In the beginning...

Habari za Asubuhi! (Good morning)


*Just a warning: I tend to write a lot and in detail and this first post is extremely long because it sets up where I am living/what I am doing J So, skim or read when you find some time!

My journey began on Monday January 7th! My parents dropped me off and I waved my last good-byes after making it through security and my flight from Minneapolis to Amsterdam left at 3:15 pm. It was 7 hrs and 13 minutes long and I sat next to the nicest European man on the plane. I was so blessed to experience the kindness of this stranger who immediately got up to help me with my bigger carry-on bag. It didn’t fit at first so I had to take some things out and stuff them into my already bulging backpack that didn’t fit all the way under the seat! I was very crammed the whole time flight, but the food was excellent! (Good job, Northwest!) I also had my own individual tv screen so I watched Rush Hour 3 and Pocahontas :)
When we arrived in Amsterdam it was 5:40am (January 8th) there. The same man took my heavy backpack and carried it all the way out of the plane to the transfer monitors where we both had to look at connecting flights. I am very grateful for his help! My flight for Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania was not leaving until 10:20am, so I had a while to wait. I sat and caught up in my own journal for a couple hours and people-watched! We started boarding at 9:15am, but for this particular flight had to go through security AGAIN :( This time, the KLM flight was 8 hours and 5 minutes (stopping first at Kilimanjaro airport to drop some people on, clean the plane, and pick up more people for a total of an hour on the ground), and then another 40 minutes in the air to Dar Es Salaam on the eastern coast of Tanzania. A young Dutch couple (around my age) sat next to me and I slept in short amounts most of this flight, in between the many times the flight attendants came around with meals, water, nuts, ice cream, hot cloths, etc! I also wrote in my study abroad book answering questions. I have much to do to catch up in that!
Finally, at 10:30pm my plane landed in Dar and boy was I NOT ready for that heat wave that hit me as I walked off the plane. Yuck. I missed snow immediately! It took a half hour to go through immigration and wait for my luggage ( I did not think it was coming because it took a while)! Then I walked out of the airport and found Pastor Herb Hafermann (the person who works with Wartburg students~ he is a grandfather but has the spirit of a teenager! He has lived in Tanzania for over 20 something years and is fluent in the language. He flies back to the U.S. in the summertime I believe) and Luka (a 28-year-old native Tanzanian whom Herb has been friends with since 2001. He was baptized by Pastor H in 2003 I believe, after growing up in the Islam faith, and is now a well-known carpenter and evangelist)! Both are wonderful and I am looking forward to working with them~ I am grateful for their knowledge and companionship!

We drove about 20 minutes to a Catholic guest house where we stayed for the night. I had my own little room and I was in bed by about midnight- however it was so hot it was hard to sleep. I woke up at 5am and took a quick shower and went back to bed until 7am when Luka and Pastor H. knocked on my door for breakfast, where I had my favorite Kilimanjaro tea and a couple of pieces of bread and watermelon. We went back to the airport to exchange money for Tanzania Schillings because it has the best exchange rate (1,160 Tanzanian Schillings to the dollar)! Then we left at 8:30am for the 2.5 hour drive straight West on the one major (paved) highway going that direction. It felt like 20 minutes it was that wonderful!!

Although my body was so physically tired, my heart and eyes were alive and awake! I felt as though I couldn’t take in enough of my surroundings- a lot of traffic, including many slow oil tankers, but so many people...walking and biking, and when we went through villages we slowed down and of course would get bombarded with sellers at our windows: pineapple and cashew nuts were popular. Luka bought a small bag of cashew nuts that were very tasty! (We drove by many cashew nut trees and Pastor H. pointed out coconut and mango trees as well).
The people are fascinating…not because they’re “exotic” or “different” as in “underprivileged” or “barbaric/uneducated.” I was simply in awe of their way of life. These people are incredibly hard-working (maybe in a different way than the American idea). I have been to Tanzania before, however only in the northern part-but the country has all kinds of climate zones, so to see SO much green was a breath of fresh air. I didn’t/couldn’t text anyone or call my parents and let them know I was alright, I had nowhere to go or nothing to do but watch. If I blinked I would have missed seeing the women women walking with large bundles on their heads; men pulling carts or carrying loads of firewood, food, etc on their backs, men with cartons of eggs piled high on the backs of their bikes; little children walking to school in their dark blue skirts or pants and white tops; two tiny naked children squatting beneath the water pump as a mother washed them… There is so much commotion, so much action-it is very exciting to me. Yes, it is “foreign,” but so is my own way of life, so who am I to judge? I wish that we did not have to take cars everywhere because it definitely decreases interpersonal communication. Yet, even though some people may live far out of town, they will walk miles just to get there.
About 30 minutes away from the Language School we stopped to see a small church that Pastor H. has started (that my friend, Seth Clarkson, helped Luka build. Seth made the cement blocks and pillars I believe). It is maybe 20’x 24’ and right next to the church a small cement house has been built for the Evangelist’s family.

