Random Pictures

A coffee house full of people, sitting and drinking coffee to stay out of the afternoon downpour. In Kipare they are arguing and complaining about the delays in getting their World Food Aid. As well sits a man with thousands of shillings in his pockets. Listening to the tales not too worried about food aid or even sure his neighbors need it. Once the rain stops everyone starts to pay for their coffee, bringing the bickering outside where it continues for the 3 days until the next to free shows up. Inside the man with an average Mpare 2 month salary in his pocket attempts to pay and leave. Sparking a new argument. You cant pay 100 shillings ($ 0.10) for your coffee. Eventually compromises buying 2 more cups for another 100 shillings and drinking them alone listening to more issues over the expected and needed near free food.

A bus full of Tanzanians traveling to the big city. Quite and cramped. On climbs 3 whities forced to stand with other's legs and feet between them in a bus that is as tall as their shoulders. The whitie (mzungu) wearing the stars and bars starts pulls out an ipod, starts dancing and getting the bus to laugh and enjoy the ride. "Buffalo Soldier / Stollen from Africa..."

Six people, 5 older folks, 1 young twenty-something. The 5 have made a living of farming. One was even the head coffee planter (Bwana Shamba-literally Mr. Farmer) for the entire Ward (a region of over 15,000 people) when Coffee was still the cash crop. The youngster is attempting to learn how to plant a tree nursery, he is doing this by scheduling a lesson: "how to plant a tree nursery" He takes a jembe (very simple hoe), for about the 10th time in his life, that everyone else uses daily, and uses it to surpiresed congratulations. "He knows how to do it!" Then mixing soiling, adding water, drawing lines and planting seeds. "Okay now, lets plan the others. Ill let you plant these." The elders all plant easily with utmost care for a hopeful crop. Finishing with crongatulations for the town's new Bwana Shamba wa Miti (trees). "He really is a teacher, he can show us how to plant." -Hongera Bwana Miti

Our hero sits at a hoteli (restuarant) eating rice and little pieces of roasted meat -called roasti. The waitresses are very happy with his presence, and impressed that the Mzungu understands Kipare (the local language). They congratulate a little too much. He notices that there are many rooms out the back, only ladies working there, all overly friendly, happy and with a little bit of wealth in a town that is at best a truckstop. The hero wonders why his host brought him to this specific restarunt, and jumps to the assumption that it is a Brothel. Such a fine reward for an acklaimed treasure hunter. But we are here to eat, and prepare for our expedition. At best it is a sign of bontiful rewards if the treasure is reachable. After washing hands and leaving. The 3 mount their vehicle and zoom off into the Masaai Steppe. For a very crowded hour they continue zooming over ruts, around thorn trees and under the African Sun into the steppe. Finally the road runs out and the driver contiunes to further off road it, to stop in the middle of now-where. "Here we are" The proceed to the fabled rock. With the number ~H3/2004-87 mysteriously written upon it. "What does it mean?" and then pointing at the hole that took the other men weeks to unearth "Where is the treasure? We made it to those rocks that were built. But cant find any thing else." Pointing at Sedimentary stone that is several feet under the surface. The hero tries to explain that his fears seem to be true. But with a failing in the local dialect is unable to fully say: "Sedimentary rock is made. It is made by thousands of years of dust settling in one spot, but not by humans -specifically Germans hiding treasure. Furthermore you destroyed a geographical marker." Then he feels sorry for his companions and the brutal work of weeks breaking through stone under the african sun. "I don't think there is treasure here, but I don't know for sure. You said there was another spot?" Off they zoom again, to some unseeable hill, a small rise on the horizon. "Here there was a picture of a bird made out of rocks and put here by Germans. We destroyed it making this hole" Another several weeks of digging, but all in vain again. They dug where it was easy, and not were the rocks made a very poor concrete. But yet again the fabled treasure hunter is baffalled and sorry for weeks of work in vain. "I don't know but maybe if you try here again. Right under the spot of the bird." They accept that with pleasure, but no brothel worthy rewards today. Back in the vehicle they quickly stop. Flat. With the three pushing the vehicle, amazingly within a couple minutes they appear at the first settlement they have seen all day. About a half hour later some Masaai with a machete, glue and bike tire fix the flat. And back to town they ride.

Two dudes. Sitting out enjoying the day after Thanksgiving. Talking about the food that soon will ensue again -although with more anticipation due to the lack of an amazing feast on the day before. Enjoying the outside air, cool. Then they ready themselves for the moment. Soap up. And run down the slip and slide. Oh Black Friday, trampling running and bruising all in the name of Slip and Slide.

