Siku mbili.
Preface: due to the lack of internetz for awhile, I started this post earlier than I am posting it. J Just FYI.
Okay, this day was PACKED with things, so this might get a little bit tedious for you. Just a fair warning. I left off talking about getting picked up and meeting Kira. This was a great experience, I am really glad she was the person I met that morning. We get along really well and she is a great human! We talked excitedly in the van while John drove us and occasionally explained things about the country or the area to us. We saw the signs for the Massai village, and we saw lots of people. It was incredible to see the lush plant life and to see the people walking and working together as we drove. Kira and I talked about ourselves and our long-time desires to come to Africa and we both talked about how excited we were to actually be here.
An hour later we arrived at the CCS compound. The guard let us in the gate and we pulled up in front of our house. John and Deo helped us out (I went too fast and hit my head) and helped us with our things. We went into our room and unpacked, then we were given a small tour of the compound – the eating area, the other house, the smoking area and our house. It was so exciting to be here and to see something I had been thinking about for months! Kira and I had a lot of fun meeting the other volunteers that were already here – Amanda, Ari, Susan, Jose, Erin and Corinne. We talked a lot with all of them and got to hear a lot about what it was like to actually live here, how things worked at their placements, and what they did for fun. We were happily surprised to figure out that we could get phones to phone home (which I will be doing) and internet USB connectors that allow us to use the Internet at the Home Base! It was really helpful to talk to the volunteers and to get a good understanding of how things worked out here. It is so different when you are sitting at home talking to someone in New York about what it will actually BE like in Africa, it wasn’t until we talked to them that I understood what it was really like. They also talked about their own experiences with safaris and each other. Jose was so wonderful to talk to, but he returned home that night (last night). He is from Valencia, and I hope someday I can go visit him in Spain!
Anyway, after settling in and meeting everyone we decided to go walk to town with Erin and Corinne. This was an amazing experience for a lot of reasons. First, we did a lot of wonderful things. Second, we spent time with wonderful people, and Third. We were in a wonderful place! After that first day in Moshi I fell in love with the town and its people. We first stopped at the bank to exchange money and withdraw some. Here 1 USD is equivalent to 1,500 shillings, so withdrawing money made me feel rich! This was really fun because it gave Kira and I a chance to just experience the town and see people. We then met a couple of guys from the Bushmen safari and kili climbing company at the Union Café in town. This company works with a lot of CCS volunteers when they come into Tanzania, so the guys become friends of the volunteers. Anyway, we went to the café and ordered cokes (which are in sweet, old-fashioned coke bottles) and food. I got a quesadilla and it was delicious – it came with guacamole and this unbelievably good veggie combination that we eat at lunch and dinner (I’m currently obsessed with it.) Eric and I talked about soccer and decided we were twins because we both love it and we both love Barcelona J. I decided to get a Barcelona jersey so we can really be twins, I’m sure this will be pretty fantastic. We had our food, cokes and milkshakes and talked a lot. It was really great to talk to the guys and to talk about CCS’s influence on Tanzania. Erin and I talked a lot about being in Africa and how a lot of the CCS volunteers have always had it “on their hearts” so to speak. It was also great to hang out with Jose and talk to him about going back to Spain and his experience here. After our great afternoon at the Union café the guys dropped us off at an Internet café where Kira and I had 30 lovely minutes of e-mailing and facebooking to let our families know we were safe, sound and happy. We decided to walk back to the Home Base from the café and we talked about the Mzungu bar and had a great time getting back.
Once we were back at the home base we decided to just talk and hang out around the home base until the other volunteers got there. The first group to arrive had Hayley, Becca, Manuela and Joan in it. Becca and Hayley both came from Michigan and Joan and Manuela from New Hampshire. Becca is going to be here for 12 weeks as well, so it was really great to finally meet her and have her as our third roommate! Joan and Manuela are really amazing – they are both over seventy! They have travelled all over the world and have had many amazing experiences. Manuela is fluent in three languages, almost four! She is fluent in German, French and English and is nearly fluent in Spanish!! They are both wonderful ladies and I have learned a lot from them already. TaChyla also arrived early (like a week or so) and she came to the Home Base around the same time as the Becca group.
Once Becca arrived she, Kira and I got to know each other and talked about our lives at home (Chicago and California for them) and what drew us to Africa. Later TaChyla and Hayley joined us in our room and we all talked about boys (naturally) and we laughed a lot. That night the volunteers that had been here previously invited us to join them at a party. Of course I said yes, why not go out your first night in Moshi? We met up with some local friends that own safari and Kili climb companies that CCS volunteers use frequently. It was really fun to meet up with them and go to the party, but we newbies were quite tired so we made it a short night. Not to mention that our curfew – yes, curfew – is 11:00 and breaking it on the first night probably wouldn’t have looked too good. (for those of you who might be concerned about the eleven curfew, rest assured, I have stayed out later already) J. I must mention here that I tried Konyagi and Bitter Lemon at this party. This must be attributed to my dutiful following of Brittney’s commands to have Konyagi, bitter lemon and Bimbi chips. I am still on the hunt for Bimbi chips, but I will be sure to inform everyone once I do.
