Most of the food here in Africa is a little bland- lots of rice, beans, lentils, and the same tomato sauce on everything. A few weeks ago though the chef at our Homebase, a quiet man named Wilfred, made the best Veggie burgers that we have EVER had. So of course we had to ask for the recipe and he kindly invited us back to the kitchen today to learn. Before today, I had NO idea how hard this man works...
While lunch isn't until 1:00 PM everyday, we started cooking bright and early at 9:00 AM. About 5 of the volunteers crowded into the small, very basic kitchen to watch Wilfred's every move. He got us straight to work using the dull broken knives in the kitchen to chop and grate vegetables. He is a fabulous cook and made us look pretty terrible because we took 3 times as long as he did to do anything in the kitchen. After lots of chopping, mixing and explaining the recipe in broken English, we cooked the burgers over a charcoal oven on the ground...yes a pot filled with oil over a charcoal fire (yikes!) Then we started making homemade buns for the burgers (the very best part). After a few hours of hard work, we gained a new recipe and a BIG appreciation for modern appliances. It is hard to believe that absolutely everything here is made from scratch with very basic tools, but I think when we repeat the recipe, we will use a food processor.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Friday, June 26, 2009
It's Friday!
TGIF! We have finshed 3 weeks of placement at Tumaini English Medium School and we still love it. Despite the language barrier (although the children speak quite a bit of English) and the fact that we are in Africa it is true that "kids will be kids". The children here are not much different than home at the core...they love hugs, laughing, playing games (duck,duck,goose and the limbo), singing (head, and shoulders, knees and toes,)they tattle on their friends, they pick their noses, and they fight over who gets to hold teacha's hand. The lack of school supplies, electricity, a real toliet (it is truly a hole in the ground), a snack (besides poridge, which looks discusting) does not get these children down. Neither does the fact that some of the kids walk alone for miles to get to and from school everyday or that they wear the same clothes....these children are happy and thankful for what they have. They are curious just like children at home...they scratch our skin because it looks different and love to touch our hair. It seems that they are learning by seeing different types of people. These children have really taught us a lot about life and finding happiness in simplicity. This experience is amazing and I'm so excited we still have more time here to learn about the culture.
The lead teacher at the school, David, is such a kind man, but has absolutly no clue about what goes on in the U.S. He asked Catherine if we could all understand each other or if we had tribal languages like they do here....we attempted to explain that we all speak English, but have different accents. Today he asked if we knew any black people in America...again we attempted to explain that there are many black people, as well as other ethnic groups. He asked if we all get along and can understand each other's language and culture. David seemed a bit confused when Catherine told him that all students go to school together and people of different ethnicities interact all the time and are friends. I am pretty sure his view on America came from some really dated books. We are trying update him.
On another note we traveled to Arusha (which is about an hour away and much bigger than Moshi) the other day with our program and went to see the Rwanda trials. The U.N. created a tribunal to put away the people that commited the hannis acts of genocide back in 1994. They decided on Tanzania as a more nuetral and less corrupt place to hold the trials so this is why we got to see them. They have convicted many people, but the trials will continue for years to come. We want to give more details, but I will have to wait until the internet is working at our homebase so I can have the trial information in front of me.
Now we are off to go eat dinner at IndoItaliano (Indian/Italian) restaurant in Moshi. It should be interesting. We will continue about Rwanda tomorrow....
The lead teacher at the school, David, is such a kind man, but has absolutly no clue about what goes on in the U.S. He asked Catherine if we could all understand each other or if we had tribal languages like they do here....we attempted to explain that we all speak English, but have different accents. Today he asked if we knew any black people in America...again we attempted to explain that there are many black people, as well as other ethnic groups. He asked if we all get along and can understand each other's language and culture. David seemed a bit confused when Catherine told him that all students go to school together and people of different ethnicities interact all the time and are friends. I am pretty sure his view on America came from some really dated books. We are trying update him.
