Kwaheri, Marafiki!

 

Summer has come to pass, the internship can never last…

After two and a half months of in-country work, the time has come for our internship to meet its bittersweet end. 

Although our time in Tanzania has come to a close, we are thrilled to say that our on-going projects will continue to thrive year-round in our absence, especially as the 2023 International Travel Team begins their transition to new executive roles!

In order to say goodbye, both to our personal portfolios, and to Tanzania, the 2023 ITT has created a fun list of places to visit, and things to see for next year's intern team! Although each internship is unique, and each group always finds a way to make Tanzania their own, below you will find the little things that made our experience special. Stated in no particular order, the things on this list are little gems scattered throughout Morogoro that we hope the 2024 ITT will enjoy as much as we did. 

To all future interns, we hope you enjoy this list! 

Shawarma

Truly an intern favourite this year, we became very acquainted with our favourite shawarma stand. A nice quick snack while shopping or a cheap meal substitute, this stand never let us down, and for that reason, it is on our list.

Red Chili's

Our days off in Morogoro usually ended with a trip to local Red Chili's. Sunday dinners were almost always our reserved night for restaurant dining, and Red Chili's became our group's #1 spot. After deviating from it for a single night, we vowed to always return. From the staff, to the large menu and local prices, this place fed us some of our best meals in Morogoro!

Dutch Blitz Nights

Although what goes on during downtime is each intern's personal prerogative, our team would suggest to never overlook the potential for game nights! Especially if one intern brings Dutch Blitz! Great bonding can be had over multiple rounds of this fast-paced game, we highly recommend!

Fresh Orange Juice

Situated right in front of our favourite shawarma stand, you can find a cart of freshly squeezed orange juice! This is a must-have on those +30 degree days- a great place to stop while exploring town! If you're lucky, they might be selling jackfruit as well!

Mpulila Supermarket

Finding the perfect grocery store became a week-long endeavor for our team as we carefully expanded our map, and ventured further into town. Our exploration eventually paid off as we came across this supermarket. This grocery store is large, loaded with snacks, toiletries, condiments- and everything can be paid for with debit card if needed! You may even find some familiar snacks from back home.

Madizini Sokoni

This local market close to home is often the best place to grab produce! The walk to town is beautiful, but on those extra-lazy days, a quick trip to the market is a great alternative to buy all your veggies (much cheaper too!)

Hikes: Choma & Morning Site & other uphill adventures

 Due to the advantage of being at the base of the Uluguru Mountains, interns would take the time every couple weeks to do local hikes! Some guided and some not, these hikes are always a great way to get out and enjoy the scenery.

This is kwaheri for now, but not forever! Thank you for reading, and stay tuned for ITT 2024!

Zanzibar Adventure!

(Pictured Above: left to right: Samar, Aisha, Ella, Teodora, Clara, Dorothea, Raquel Mark)

    As the midway point of the internship quickly approached, interns followed in the footsteps of Travel Teams past and headed straight to Zanzibar to enjoy some relaxing time away from the office. In order to begin the journey to paradise, our team had to once again endure the grueling 6-hour bus ride to Dar es Salaam, before taking the ferry to Zanzibar City (Stone Town). After surviving some slight sea sickness, we successfully landed on the island and made our way towards our accommodations. After a month spent at the base of the Uluguru Mountains of Morogoro, the breeze of the ocean and the sight of sandy beaches was an exciting change of scenery. The spectrum of topography in Tanzania is incredibly beautiful, and Zanzibar was no exception. 

In order to make the most out of our vacation, the team quickly began planning excursions and day-trips to some of the city's most popular attractions. 

