The first thing I needed to adjust to was the change in traffic pattern. I nearly yelled out a few times, You're turning into oncoming traffic! Turns out, they drive on the left side of the road and the steering wheel is on the right. Most intersections consist of large roundabouts. The first traffic light in all of Arusha was installed about a year ago and crowds of people came out to view the changing signals. Speed bumps serve to slow down traffic as well as doubling as pedestrian crossings. Most drivers are quite good about letting you cross. Public transportation consists of 'dalla dallas', minivans with seating for 10 and capacity for 20. Once any available space has been taken up, people will hang out windows or the sliding door for added space. Apparently, I can join the melee as a driver once I've aquired my resident's permit, although I'm not sure how I'll fare with the change in driving directions and general organized chaos...
We arrived in the middle of Mike and Maggie (our Country Representatives) moving house further outside Arusha. We pitched in and helped pack up their things into their two vehicles. Moving vans are not an option here as the back roads can be particularly difficult to navigate at times. We averaged about two trips per day and managed to get them settled into their new home by week's end. Now that's moving TZ style!
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Journey to Africa
After 30 hours spent in airplanes and four airports, we (Peter, Fairchild and I) arrived safely in Nairobi, Kenya. Amazingly, we did not lose a single piece of luggage along the way! I even managed to cut a whole suitcase stuffed with excess clothing to make up the difference of 42 lbs. of ESL course books. I think I saved MCC a few hundred dollars at least.
Nairobi: we arrived late at night and still had to wait an additional hour to have our on-the-spot tourist visas processed - no officials to turn me down this time! A drived was waiting to take us to the Mennonite Guest House only there must have been some confusion because he dropped us at the Methodist Guest House. His sign at the airport had clearly stated 'Methodist Guest House - Peter Widmer x3', so we naturally assumed the Mennonites and the Methodists must be working together. Our first hint to the contrary should have been the big 'M' on the side of the building and the sign indicating 'swimming pool'. It was more embarassing than anything else, especially considering that Peter, Fairchild, and I had done our fair share of travelling in the past. We did end up getting to the right Guest House thanks to Tony, our Kenyan taxi driver, and once the security guard handed us our keys, we went straight to bed...for twelve hours.
Arusha: After one day of rest, we were on the road to Arusha, TZ early the next morning. Once we had clarified that we did in fact have spots on the designated bus, we piled in with 15 others and began the approx. 4 hour drive. It was an adventure in itself! Our driver was very skilled as evidenced by his ability to maneuver around large potholes and cracks in the highway. The highway consisted of two lanes. The absence of a passing lane didn't seem to bother anyone - they simply squeezed in between the two existing lanes, forcing oncoming traffic to use the shoulder in order to avoid catastrophe. I held my breath for the first few passing attempts by our driver but, by the end of the trip, was relaxed enough to doze off.
Our only hold-up was at the TZ border: we got stuck behind an Italian tour group waiting for TZ visas. The customs official collected $50 from each of us (except for any Americans: they had to cough up $100) and went to the back room with an armload of passports and bills. An hour and a half later, my patience was wearing thin and the Italian chatter wasn't helping. Finally, we were on the final approach to Arusha. Mike, our Country Representative, was waiting to pick us up and the first order of business was lunch consisting of goat meat, something that resembled chicken, chips or fries, and roasted bananas (not the sweet kind). All in all, a good journey but an even better destination...
Nairobi: we arrived late at night and still had to wait an additional hour to have our on-the-spot tourist visas processed - no officials to turn me down this time! A drived was waiting to take us to the Mennonite Guest House only there must have been some confusion because he dropped us at the Methodist Guest House. His sign at the airport had clearly stated 'Methodist Guest House - Peter Widmer x3', so we naturally assumed the Mennonites and the Methodists must be working together. Our first hint to the contrary should have been the big 'M' on the side of the building and the sign indicating 'swimming pool'. It was more embarassing than anything else, especially considering that Peter, Fairchild, and I had done our fair share of travelling in the past. We did end up getting to the right Guest House thanks to Tony, our Kenyan taxi driver, and once the security guard handed us our keys, we went straight to bed...for twelve hours.
Arusha: After one day of rest, we were on the road to Arusha, TZ early the next morning. Once we had clarified that we did in fact have spots on the designated bus, we piled in with 15 others and began the approx. 4 hour drive. It was an adventure in itself! Our driver was very skilled as evidenced by his ability to maneuver around large potholes and cracks in the highway. The highway consisted of two lanes. The absence of a passing lane didn't seem to bother anyone - they simply squeezed in between the two existing lanes, forcing oncoming traffic to use the shoulder in order to avoid catastrophe. I held my breath for the first few passing attempts by our driver but, by the end of the trip, was relaxed enough to doze off.
