All this is really to say is i'm now in Rwanda safe and sound..amazing flight in (was not feeling the 40+ bus journey effort and infamous boarder crossing) over a totally different landscape to Tz..the ground is very ver red - people say its because so much blood has been spilled here, but to be honest that is a line used in Uganda,DRC..and from very first impressions, this country is well and truely back on its feet - for a starter, they have TRAFFIC LIGHTS!Now there's a sight never seen in Tanzania!
But all i relaly wanted to say here is i'm spending a few days with some lovely lovely French people in a beautiful house with amazing food, a BATH, and Desperate Housewives boxset! Am i still in Africa? More when i've actually seen some of this tiny little country.
Wednesday 25 July 2007
Trying so hard to squeeze Victor and Felister into my backpack!!!
My days at Nk have finally drawn to a close!! And on what a high did they end. of teaching were simply brilliant,and for the first time really (although i've probably said it before,i now can truely believe it myself) i feel like i've made a significant difference to the level of English of some of my children, and really got them to value their education. So many fantastic moments, but to highlight the best...SPORTS DAY!!!! 150 children doing egg and spoon races, sack raches, wheelbarrow races, 3-legged races...they were the best behaved i've ever seen them and just had so much fun! Even the teachers looked on with amusement (quite an achievement!). That afternoon, our teachers held a small party for me and Lizzie (only remaining teachers at the primary school), Geapson (our legendary teacher) made a speech and we were presented with beautiful Kitenge fabric as a leaving giftie. Our little house was then stormed by all our classes (and token random children obviously) and mass reading/drawing/recorder club took place for the last time. And when it was time-to-go-home-time there were ALOT of tears all round..fond the whole thing very emotional and wound up with a bizarre paradox of feeling insanely guilty for leaving them and just returning to my comfortable Muzungu life back home, but also feeling pretty proud to have had such an effect on them that they value our teaching and friendship that much.
Lots of you will know by now that my last weekend of partaaaay-ing in Arusha ended terribly as me and Daisy were mugged on saturday night, loosing everything (money,phone,most importantly camera and all my photos). More devestated about the pictures than i can write but just in case you wonder why theres a lack of recent photographic evidence on here..
Lots of you will know by now that my last weekend of partaaaay-ing in Arusha ended terribly as me and Daisy were mugged on saturday night, loosing everything (money,phone,most importantly camera and all my photos). More devestated about the pictures than i can write but just in case you wonder why theres a lack of recent photographic evidence on here..
Saturday 7 July 2007
'Throw your heart away' - Bagamoyo
This is probably the most interesting place in Tanzania historically, as its the port from whcih the majority of the African slave trade routes were established. About an hour north of Dar es Salam (the unofficial capital), its a beautiful, very french/german/generally colonial looking town with meandering streets with vines growing up all the buildings and a white sand beach with plam trees..the sad part is that the 'ruins' are in fact really not that old but incredibly run down as there is just no money or real insentive to preserve them. The first Catholic cross planted in East Africa is located here, as is the first Catholic chuirch, established by French Missionaries (now accompanied by a very very small museum claiming that these missionaries basically put a stop to the slave trade single-handedly) and also the remains of the first Mosque,established in the 13th Century. The old German Boma ('British Overseas Managment Authority in English' - 'Enclosed area' in Kiswahili) is architecturally very impressive from the outside,but is so run down inside that it has received no tourism for the past 20 years and so much of the history has been lost. Equally the Old Fort (originally the Sultan of Zanzibar's home, then a prison, then a police station, then intened as a college but total lack of funds meant this was a no-go:info we got from a passing man who lives in the town) could be somethign really special but as it stands, has no infomation documenting its interesting past.
It seems to be a fairly common theme i'm picking up whilst spending more and more time living here that Tanzania's major problem all stems from the rocky education system - so so few young people are able to attend secondary school because of the cost, let alone university. With so little education it can be understood why so few people ask questions as to why potential tourism ploys like this arn't made more accessible. And for that matter, where all the money from American's back pockets spent on Kili and the Northern Safari Circuit doesn in fact end up, because it certainly isn't where it needs to be.
