Here in Mwanza we have officially reached the end of our first week of teaching, and what an experience it has been so far! Upon our arrival we were elated to discover that 105 students had enrolled in the program, and as a result we would each be teaching our own class. We began our discussions by asking students “why they had chosen to register for this program?” We were blown away by the responses. They were all immensely passionate about this opportunity and many felt that this course would have a direct impact on their future success. This increased our excitement, but also made us a little nervous as there was considerable pressure to deliver a program up to the students’ expectations. These worries were quickly left behind, as the course got underway. High student engagement and consistent participation has allowed the students’ diverse backgrounds (both personal and academic) to be reflected into interesting class discussions.
In our travels through Tanzania we have met so many interesting people already:
Patrick
As we walked aimlessly around Dar Es Salaam we bumped into a local painter. Patrick had spent two years in Montreal studying mechanics. Unfortunately his sponsor in Montreal passed away and he was unable to afford to study in Canada on his own and returned to Tanzania.
Originally Patrick was trying to sell us his art and we said that we were not interested at the time, since we were trying to find the Tanzanian National Museum. He decided to forgo the attempt at selling his art (for now) and give us a tour of the city, instead. He explained that there were some things we should see before heading to the museum that were on our way so we welcomed the opportunity to learn from him. He walked us down the boardwalk and showed us the major harbour, which acts as a delivery point for all goods coming to Africa from the east.
We asked him political, social and personal questions of which he willingly answered them all. Getting a real opportunity to hear the first hand experience of someone who had tasted life in Canada and was now struggling as a painter on the streets in Tanzania was extremely thought provoking. Hardships had clearly worn on him but he, like others we met, had what seemed to be an uncompromising optimism on life.
As we continued down the boardwalk, we got to the fish market. There were several departments to the bustling area. The fishers set out at night on their rickety boats to catch the fish for the following morning. They would come back around 5am and present the fish they have caught to the auctioneers. There, hordes of people would bid for the fish sprawled out on tables in this market. Once you had purchased some fish, you brought them to another area where you paid another person to “clean” the fish. This station was comprised of wooden boards covered in newspaper and large knives for filleting. Once “cleaned” the fish were taken to be cooked or smoked. The last area of the market was where the leftover skeletons and shells could be bought for very cheap by the poorest people in the area. Before we parted ways we stopped by his shop to check out his artwork and then he directed us to the museum was and we said our goodbyes.
The museum had a few cool artifacts aside, but it seemed to be put together by grade-schoolers, and there were no other people visiting the building. All in all the reason that we began our adventure today turned out to be the only let down. Thinking on it now the 2,600 TSH to get into the museum was well worth the experience we gained getting there.
Desmond
Before boarding the plane to Mwanza we happened to strike up a conversation with a young man on his way home to visit his family in Mwanza after living away for several months in Dar Es Salaam. He was extremely friendly, telling us about things to do in Mwanza and showed us pictures of his family. He exchanged numbers with Larry and offered to meet up with us, to show us around.
After we arrived at St. Augustine University, Larry continued to stay in touch with Desmond via text message. Desmond had grown up in a small village outside of Mwanza. He had come from nothing – walking 6 km a day to get food and water. Once he was old enough to work he pursued a variety of jobs. All of his different jobs were interesting (and some paid decently relative to Tanzanian standards) but he expected more from himself. With this in mind, he got on a bus to Dar Es Salaam to try and make it as an entrepreneur. He wanted to leave home and put himself in a “sink or swim” situation, where he would really need to hustle to make ends meet. Once he got to Dar Es Salaam, he found a job as a waiter, which would provide him start up money for a business venture. With this capital and his smartphone, he started going on eBay and buying watches from Hong Kong. He would get the watches delivered and sell them on the streets for twice the purchase price. His pointed out his success by noting that he left for Dar Es Salaam on a small, decrepit bus and returned on a comfortable plane ride. His willingness to work hard paired with his straight arrow approach is admirable. His dream is to be successful and build his own home on the land he inherited from his father.
He kept his promise to tour us around the city and came to visit us at SAUT. Our first stop on the tour was the downtown area. We had already been through the market, but with Desmond it was a different experience. We were able to go to places we wouldn’t have before and he introduced us to a bunch of his friends. Also, having him with us greatly cut down on the amount we were haggled by local store owner.
After our adventure into the market we hoped on a “dala dala” (A 12-seat van that approximately 20 people ride in) and headed out of the city. After a while we started to see rural Tanzania, since agriculture is very big in the Mwanza region. There were people drying rice, grinding maize and herding goats. After a 40-minute drive we got off at a small village with a dirt road leading up a mountain. There was a sign that said museum, but this unfamiliar territory was still a little sketchy. Walking up the road we got to see a “real” African village. There was a clear sense of community, as cattle and children roamed free throughout the village. Desmond explained to us different aspect of their living conditions and about the type of lifestyle observed in this village. During the walk we saw school children walking down the hill with canteens to collect water, and they were very appreciate when we offered them our empty water bottles to use.
After the walk we got to the museum, which explained the origin of the Sukuma people, the largest tribe in Tanzania. We learned about how the first people made fire, smelted ore, slept and lived. The guide showed us the breakdown of the different tribes and their regions. Unlike a Canadian museum we were allowed to touch everything and Desmond was having fun playing the drums and picking up all the weapons. The entire tour took a couple hours and was very culturally enlightening experience. We got to see a 30-foot Python (luckily locked in a cage), since snakes are an important part of the Sukuma culture. Before leaving we bought some cooked corn from a vendor, which was so delicious. On our way down to the main road, we passed a group of young boys walking home from school. We waved and they were very giggly at the sight of white people and so we said hi and they decided to walk down with. They had some basic English vocabulary so we were able to have some conversations with them. Desmond explained that these kids do not eat during their 8 hour school day and it was unbelievable to see how happy and energized they were. The exposure we got in terms of life in Tanzania was second to none.
It was amazing that this entire day and the beginning of a friendship with Desmond happened because of a 2 minute conversation at an airport one week ago. This seems to be the norm in Tanzania that people forge friendships very spontaneously and we are learning to embrace this open culture.