On another note we traveled to Arusha (which is about an hour away and much bigger than Moshi) the other day with our program and went to see the Rwanda trials. The U.N. created a tribunal to put away the people that commited the hannis acts of genocide back in 1994. They decided on Tanzania as a more nuetral and less corrupt place to hold the trials so this is why we got to see them. They have convicted many people, but the trials will continue for years to come. We want to give more details, but I will have to wait until the internet is working at our homebase so I can have the trial information in front of me.
Now we are off to go eat dinner at IndoItaliano (Indian/Italian) restaurant in Moshi. It should be interesting. We will continue about Rwanda tomorrow....
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Harsh reality
Yesterday, we were able to visit a local club for people with HIV and AIDs. This was our assignment for missing a day of our placement when we went on our Safari. We didn't really know what we were in for when the 12 of us drove out a few miles from our Home Base, but it was the most eye-opening experience yet.
We were greeted by a Madame Sarah, the leader of a group of 20 members living with HIV and AIDs in the local community. They have come together for support and guidance in a community that has ostracized them for their illness. The club meets every few days in a small shop that sells sodas and beer during the day (its owner allows them to meet after closing). Many of the members are unable to meet because they suffer from TB and other diseases contracted as a result of their weakened immune system. We each brought a small gift of rice, sugar, bread, or beans...little did we know what a large impact this seemingly insignificant gift would make for each member.
The streets were busy with shoeless, dirty children yelling "mzungu!" and holding our hands as we walked by tiny mud shacks...we truly felt like we were in a "save the children" infomercial. We visited 3 members who were too sick to go to meeting that week. Mama Sarah was so happy to bring us and to bring gifts for the members. We first arrived at the home of Leonard, a short, weak man with no front teeth who hobbled out to see us on crutches...he suffered from TB and didn't have any food to eat with his medicine, so his legs have become near unusable as a result. He lives alone, with no family or wife and struggles to pay his rent on a tiny (closet sized room). This was the first time that I understood the severity of the situation. We wished him well and he was very thankful to see visitors as he doesn't have them often.
Next we visited a woman who discovered her HIV when her husband got sick and died unexpectedly. She has a 2 year old girl (without HIV) who was being bathed outside when we left and lives with her mother in a small apartment. She looked very thin and sick, and was a bit shy and seemed embarrassed of her situation. Her mother offered us tea and encouraged us to come back, they were thankful to have dinner for the night hugged us as we left.
The third house was by far the most difficutl, it was the home of Grace...a woman of age 35. SHe was fvery unhealthy-looking and so thin, you could break her. Her eyes were yellow and half closed, as if it was hard to see the person beyond the sicknesses she was suffering from. She currently has malaria and her AIDs is rapidly progressing. Her home was the size of half of a closet and was made entirely of dirt and sticks. It smelled musty and besides her bed, there we a few wooden stools on the floor. She cried as we arrived and after two other difficult visits, it was all we could do to hold off tears as long as we did. She held her hands up to God to thank him for the gifts and kissed all of our hands. AIDs felt real for the first time in her tiny little house.
We went back on a few visits today and it was amazing to see the power of human relationships and religion. We made a few of the same visits (Grace and Leonard) and visited a few others.
This time we prayed and brought more food. Dispite the language barrier it was incredible to feel a connection through prayer and thankfulness. We are plannning to go back as much as we can and helping Mama Sarah to buy medicines and food after we leave.
We were greeted by a Madame Sarah, the leader of a group of 20 members living with HIV and AIDs in the local community. They have come together for support and guidance in a community that has ostracized them for their illness. The club meets every few days in a small shop that sells sodas and beer during the day (its owner allows them to meet after closing). Many of the members are unable to meet because they suffer from TB and other diseases contracted as a result of their weakened immune system. We each brought a small gift of rice, sugar, bread, or beans...little did we know what a large impact this seemingly insignificant gift would make for each member.
The streets were busy with shoeless, dirty children yelling "mzungu!" and holding our hands as we walked by tiny mud shacks...we truly felt like we were in a "save the children" infomercial. We visited 3 members who were too sick to go to meeting that week. Mama Sarah was so happy to bring us and to bring gifts for the members. We first arrived at the home of Leonard, a short, weak man with no front teeth who hobbled out to see us on crutches...he suffered from TB and didn't have any food to eat with his medicine, so his legs have become near unusable as a result. He lives alone, with no family or wife and struggles to pay his rent on a tiny (closet sized room). This was the first time that I understood the severity of the situation. We wished him well and he was very thankful to see visitors as he doesn't have them often.