A walk through Stone Town's famous spice market served to overwork our noses with the scent of thousands of herbs wafting around us. Additionally, our group decided to visit the Old Slave Market to gain a better understanding of the history of Stone Town. In the evening, we attended the local night market for a variety of fruit juices, seafood, shawarmas and mishkaki (skewers). The following day, the team headed out to sea for a tour of Prison Island, where we saw the ruins of Zanzibar's colonial prison and (more importantly), the island's giant tortoise sanctuary! Here, we were able to walk, sit, massage, and feed giant tortoises to our heart's content. Home to the second oldest tortoise in the world, Prison Island's sanctuary is a must-see excursion, and our team left the island incredibly satisfied with our tortoise time. 

Lastly, before our time in Stone Town came to a close, the team decided to haggle our way into a day-trip with Zanzibar's famous Safari Blue tour. This 6-hour tour encompassed a full day on the water, with snorkeling and a fresh seafood lunch- another must-see attraction for anyone staying in Zanzibar! 

After this jam-packed day, the team said ciao to Stone Town, and headed to our next destination- Paje Beach!

A notorious favorite among intern teams, Paje Beach is a 20km stretch of pure white sand along a low and high tide of clear turquoise water. The common vibe of Paje is more laid back and windy than the island's other tourist towns, which makes it an ideal location for wind sports and general relaxation. The beach's quiet atmosphere makes it a great place for socializing, with a series of hostels and resorts found right on the beach front. All in all, our team loved Paje. From long walks on the beach, swimming in the ocean, and great people from all over the world, our experience in Paje will not be forgotten any time soon. 

 

Following a memorable couple of days in Paje, the team once again said goodbye and headed for the north of the island to Nungwi Beach! 

Back into the more familiar atmosphere of busy tourist streets, Nungwi provided a good contrasts to the relaxing beaches of Paje. With days filled with more shopping and exploring than anything else, Nungwi was packed with vacationing families and party-goers. We began our time in Nungwi with a trip to Mnemba Island (or as close as we could get), again paired with snorkeling and lunch. Following this excursion, a couple members of the team decided to try their hand at scuba diving! 

In the end, our adventure in Zanzibar had to come to a close. In the blink of an eye (after a 1 hour ferry, and 6 hour bus), the team was back in Morogoro- fully refreshed and ready to work until the end of the internship!

More updates from the International Travel Team coming soon!

Ciao :)

- Raquel 

 

The Long Road to Ruaha...

    As more and more days pass by, interns have continued to fully submerge themselves in all Tanzania has to offer! As is to be expected in the first couple weeks of being in a new country, the last couple of days have been filled with both incredible highs, and some truly crushing lows. Regardless, I think it is safe to say that all of us have thus far walked away with some positive lifelong memories (in addition to a newfound proneness to car sickness..)

This past weekend, interns decided to take the (excruciatingly) long journey to Ruaha National Park for an overnight safari adventure! What we initially understood to be a 6 hour drive to one of Tanzania's most beautiful tourist destinations, turned into a 12 hour-long endeavor as a result of a couple of mechanical issues with our transport van. 

The loss of one of our beloved tires started the day off with a 3 and a half hour delay before our initial departure towards the city of Iringa- the closest stop before hitting the boundaries of Ruaha. No worries though! This delay allowed interns to catch up on some much needed rest, and try out some innovative van-sleeping positions. Despite arriving at the park later than expected, our enthusiasm never wavered, and we were happy to be met with stylish bandas to spend the remainder of our night in, located in the center of the park itself. 

Pictured above: (left to right: Dorothea, Clara)

After a very comfortable night spent listening to the sounds of wadding hippos, interns made sure to wake up early in order to catch one very memorable sunrise... Almost straight out of a movie, no photo truly does it justice.

Following a brief early morning drive through the park, interns indulged in a hearty breakfast before heading out for a full day of safari animal watching. As Ruaha National Park holds the highest concentration of elephants in Tanzania, as well at 10% of the world's lion population, we undoubtedly found ourselves face to face with many some of the planet's most impressive creatures. From giraffes to zebras, and from lions to hippos, there was truly something to see for everyone. A full day later, interns returned to Iringa for one more night, before enduring the long journey back to Morogoro. 

