Tag Archives: Tanzania

Walking, hiking and running through Tanzania

Time for my official 4^th blog entry….or 5^th if you count the double entry my stupid internet made. It is currently 3:20 pm here in Tanzania. I have officially settled into our home here at the Udzungwa Ecological Monitoring Center and we are about to start our real work! So far we have been preparing to create plans and such by learning about the culture, conflicts and key issues. As we continue to do that, we need to start thinking of a final project for the summer. On Thursday and Friday we will be heading out to Tundu to survey and map the community. Apparently they are facing a quick increase in population due to their proximity to the sugar cane fields and they need a plan on how they should grow. Currently there are no maps or anything for the village so our work to create a map will be extremely helpful for planners or for the landscape students here who want to design a plan. Surveying is tedious work. We have to write down every single GPS coordinate that is relevant (corners of buildings, road ways, foot paths, etc), sketch the area along the way and record everything with pictures.

Since I last wrote we had some interesting times. One day we went throughout the area to see different places where villages have encroached on the national park land. Just a warning – if a Tanzanian ever asks you to go on a ‘walk’ put on your hiking boots. Our guide had our entire groups scaling the hills, walking through the forest and down steep hills. Of course he was running around with ease but the rest of us were not expecting the challenge and fell way behind. Seeing the park encroachment was interesting though. There were points where the land had been used up so much it was practically a wall of dirt right on the border of the park.

Then this last weekend, some of our group went on a hiking/camping trip up to Sanje falls. In my last entry I was excited about the 150ft waterfall. Sanje falls is 750m. I don’t know exactly how many feet that is but I know it is a lot more than 150! The hike itself was only hard for the second half. The first half was manageable until we got to the first view point. After that the path was pretty much straight up – I thought my legs were going to give out underneath me. We went swimming at the very bottom of the falls where a pool has formed and then again at the very top of the falls. The power of the falls at the top was surprising! The current was stronger than what you would feel in the ocean; the only thing that stopped us from going over the edge was the rocks lined up on along the border. At the very top, the view was spectacular. We could see the whole valley while hearing the falls around us. Once at the top we set up camp and spent the night. It was a hard night’s sleep but well worth it when we woke up early to watch the sunrise at the view. The coloring was beautiful. I have tons of pictures I wish I could post but you will have to wait and see. Google Sanje falls if you are interested in getting a preview.

Yesterday we took a field trip to see Mangombero forest. It is not too far from the national park but it is a completely unprotected piece of forest which sits right next to a village and faces a big chance of being destroyed. Anyways, this trip was hilarious. We had all 11 students, 2 professors and 3 guides walking along a tiny path in the woods. This forest had lots of army and fire ants mounds on this path. At a moment’s notice we would all have to start running to get away from them. Seeing all 16 of us bolt through the woods made me laugh every time. One poor guy in our group, Theo, had been standing on a mound for a few minutes – He had to strip down right in the middle of the forest to get all the ants off! I managed to not get bit due to a pants-tucked-into-socks maneuver but those little ants are tricky; even running I would still end up with some on my pants and shoes. Thank goodness for high boots, high socks and long pants! Overall it was an amusing trip…or at least I found it amusing since I never got attacked by the vicious ants.

Today is a work day for us before we head to the village tomorrow so not much will be going on. We do have a busy weekend coming up – International Environmental Day on Saturday and a 3 day-2 night safari at Mikumi National Park starting on Sunday

Location: Mang'ula, Tanzania

Morogoro – Reconnecting with past loves….ecology & environmental science 5-22-10

Today was great! I LOVED the content of today’s lectures. Many people glazed over during the lectures about rural sociology, agriculture and agriculture expansion, mapping patterns of deforestation, forest ecology, and rates and reasons for forest conversion to other land uses at Sokione University. I am very impressed by the quality of this preparatory period. I feel as though we all have a good grasp of the issues in our project area. Tomorrow we will learn more about specific crops in the Morogoro area.

Today was also challenging on a personal level. Just before lunch, during the rural sociology lecture, female circumcision was mentioned as still being practiced and just after that, we learned of a tribe that communicates affection through beatings. During the first three months of marriage, a husband must beat his wife to show he loves her. It is common for women to receive bandages as wedding presents. If a husband does not beat his wife, the wife thinks that he does not love her and she asks him to do it. Patric (guide) says that this practice by very few and small tribes and that men actually exchange some sort of tips on beatings (maybe good, maybe bad….?) This custom is still practiced. Patric has a male friend in this tribe. He says that he has told the friend that he does not need to participate in this custom but the said he will. It is his way of life – his culture. Does cultural preservation dictate the definition of human rights? Is the definition of human rights relative to an individual’s culture?