Next we visited a woman who discovered her HIV when her husband got sick and died unexpectedly. She has a 2 year old girl (without HIV) who was being bathed outside when we left and lives with her mother in a small apartment. She looked very thin and sick, and was a bit shy and seemed embarrassed of her situation. Her mother offered us tea and encouraged us to come back, they were thankful to have dinner for the night hugged us as we left.
The third house was by far the most difficutl, it was the home of Grace...a woman of age 35. SHe was fvery unhealthy-looking and so thin, you could break her. Her eyes were yellow and half closed, as if it was hard to see the person beyond the sicknesses she was suffering from. She currently has malaria and her AIDs is rapidly progressing. Her home was the size of half of a closet and was made entirely of dirt and sticks. It smelled musty and besides her bed, there we a few wooden stools on the floor. She cried as we arrived and after two other difficult visits, it was all we could do to hold off tears as long as we did. She held her hands up to God to thank him for the gifts and kissed all of our hands. AIDs felt real for the first time in her tiny little house.
We went back on a few visits today and it was amazing to see the power of human relationships and religion. We made a few of the same visits (Grace and Leonard) and visited a few others.
This time we prayed and brought more food. Dispite the language barrier it was incredible to feel a connection through prayer and thankfulness. We are plannning to go back as much as we can and helping Mama Sarah to buy medicines and food after we leave.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
sSorry for the delay, we returned from the safari late last night and the electricity/internet at our Home base has been somewhat spotty. We visited the Serengeti this past weekend (Thursday-Sunday) with 10 other volunteers and saw so many incredible things. Even more than our last Safari, it looked like a scene from the Lion King (rocks like “pride rock”, flat grassy land, and tons of animals roaming). We learned on our drive that the Serengeti got its name from the Maasai word for “vast plains” and that is a true explanation. It is the vastness of the plains that brings it beauty; feeling like the only people for miles surrounded by some of the most fascinating animals in the world is quite an amazing feeling.
We spent Thursday night at a campsite about 4 hours away from our Home base and were SO excited to have nice restrooms (with real toilets, not holes in the ground) and fancy tents with wooden beds. The next morning, we left early for the 3 ½ hour trip to the Serengeti. When we arrived, we were able to look at some of the animals that are currently going on the annual migration to Kenya (nobody knows why they do this, “it is natural” as our driver said). There were miles and miles of thousands of Zebras and Wildebeasts covering the land as far as you could see just roaming and playing in the grass. They Zebras make noises like barking dogs and the wildebeasts sounds like belching pigs and are all really loud when you drive through them. The coolest thing we saw was a group of 5 cheetahs (a mom and her 4 almost-full-grown cubs) all lounging in the sun close to the car; suddenly the cheetahs ran at full speed toward a gisele and tried to attack it! They failed, but it was so amazing to watch! It is really rare to see even one cheetah in the Serengeti, and even more to see 4 full grown cubs because the mother is left with the responsibility of hunting and nursing her cubs so many times the cubs are eaten by hyenas before they are full grown. We also saw leopards hanging from trees and the most beautiful skies and sunsets that I have ever seen. The sunsets look like orange, pink beams from heaven peaking through the clouds with the biggest sun I have ever seen sinking into the miles of plains. UNBELEIVABLE!
On Friday and Saturday evening we came back to our campsite around sunset (people are not allowed to be out driving in the Serengeti at night) dusty, tired, and ready to for dinner. Our safari meals all were all very different, but for some reason tasted exactly the same, like spicy tomato sauce. While lounging at the campsite we enjoyed watching the monkeys run around, the giraffes eat the acacia trees, the mongoose rummage through the trash, and listening to the hyenas as we fell asleep. By the way, hyenas do not make any sort of laughing noise, they make noise that sounds like a combination of a witch cackle and a dog howling. At night we always heard them around our tents and it was totally freaky!