FINALLY: we arrived @ Luther Junior Seminary at noon and I spend 20 minutes quickly sending e-mails home announcing my arrival and my first access to the internet. I had a lunch of chipati (a round, flat dough basically the same as a quesadilla), a mixture of meat (hamburger I think!), sauce, and carrots, as well as green beans and watermelon- Yum!
After lunch, I accompanied Pastor H. and Luka on a trip 5 miles into the city of Morogoro (120,000) people. We parked the car and walked up a main street to a bookstore where we spent quite a while. Pastor H. was buying many elementary school level Swahili books/pencils and a soccer ball for a primary school (elementary) in a village. Luka bought paper and other materials for his younger sister to attend a secondary (late middle− high school). Pastor H. and I walked through a small grocery store as well. It looks as though I will survive :) We dropped Luka off at his house, looked next door at his brother’s cows (2), chickens and 6 little puppies running around.
I got back about 3:30pm to my quaint little apartment (3 rooms-bedroom, bathroom, and common room with a table, a bookshelf, and some chairs). I spent the entire rest of the day unpacking, as I had a lot to unpack and organize. I took a break for dinner where we had the same meat sauce, green beans, and SPAGHETTI noodles!! :) yum! Also, pineapple for dessert! I spent time reading/writing some e-mails, getting this blog started, etc. I finally took a quick shower at 11:45pm and was in bed by midnight!

THURSDAY January 10th, 2008
I woke up at 6:45am and went to breakfast at 7. Breakfast was more interesting as I had a piece of (good) French toast (no butter or syrup of course), and a gooey brown porridge called Uji…I put sugar in it which sweetened it up just fine! There was also a fruit I didn’t know and some white liquid that looked like watery cottage cheese (though not as lumpy). I stayed away from that~ at least until I figure out what it is! I came back about 7:45 and had an IM conversation with some people. It was so good to talk at the same time instead of e-mailing for once! Then about 8:45 Pastor H. walked me the 1/8 of a mile to the Language School where his office is and I saw my classroom (indoor and outdoor) as well as get my books! A blue binder we use in class and a grammar book to coincide with it! I better start looking it over as I officially start class tomorrow (with my own teacher)! I enjoyed my tea break at 10am with some coffeecake (yum), and then about 11:15 P.Hafermann and I have ran to town to take care of my Residence Permit( I had to get my picture taken). Lunch today was some French fries that were pretty good, fried egg, rice, cooked spinach, and pineapple (I refrained from the beans)!

Now lastly, a quick run-down on some other aspects of life in Tanzania:

Dress: I have never liked wearing skirts, but I knew I was going to have to wear them here! Unfortunately yesterday, I only brought in a small suitcase before leaving the Guesthouse so I had just khaki capri pants to wear with my sandals… I definitely felt like an outsider walking around town, not just because I was the only white person, but because every other woman (besides 1) was wearing a skirt! I’ve always known it’s part of the culture, but it took me actually wanting to (not just because they’re cooler), and accepting that fact. I’m not a tourist this time. (well, I am a tourist at heart because of my love of discreet picture taking though)!
*I am also simplifying my lifestyle. I did not bring any blow dryer or other appliance, and no hairspray- just some hair gel. I also did not bring absolutely any make-up- just some clear mascara so I can fake being awake the times I am tired :)

Climate: It is HOT. That’s all there is to it. This is the hottest time of year for Tanzania. The long rainy season starts late February/March, but for now, it only rains in very small increments. Heavy, but for 20-30 minutes maybe. Up until last night it has been muggy even, but the rain brought some relief as it was fairly “cool” for sleeping. Today it is cloudy and there is a breeze which helps! The thing about the weather is that even if you go inside you don’t escape the heat because then it is just standing air (and if I am moving a lot, such as unpacking I really worked up a sweat). I enjoy being outside as it is open and usually “cooler.” However, if in the sun- it is just hot no matter what.
I have always disliked warm weather (for the rare exception of being at a pool/lake), so this is a huge challenge for me (as I said~ I Love Snow) I am hoping/praying that I get used to it!!

Language School classmates: Along with the Language School, there is a Kindergarten, and secondary school with the Seminary I believe. There are only a few other people in the Language program now but they are very nice! There are two nuns~ one (Aileen) is from the Congo (western Africa and is working on her 7th language. The other (Annette) is from Ohio and having a more difficult time learning her first language after English. The other is a girl (Andrea) from Berlin, Germany (around my age I think) and she is here for a month before teaching kindergarten students in the southernmost part of Tanzania. She is part of a missionary program through her country as well as another young German girl (Sophia), who is teaching in the Kindergarten here.

Things I have taken for granted:
*soft towels: the sun/ air is the dryer here
*cool water: room temperature water from bottles is what I drink (unless it has been boiled in the kitchen), but at lunch and dinner we get cooler water :)
*cold milk: the only milk is boiled and people have been using it for coffee...I will have to try that sometime
*Air Conditioning (and closed windows): the only place that is air conditioned “unfortunately” according to Pastor H is the jeep! I definitely enjoy it whenever we go somewhere in the car! And the only thing that shields me from the outside is some metal chicken-wire like fencing with a screen behind it. Then there are glass shutters and curtains. It is nice to hear the rain and the birds though!!


I know there is even more, but I think I have written enough for the first few days…I promise to not write as much, but I had to introduce you to where I’m staying and what I’m going to be doing for the next few months!!!

God’s blessings to you all! (Mungu awa bariki)!

with joy,
Alana :)