Location: Morogoro, Tanzania

Getting there 5-18-10

Getting through the Washington Tunnel bridge was horrible, making a four hour trip six hours long and demonstrating NYC’s desperate need for Landscape Architects!

The 12 hour flight from JFK to Dubai on Emirates was A-mazing! Aisle seat with no one beside me. Amazing multi-course meals, free wine and candy bars. All the movies you could ever want to watch on your touch screen. Also flight infor, music, and news. Same carrier from Dubai to Dar es Salaam – smaller & not as new + more passengers = uncomfortable! What do you expect when traveling 19 hours?

It was a blessing to land in Tanzania though it is bloody HOT here! Piled all 13 of us into an air conditioned van (thank God!) and made our way from southern Dar es Salaam (Dar) to the northern side. We are staying in a super nice hostel on Old Bagamoyo Road. It took much time to make it through the city. Rush hour. Groups of hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people waiting for buses. to return home for the day. Finally made it to the hostel and very ipressed. Large, white, clean, 3 story building with outdoor hallways, tiled floors, hand painted floor and room signs. Staying in a separate little building – air conditioning, the mattress is memory foam – king size! I did not expect this in Africa…little did I know.

Best thing: I saw a skinny bus driver stop a bus and leap out, taking a tall and portly woman by the wrist. He led her to the rear door of the bus (like the escape door on American school buses). He opened that door and literally pushed people back to make room for her, a huge smile on his face the entire time, as if to say “there is ALWAYS more room on my bus”. He then picked the lady up from behind, her butt on his chest and spilling over his arms, lifting her over 3′ up into the bus!!! Classic. Both were smiling the whole time!

Worst thing: Child with polio or other crippling leg deformity crossing an extremely large and busy intersection by dragging himself with is arms.

Location: Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Dar es Salaam 5-19-10

I am fascinated by the activity and movement of people here! They are selling everything imaginable…in traffic, on roadsides, in marketplaces. Vendors are squeezed into every imaginable space where potential buyers may pass. Patric (our guide, 26, northern Tanzanian) explained that many are selling nuts, drinks, window washing in traffic to afford college or school for themselves or relatives. It is very common to take off every other year from school to make enough money for the next semester. Everyone must pay for primary school through college. One must completely pay back college loans within one to two years. You may only qualify for loans if you or your family owns material goods, animals, or land. Many people do not own these things.

Men, women, and children are always on the street unless they are one of the few who do work in buildings or schools. So much of life happens on the street or inside/outside of the shop. This is because most people live on less that one dollar a day (poverty by international standards but unclear about the actual lifestyle it allows here) and the hot climate. This combo produces an outdoor culture. So much time is spent on the street that I keep asking questions about what they are doing and where they are going. Since many people are self employed they may take a break if business is slow or whenever they like. You see many people taking siestas during the day, lounging in tires or water swales (dry ones) in the shade while business is slow. However, because these are still “business hours” for me, I incorrectly thought these individuals were not employed.

I had to quiet my perception of life and business, work and socialization, to see this new structure – their type of balance between work and personal time. Since there is so little private time and space, I am left wondering when and where people do private things. Does a typical couple spend a significant portion of time together? Alone ever? If not, it is sad or disturbing but just another unique characteristic of Tanzanians in Dar.

I also noticed this evening a string of boutiques selling western trendy clothes for women and run by women. These are the only shops I have seen run by females and they are young women. Wonder if that is a new trend here?

This is a very diverse city. There are many tall buildings, constant heavy auto and foot traffic, and business everywhere! Some women and men wear long robes & head coverings and others wear western clothing.

Location: Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Giraffes, waterfalls and learning…Oh my!