With three weeks down, and seven more to go, more adventures are sure to follow our team as we embark on another journey to Zanzibar in the coming weeks! Stay tuned for more updates from the international team :)

- Raquel

2023 Interns have Arrived!

Pictured above (left to right): Dorothea, Raquel, Clara, Mark, Ahmed (Project Manager), Ella, Aisha, Teodora

    With seven interns arrived and one on their way, the 2023 International Travel Team Internship has officially begun! After a grueling two-day travel itinerary, interns arrived in Dar es Salaam for brief overnight stay, before departing on a 5-hour (air-conditioned) bus ride to Morogoro. Since arriving at the house, we have been slowly adjusting to all the unique elements Morogoro has to offer. From the heat to the food, our team has been enthusiastic about taking advantage of all our surroundings. 

During our first Sunday, the team took an introductory hike up to Choma Falls! This 3-5 hour hike served to test all of our stamina, and it is safe to say we have all been successfully humbled. 

After being blessed with a cooling rainfall on the trail, we were finally ready to finish our trek up to the falls, and the view we were met with made it all worth the effort.

The coming weeks are sure to be filled with more adventures like this. As we begin more substantial work in the office, be sure to come back to the blog for more updates!

Ciao!

- Raquel

Last Update from here in Morogoro!

We have reached the final day of work for this year's internship, and while we are sad to be going soon, we are proud of what we have achieved with the menstrual hygiene project and WASH. Over the last week we have had our last meetings of the internship. We had a meeting with the Tungi Primary School administration to finalize our expected timelines and to say goodbye. We also had some interns travel to the Tanga region to meet with an organization named Community Volunteer Services (CVS). The introductory meeting was quite beneficial as CVS is currently operating a very similar menstrual health project to SIHA's. We are pleased to have learned much from them and hope that future interns can benefit from them as well.

Above we have SIHA interns Akanksha, Anastasia and Ellen in a meeting with ICR Charles and the CVS founder, Simon Mashauri.

We have also been working on preparing for next year's internship: we've transitioned
to new exec roles and are now working on recruitment plans for the next year's team.
We've also completed our final report outlining all that we have done and learnt this summer. 

Though work at the office may be done this year, We still have a week here in
Tanzania. Stay tuned to see what fun activities the interns manage to pack in before
we head out, and to find out more about next year's internship!

-Ahmed.

2 Weeks After Our Vacation!

 The interns returned from their mid-internship break 2 whole weeks ago! While the SIHA interns were away, URDI was invited to attend the African Child Day conference of Morogoro. This event was hosted by the Regional Officer for the NGOs of the Morogoro Region. It was a great opportunity for URDI to expand their network and form collaborations with other local NGOs.

As for the interns, work came in full speed ahead as soon as they got back. The week of their return, they attended meetings with the Dar es Salaam and Edmonton based Rotaries, aiming to form partnerships and build our capacity to carry out our local projects.

URDI and SIHA also hosted a SWASH day at Tungi Primary School, which was a half day event of games and sports open to the entire community. The objective was to increase awareness on the WASH and menstrual hygiene projects, as well as get a chance to engage with the community. The interns took this opportunity to run an interview station to gain more insight from the community on their awareness of menstrual health and hygiene.

Above is a photo of our intern Akanksha conducting interviews on SWASH day.

As for last week, we are happy to say that URDI began teaching the WASH curriculum at Tungi Primary School. This was an important goal we are glad to have achieved, we are also continuing to work on expanding to other schools. 

Here we have a photo of Pastone, one of our ICVs, delivering instruction to the SWASH club.

Despite being near the end of the internship, the interns have not lost their thirst for adventures. First they took a tour of Mzumbe University as part of their cultural exchange sessions. Next, they completed an 8 hour hike to Bondwa peak, which is the third highest mountain in Morogoro.

 

On the left is a view from bondwa mountain looking down on Morogoro region. On the right we have one of Mzumbe’s many courtyards where students can study or relax with friends.

