Coast!

Heading to Mombasa tonight by an 8hr bus ride - a long journey but very excited! The train would be 15hrs, just a little too long for my liking. Spent today changing my flights, snoozing in the AM, eating traditional african food, and trying to organize the trip. Yesterday (Tues 26th) had a chance to visit Kibera, a slum with an estimated 1m residents. Before that, went to Al-Yusra, a great Somalian restaurant we found. I now will be returning to Pemba on Tuesday Nov 2nd. When I'm back in NBI in a couple days, would like to visit Toi Market, where my friend just picked up some very cheap hockey jerseys!

Nairobi

Arrived Tuesday night. Had minor visa /passport problems.  Took a cab to Norfolk Towers (right outside downtown). Went to Simmers for dinner with the other fellows. Wednesday 20th was Kenyatta Day; went to Paradise Lost with Wanda and Dan. Also stopped in at the Kenyan National Archives (museum).  Watched 7 Pounds in the evening after we had a great daal dinner courtesy of Lisa! A friend came into town in the evening so went for late night snacks.  The mosquitos here buzz like crazy so am fighting for sleep!  Visited Shaffina in hospital this AM, did lunch with Wanda - ate ugali, nyama choma, kuku, and sukomawiki at the market, and drank stoney tangiwizi which i've been missing in pemba! Back to the hospital, then to visit Abdul uncle who just came back from China. Can't wait to get some Velvet Chocolate cake - I stopped one of their trucks today to see where I could get one!  Though the sun is hot today, this place is a huge relief from the heat of Pemba!  The evenings are cool here - it's great!

Indian feast; failed Ibo visit; memories of China

Yet another long weekend, but am at work today as I (and many others in the FMB Head Office) leave town tomorrow, many for or via Nairobi.  Yesterday we had a wonderful Rajasthani mutton curry. Muinto piri-piri but enjoyable nonetheless. Quite interesting to watch all the boys often get together and cook up a storm. The women aren't around so they've learned to make do - and quite well I might add.  I spent the day relaxing, reading, and learning about the 2nd hand clothing industry. Saturday was the end of Nauratri, and I enjoyed spending time with the mixed Indian community and practicing dandia/raas.  The day was a disaster though, as we took a brutal 3hr drive to Quisanga in an attempt to reach Ibo Island for an audit. We reached at 8am after our 5am departure, at which time I proceeded to chat with an Israeli couple(?) who were travelling post-military service. They had been waiting for a boat since 6am and their language barrier wasn't helping. We were able to get them the information and they boarded a boat with some other people I know from Pemba. We were to wait for the AKF boat, which surely would arrive soon we were told. Finally we got the update -10am. Ahh, then a Fundacion Ibo boat arrived, and one of the AKF nurses said the boat was at another island, Medjumbe I believe, and wouldn't get here anytime soon. She suggested we just take any boat, then the AKF boat would get us home. As I was on a 'work trip', I was advised we should wait for the proper boat. Many stories, texts, and calls later, we gave up our mission and at 2pm started to head home, back down the brutal dirt roads with spontaneous water traps built to divert water during the rainy season. Perhaps next time. 

Off to Nairobi tomorrow, it's my 4th time visiting but I've never been as excited!

This is from 2006! I was trying to post it to an online forum but wasn't successful, so what better place than my blog?  I have fond memories of China, and have just (finally) been in touch with my counterpart Chris, who is now based in Shanghai, and unfortunately declined a transfer to Zambia (would have been my neighbor!).

