Once again the “save draft” button got me, instead of hitting “publish”. So I’m already back in the U.S. publishing this, and a lot has happened since!
Well those reports/presentations kept me super busy! Ha! Good news is they turned out really well and they are presenting my work in Rwanda next week at a multi-country VSO meeting. Bad news is I can’t go because today is my last day of work and my business visa expires Monday. I have really enjoyed this project, I think probably more so that the project I was originally supposed to be on. I truly wish I could see this project through from A-Z, but that would take about 2 years and well my assignment was just 3 months.
Wow. I can’t believe today is my last day of work; time has
flown by so fast! Too fast. Two days ago my TZ work family threw myself, my
roommate, and George (our Randstad co-worker from Malaysia) a going away party
on our work rooftop terrace. We had food, games, and lots of catching up and
goodbyes. I don’t want to believe my time in TZ is coming to an end. I can’t
even begin to describe how special the last 3 months have been. It’s truly hard
to imagine this not being my life my moving forward; and there aren’t even
words to articulate how much I will miss Tanzania and all the friends I have
made here. My eyes leaked. Pics of the
party below.
Babu “Grandfather” Jumbe dropping me off at the airport ❤
My roommate left last night to return to Holland, and I
leave tomorrow for me adventuring Nairobi, Kenya for a few days and then back
to TZ and on to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro for 8 days. This is something I have been
looking forward to, and somewhat relieves the sting of all the goodbyes.
Tanzania has not seen the last of me, I can assure you that! I am looking
forward to catching up with all my family, friends, and co-workers in the
states – I’ll see y’all in a couple weeks!
I return back to the U.S. on 13 Oct. and back to work on 16 Oct.
It’s been a crazy few weeks here. I can’t believe it’s almost been 2 months since I arrived in Tanzania, time is flying too fast! I know it’s also almost a month since I promised I would try to post every week. Sorry, I promise I really do miss you all! We just arrived back in Dar from traveling for a few weeks. Two and half weeks ago we headed north to Lake Victoria to visit the VSO Lake Zone Youth Empowerment (LZYE) project in Mwanza and Shinyanga. The LZYE project works with vulnerable youth (youth here is 15-35 yrs), focusing on girls and women, by helping them gain vocational and entrepreneurial skills to become economically empowered. The project also aims to challenge cultural practices that enable gender based inequalities. The rate of teenage pregnancy and gender based violence is relatively high in Lake Zone area; so through education, VSO has been working to positively influence social change.
We spent 3 days in Mwanza, and then went to Shinyanga for 4 days and back to Mwanza for a week. Those first 3 days I spent going on field visits with some of the local volunteers. Nothing too exciting, just a lot of information gathering. Mwanza is located on the south end of Lake Victoria, the second largest fresh water lake in the world. Mwanza is absolutely beautiful with tons of mini mountains and boulders; consequently its nickname is Rock City. The weather there would have been perfect for camping! There were some great hikes straight from the hotel that provided an aerial view of the lake and some amazing sunsets! That was essentially my workout most days. Lake Victoria is also famous for Tilapia and it’s on the menu in every single restaurant. Restaurants don’t have just one theme here, most of the menus are 12-15 pages long with typically your choice of Tanzanian, Indian, Chinese, and “western” food. Word to the wise, just skip the western section. The expat population in Mwanza isn’t quite as big as Dar, and nonexistent in Shinyanga, so this trip really provided a deeper cultural experience that what we typically get in Dar. I loved it and quickly realized, we’re a bit spoiled in the capital. Haha!
