefits of both milk and yoghurt as simply as possible including the important nutrients they contain and why they are important to consume on a regular basis. I began with asking them a few questions at the beginning to get a sense of how much they knew. I quickly realized they didn’t know much at all about nutrition and the teachers confirmed this by explaining that many people in Tanzania are not educated at all about the importance of healthy eating. I think this is an area that can use a lot of work which is good news for dietitians looking for international work!
Form 1 Class!
Teaching!
Stanley helping translate
However, it is difficult to tell students that they should drink milk or eat yoghurt regularly because cost is a huge barrier! For instance you can get a lot more ugali for your money which is extremely filling than you can yoghurt or milk. Hopefully providing them with some nutrition education is a good first step that they will be able to apply.
Questions from the students:
- At the end of my presentation many of the students had some interesting questions! They were also so intrigued with my hair and all wanted to touch it and were swarming me to get a picture!
These are a few of the questions from the students that stand out in my mind:
1. Who is the Prime Minister of Canada
2. Who was the first Prime Minister of Canada
3. What crop is harvested the most in Canada
4. How do you make yoghurt?
5. What is the difference between yoghurt and milk?
6. What is the difference between cows milk and goats milk (this is a good question…if anyone knows the answer feel free to comment!)
On Tuesday Chris and I went to NIMR and spoke with Dr. Changalucha (Director) as well as Edita who works in the Lab. We discussed the feasibility of them providing additional probiotics for potentially two other yoghurt groups here in Mwanza. They both thought this would be no problem at all which is great news! Next week I am hoping to bring one of the yoghurt mamas from Mahina to NIMR to introduce her to the staff and show her where to drop off and pick up the probiotics. I’m really excited to get another group of yoghurt mamas on board with the sales of probiotic yoghurt! We also went to Kivulini and met with Mama Asia who provided entrepreneurial/business training to the mamas at the Igombe kitchen (another group of yoghurt mamas in Mwanza). Chris and I are hoping to arrange a time to visit this group with her and Mama Joyce (Chair of the Tukwamunae group) early next week!
On Wednesday afternoon we went to a Football (Soccer) game at the biggest stadium in Tanzania (which was actually quite small in comparison to stadiums in Canada). It was a really cool experience, but overall not a whole lot different from games in Canada. The match was between a team from Dar es Salaam and Mwanza. The main differences to me were 1. The excitement the teams expressed when they scored. They did back flips and the crowd went wild, and there was a brief pause in the game for celebration. 2. The crowds were very rowdy. I suppose this happens in Canada as well, but when the opposing team scored people with throw bottles of water or soda onto the field and yell and scream. In fact, towards the end of the game these army trucks drove into the stadium with tear gas, in case things got out of hand I guess? However, we left early to avoid any drama at the end!SAUT
Rescued from Lake Victoria!
On Friday Chris had his big day at SAUT (St. Augustine University) where he gave an amazing guest lecture on Black Identity! As per normal in Tanzania, there were a few obstacles, or as Chris put it, a severe case of murphy’s law! Pretty much everything that could go wrong did, apart from the lecture. When we arrived we were escorted to the first lecture hall, but soon discovered there was no powerpoint available (even though Chris had contacted the head of the sociology department before hand and was assured powerpoint would be available). So, just as all the students were hustling in to the class, we were told we could move to another newer lecture hall which had powerpoint. So, we took a short hike to a new building and Chris began setting up his equipment…things were looking up! But, there was a problem with getting the connection between Chris’s computer and the powerpoint equipment. So we waited for a while with various IT men coming in and out, etc. He was supposed to start his lecture at 9:45am and it was probably close to 10:30am by this time, but “hamna shida” (no problem) TIA (This is Africa). Then, all of sudden (don’t ask me how) his powerpoint appeared! Chris bounced on this opportunity and began his lecture at last! Things were going well, when all of a sudden a huge wind/rainstorm had moved in. All the windows in the lecture hall were open and the rain started blowing into the hall so a few of us got a little wet! Chris was so cool and calm and didn’t let anything bother him, he did such a great job, and this was a great cross cultural learning experience. Some of the topics of his lecture included: The Transatlantic Slave Trade and Blacks in Barbados, Black Canadian History, Creolization, Ideology of Blackness, Multiculturalism in Canada, Second Generation and Black Identity in Canada, Hyphenated Identities, and the Future of Blackness in Canada. He is going to try and upload his powerpoint to his blog if you want to check out his presentation in more detail. I learned so much from him and the students seemed very engaged and I could tell they thoroughly enjoyed his presentation!Nzuri Kazi Chris!!!!
Chris and I before his lecture
Technical Difficulties?
Action Shot!
Such a natural!
View from the lecture hall! (I think I would be very easily distracted by the beautiful view)
Rescued from Lake Victoria!
So, the adventure continued on Friday evening! Tabea (a friend here from Germany), Missy and I were invited to go on a boat trip around the Tunza Beach Resort. It was scheduled for 4:30pm, but of course we didn’t end up leaving until close to 6:00pm once more fuel was located. The extra long wait was actually a blessing because we were able to see the most amazing sunset ever! The sky was so clear and the sun was a fiery red (I was told the sun is so red in Tanzania because there is so much air pollution). I absolutely love being so close to the lake here in Mwanza, I just find it so peaceful, maybe one day I will live on beautiful island and wake up to the ocean waves every morning (wishful thinking?). So, after watching the beautiful sunset our “boat driver” tried to start up the boat, well actually he tried several times for about half an hour…hmm by this time I think it was safe to say we were stranded in the middle of the lake! I must admit that I was a little terrified on this small motor boat in the complete dark (well actually by this time there was a gorgeous full moon) with no help in site. Luckily Missy and Tabea are so calm and nothing fazes them so they reassured me that things like this always happen, and everything works out in the end and of course they were right! We called back to Tunza for help and about 1 ½ hours later we were rescued! At moments I thought we might be floating in the boat for the night or paddling back to shore. I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy and relieved to hear the sound of a boat motor in my entire life! Just another day in Mwanza! I wonder what the weekend has in store?
Sunset!
Stranded...
Interesting facts:
- The other week we were invited to one of our friends houses for dinner and a movie. This was pretty exciting for Chris and I considering we haven’t watched any T.V in over a month. She has a big screen T.V with surround sound, but…the power was out all night! So, we spent the evening in the dark watching random videos from youtube until the computer battery died. But it was still a fun night and didn’t really bother us considering how frequently the power has been off in our apartment (at least 4 hours a day)
- I have yet to see a garbage can here in Mwanza. There is a ton of garbage everywhere, and some of the dirt roads actually look as if they have been made out of garbage. I was informed that there are no garbage cans because people will steal them and melt the plastic or metal in order to sell for money
- Many times when I am meeting new people or introducing myself they always ask what my Father’s first name is. I don’t really understand the reason for this. When I received my schedule for the Mtoni School presentations they addressed it to Shannon Dave (my father’s first name)
- It's perfectly normal to find bugs, especially small little ants everywhere! The other day I had an empty glass of milk beside me and no more than two minutes later there were these little ants everywhere inside it. They will easily end up on your hands and arms if you put them down on any counter. If I was at home I would probably freak out, because I really don't like insects of any sort, but here it just seems normal!
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