So it Aint Sawxtober No-Mah

Half way into October, two months living in the Pare Mountains, with months of training and a large support system to be fueled by what have I done?

Not much.

Well my job at the moment is not to do much. But that shall change soon. My job has lately been to "intergrate into the community." Easy. All I have to do is make my community think that I have been living with them our entire lives and that I know all the local knowledge and customs, generally not being recognized as an outsider or "Mzungu." Easy.

Actually, just this past week I felt that I had achieved this goal. I was not able to fool my villagers, they all know me a little too well (as most people that might know me know I tend to stick out a bit and to act differently). But I think that I fooled an outsider. One of them Mzungus themselves. Well the story went that I was waiting downtown for the local veternarian, in good African fashion almost an hour after our proposed meeting time. Although unnaturely for him, he was over a half hour early and I had missed out. But from the far side of town wandered a Mzungu. Easy to spot: white skin, shorts and a tang top, not passing off any greetings to anybody. No Kohnga (a sheet worn as a dress by almost all Tanzanian ladies, often on market day or for any public appearance found with a matching sheet for a top) not supplying a single greeting (as the enitre village is family I spend the clear majority of my day just saying "whats the news of...?" this passes time quickly and easily as the answers range from good to peacefully and back to good) She appeared to be en route to the market, completely out of any cultural perspective. I was standing in the shade as the sun is Kali (fierce). And thought to help break the ice as a fellow Mzungu (whitey) with a simple: Mambo? (thats the cool greeting and maybe it would make this here out of place mzungu feel comforatable and able to talk). Alas: no response. Just a small blank stare. As If I was just any old villager in a town to be storlled through.
I counted this as a victory for my cultural intergration.

Although I have yet to start any work or perform any great earth saving events. I now pass off as a villager. The first step in living their lives and helping solve their problems.

1 Month In

So I have lived at site now for 1 month. I live in the South Pare Mts. Up where the permaculture was invented, and where living is easy. My village is on the side of a mountain, so to go anywhere except down the road to the next village, you are either walking straight up a mt or down. The main road is mainly flatish. I am very remote. There are 2 buses out of the mountains, one leaves daily for the cities of Same, where I do my banking and general business, and then Moshi the jumping off point for Kilimanjaro. This bus leaves at 3 am from the next ward over (that is 3 towns away). The other bus is from the next town over and goes every other day to Tanga returning the following day, also leaving at 3 am. So if I ever desire to go anywhere I need to leave my houe a day early and hike to the appropriate town, stay the half a night at a guest house and then take a rattingly bus down the mountian to an adequate road and eventually to town: a trip of about 5 hrs. I do not plan on making this trip too often, maybe once a month. That means I shall not have access to computers banks or anything too often. But for me thats not much of a problem. My village has almost everything. Running water (in streams), cheap vegetables grown on the terraced mountains, great meat (raised off those crops), great views (out to Kenya and the Usambara mts), very friendly people, coffee shops and little restuarants everywhere. My village has many people that are already on the ball with regards to environmental issues along the lines of the projects that I am supposed to do. They have great running farms producing crops year round, have started projects to raise and sell goats cows and chikens, and are underway with a project to pipe the entire town. Allegedly electricity is coming next year as well. So the biggest issues that I see is that we are far from anything with a horrid road in between. Hence people are poor but they are also up and coming. Also my town is the center of party for the region with many drinking clubs in our little 100 yrds of down town. So I kinda love my village.
My site mate, Mary is 2 towns over and I hear about her almost everyday. Although I have already made it a week without running into her once. Usually people are just asking why I live so far from my wife (because the 2 whities must be married to each other). But other than that we have had no issues working in with the community around us. The biggest issues are that I have too many invites to houses and parties and too many people are feeding me at these events. So any food I buy usually goes bad days before I think about cooking, and a few people are dissappointed that I didn't come visit their house because I was off visiting and talking with other villagers. Life is kinda okay.

Words of Wisdom:
The US Gov't does not negotiate with witch doctors. Especially at times of a party.

Internet time is hard to get in Africa and it is about to get harder so here is my first little update about my life:

I am about to be inducted to the Peace Corps- I have been training for the last 2 months. Living with a Tanzanian family. But it was fairly posh for what it could have been. And life is going to get harder. I am going to be far up in the Pare Mountains.

