Thursday, June 30, 2011
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Iringa-Dar-Zanzibar
We finished up our short trip to Iringa, and took the looong car ride back to Dar es Salaam. We heard from various people that the car ride between Dar and Iringa is anywhere from 5 to 8 hours. It took us 10, door-to-door. Part of that was because we went into Morogoro town, partway between the two cities, to eat at a certain Indian restaurant that was recommended by someone on another project team. The food was fabulous, but they apparently had to prepare everything from scratch after we ordered it (actually, this is the norm for mid-priced restaurants in Tanzania; we should have known), so we were there for a while. The distance is about 500 kilometers, so we could make the trip in 5 hours...if there were absolutely no other cars or slow-moving transport trucks on the road, no construction, no pot-holed sections, no rain, and no stops. Which will never happen. Next time we go, which will be as soon as next week, we’ll call ahead to the Indian place to give our order, so it’ll be piping hot and ready when we reach the town.
Everyone kept telling how cold it is in Iringa, and giving their sympathies for having to endure such cold. To them, the heat of Dar is the default, the normal, so Iringa is not only cold, but too cold. But to me, the cool of Iringa is awesome, and Dar is far too hot and sweaty. The weather was downright pleasant in Iringa, and uncomfortable in Dar, even in the cool season that we’re in now.
We’re in a little bit of a waiting game on the project with some bureaucracy, so we decided to come to Zanzibar, our second home. It’s lovely to be back. We’ve already run across some people we know and visited a couple of our old haunts. We had a couple of meetings with people in the US today, so we conducted them via Skype from a rooftop restaurant while a great view of Stone Town and a lovely breeze, and then while having gelato at our favorite little Italian place just off the beach. Justin commented that it’s too bad we have to do work while we’re in Zanzibar; I said, “Yeah, but we’d be working anyway; might as well do it from Zanzibar!”
One our second day here in Zanzibar, we went to our oldest friend, Juma's, house. His wife gave birth to their first child in February. We'd been waiting almost 5 months to meet her. Since our Juma is named after big Juma, they named little Sarah after me!
meet Sarah Juma Hussein
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Monday, June 20, 2011
karibu Iringa!
We are in Iringa town today, having made the long 8-hour drive down from Dar es Salaam, where we have been so far. We, along with two of our American colleagues, rented a car (rental cars come with drivers here) to come. We wanted to see Iringa for the first time--Justin and I had only stopped for 20 minutes at a truck stop outside of town once in 1999--and meet some of the officials we’d be working with. .
Iringa town is on a large hill in a region of low mountains (for someone who grew up in the Rockies, they are low; for Africa, they are certainly mountains). The site was originally chosen by the German colonists because it was on a high hill, both for defense and to stay away from mosquitoes. Everyone here claims there are no mosquitoes, and the hotel didn’t even originally provide a mosquito net for Juma, but when they say “there are no mosquitoes,” they mean “there are fewer mosquitoes here than elsewhere.” Which is still too many for us. We’ve done malaria three times in our family, and we’re not eager to do it again.
Anyway, the town is hilly, and has a nice view of surrounding valleys and mountains. It’s the cool season, and that actually means cool, not like in Zanzibar, where cool means it gets down to 75 at night. Here at night, it gets down to the 50s, which is cool enough to want a blanket, and a jacket in the evenings and mornings. I’ve had long-sleeves on all day, even outside, and while inside with no fan, and I haven’t sweated a bit! It’s astounding. The plants and trees are cooler-weather ones; they even grow peaches and pears in this region, and there is a noticeable lack of coconut palms.
The drive down here was long, but pleasant enough. Had the single-lane highway not been so full of slow-moving trucks the driver had to strategically pass up, we would have arrived a lot earlier. The road takes us right through Mikumi national park, and we spotted lots of animals standing very close to the road: several elephants, including a baby; zebras, giraffes, gazelles, baboons, and a monkey. I snapped a picture of the elephants with my phone, but without a zoom. Our coworkers got better pictures, I’ll try to get one from them. The road also takes us through all different topographies, from the coastal lowlands to the baobab tree forests, to sisal plantations, to areas with bright red dirt, to onion farms, to the mountains of the Rift Valley.
Here's the obligatory picture in front of a baobab tree. Their fruits are going into a yummy candy.