Rocky City
Shinyanga is about 95 miles south of Mwanza, and takes about 3 -3.5hrs to drive there, if you have a private vehicle- which we did, luckily we were able to use one of the VSO project vehicles. If we had taken bus, it could have taken up to 10hrs. That actually happened with some other volunteers who went to Bukoba for the holiday weekend. Our work trip happened to fall on a week with holidays on Thursday and Monday, so all the VSO Tanzania offices were closed Thurs-Monday. I didn’t mind working though, because when you work on holidays and/or weekends you can take off other days; I plan on taking a couple off in September when my friend comes to visit. So on Thursday we loaded 7 people into an SUV and hit the road (re: gravel). Of course we stopped 3 times within the first 40 minutes; because you know Tanzanian time is real “go with the flow”. Sometimes I love, sometimes I don’t. Shinyanga is a city, but there’s not much there and pretty rural. Here we were able to meet with several entrepreneurs that had been through one of two training programs at VETA. Have I talked about VETA yet? VETA stands for Vocational Education Training Authority; VETA is a gov’t run vocational training center that partners with VSO. Essentially they have the training programs, VSO helps find the most marginalized youth to join the programs, then VSO works with private sector to provide internships, apprenticeships, and full time employment for those in the program or recently graduated. The 2 types of programs they offer are theory & practical, and mastercraft. The former is 3 months in class and 3 months internship; the latter is basically a full time apprenticeship. All participants in each program are required to join a savings and loan group for 1 year. All the members meet once a week, contribute money to the pot from which they can take business/hardship loans, and then they basically spend the year learning how to manage the money and finance their businesses. We were able to spend Saturday at their weekly meeting and really great to see how they operate together. It’s amazing!
ShinyangaYouth savings and loan groupsHit a bit of a traffic jam on the way out of Shinyanga.
We arrived back in Mwanza and spent the week testing a new participatory tool with a few outside consultants and youth from the community. The sessions were facilitated in Swahili, so the international volunteers really just observed while someone translated.
We flew home Saturday night, our flight was 4hrs delayed in an airport that is smaller the FSC! In the above picture, I’m standing in front of a sign that says you cannot wrap your pale of fish until after you go through security. Yes, many people travel to other regions with gallon size buckets of fresh fish from Lake Victoria. Below is another view of the airport.
To cap off the lovely day of travel, my roommate and I were not feeling too hot, turns out we both picked up a stomach amoeba somewhere along the trip. We’ve spent the past few days at the clinic and home recuperating, but we’re both on the up and up! That’s just life in Tanzania, you can be as careful as possible with food you eat but it’s going to happen- you just have to roll with the punches and move on! I fear I won’t have too much work to up date you on the next couple weeks, as I’ll be writing reports… so I guess it’ll just be food pics for you all! 😉
We’ve been in Zanzibar 5 days now, and it’s been super busy
but good. Zanzibar is a two hour ferry ride from Dar es Salaam, for foreigners
(me) it cost $35 for regular and $40 for business class which gives you a seat
and air conditioning – no brainer, I’ll take business please. Below are some
views from the ferry.
The VSO office is situated in an Old Dispensary in Stone
Town directly across from the ferry terminal. We popped into the office to briefly
greet the local staff and ICS (International Citizen Service) students, checked
into the hotel to drop our bags, and then hit the ground running. ICS students
are youth volunteers, mostly from the UK but also from all over Tanzania. They’re
a bit different than Corp. Volunteers as they live with host families, have a
6p.m. curfew, can’t swim in the ocean, aren’t allowed on boats or to travel.
YIKES, definitely not my kind of party – although, I would have loved to live
with a host family as opposed to my own apartment. Also, I don’t think I mentioned that my
specific role has changed twice since the initial start of the VSO process. My
role is now to document how VSO works with private sector to improve
livelihoods of marginalized people. What does that mean? Yea I know that was my
initial question too, it will make more sense as you continue to reading.
VSO Zanzibar OfficeMorning walk to the office, had a huge group this a.m. Picked up some VSO stragglers!The view of Stone Town from the roof of our hotel.