-Ahmed.

Almost Halfway Done!

We are now nearly halfway through the internship and time seems to be flying by! The interns have adapted well and have settled into a comfortable routine; on weekdays they start the day with a breakfast of Chapati and egg, then head off to the office to start work at around 8:30. The interns break for lunch at around 12:30. For lunch they often pick up a variety of fresh fruits from the  Madizini market-which is only a few minutes walk away.  Work at the office is usually wrapped up at 3:30. 

The team spends the remainder of the day going on walks and hikes to explore Morogoro, head to the local gym for exercise, and almost everyone spends some of their leisure time reading before dinner. After dinner, the interns use the time before bed to wind down by journaling, watching a movie, or playing card games (Dutch blitz is all the rage!). 

Saturdays are very similar to the weekdays except that it's a half day, interns will usually use the extra time to head to town to get the necessities of the week. Sundays, however, are often packed full of adventure as interns often take that day to try something new. Last week, the interns held a cultural exchange meeting with students from Mzumbe University.  It was extremely enjoyable to see their perspectives and to see the similarities and differences in our daily lives!

Furthermore, the interns have finally completed the project proposals for our WASH expansion project and the accompanying menstrual hygiene curriculum project. The internship has been progressing at a good pace and the interns are happy with what they have accomplished so far. Now they are looking forward to a well earned week off!

Pictured above are the students of Mzumbe university, SIHA and URDI together after our cultural exchange dinner.

-Ahmed.

Menstrual hygiene day was last week, which is important to SIHA because of the ongoing stigma and challenges faced by young girls all over the world while menstruating. To combat this issue here in Morogoro, SIHA and our URDI partner  continue to work on the Menstrual Health project aiming to empower school-aged girls to ask questions about menstruation and gain the skills necessary to manage their periods. 

The interns were also fortunate enough to visit the APOPO operation grounds here in Morogoro. APOPO is a non profit created by a Belgian university student; it focuses on training giant African pouch rats to save lives by detecting landmines and tuberculosis in sputum samples. It was a great experience to see the operations and strategies of a highly successful NGO. It was also a great deal of fun to see the rats in action! 

This Sunday the interns went on a Safari in Mikumi national park! As expected, it was a wonderful experience to see the animals in their habitat and to watch them interact with each other; lions, eland-antelope, giraffes, hippos, wildebeest and much more. Our special thanks go to Lazaro of Mbegha tours as he set up this wonderful experience for us.

 

The SIHA team preparing to set out early in the morning on Sunday.

After seeing a fully grown lion up close, one can be sure that their reputation as kings of the jungle is well deserved! -Ahmed.

Ending the Week on a "High" Note!

It was quite a busy week for our international team; firstly, the SIHA interns along with our partners in URDI met with stakeholders of Tungi Primary School. We discussed with the health teachers and the principal the current successes and limitations of our WASH project and potential improvements. The meeting was fruitful in many different ways; the interns were able to see the impact of the past years' internships and were given new resolve as a result. The meeting also brought up the discussion of community need for an addition of a menstrual health module to be added to the WASH curriculum. 

The interns were also pleased to have an introductory meeting with the Youth Power Organization founder, Charles Makongo. The YPO is a local youth led, non profit organization dedicated to empowering the next generation through community service. We were inspired by their work and are hopeful that we will find an opportunity to partner with the YPO in the near future. 

The interns ended the week on a high note with a 13km trek to the scenic Choma falls. With their spirits lifted by the breathtaking views and their bodies rejuvenated by a shower in the waterfall, the interns are feeling refreshed and eager to take on the next busy week!

-Ahmed

SIHA Interns Return to Morogoro!

 SIHA's interns are finally back in Morogoro, Tanzania after 2 long years! Due to the Covid 19 pandemic the interns were unable to travel for 2020 and 2021. However, the inspired and adaptable minds here at SIHA were able to continue to work on projects in a virtual space. Now that we are back in person we are extremely excited to work with our partners in URDI face to face; even more exciting is the prospect of working hands-on with the community and actually experiencing the rich culture of Morogoro!