Iringa town is on a large hill in a region of low mountains (for someone who grew up in the Rockies, they are low; for Africa, they are certainly mountains). The site was originally chosen by the German colonists because it was on a high hill, both for defense and to stay away from mosquitoes. Everyone here claims there are no mosquitoes, and the hotel didn’t even originally provide a mosquito net for Juma, but when they say “there are no mosquitoes,” they mean “there are fewer mosquitoes here than elsewhere.” Which is still too many for us. We’ve done malaria three times in our family, and we’re not eager to do it again.
Anyway, the town is hilly, and has a nice view of surrounding valleys and mountains. It’s the cool season, and that actually means cool, not like in Zanzibar, where cool means it gets down to 75 at night. Here at night, it gets down to the 50s, which is cool enough to want a blanket, and a jacket in the evenings and mornings. I’ve had long-sleeves on all day, even outside, and while inside with no fan, and I haven’t sweated a bit! It’s astounding. The plants and trees are cooler-weather ones; they even grow peaches and pears in this region, and there is a noticeable lack of coconut palms.
The drive down here was long, but pleasant enough. Had the single-lane highway not been so full of slow-moving trucks the driver had to strategically pass up, we would have arrived a lot earlier. The road takes us right through Mikumi national park, and we spotted lots of animals standing very close to the road: several elephants, including a baby; zebras, giraffes, gazelles, baboons, and a monkey. I snapped a picture of the elephants with my phone, but without a zoom. Our coworkers got better pictures, I’ll try to get one from them. The road also takes us through all different topographies, from the coastal lowlands to the baobab tree forests, to sisal plantations, to areas with bright red dirt, to onion farms, to the mountains of the Rift Valley.
Here's the obligatory picture in front of a baobab tree. Their fruits are going into a yummy candy.
different
I can’t even remember what we did Friday and Saturday. I’m pretty sure there was another long meeting in a conference room, and some lazing around the hotel while trying to ignore the loud sounds of construction from the building sites on two sides of the hotel. Also some eating out at fancy restaurants (fancy for us in Tanzania, but pretty normal as far as our American choices would go) with our colleagues.
Again, the key theme on this trip is difference. The busy city, the interactions with more Americans and highly-educated Tanzanians in offices than regular Tanzanians in the neighborhoods, the rides in hired cars, the quality of accommodations.
In previous trips, especially before Juma was born but also after, we looked for the cheapest possible hotels. Not even hotels, but hostels and guesthouses. We paid 10 dollars a night, tops, per person, often as little as 2 or 3 dollars. They were generally just in the hustle and bustle of the city, and could be close to loud traffic. One was right above a city bus stop, with honking and yelling going all hours of the day and night. Those kinds of places have horribly uncomfortable, lumpy, thin mattresses, questionable sheets, dirty mosquito nets with holes in them, and shared bathrooms. Which could be quite scary at times, and usually had mosquito screens on the windows, but they were inevitably full of holes and being bitten in unreachable places on my back while showering was a given. There would be no question about not using the tap water to brush your teeth, because one look at that sink and faucet screamed, “Stay away!”
On this trip, though, we’ve had rather nice accommodations, will comfortable beds, nice mosquito nets, and pleasant gardens surrounding the hotel within a gated compound. The room we are in now is super spacious, with a separate nook as a dressing room, a desk in one corner, and a sectioned-off area that serves as both sitting room and Juma’s room. The staff are (overly?) attentive and nice, and there is even a trampoline on the grounds (the owners have small children). We have accidentally used the tap water on our toothbrushes, tricked into a false sense of security by its shiny cleanliness (Juma reports he has not--phew). We are quite pleased with it, and it’s someplace to be comfortable in, and not just put up with. My only complaint is that the supposed free wireless has been spotty or completely inaccessible. I’m writing these blog posts offline, to upload later...
Again, the key theme on this trip is difference. The busy city, the interactions with more Americans and highly-educated Tanzanians in offices than regular Tanzanians in the neighborhoods, the rides in hired cars, the quality of accommodations.
In previous trips, especially before Juma was born but also after, we looked for the cheapest possible hotels. Not even hotels, but hostels and guesthouses. We paid 10 dollars a night, tops, per person, often as little as 2 or 3 dollars. They were generally just in the hustle and bustle of the city, and could be close to loud traffic. One was right above a city bus stop, with honking and yelling going all hours of the day and night. Those kinds of places have horribly uncomfortable, lumpy, thin mattresses, questionable sheets, dirty mosquito nets with holes in them, and shared bathrooms. Which could be quite scary at times, and usually had mosquito screens on the windows, but they were inevitably full of holes and being bitten in unreachable places on my back while showering was a given. There would be no question about not using the tap water to brush your teeth, because one look at that sink and faucet screamed, “Stay away!”