Overall, it was an amazing, unforgettable weekend. Even the drive to/from the Serengeti was pretty as we saw Maasai children dressed in their traditional red clothing hearding cows and sheep in front of Kilimanjaro, women carrying pots on their heads with babies on their backs, and sunflower farms. Today, we attempted to explain the animals that we saw in the Serengeti to the children at our school and attempted to learn their Swahili names, but were somewhat unsuccessful in acting out/drawing the animals and learning their Swahili names. J Oh well! After two busy weekends, we are planning on staying around the Home base this weekend, exploring Moshi, and going on a coffee plantation hike.
We spent Thursday night at a campsite about 4 hours away from our Home base and were SO excited to have nice restrooms (with real toilets, not holes in the ground) and fancy tents with wooden beds. The next morning, we left early for the 3 ½ hour trip to the Serengeti. When we arrived, we were able to look at some of the animals that are currently going on the annual migration to Kenya (nobody knows why they do this, “it is natural” as our driver said). There were miles and miles of thousands of Zebras and Wildebeasts covering the land as far as you could see just roaming and playing in the grass. They Zebras make noises like barking dogs and the wildebeasts sounds like belching pigs and are all really loud when you drive through them. The coolest thing we saw was a group of 5 cheetahs (a mom and her 4 almost-full-grown cubs) all lounging in the sun close to the car; suddenly the cheetahs ran at full speed toward a gisele and tried to attack it! They failed, but it was so amazing to watch! It is really rare to see even one cheetah in the Serengeti, and even more to see 4 full grown cubs because the mother is left with the responsibility of hunting and nursing her cubs so many times the cubs are eaten by hyenas before they are full grown. We also saw leopards hanging from trees and the most beautiful skies and sunsets that I have ever seen. The sunsets look like orange, pink beams from heaven peaking through the clouds with the biggest sun I have ever seen sinking into the miles of plains. UNBELEIVABLE!
On Friday and Saturday evening we came back to our campsite around sunset (people are not allowed to be out driving in the Serengeti at night) dusty, tired, and ready to for dinner. Our safari meals all were all very different, but for some reason tasted exactly the same, like spicy tomato sauce. While lounging at the campsite we enjoyed watching the monkeys run around, the giraffes eat the acacia trees, the mongoose rummage through the trash, and listening to the hyenas as we fell asleep. By the way, hyenas do not make any sort of laughing noise, they make noise that sounds like a combination of a witch cackle and a dog howling. At night we always heard them around our tents and it was totally freaky!
Overall, it was an amazing, unforgettable weekend. Even the drive to/from the Serengeti was pretty as we saw Maasai children dressed in their traditional red clothing hearding cows and sheep in front of Kilimanjaro, women carrying pots on their heads with babies on their backs, and sunflower farms. Today, we attempted to explain the animals that we saw in the Serengeti to the children at our school and attempted to learn their Swahili names, but were somewhat unsuccessful in acting out/drawing the animals and learning their Swahili names. J Oh well! After two busy weekends, we are planning on staying around the Home base this weekend, exploring Moshi, and going on a coffee plantation hike.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
The Waterfall
Today we traveled with all of the other volunteers to a Waterfall located about 30 minutes away from Moshi. It was nice to have a day to sight see, but unfortunately last night it rained really hard and the roads and grounds were very muddy.
We left for our trip at 8:00 this morning and made a few stops on the way. The land all around us changed during our drive from flat green plains, to dry arid plins, to lush green forest. We visited a small village in this forest with a blacksmith selling a variety of instruments and spears. One of the blacksmiths took us to visit his house, where there were 300 year old caves underneath some of the huts. The houses are very simple huts made of wood and grass with small simple stick huts for the goats and cows next to each house. The local tribe in this area is the Chaga (the tribe known to live around Kilimanjaro). In the 1700s and 1800s, the Chaga tribe and the Massai tribe didn't get along, because the Massai have a belief that they have rights to all of the cows in the world. When the Massai would come to Chaga villiages to take the cows or rape the women, the Chaga would hide in these caves with their animals. We were allowed to crawl into these caves, but because of the rain Lauren and I decided not to go. Apparently it was really dark and sticky down there.