We got back to home base after a crazy drive. First, the cars here drive in the same fashion as the UK. This is due to a colonization of Tanzania by the UK at some point in its history (for those of you who are interested, look of Tanganyika when you get a chance). However, now Tanganyika became Tanzania when it joined with Zanzibar to become its own country. Pretty sweet. The Tanzanians are very proud of their peaceful and happy disposition as a country. The people here really reflect the sayings “Hakuna Matata” and “Salama and Upendo”. They are full of love and are very relaxed. Anyway, this is a tangent, I will get back on track here.
Our drive was crazy due to the different side of the road and car factor, the fact that cars will often go into the oncoming lane of traffic to pass, and that at night it is really dark. When I say really dark I mean REALLY DARK. Unlike other places, there are not huge neon signs or streetlights here, so once the sun goes down the whole town turns pitch black except for where lights are shining or on. Hence, driving at night become somewhat crazy because you can’t see anything in the dark. To be honest, it’s also really fun haha. The last reason is because the drivers here are ridiculous. When we went back to Home Base our driver backed his gigantic car full of 8 people straight out of the driveway with a very close brick wall and then turned to go out of the gate. It was intense.
Once we got back, we met our last co-newbie volunteers. They are Laura, Rachel, Caitlin and Caroline. We were really tired, so we spend some brief moments to get to know them and ask how the flight was and then we went to bed. This was a great experience because of the mosquito nets. For those of you who haven’t had the joy of sleeping with a mosquito net, you might want to consider it. It’s both very strange and very nice at the same time. We sleep in bunk beds, but only the bottom bunk is made for someone to sleep in. The top bunks have mattresses, but no bedding and, most importantly, no net. The nets are tied up above the bunk in the daytime, but at night they fall down to create a box of net for the bed. To sleep with a mosquito net you have to first let it down and make sure it is evenly lined up with the bed. If it is twisted it makes it difficult for you to tuck it in properly. Once it is ready to be tucked you get inside of the net and tuck the side closest to the wall and the ends underneath your mattress. When you are ready to go to sleep you get in your bed under your net and tuck in the last side. Then you are fully protected against the malaria-carriers and you can lala salama (sleep peacefully). Needless to say, my roommates and I found this mosquito net situation quite hilarious at first, so I had to take some pictures of it. J Anywho, I miss everyone at home, but I can easily say this is the best thing I’ve ever decided to do. Every moment leads me closer to falling in love with this city. Kwaheri!
An hour later we arrived at the CCS compound. The guard let us in the gate and we pulled up in front of our house. John and Deo helped us out (I went too fast and hit my head) and helped us with our things. We went into our room and unpacked, then we were given a small tour of the compound – the eating area, the other house, the smoking area and our house. It was so exciting to be here and to see something I had been thinking about for months! Kira and I had a lot of fun meeting the other volunteers that were already here – Amanda, Ari, Susan, Jose, Erin and Corinne. We talked a lot with all of them and got to hear a lot about what it was like to actually live here, how things worked at their placements, and what they did for fun. We were happily surprised to figure out that we could get phones to phone home (which I will be doing) and internet USB connectors that allow us to use the Internet at the Home Base! It was really helpful to talk to the volunteers and to get a good understanding of how things worked out here. It is so different when you are sitting at home talking to someone in New York about what it will actually BE like in Africa, it wasn’t until we talked to them that I understood what it was really like. They also talked about their own experiences with safaris and each other. Jose was so wonderful to talk to, but he returned home that night (last night). He is from Valencia, and I hope someday I can go visit him in Spain!
Anyway, after settling in and meeting everyone we decided to go walk to town with Erin and Corinne. This was an amazing experience for a lot of reasons. First, we did a lot of wonderful things. Second, we spent time with wonderful people, and Third. We were in a wonderful place! After that first day in Moshi I fell in love with the town and its people. We first stopped at the bank to exchange money and withdraw some. Here 1 USD is equivalent to 1,500 shillings, so withdrawing money made me feel rich! This was really fun because it gave Kira and I a chance to just experience the town and see people. We then met a couple of guys from the Bushmen safari and kili climbing company at the Union Café in town. This company works with a lot of CCS volunteers when they come into Tanzania, so the guys become friends of the volunteers. Anyway, we went to the café and ordered cokes (which are in sweet, old-fashioned coke bottles) and food. I got a quesadilla and it was delicious – it came with guacamole and this unbelievably good veggie combination that we eat at lunch and dinner (I’m currently obsessed with it.) Eric and I talked about soccer and decided we were twins because we both love it and we both love Barcelona J. I decided to get a Barcelona jersey so we can really be twins, I’m sure this will be pretty fantastic. We had our food, cokes and milkshakes and talked a lot. It was really great to talk to the guys and to talk about CCS’s influence on Tanzania. Erin and I talked a lot about being in Africa and how a lot of the CCS volunteers have always had it “on their hearts” so to speak. It was also great to hang out with Jose and talk to him about going back to Spain and his experience here. After our great afternoon at the Union café the guys dropped us off at an Internet café where Kira and I had 30 lovely minutes of e-mailing and facebooking to let our families know we were safe, sound and happy. We decided to walk back to the Home Base from the café and we talked about the Mzungu bar and had a great time getting back.