I am now writing to you from the Udzungwa Ecological Monitoring Center in Mang’ula, Tanzania. We have been here since the afternoon of Monday May 24^th, 2010. The drive from Monogolo wasn’t too bad. Once we got closer to the national park the road started to get ridiculous with bumps, puddles and holes. I literally thought one of our tires was going to pop off and apparently that road is a lot better than some of the other ones in the area! Part of our drive here was on a road that went through Mikimi National Park. I am happy to say that along this road we had our first wild animal spotting! We are driving on the road and directly to our left, RIGHT next to the road was 2 giraffes! It is so amazing and weird to see this wild life on the side of the road; it is quite different from the deer and groundhogs I see at home! During the drive we also saw wild buffalo, small gazelle-like animals, zebras and many more giraffes. Next weekend we will be taking a weekend-long safari in that same park- I cannot wait!

Since we have been at the monitoring center we have been very bust. First of all – they defiantly are taking care of us here. We do have to deal with cold showers, no electricity (due do a broken transformer) and a really terrible internet connection but the food is great and accommodations are really good for the circumstances. The food usually consists of homemade giant bread rolls, yummy jams, fruit, coffee and tea in the morning and then rice (or beans) with some kind of vegetable or meat stew and a side of vegetables. The best thing is all the food is locally and organically grown. I have literally never had better vegetables – and this comes from a girl who is not a vegetable fan.

On our second day here, we went on a hike into the Udzungwa National Park. It was quite the hike! We only spent an hour and half going up but it was some steep climbing! Add in the heat factor and some major humidity and we were all tired and drenched in sweat. I must say the work was worth it though – once we got the peak of the trail we were at a huge waterfall. I would estimate the height to be about 150 ft. The power and wind that came off the falls was amazing and immediately helped to cool us down. If we hadn’t already been drenched from the rain that started during our hike we would have been soaked by the mist of the falls. Our guide told us we could go into the water and off our hiking boots and socks came! The water was cool but it was a good refresher. We stood under the falls and felt the pressure of the water on our backs. It was amazing and I was surprised of the force of the water. It was such an amazing, freeing moment – standing in the falls with the whole group after a hard hike up the mountain. It was my favorite moment here so far.

But it has not all been fun and games here, we have lots of work to do. We have been doing lots of readings to get acquainted with the culture and circumstances in Tanzania and having daily seminar meetings. Today we went around with a park worker to see the areas of park encroachment. The villages around here are really faced with a problem. Tons of people come here to live because the land is so fertile but then the population grows so quickly they need to expand. The problem is the valley is located right up next to the park so they barely have room to expand. They cannot build into the park and they cannot build further out because corporate sugar plantations are throughout the valley. This is one of the problems we have come here to work on – making community plans for these types of villages who are faced with tough decisions. The villagers also have a second problem of firewood. Currently they are allowed to the entire the park to collect the dead wood to use as firewood – the main source of energy in these small villages. The problem, however, has been that the removal of dead wood is affecting the national park because it takes away the habitat for bugs and small animals. As a result the national park is making it illegal to collect the firewood from the park starting next year. But what do the villagers do? They need energy sources from somewhere. It is just one of the many considerations we have here.

Next week we will start or work in the villages. As part of our courses we have to create a project for the village. The more we learn here the harder it seems to help people. With so many concerns and conflicts it seems almost impossible to find a solution to anything. But that is why we are frontloading our trip with academic readings and learning. Hopefully after we all have a better understanding we will be able to come up with a plan.

I am learning so much on this trip. We have come here to work and give to the villages and the country but I feel as if I am getting much more than I am giving. The way we live in America can be so distorted sometimes. We work and work and work while shutting ourselves in. Here, community is so important. Everyone greets one another and there is ALWAYS people sitting out in the streets, at a bar, under a tree or on a porch talking and just hanging out. There are so many people at home who probably know nothing about their neighbors. It seems so sad now after being here and seeing the closeness and relationships amongst these communities. But that is not the only thing – after seeing a totally different way of life I have realized how wasteful and unhappy people in America can be compared to here. EVERYTHING these people have is put to good use. I have just realized how ridiculous dogfood is! Dogs do not get special food here – they get whatever is left. Every part of the agriculture is used if possible and nothing goes to waste. We waste SO much at home. Just because we can afford to waste does it give us the right too? I have also seen differences in attitude. Tanzanians seems to be so happy and content with what they have – when many of them have very, very little. I have seen a kid playing with an old rubber tire and having so much fun – no videogames or fancy toys, just an old bike tire. Then as we were walking through the village the other day and we saw a woman sweeping her front doorstep. Her front doorstep was dirt – she was sweeping the dirt! That shows how much pride she has for her property and things, even though someone in America might be ashamed of such a thing. It shows me that happiness doesn’t have to come from what you own. For these people who have so little, to be so happy goes against what I have seen in America. It really brings up so many questions about the way we live.