On this trip, though, we’ve had rather nice accommodations, will comfortable beds, nice mosquito nets, and pleasant gardens surrounding the hotel within a gated compound. The room we are in now is super spacious, with a separate nook as a dressing room, a desk in one corner, and a sectioned-off area that serves as both sitting room and Juma’s room. The staff are (overly?) attentive and nice, and there is even a trampoline on the grounds (the owners have small children). We have accidentally used the tap water on our toothbrushes, tricked into a false sense of security by its shiny cleanliness (Juma reports he has not--phew). We are quite pleased with it, and it’s someplace to be comfortable in, and not just put up with. My only complaint is that the supposed free wireless has been spotty or completely inaccessible. I’m writing these blog posts offline, to upload later...
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Dear Jet lag,
I am jet lag.
Jet lag I am.
Do you like awake-at-1-am?
Jet lag I am, oh, jet lag I am,
I do not like that jet lag I am.
Would you like some in your bed?
Or would you like the couch instead?
No, I would not like it in my bed.
We do not have a couch instead.
I do not like you, jet lag I am.
I do not like awake-at-1-am.
Would you, could you, with a barking dog?
(Who wants to be sleeping like a log?)
No, I would not, could not with a barking doggy,
His bark is making me quite groggy,
I do not like you, jet lag I am.
I do not like awake-at-1-am.
Would you like to hear a goat,
A hellish bleating from its throat?
Try it, try it, and you may!
Try it, and you may, I say!
I do not like the bleating goat,
And that, jet lag, is my last vote!
I do not like you, jet lag I am!
I do not like awake-at-1-am!
Jet lag I am.
Do you like awake-at-1-am?
Jet lag I am, oh, jet lag I am,
I do not like that jet lag I am.
Would you like some in your bed?
Or would you like the couch instead?
No, I would not like it in my bed.
We do not have a couch instead.
I do not like you, jet lag I am.
I do not like awake-at-1-am.
Would you, could you, with a barking dog?
(Who wants to be sleeping like a log?)
No, I would not, could not with a barking doggy,
His bark is making me quite groggy,
I do not like you, jet lag I am.
I do not like awake-at-1-am.
Would you like to hear a goat,
A hellish bleating from its throat?
Try it, try it, and you may!
Try it, and you may, I say!
I do not like the bleating goat,
And that, jet lag, is my last vote!
I do not like you, jet lag I am!
I do not like awake-at-1-am!
day 2. is it only day 2?
After a fairly good night's sleep our first night here, we got up bright and early for an 8:30 meeting. We don't have child care arrangements for Juma yet, so we had to bring him along to two meetings yesterday and one today. At the first meeting yesterday, we had to be on the guest list and go through crazy security. Juma wasn't on the guest list, so that caused a hullabaloo, but we eventually got in. We hooked up Juma with a book to read, and he sat in the corner while we did our thing.
This trip it totally different from any of our previous trips. Not only are we on the mainland instead of the islands, but we are working top-down with lots of organizations and government officials instead of at the grassroots, talking to villagers and hanging out at local shops. We're going from hotel to taxi to air-conditioned conference room to taxi to another air-conditioned conference room. We ate at restaurants that cost just as much as they do in the US. We have an actual budget with real money. We have incomes and job titles, and I handed out more business cards in the past two days than I ever have in total.
It's like we're grownups or something.
As we waited for a taxi today after a meeting, Juma put on an impromptu concert for our colleagues (from my department at school).
This trip it totally different from any of our previous trips. Not only are we on the mainland instead of the islands, but we are working top-down with lots of organizations and government officials instead of at the grassroots, talking to villagers and hanging out at local shops. We're going from hotel to taxi to air-conditioned conference room to taxi to another air-conditioned conference room. We ate at restaurants that cost just as much as they do in the US. We have an actual budget with real money. We have incomes and job titles, and I handed out more business cards in the past two days than I ever have in total.
It's like we're grownups or something.
As we waited for a taxi today after a meeting, Juma put on an impromptu concert for our colleagues (from my department at school).