Our only hold-up was at the TZ border: we got stuck behind an Italian tour group waiting for TZ visas. The customs official collected $50 from each of us (except for any Americans: they had to cough up $100) and went to the back room with an armload of passports and bills. An hour and a half later, my patience was wearing thin and the Italian chatter wasn't helping. Finally, we were on the final approach to Arusha. Mike, our Country Representative, was waiting to pick us up and the first order of business was lunch consisting of goat meat, something that resembled chicken, chips or fries, and roasted bananas (not the sweet kind). All in all, a good journey but an even better destination...
Saturday, August 16, 2008
I have posted my mailing address for Tanzania on the left side of my blog. Our Country Representatives have let us know that sending letters is not a problem. However, any sorts of packages should be small, no larger than the size of two or three books. Example: they received a Christmas package from home a few weeks ago.
I look forward to hearing from all of you as you read my blog updates and rest assured, i will do my best to answer any and all emails as internet access allows it.
I look forward to hearing from all of you as you read my blog updates and rest assured, i will do my best to answer any and all emails as internet access allows it.
Orientation - Akron, PA
A long week of sessions, training and new people is coming to an end this evening. The hymn singing (yes, Oma, you read right) has just ended and all 54 of us SALTers are now focused on our impending departure times. Our journey of learning included helpful information on culture shock and cultural adjustment, dos and don'ts while on assignment, spiritual nourishment and personal care. In addition, our SALT Orientation Team introduced us to the ins and outs of MCC - what its purpose is, what functions it serves, where they run programs, etc. We had the pleasure of meeting the new MCC Executive Director Arlie Klassen who spoke at length to us about a revisioning of MCC called "New Wine, New Wineskins" that will be happening over the next year.
There is an air of excitement about this whole place: over 100 young people aged 18 to 27 gathered in Akron, Pennsylvania to prepare for there year of service around the world. We had people from Honduras, Bolivia, Korea, China, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Laos, Cambodia, etc. It was amazing to see and experience the diversity of the global Mennonite church. Everyone made a concerted effort to get to know each other and it was not uncommon to walk into a very loud dining room at meal times and find a good mix of people at every table discussing in broken English, Spanish, German, Portuguese, Khmer, Arabic the differences in culture, mannerisms, food, and everything in between. Some of our most interesting and hilarious conversations occurred around these very topics. The facial reactions of the girls heading to Indonesia as they learned about the "specialty foods" was priceless. I can only imagine how strange some of our cultural idiosyncrasies must be for them.
My highlights have been the evenings: you could find people at any time of night playing card games, watching the Olympics, roasting marshmallows, having ice cream, learning new languages in the various houses here. New friendships have been formed and we have all gained new understanding and appreciation for those around us. It will be difficult to leave this all behind but we know that the year ahead will be unforgettable!
There is an air of excitement about this whole place: over 100 young people aged 18 to 27 gathered in Akron, Pennsylvania to prepare for there year of service around the world. We had people from Honduras, Bolivia, Korea, China, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Laos, Cambodia, etc. It was amazing to see and experience the diversity of the global Mennonite church. Everyone made a concerted effort to get to know each other and it was not uncommon to walk into a very loud dining room at meal times and find a good mix of people at every table discussing in broken English, Spanish, German, Portuguese, Khmer, Arabic the differences in culture, mannerisms, food, and everything in between. Some of our most interesting and hilarious conversations occurred around these very topics. The facial reactions of the girls heading to Indonesia as they learned about the "specialty foods" was priceless. I can only imagine how strange some of our cultural idiosyncrasies must be for them.
My highlights have been the evenings: you could find people at any time of night playing card games, watching the Olympics, roasting marshmallows, having ice cream, learning new languages in the various houses here. New friendships have been formed and we have all gained new understanding and appreciation for those around us. It will be difficult to leave this all behind but we know that the year ahead will be unforgettable!
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Travel Itinerary Change
I am departing at 10pm tonight for Akron, Pennsylvania to begin one week of orientation along with 53 other SALTers. As many of you have heard, my visa application for Vietnam did not go through. As a result, I will be now traveling to Tanzania to be an ESL teacher. The change in plans came as a complete shock to myself and the SALT Team in Akron. They have been working tirelessly to make all the necessary arrangements for my departure to Tanzania next week.
Thank-you to every one of you who supported me financially and in prayer over the last several months. Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers as I undertake the journey of a lifetime!
Thank-you to every one of you who supported me financially and in prayer over the last several months. Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers as I undertake the journey of a lifetime!
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