Life was good I spent the first few weeks learning Swahilli 8 am till 3 pm and I have spent the past few weeks learning about volunteer life and technical things for the future. The next few months though I shall be living in a town learning about the local life and trying to figure out what to do with the next few years. And what they want to work for themselves.

So at the moment I am back in Dar. I am at the PC headquarters using an adequate internet capable computer. The joys of africa.

Tommorrow I and all the rest of us go to the Ambassador's house and become PCVs (Peace Corps Volunteers) so that is also exciting. Then on Thursday we pack everything back up into a nice landcruiser and drive back north, to drop off volunteers in Muheza, Lushoto, and hopefully make it to Same that same day- where I shall be dropped off with 2 other volunteers. The next day after meeting the locals ie present PCVs in the area, we meet the local officials both at the district (kinda county sized) officials and the local ward and maybe town officials. The local officails will then take us out to site. Maybe there might be a welcome party - if there is Im going to call it my B-day party, (just 1 day early). After that there shall be a week of waiting and figuring out more (pretty much everything) about my village.

I am going to be in the same ward but different village than my next closest PC neighbor, Mary. But from the only person that we have found that has been to site, said the villages are kinda the same, just one big mountain town. Some of the locals back in Muheza said that it shall be a great town, with pretty much everything, all fruits and foods and peara as big as parachichi. That is guava as big as avacados - which there can be as big as an American Football. Oh but also the road is fairly poor. For the 102 km drive to town, it took 3 hours in a PC landcruiser- must be slower by local public transit, there is even 10 km alone that takes upwards of a full hour to negotiate -itll be fun in the rainy season. So thats my future.

My past is that a week ago I learnt about Permaculture, double digging, and general ways to stop erosion and trap water. Which my village is in no great need of -nice moist mountains. Then general testing of Swahili and Tech knowledge, ( I doubt it but I am aleggedly an Advanced-mid Swahili speaker - just below Adv. High and Superior). After that we wrapped up the sessions in village and the town even threw us a party. Which was an issue with Mary and my families as they did not want to go in fear of witchcraft and potential hexxings. As well my Babu (grandpa) was having a party for Mohammed (the prophet), and my Baba (dad) needed to attend. In the end he was the only parent of all the volunteers not present at the party. But at least he is not hexxed.

The party was fun. plenty of speeches about how nice it was to have volunteers and Mungu Akiependa (god willing) we should return. Then a little present presentation I got 2 pants and a shirt all store bought (my family was rich). And then we all ate some rice and beans with our hands. It was oddly normal to sit with all the town officials and share a plate of rice and beans squezzing into Rice Balls and trying to keep my pants and fingers clean. But the town was nice and sincere. Then the next day was my last with my host family, we went and harvested corn at the farm. Which was about 15 km away, they are able to own good land and harvest it because my baba owns a car and one of his coworkers (he is a driver) dropped us off and later a hired truck came for the us and the Harvest. (as I said my family is rich) Then drove back to town on top of a truck, all the villages we past stopped and stared at the Mzungu on the truck it was nice except for the rain.

Now I am late for lunch, I sacrificed for internet time. But it is just Rice and beans, hopefully tommorrow will be the good American food. Burgers and Pizza. So I am off. Enjoy.

-ME

My bags aint packed..

Today I am sucking the marrow out of New England. I awoke in the middle of a salt marsh on Cape Cod, I ate breakfast and dinner at Dunkin Donuts, I drove across entire states in under an hour, I watched multiple Red Sox games despite that they only played one game today (thanks NESN and your wealth of programming), then for the evening I attended a performance of lyrical political satire at our local Arts Center.

Oh, New England.

I shall not be in New England for sometime after tommorrow morn. I am embarking on a trip that has been a year and a half in the making. A trip that I dreamed about and worked for while I was accomplishing numerous other adventures. I am joining the Peace Corps as of Sunday, and I shall be living and working in Tanzania.

I shall miss my home land of New England, and all of the customs that it has imparted onto me. I shall miss the unexplainable weather, the high peaks of its mountains the vast rocky harbors of its coasts, the music, life and delicious beers found in the many large towns and small cities, and the many New Englanders that I call friends and family.

But I shall never loose New England, I will always be a New Englander, no matter where I shall be, and no matter what I shall be doing. I shall be learning about Tanzania in the next few months through my New England eyes. The whole time I shall be exchanging the many lessons of my life and my land with those of whom I meet.

I look forward to the day in which I can return home. I shall dream about that time for many a day, but at this moment I have a long dream that I need to fulfill. Learn swahili, meet my town, and live in Africa for two years.

See ya down the road New England. Enjoy.