 In fact, the new interns have already had their first taste of the market here in Morogoro, as they have bought necessities for the amazing new house they'll be staying at(many thanks to URDI for finding it for us).

Other than settling in, the interns have been enjoying the views of the beautiful mountainside on their morning walks, sampling delicious local foods like Ugali and listening to as many famous Tanzanian songs as they can find. It's not all fun and games though, the interns have began their volunteer meetings and are already starting to plan for the projects ahead! 

Stay tuned to the blog to see weekly updates on the 2022 SIHA interns and their adventures here in Morogoro. Check out our website to learn more about who SIHA and our URDI partners are and what we do!

SIHA's 2022 International Travel Team with URDI member , Pili(furthest left).

-Ahmed-Nasser

Interns Turned Story Writers

 

After a few weeks of more bonding, WASH planning, Swahili lessons and informative feedback, the team has been busy. Our favourite, Madame Jane, brought out the creativity in us.  The interns -now turned story writers- have come up with engaging & intriguing scenarios for our WASH evaluation. Other than the regular shmegular (but very important) student questionnaires, the scenarios give the students a fun way to portray their WASH curriculum retention. Just as we were in 7th grade, the attention span of preteens don’t have the best track record, which is why a storytime scenario situation will be perfect for engagement. With the WASH evaluation well on its way, we will shift our focus to our new menstrual hygiene project! The team helped Anastasia’s brilliant idea of making a dedicated infographic instagram post for world menstrual health day, which enabled us to gather some background knowledge useful for our upcoming project.

In other news, the current SIHA interns have been exploring executive positions for the upcoming year with help from the current execs. To say that we are excitedly inspired would be an understatement. In hopes to achieve our goals, the team has been hopping into various different fundraising ideas such as a bottle drive, makeup master class, cooking with me’s, and of course, the silent auction. 

The drive (not the google drive, but it’s okay because we’re fixing that!) within the team is still going at an upwards trajectory, and we are more than excited to be beginning our new project :)

SIHA: A Pandemic Perspective

In spite of the fact that we are in 2021 as of now, the Year 2020 (which would make for an incredible movie or documentary) continues to haunt us. Giving off total he who shall not be named vibes. The unprecedented turn of events resulted in SIHA going fully virtual. From all the SIHA 101’s, group bonding sessions, and now the actual internship (rip our 2021 Tanzania trip), Google Meet has been our saviour. Unfortunately, time zones and wifi connections have been somewhat villainous. Despite that, the game and wine nights make up for it!  Though we all have yet to meet in person, the team this year have become a tight-knit group - all from behind a screen! 

Anthony, our Project Manager, and supposed up and becoming artist, keeps us on track and gives us some laughs. Our charming and hilarious In-Country Representatives consist of Charles, MK, Pilly and Pastone (aka the Skinny Legend, or mwembamba in Swahili). They are the joy in all our meetings. Sunny and Jenna are the lead interns, or as Anthony likes to say “pseudo-interns or whatever”. They always keep the conversation fun and interesting by giving us great stories and advice based on their life experiences (LOL) all while directing us amateur interns on how to go about... basically everything. Now, us “amateurs” are a passionate group of five women (the new famous five 👀 ??) consisting of Akanksha, Anastasia, Ellen, Samina and myself, Sadika. Though we are new to all this, we work great together and are crazy excited to be on the team.  

Our goals as the International Team are primarily focused on two things. Firstly, we wish to continue the WASH Program, which provides children in Tanzania with education regarding water, sanitation and hygiene based on a curriculum we have developed. Our second goal is to initiate and implement a Menstrual Hygiene Program, which would involve also developing a curriculum catered towards the children. This program aims to not only spread awareness regarding menstrual hygiene, but to also disengage from the taboo regarding menstruation. 