Okay, I better stop – I’m starting to sound like a hippie :] I hope I will be able to post somewhat regularly now but who knows with this internet connection. If you want to read a different perspective you can read the blogs of my lovely roomies and fellow travelers: Katie, Abby and Rachel.

Until next time!

Location: Mang'ula, Tanzania

Gearing Up for Tanzania

Although in the past few weeks I have had little time to think about what my time in Tanzania will be like, I have had a few moments to read and research.

I bought the Lonely Planet guide to Tanzania and have read mostly about Dar es Salaam. I also spent a few minutes one evening researching news in the country and found an independent newspaper that also publishes online.

My impression from the news sources is that Tanzanians are good-willed, strong-willed, outspoken people. When reporting bad events (like murder), the event is stated but also a discussion of why the event is bad & how the community can rally to overcome it. There also seems to be a broader discussion on why this is unacceptable & how it makes them look, as a people and a country, and how this effects their ability to be included in the global conversation on many issues & reduces their appeal to tourists. Tanzanians are fighting hard for continued peace & justice in their state & region. This is a type of news writing I have never seen before. It is refreshing.

Location: Marjorie Mae Street, State College, PA 16803

In for an exciting summer

Hey everyone!

My name is Abby and I am just finishing up my third year in Penn State’s Landscape Architecture program.Time is flying by and I will be studying the landscape of Tanzania in less than a month! This will be my first experience away from the North American continent, but I think will be a awesome experience for me. I have finally received the flight information today and 13 hours on a plane is sounding like it may be a little difficult–lots of movies? I guess I will consider it time to relax from the rush of the end of the semester and getting ready for the trip.

I know most of the crew I am going with pretty well– most of them fellow LArchies. It will be good to spend some time with them seeing that I will be off to Rome in the fall with half of our class, and they will be there in the spring. It will be weird to not see them for an entire year when we spend a lot of everyday together now (work, live, play..one big semi-dysfunctional, but happy family 🙂 love you all). However, I am also excited to get to start new friendships with the rest of the group and know we will all get the experience of a lifetime out of this. I am also anxious to compare my experience in Tanzania to that in Rome– to wayyy different types of culture shock to come as well as many many photos (I will try and restrain myself).

Until next time,
Abby

Location: State College, PA

1 month – sayyy whatt??

Hey there everyone. Welcome to my blog.

Currently, I am sitting here nice and comfy in Boucke on campus. Abby sits right next to me with the other girls in the trip scattered throughout the room. We have gotten acquainted with the geoblog system and now we are set for the summer. Oh, I should probably do the introduction stuff first??

My name is Andrea. I am a sophomore here are the lovely Penn State. I am majoring in Management and CED (Community, Environment and Development). This summer in about 1 month I will be jetting off to Mang’ula, Tanzania for 6 weeks. Totally crazy. I can’t wait.The program is through the LARCH college and will have about 11 other students going as well. I think all of the girls are blogging so check out their blogs too. It might be kind of interesting to compare all of ours.

Anyways, I digress. Today has actually been a pretty busy day in regards to this trip. I got my immunizations from the health center – Hep. A, Typhoid and Polio Vaccines – and I just turned in my Visa paper, pictures and passport to get the visa. Notice I said mentioned no Yellow Fever vaccine. I will not be getting it because of the medicine I am on and all this nonsense. Let’s hope I stay Yellow Fever-free! I’m really not too worried about it but the nurses and my mother make me think I should be….oh well. We will take a little risk, see what happens. We also got our final flight itinerary today. That means as of noon on May 17th I will be on my way to Tanzania!

I am so excited for this trip. Nervous – yes! Overwhelmed – a little. But excited – of course. I still have a lot to do before I am ready to go. Supplies and such need to be purchased, information needs to be read, mothers need to be calmed and the semester needs to end. But through all that I am super pumped. I was reading some of the other blogs when I should have been paying attention to the training session – but the other blogs made me anxious to get there. I am pretty sure I will hit some hard culture shock – something I didn’t see to much in other blogs. If you stick around prepare for some intense blogging on my culture shock and hardships. You will not be spared from these details.

Tanzania better get ready – 1 month!