And mother, DMC stands for deep and meaningful conversations, standards are obviously slipping in my absence!
This is probably the most interesting place in Tanzania historically, as its the port from whcih the majority of the African slave trade routes were established. About an hour north of Dar es Salam (the unofficial capital), its a beautiful, very french/german/generally colonial looking town with meandering streets with vines growing up all the buildings and a white sand beach with plam trees..the sad part is that the 'ruins' are in fact really not that old but incredibly run down as there is just no money or real insentive to preserve them. The first Catholic cross planted in East Africa is located here, as is the first Catholic chuirch, established by French Missionaries (now accompanied by a very very small museum claiming that these missionaries basically put a stop to the slave trade single-handedly) and also the remains of the first Mosque,established in the 13th Century. The old German Boma ('British Overseas Managment Authority in English' - 'Enclosed area' in Kiswahili) is architecturally very impressive from the outside,but is so run down inside that it has received no tourism for the past 20 years and so much of the history has been lost. Equally the Old Fort (originally the Sultan of Zanzibar's home, then a prison, then a police station, then intened as a college but total lack of funds meant this was a no-go:info we got from a passing man who lives in the town) could be somethign really special but as it stands, has no infomation documenting its interesting past.
It seems to be a fairly common theme i'm picking up whilst spending more and more time living here that Tanzania's major problem all stems from the rocky education system - so so few young people are able to attend secondary school because of the cost, let alone university. With so little education it can be understood why so few people ask questions as to why potential tourism ploys like this arn't made more accessible. And for that matter, where all the money from American's back pockets spent on Kili and the Northern Safari Circuit doesn in fact end up, because it certainly isn't where it needs to be.
And mother, DMC stands for deep and meaningful conversations, standards are obviously slipping in my absence!
Monday 2 July 2007
4 days on a train
Title pretty much sums up this entry!Took a train form Lousaka to Dar with the girls im travelling with, and picked up some strays along the way..lots of DMC-ing late into the night about the state of africa with some not-as-racist-as-you'd-presume africaaners..ok they were called Villi,Fritz and Antoin does that prove their africaan-ness?! But they were travelling with a little stove and lots of food which,i'm sure you'll all know,went down very well. Also with two finnish ladies and a girl from DRC. Not much to say about the train really, apart from stayed in pj's the whole time, ate lots of cereal,nearly fell out of the bunk as one of the carriges kind of de-railed, and how nice it was to finally get back to Tz and be able to write on our immigration slips 'returning residents'..and speaking Swahili again!
Now in Zanzibar (yes, for the third time)for the international film festival of the Dhow Countries-which is amazing! Stone town is really buzzing with live music and art exhibitions everywhere. Last night went to see a Mexican film (wasn't aware Mexico classed as a Dhow country but anyway)called 'The other side' - really beautiful and made even more so by the incredible atmosphere in the open air ampitheatre crammed with people under a full moon and starry sky. Thsi mornign saw a series of short films, one called Kiboko Kid set in a slum outside Nairobi and is set to be made into a feature film..very cool to understan the swahili without subtitles. This was followed by lots of shopping and kangas have been bought for you all :) more soon, big love x
Now in Zanzibar (yes, for the third time)for the international film festival of the Dhow Countries-which is amazing! Stone town is really buzzing with live music and art exhibitions everywhere. Last night went to see a Mexican film (wasn't aware Mexico classed as a Dhow country but anyway)called 'The other side' - really beautiful and made even more so by the incredible atmosphere in the open air ampitheatre crammed with people under a full moon and starry sky. Thsi mornign saw a series of short films, one called Kiboko Kid set in a slum outside Nairobi and is set to be made into a feature film..very cool to understan the swahili without subtitles. This was followed by lots of shopping and kangas have been bought for you all :) more soon, big love x
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