Our first field visit in Zanzibar was to a local vocational school that trains students from villages throughout the island on different trades like food production, hospitality services, electrical work, painting, tailoring, etc. VSO partners with several vocational and technical schools to connect students with private sector opportunities (ding ding!), assist in entrepreneurship, and career guidance. Part of my role is to speak with the partners (hiring managers, government officials, instructors, etc) and find out what is working well, how we can improve, and make recommendations on future processes. I had to the opportunity to speak with a couple students and an instructor in the food production department, and received some really great feedback about the work VSO is doing in the community.
Vocational school we visitedStandard road outside of the city on the way to the above pictured school.
Next up on the way back to town, we stopped in to visit some local tailors that VSO assisted in starting up their business. They graduated from the vocational technical school, did some internships with local tailors, and then VSO was able to grant them needed supplies for their startup – 3 sewing machines, some fabrics, and the first 6 months of rent for their work space. By utilizing these grants they were able to create sustainable businesses to help support their families.
Friday and early Saturday were filled with various meetings with hotel managers, employment agencies, schools, and government partners. My favorite visit had to be visiting the ICS students at a local school for Community Action Day (CAD). The topic for CAD was environmental sustainability and the students focused on recycling; they organized a community trash pickup day in a local park and had some informational speakers with various educational activities to keep everyone engaged. Unfortunately there is a lot of trash on the streets here, but the ICS students are doing great work by educating locals on the importance of recycling and taking care of the environment.
Saturday afternoon we had off work and I wondered around the
labyrinth that is Stone Town visiting shops, restaurants, historical sights,
and eating as much food and fresh juice as possible, obviously.
Yes, cars drive down these winding roads.Fresh lime and ginger “soda”, I think it’s just puree’d with soda water. Either way, real good!
Sunday was also a day off, so my volunteer partners and I hopped on a little boat and headed over to Prison Island (properly Changuu Island). A former British Prime Minister had a prison constructed here in the late 1800s to house rebellious slaves from East Africa, however it was never actually used as prison; it ended up being a yellow fever quarantine center, which much later was turned into a resort. I think the resort has since been abandoned because we didn’t see any guest. There is also a tortoise sanctuary for Aldabra Giant Tortoises which are listed on the vulnerable species list; feeding these guys was the highlight of the trip for me.
Just taking a photo in the prison “bathroom”.
We have just 2 more days in Zanzibar before we head back to Dar for a week, then onto Mwanza and Shinyanga… at least that’s the plan for now, but plans change really quickly here and nothing ever starts on time. Haha, we’ll see!
Also, just to give you an idea of the internet here – it took me 3.5hrs to transfer these pics from cell to laptop and to upload to this blog and even longer to post it. Yes, I was connected to WiFi. Insert frustration emoji here, and you’re welcome 😉
I originally started this blog post well over a week ago,
but I forgot to post it! I’m trying to get in the habit of posting once a week,
but we’ve gotten into the thick of work and well I’m having too much fun to
spend extra time on my laptop. Sorry not sorry!
As promised in my previous post, let’s talk about food- most of you know this my favorite subject. At any given time, I can pop out of my office or living compound and walk or take a quick Uber to some really good food. Swahili food is great, lots of meats, rice, and uglai is a local favorite. For you southerners, ugali is kinda like grits but less grainy and made of cornmeal. It’s a bit bland when served plain, but adding some local sauces or meat sauces and it’s pretty good. So far I’ve had the pleasure of visiting some Ethiopian, Indian, Tanzanian, and Mediterranean restaurants, all within a few kilometers of my living compound. However, I try to cook at home as much as possible. The first week or so I was visiting the supermarket every single day trying to obtain everything I need for my kitchen; which was a total pain because you have to take an Uber (tuk tuk, see below) back with all your goods.
Typically Tanzanians eat with their hands, although most places in Dar es Salaam have forks and knives available because there are a lot of expats/diplomats/embassies here. I try not to use them if avoidable, because I know this likely won’t be an option when we visit villages…. but old habits die hard. Trying to get used to it!