After our excitement in the caves, we started our journey to the Waterfall. The roads in Africa are difficult to drive on, especially in the rain. (Think of the WORST road you have ever driven on and times it by 10). After one van got stuck and had to be pushed out of the mud, we made our way to a local market where fruits, animals and textiles were being sold. It was a kind of beautiful chaos with all of the women wearing colorful fabric head-to-toe carrying loads of Bananas on their heads or sometimes carrying live chickens, loud Swahili conversations all around us, piles of what looked like Salvation Army clothing being sold, fruits scattered on various mats for sale. At one point a woman waved a dead chicken at Lauren and even touched it with her saying "Habari" (how are you?). It was scary. One woman noticed my pink shirt and decided I needed a matching turban, so she quickly created one and demanded that I buy it...After looking in the mirror, I decided not to.
By the time we made it to the Waterfall, we were all hungry and grabbed some lunch. Starting our steep climb to the waterfall was muddy, slippery and full of rocks through what looks like a rain forest. Our drivers told us to "take everything with us", so we were tromping along wearing our purses and backpacks (this definitely didn't help with our balance). We made it down "pole pole" (slowly) only to fall a few times and be covered in mud. But the waterfall was worth the work... It was stunning. Falling from the rocks on the mountains and sparkling in the sun. The water was cold, but we made our way through the water shoeless to get a little closer (Hopefully we didn't get any sick parasites). After viewing the waterfall, a few volunteers decided to swim in the water and then we trekked back up the mountain to head home.
We are headed on a 4 day safari today into the Serengeti (7 hours away) where some of the animals are migrating to Kenya. It should be beautiful and we will see LOTS of lions, cheetahs, and interesting animals. Looking forward to a post when we get back on Sunday!
We left for our trip at 8:00 this morning and made a few stops on the way. The land all around us changed during our drive from flat green plains, to dry arid plins, to lush green forest. We visited a small village in this forest with a blacksmith selling a variety of instruments and spears. One of the blacksmiths took us to visit his house, where there were 300 year old caves underneath some of the huts. The houses are very simple huts made of wood and grass with small simple stick huts for the goats and cows next to each house. The local tribe in this area is the Chaga (the tribe known to live around Kilimanjaro). In the 1700s and 1800s, the Chaga tribe and the Massai tribe didn't get along, because the Massai have a belief that they have rights to all of the cows in the world. When the Massai would come to Chaga villiages to take the cows or rape the women, the Chaga would hide in these caves with their animals. We were allowed to crawl into these caves, but because of the rain Lauren and I decided not to go. Apparently it was really dark and sticky down there.
After our excitement in the caves, we started our journey to the Waterfall. The roads in Africa are difficult to drive on, especially in the rain. (Think of the WORST road you have ever driven on and times it by 10). After one van got stuck and had to be pushed out of the mud, we made our way to a local market where fruits, animals and textiles were being sold. It was a kind of beautiful chaos with all of the women wearing colorful fabric head-to-toe carrying loads of Bananas on their heads or sometimes carrying live chickens, loud Swahili conversations all around us, piles of what looked like Salvation Army clothing being sold, fruits scattered on various mats for sale. At one point a woman waved a dead chicken at Lauren and even touched it with her saying "Habari" (how are you?). It was scary. One woman noticed my pink shirt and decided I needed a matching turban, so she quickly created one and demanded that I buy it...After looking in the mirror, I decided not to.
By the time we made it to the Waterfall, we were all hungry and grabbed some lunch. Starting our steep climb to the waterfall was muddy, slippery and full of rocks through what looks like a rain forest. Our drivers told us to "take everything with us", so we were tromping along wearing our purses and backpacks (this definitely didn't help with our balance). We made it down "pole pole" (slowly) only to fall a few times and be covered in mud. But the waterfall was worth the work... It was stunning. Falling from the rocks on the mountains and sparkling in the sun. The water was cold, but we made our way through the water shoeless to get a little closer (Hopefully we didn't get any sick parasites). After viewing the waterfall, a few volunteers decided to swim in the water and then we trekked back up the mountain to head home.