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
something familiar
We are in Tanzania once again. We arrived late last night after two long-haul flights, unaware until we arrived that a volcanic eruption in Eritrea or Ethiopia added a detour and an extra hour to the second flight. The transit isn’t so bad now that we’ve got the travel routine down. What to pack and what to buy here, the best positions to attempt to sleep in while on the plane (best combined with an over-the-counter sleeping pill), the best airport for layovers (Amsterdam), how to stretch Juma across our laps so he can sleep, which airplane food to avoid.
It’s nice to land in a familiar airport, know how to talk to the passport control guy, how to walk confidently through customs so they don’t flag us down for inspection, how to pick a taxi driver out of all the many vying for our attention, how to negotiate the price down from his initial bid.
It is so completely different from our first time here. I was reminded of our first time to Tanzania while still on the place. We sat behind three young women, around 20 years old, who were obviously traveling to Africa for their first time and were obviously American (they were so loud!). They cheered when they took off, giggling with delight, “We’re on our way! Say goodbye to civilization for the next three weeks!” As we landed in Kilimanjaro airport (just a layover for us), the girls were too excited to sit still, and leaned over each other to see out of the window, sharing ecstatic “We’re here!”s and giving each other tips on how to wear their money belts. I turned to Justin and asked, “Were we like this our first trip?” “No,” he answered. “Well, probably, yeah.” We had left the US wondering what we were getting into, brought camping gear thinking we’d be really roughing it, eagerly watching out the window as Nairobi came into view, keeping our money belts on our waists the entire flight. Or I should say, the entire sting of flights. There were 5, since we took the cheapest route possible, stopping on the east cost, Europe, two places in the Middle East, before finally landing in Nairobi, Kenya.
How the bustle, heat, noises, and smells overwhelmed me when we arrived! There was the confusion of where to go to show our visas, where to get our bags, worrying that they all arrived, looking at the Swahili/English signs. I had taken a whole year of Swahili before I came, but didn’t comprehend any of the conversations I was hearing. I was tired, and feeling dirty, and completely lost. I remember the tremendous relief I felt at seeing our professor, Gary, a head-and-a-half taller than the rest of the airport crowd, waiting just outside the airport. Something familiar! The next 4-plus months on that trip held very little that was familiar to me.
It’s nice to land in a familiar airport, know how to talk to the passport control guy, how to walk confidently through customs so they don’t flag us down for inspection, how to pick a taxi driver out of all the many vying for our attention, how to negotiate the price down from his initial bid.
It is so completely different from our first time here. I was reminded of our first time to Tanzania while still on the place. We sat behind three young women, around 20 years old, who were obviously traveling to Africa for their first time and were obviously American (they were so loud!). They cheered when they took off, giggling with delight, “We’re on our way! Say goodbye to civilization for the next three weeks!” As we landed in Kilimanjaro airport (just a layover for us), the girls were too excited to sit still, and leaned over each other to see out of the window, sharing ecstatic “We’re here!”s and giving each other tips on how to wear their money belts. I turned to Justin and asked, “Were we like this our first trip?” “No,” he answered. “Well, probably, yeah.” We had left the US wondering what we were getting into, brought camping gear thinking we’d be really roughing it, eagerly watching out the window as Nairobi came into view, keeping our money belts on our waists the entire flight. Or I should say, the entire sting of flights. There were 5, since we took the cheapest route possible, stopping on the east cost, Europe, two places in the Middle East, before finally landing in Nairobi, Kenya.
How the bustle, heat, noises, and smells overwhelmed me when we arrived! There was the confusion of where to go to show our visas, where to get our bags, worrying that they all arrived, looking at the Swahili/English signs. I had taken a whole year of Swahili before I came, but didn’t comprehend any of the conversations I was hearing. I was tired, and feeling dirty, and completely lost. I remember the tremendous relief I felt at seeing our professor, Gary, a head-and-a-half taller than the rest of the airport crowd, waiting just outside the airport. Something familiar! The next 4-plus months on that trip held very little that was familiar to me.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Thursday, June 09, 2011
Disney
As part of a Beckham family reunion in California, we took Juma to Disneyland with his cousins. Juma is a perfect age for Disneyland, and had an absolute blast, especially playing with Rylee and Tristan.
Some of his other cousins were a bit young to quite enjoy it...but they were very cute all the same.
Some of his other cousins were a bit young to quite enjoy it...but they were very cute all the same.
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