We just found out today we’re going to Zanzibar in two days for our first field visit so I need to start preparing; for now, I leave with pictures of all the amazing food I’ve been destroying.
Ethiopian spread, those items that looks like sponges are thin doughy type items you dip in the different sauces and meatsTypical tea break with Tanzanian snacks – chapati, samosas, and some other unknown delicious (re: fried) object. I get to eat every 2-3 hours which is fantastic because that’s what I do at home, albeit a littler healthier but I’m certainly not complaining!Coconut curry chicken wrap w/ fries <wrap was amazing, fries- not so much>Honestly, I don’t know what this is except it’s soup and it was good. Chicken Biryani This is a Tuk Tuk, and how I get to and fro when I don’t have a lot to carry. This was one of my lighter trips to the market. Also, my feet are forever dirty – that’s just the life I live now.
I never hit “publish” on this, so I’m actually posting this from Zanzibar. Be on the lookout for another post tomorrow to read all the work we’ve been doing!
Well it’s been one week since I arrived in Tanzania and so far it’s been amazing, for the most part (we’ll get there). Everyone in this city is so warm and welcoming, although it may not seem so at first impressions. You know when people (like me) have a blank look on their face and it seems as if they are angry or annoyed even though they are not? That’s everyone here, but the moment you smile, give a wave, and/or a hello (jambo, mambo, habari, or shikamoo for elders) their faces light up with the biggest smile; usually followed with “hello, how are you?” or “hello, welcome!!” and there you have it – you’ve made a new friend for life! Tanzanians are proud people, proud of their culture, their city, and they’re proud you have come to visit and experience it for yourself. As they should be, I can already tell this place and these people are so special!
Here’s a few pics from my neighborhood….
Dar es Salaam is quite a big city but taxis, minibuses (Daladala), Tuk Tuks, and Ubers are readily available. You can actually get a Tuk Tuk /Bajaji through Uber, these are preferable for short distances when you don’t feel like walking. (I’m really terrible about taking pictures, I’ll try to post some pics of these later.) From my home I can walk to work, a few supermarkets, pharmacies, and a few shops. Over the weekend I learned that walking is best way to get some Swahili practice in. You see, Tanzanians are relationship oriented meaning they look out for their communities and do what’s in best interest of the community. That’s one reason it’s important to greet people in passing. If I’m walking to work and I pass 30 people and I greet them all, I now have 30 people looking out for me in case I encounter any trouble (very unlikely); but should I not greet them, well than I’m not really trying to be part of the community and there’s reason to watch out for me. Interesting, yea? I took so many walks this past Sunday and Monday that I sounded liked a Swahili robot, one that is only capable of saying “Hello”, ”How are you”, “I’m well”, “Thank you very much”, and “Sorry”. Not bad for one week though, haha!
Our first week of work was not really work, just a volunteer induction where we went over all the necessary information we need to know as new volunteers; this included meeting all of the local staff in Dar es Salaam office. They’re amazing and so helpful! We (the new volunteers) also used this time to get to know each other. Below are few photos of my new family and they’re amazing, I’m so thankful I ended up with such a great group of people to take this journey with. We have Anita and Sam (+ Sam’s wife, Jane) from Randstad Netherlands, George from Randstad Sourceright Malaysia, Aloyece a volunteer nurse from Tanzania, and Lawrencia a volunteer nutrition specialist also from Tanzania. Only Anita, Sam and I will remain in Dar but we should get to visit everyone else as we’ll be traveling to visit most projects.
Standard office visitor… I may have squealed with the excitement of a 5yr old at Disney.
We had Monday off work due to a national holiday so most everyone went out to Zanzibar Island to be tourists. I caught a gnarly cold on Thursday and spent most of Friday and Saturday in bed, I was able to get out for a few walks on Sunday and Monday. I’m feeling on the up and up now, and finally got my appetite back so I’ll save the food section for my next blog post!