We are headed on a 4 day safari today into the Serengeti (7 hours away) where some of the animals are migrating to Kenya. It should be beautiful and we will see LOTS of lions, cheetahs, and interesting animals. Looking forward to a post when we get back on Sunday!
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Safari continued/orphage visit
Sorry I was once again cut off mid-story. As I was saying...we watched the female lions close in on a buffalo that was off by itself (this was all happening about 100 yards away from us). All of the sudden one lion sprinted off and pounced on the buffalo...the other lion did the same, but before they could kill it the herd came to the rescue and scared the lions off. It was a surreal experience to say the least. My other favorite part of our Safari was seeing the mother lion with her cubs...they were sooo cute. At one point a male lion was next to our truck roaring for his friends, who were off in the distance, to join him. This was borderline scary because the lion was only about five feet away but he seemed to care less about us. I got him roaring on video which is cool. Overall, the safari was an unforgettable experience. I cannot wait to go on our 3 night Serengetti Safari this weekend!
On another note, things have been going really well at the Tumaini school. Catherine and I have been teaching together which is fun. Today we tried to teach past/present tense and dropping and e to add ing. It was not fun because many of the terms we used to explain the lesson obviously made no since to the children. We worked it out by doing some acting (Teacher is dancing. and Teacher was dancing.) the kids thought this was hilarious.
Yesterday, we went to an orphanage outside of town. It was for young children (infants to around three) and it was very eye opening. Most of the children had lost parents to AIDS or had mothers that were mentally disabled rape victims (evidently this is a problem in Tanzania). The babies were absolutly beautiful, and the younger children were precious! We played with the younger children for about 30 minutes. Most of them were a bit reluctant to play at first because they are not used to seeing mzungu (white people). Once they warmed up they did not want to be put down. It was sad because I could tell that they don't get much love and affection....it seemed like they were starved for it. Going to the orphange made me feel so blessed to have family and friends like you! -Lauren
On another note, things have been going really well at the Tumaini school. Catherine and I have been teaching together which is fun. Today we tried to teach past/present tense and dropping and e to add ing. It was not fun because many of the terms we used to explain the lesson obviously made no since to the children. We worked it out by doing some acting (Teacher is dancing. and Teacher was dancing.) the kids thought this was hilarious.
Yesterday, we went to an orphanage outside of town. It was for young children (infants to around three) and it was very eye opening. Most of the children had lost parents to AIDS or had mothers that were mentally disabled rape victims (evidently this is a problem in Tanzania). The babies were absolutly beautiful, and the younger children were precious! We played with the younger children for about 30 minutes. Most of them were a bit reluctant to play at first because they are not used to seeing mzungu (white people). Once they warmed up they did not want to be put down. It was sad because I could tell that they don't get much love and affection....it seemed like they were starved for it. Going to the orphange made me feel so blessed to have family and friends like you! -Lauren
Safari (complete with Safari hat) #2
On our first day of the Safari, we were able to see so many animals. I didn't quite know what to expect as it was my first safari, but animals were perfectly placed all around us. The terrain was rough and we were covered in dust, but my trusty safari hat served me well. I was also wearing some really cool khaki shorts and intense hiking boots....I haven't quite decided yet if I looked prepared, or like a complete dork.
Anyway, back to the safari. We saw babboons (which run around EVERYWHERE) and so many giraffes (twiga in swahili). They walk so gracefully, but kind of look like dinosaurs from far away. The elephants were beautiful and we even saw a baby elephant right beside our car! Three lions were hanging from a tree that we drove right under, and one of them even showed his teeth at us! (definitely scary!!) We also visited a hot spring and thousands of flamingos (the covered the entire lake in their pink color)
Anyway, back to the safari. We saw babboons (which run around EVERYWHERE) and so many giraffes (twiga in swahili). They walk so gracefully, but kind of look like dinosaurs from far away. The elephants were beautiful and we even saw a baby elephant right beside our car! Three lions were hanging from a tree that we drove right under, and one of them even showed his teeth at us! (definitely scary!!) We also visited a hot spring and thousands of flamingos (the covered the entire lake in their pink color)
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