We are also working on things aside from these projects such as organizing our google drive, revamping our social media platforms and most importantly, bringing a joke of the day to the meetings (thanks for the pressure Charles!).

2019 Favorite Moments and Memories

The 2019 International Travel Team has reached the end of their 9 week internship in Morogoro, Tanzania. As a closing to the 2019 blogs, here are each of the team members favourite moments and memories!

"One of my favourite moments during the internship is going on walks and exploring the streets of Morogoro after work, whether that be walking to town for ice cream or getting chips mayai at the market. Another highlight of the internship was the team retreat to Zanzibar! The seafood was to die for 😍😍😍 But beware of the sea urchins, very ouch!" - Janina

"I really enjoyed interacting with the Tanzanian staff, falling in love with Swahili hits and eating lots of chipsi. A highlight of the internship was meeting with different NGOs and other stakeholders where I learned a lot about culture differences and reasons underlying many health-related issues in Tanzania. Out of the office I loved all of the socials we had from many card games, to dance nights.😂" - Palehswan

"So grateful to have had the opportunity to visit Tanzania. We were welcomed with open arms and made to feel like we were part of a family. I'll never forget the generosity and compassion of URDI and the people of Morogoro. I can't wait to return next year as a PM for the 2020 ITT! Kwaheri Bitch!" - Anthony

"Everyone in Tanzania has made us feel so welcome here throughout the summer. Morogoro is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to and I feel so privileged to have had this opportunity. One of the things I won't forget will be the beautiful (but long) hikes up the mountains. It was definitely weird being around mountains that weren't covered in snow, but there was such amazing scenery and views. I'm so happy I made the decision to intern with SIHA and I couldn't imagine a better way to have spent my summer!" - Kyle

"This time in Tanzania has been so enriching. I am incredibly grateful that I had the opportunity to come, interact with a new culture and find new friends that became family. This country is gorgeous and has so much to offer. I have loved working with our Tanzanian team in Morogoro. They work so hard and are the most genuine people! Also, they taught us Swahili things. So that's fresh kichizi kama ndizi. Everything considered (including cold showers and strange insects), would 10/10 recommend!" - Rachel

"While Tanzania had so many amazing things to offer, from beautiful mountains and beaches to fresh seafood and a completely different cultural experience, it was definitely the Tanzanian team and the other local Tanzanians we met along the way who made the trip for me. The kindness and generosity of Tanzanian people is unlike anything I have encountered before. We all felt so well-cared for by our Tanzanian family, and had so much fun with them for the nine weeks we were here. Asante sana URDI team!!" - Sarah

Hiking and Volunteering!

This Saturday, two of our international members, Sarah and Rachel, represented SIHA in a volunteer trip with Tengeneza Generation (TEG.) They hiked to Morningside, an old German Colonial house, then to Choma Falls where they helped to plant trees. After they camped the night! They had a lot of fun interacting with locals and networking with members of TEG.

On Sunday, Kyle, Anthony and Palehswan, did a 10 hour hike to Bondwa peak. Although they had hiked on the cloudiest day in Morogoro, it was still a worthwhile experience to be able to hike through the clouds and different African vegetation.

In the office we are preparing SIHA 101's for next year's team and writing the final report of the summer!

Outside of the office, some of the teams' hobbies throughout the summer have been going on walks (we love to explore all the streets of Morogoro), reading (the SIHA office has a small book exchange), and spending time with the Tanzanian team. Occasionally we will walk to town to fulfill ice cream cravings and if we have extra data left we will have movie nights!

- Palehswan

Tanzanian Weddings and Insight into our Community Work!

This past weekend the International Team was fortunate to be able to attend our In-country Representative, Charles', wedding! It was amazing to experience the culture of Tanzanian weddings where lots of dancing and singing took place in both the church and the reception. 