The past 20hrs have certainly been a lesson in patience! Thank goodness for travel toiletries and snacks! Y’all know I always have snacks, and they surely saved a few lives today, or yesterday? Wait, what day is it?
My flight route yesterday should have been Orlando à Newarkà Zurich à Nairobi à Dar es Salaam, putting me in Dar at 2p.m. EST today. Unfortunately my very first flight out of Orlando to Newark was delayed, causing me to miss my connecting flight to Zurich. So when I missed my connection, after several calls and desk agent visits United booked me on a flight out of JFK on Turkish Air through Istanbul; waited 2hrs to locate my bags and taxi’d 1hr to JFK- thrilled be getting out that night on Turkish Air. When I arrived at JFK, Turksh Air had no record my flight change or a ticket for me. Unfortunately United does not fly out of JFK, so no desk agent to help…. I had to call the cust service #at 11p.m. – turns out they forgot to “confirm” the flight but promised they’d book me on the next flight out on Friday through S. Africa. All the agent desks were closed so there was no getting in the terminals to rest, I took an Uber to a hotel and checked in around 1a.m. Up a 5a.m. and attempted to check into my next flight, but couldn’t locate a reservation online so I hightailed it back to JFK, knowing I had a small window to make this happen and get my bags checked! Tried to check in at S. Africa Airways and once again, the airline had no record of my flight change and no ticket for me. Le sigh. Here we go again! Another hour phone call to United, and finally I’ve got a ticket, I’m through security, and officially waiting to board! If all goes well I should make it by 7a.m. tomorrow. Hooray!!
On the upside, after an incredibly long day I got a warm shower, a soft pillow for a couple hours, and free warm continental breakfast 🙂 It could have been much worse. Honestly, I don’t know how people travel with large families/groups – kudos to y’all! #NoThanks
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention there are a few lessons to be learned here- United is the worst, snacks are the best, and you catch more flies with honey. Everyone is trying, be patient with others and yourself. #TanzaniaOrBust
For those that didn’t start in the “about me” section, I’m Jen! I’m heading out to Tanzania real soon to volunteer for three months with VSO. VSO is an international development organization that works to fight poverty in developing countries. Before I jump into the details of the work I’ll be doing, I want to give you some context on past development goals and how VSO approaches fighting poverty through sustainable development goals (SDGs).
Developed countries assisting developing countries hasn’t always worked well, and this video does a really great job of explaining why.
What I really love about VSO is their people first approach to aiding in development. VSO pairs global volunteers with local professionals, entrepreneurs, community leaders, and policy makers so they may all share skills, ideas, and expertise to create and implement solutions to development challenges in their local communities. People working together at the local level to enable and empower each other, with the common goal of improving the livelihoods of their communities, truly sets the stage for systematic and sustainable change; I’m really hoping I can make a positive impact while I’m there. Nerd alert: as an Anthropology major, I totally geek out on all this!
At any given time VSO can have multiple projects going on within 1 country (or even region), typically directly related to education, health, and livelihoods. When I arrive in Tanzania, I’ll be working on the VSO Global Livelihoods team project (CPAT) with two other volunteers, from the Netherlands, who also work for my company. This project is 3 phases and we will be tackling phase 1, which is documenting VSO’s work in Tanzania. My specific role is to document VSO’s work in the area of labour market analysis, which means I will likely be visiting all the current projects in the different regions. My position recently (in the past 2 weeks) changed from 1 project to another, previously I was slated be on the island of Zanzibar the entire time – but now I get to be based in the capital and travel. Anyone who knows me, knows I’m super stoked about this change! Can’t wait to get my feet on the ground and learn all about Tanzanian culture! 6 days and counting…. excuse me while I go tackle 8 billion things on my to-do list!
Don’t worry, the rest of my blog entries won’t be so sterile. I truly believe the context above is very important and worth the share.
Tackling Tanzania's SDGs, One Project at a Time 