Once we were back at the home base we decided to just talk and hang out around the home base until the other volunteers got there. The first group to arrive had Hayley, Becca, Manuela and Joan in it. Becca and Hayley both came from Michigan and Joan and Manuela from New Hampshire. Becca is going to be here for 12 weeks as well, so it was really great to finally meet her and have her as our third roommate! Joan and Manuela are really amazing – they are both over seventy! They have travelled all over the world and have had many amazing experiences. Manuela is fluent in three languages, almost four! She is fluent in German, French and English and is nearly fluent in Spanish!! They are both wonderful ladies and I have learned a lot from them already. TaChyla also arrived early (like a week or so) and she came to the Home Base around the same time as the Becca group.
Once Becca arrived she, Kira and I got to know each other and talked about our lives at home (Chicago and California for them) and what drew us to Africa. Later TaChyla and Hayley joined us in our room and we all talked about boys (naturally) and we laughed a lot. That night the volunteers that had been here previously invited us to join them at a party. Of course I said yes, why not go out your first night in Moshi? We met up with some local friends that own safari and Kili climb companies that CCS volunteers use frequently. It was really fun to meet up with them and go to the party, but we newbies were quite tired so we made it a short night. Not to mention that our curfew – yes, curfew – is 11:00 and breaking it on the first night probably wouldn’t have looked too good. (for those of you who might be concerned about the eleven curfew, rest assured, I have stayed out later already) J. I must mention here that I tried Konyagi and Bitter Lemon at this party. This must be attributed to my dutiful following of Brittney’s commands to have Konyagi, bitter lemon and Bimbi chips. I am still on the hunt for Bimbi chips, but I will be sure to inform everyone once I do.
We got back to home base after a crazy drive. First, the cars here drive in the same fashion as the UK. This is due to a colonization of Tanzania by the UK at some point in its history (for those of you who are interested, look of Tanganyika when you get a chance). However, now Tanganyika became Tanzania when it joined with Zanzibar to become its own country. Pretty sweet. The Tanzanians are very proud of their peaceful and happy disposition as a country. The people here really reflect the sayings “Hakuna Matata” and “Salama and Upendo”. They are full of love and are very relaxed. Anyway, this is a tangent, I will get back on track here.
Our drive was crazy due to the different side of the road and car factor, the fact that cars will often go into the oncoming lane of traffic to pass, and that at night it is really dark. When I say really dark I mean REALLY DARK. Unlike other places, there are not huge neon signs or streetlights here, so once the sun goes down the whole town turns pitch black except for where lights are shining or on. Hence, driving at night become somewhat crazy because you can’t see anything in the dark. To be honest, it’s also really fun haha. The last reason is because the drivers here are ridiculous. When we went back to Home Base our driver backed his gigantic car full of 8 people straight out of the driveway with a very close brick wall and then turned to go out of the gate. It was intense.
Once we got back, we met our last co-newbie volunteers. They are Laura, Rachel, Caitlin and Caroline. We were really tired, so we spend some brief moments to get to know them and ask how the flight was and then we went to bed. This was a great experience because of the mosquito nets. For those of you who haven’t had the joy of sleeping with a mosquito net, you might want to consider it. It’s both very strange and very nice at the same time. We sleep in bunk beds, but only the bottom bunk is made for someone to sleep in. The top bunks have mattresses, but no bedding and, most importantly, no net. The nets are tied up above the bunk in the daytime, but at night they fall down to create a box of net for the bed. To sleep with a mosquito net you have to first let it down and make sure it is evenly lined up with the bed. If it is twisted it makes it difficult for you to tuck it in properly. Once it is ready to be tucked you get inside of the net and tuck the side closest to the wall and the ends underneath your mattress. When you are ready to go to sleep you get in your bed under your net and tuck in the last side. Then you are fully protected against the malaria-carriers and you can lala salama (sleep peacefully). Needless to say, my roommates and I found this mosquito net situation quite hilarious at first, so I had to take some pictures of it. J Anywho, I miss everyone at home, but I can easily say this is the best thing I’ve ever decided to do. Every moment leads me closer to falling in love with this city. Kwaheri!
Fun fact: There is a paved road near the CCS Home Base that that runs from South Africa all the way to Cairo.
This is going to seem cheap because I read the whole thing but this is awesome: A ROAD FROM SOUTH AFRICA TO CAIRO?!?!?!!? IS THERE A MARATHON FOR THAT OR SOMETHING?!
ReplyDeleteI demand more info!
-Maddie McBadbad (Ragnar)