In the week we were able to get out of the office with two big meetings with an international and a local non-governmental organization. We met with Save the Children, the lead organization of a nutrition project by USAID, to discuss forming a partnership and Tengeneza Generation organization to increase our community volunteering through their tree-planting projects. 

We have also began taking on tasks of our future executive roles and planning our recruitment to welcome new interns for next year!

 In this picture, the skirts are made out of a special Tanzania fabric, Kitenga, and were hand-tailored. 

-Palehswan

Team Retreat to Zanzibar!

After half of our summer internship, we decided to head to Zanzibar, an island off of Tanzania, for a team bonding week-long retreat! We took many forms of transportation (buses, ferries, etc.) to reach Zanzibar and it was all worth the trip.

We spent the first half of our time in Stone Town, a beautiful area with white buildings, lots of shopping and good food. In Stone Town, we took a boat to smaller islands like Prison Island, where we visited a tortoise sanctuary, Bawe Island, where we went snorkeling, and Nakupenda beach, where an accidental sea urchin incident occurred. As Zanzibar was very touristy, we were able to satisfy many cravings for Western food and we got to experience unique seafood at night markets! At Emerson Spice House restaurant we had an amazing rooftop five course seafood dinner, while watching the sunset. We went on a spice tour the following day; smelling and tasting many spices and fruits, eating a local lunch, and hanging out on the beach.

Our next half of our Zanzibar vacation took place on the East Coast in Paje. We roomed in cute huts with sand all around and enjoyed relaxing on hammocks out on the beach, tanning, having fresh fruit drinks and swimming in the vast ocean. We also had amazing fresh seafood from the local catch of the day!

In addition, throughout our trip we had some interesting encounters with locals. The locals absolutely loved it when we spoke Swahili, as not many tourists there did. There were also a lot of locals that tried to sell us things so we had to learn to steer away from scammers and bargain when we can.

Overall, Zanzibar was a wonderful trip to have some time away from the office and get to know each other even better!

-Palehswan

Hike to Choma Falls and Swahili Progress!

This past Sunday was definitely the best by far of the internship. The International Team hiked to Choma Falls with our in-country representative, Charles! It was a great team bonding experience. The views kept improving as we hiked farther up and although it was hot, the team was able to cool off in the waterfalls at the top. We finished the day off at a restaurant called Red Chili where we had pizza very similar from back home!

This week, we also had a Swahili test! 2-3 times a week, our in-country volunteer, Pastone, has been teaching us Swahili. Being able to live in a country where Swahili is the primary language has benefited our learning all around as we are able to use Swahili to have basic conversations with locals and buy things at the market.

As we have hit the mid-summer point, in the office we have been working on our mid-summer report for the Board of Governors. We also visited government officials to kick start a malnutrition project!

-Palehswan

Tanzanian Festivals and Food

This week was the end of Ramadan and the Eid holiday. Although not every Tanzanian is Muslim, Eid is a two-day national holiday celebrated by all. Prayer calls from mosques continued all day and through the night. Many people wore traditional robes and hats, and more food was out in the streets. We had half days of work to enjoy the holiday with the Tanzanian team. Barbecues, ice cream and many walks to town were involved. 

On the topic of food, Tanzania has two main staples; rice and ugali. Ugali is a cornmeal dough that is used as a spoon to pick up other smaller dishes. Beans are a common protein we eat in the house. Chicken is served once a week by our mama but many barbecues serve pork or beef, as chicken is more expensive. Beware for many bones and pieces of fat. Many tropical fruits like mangoes, passion fruit, guava, papaya and avocados can be found. This week our mama pressed fresh mango/avocado/passion fruit juice that was absolutely delicious. We were also able to try fresh coconuts from our tree. Our watchman climbed to the top of palm tree to pick them up! For vegetables we usually have kachumbari (a tomato salad), peas or spinach. Some authentic dishes we love are sweet chapatis, sambusas and chips mayai (a combination of french fries and fried eggs)! 

Coconut from our tree                                       BBQ pork   

-Palehswan