After a 14 hour flight and 20 hour train ride, we had a week to get rested in our new homes, and become acquainted with Yichang, Hubei. This is a city along the Yangtze river which is famous for its orange production, and is considered the hydroelectric capital of the world, as the controversial Three Gorges dam is a short drive away (not to mention Gezhouba and many others!). As a participant in a cross-cultural volunteer exchange, I was surprised when my counterpart and I initially were placed at a construction company, where we got to look at Chinese building techniques, including some new environmental projects such as water filtration. Not the type of place I though I would be volunteering at. As our usefulness with this firm was limited, we soon began as English teachers at Three Gorges Technical and Vocational College. It was quite enjoyable as the students were so grateful to have a native English speaker and they were eager to learn, often requesting extra classes. My roommate loved it for a while, as I could do most of the talking. He was then offered a job at the school! So he got busy following the curriculum, and after the four weeks of holidays (Spring Festival + final exams), I was transferred to a private boarding school overlooking the famous Gezhouba dam, where I completed the duration of my volunteer work. I learned how it feels to be 'illiterate', as in central China very few people speak English. All the signs are in Chinese characters. Amazingly, communication with my host mom was quite good. She realized the speed at which we could understand Chinese, along with the importance of simplicity! With a little body language, and my improving vocabulary (including local dialect), she understood me. During the Spring Festival, we spent lots of time with different aunts, often eating lunch at an apartment, going out for the afternoon, and returning to the same place for dinner. I got to know my counterparts family really well. In China, I became so used to the 10+ dishes at each meal, and have had to readjust to the simple food culture in Canada. In China, I noticed that schedules were quite precise, and I was surprised that time was taken seriously. On the other hand, we Canadians had to learn to go with the flow, as often we were told we had to be somewhere important minutes before we needed to leave. Our visit to the Great Wall was a mind-blowing experience. We saw a tiny portion of the 5500km wonder. We had two visits to Beijing as the city of 12 million was our entry and exit point in China. As we were in China to serve, not to travel, other places we visited were limited to Wuhan (capital of Hubei province), and rural regions of Yichang, including visits to minority peoples' regions. I loved the Tuja dance.

The level of hospitality I experienced in China was unsurpassed, and when I hear of people who visited as tourists and found the food was just 'mama hu hu' (so-so), I tell them they were surely eating at the wrong place! They should have eaten my Ayi's (aunties) food!

"Never have so many lines of communication in the hands of so many people been met with such obsessive resistance from a central authority."

banking in Pemba + confusion over cities

The Barclay's branch here is brutal.  I can't ever complain about Canadian banks after seeing the daily cues here (I may take that back once back in my TD branch).  We speak of challenges 'banking the unbanked', especially in rural areas - but even in the city access is poor.  People are so patient - my guess is either they don't have a busy day (perhaps their employer books a whole day off for them?).  Millenium/BIM is a local bank which sometimes is quite hectic, but I expected Barclay's to have a different standard.

 

Noone knows where I am. I always say 'Pemba Mozambique' but later am always asked 'how's Tanzania?' Well, there is Pemba Mozambique, Pemba Island (Zanzibar), and now I've discovered Pemba, Zambia. Perhaps like when we name a child, we should check a book before we name our cities. We need to copyright city names going forward and create a city names database....that's my bright idea!

yum...tambi!

The last few days were quite rewarding, i visited a local friend and found he had a fiance and a cute little 2yr old - i enjoyed the evening with them. baby robert had a very bloated belly so I insisted they take him to the dr. The doc said that he was fine (I disagree), but just needed more varied nutrition (agreed). i shared some maria biscuits with them, and it was touching to see mum put hers aside for the baby, even though i'd given him one. they have a great little place but no cash flow as his work was contracted out. i've given him some ideas and lent/given him some goods and a few dollars to get a micro business going, and so far it seems to be bearing fruit.

Last night I went to Club Naval (resort) with a friend from Vancouver (HR intern). I had a greek salad - wasn't the greatest but was still nice to get a salad for once. Until I'm settled into a permanent place, I probably won't cook much. But i did make yogurt! it was soso, perhaps because my culture base came from fruit yogurt. Will try again. And I made the most delicious Tambi! (sweet vermicelli in milk aka dudh wari sev) which is a very tradtional east african dish which my grandma wud always make - i had no idea it was so easy!

My Morning and the Daily Commute!

Usually consists of waking at 7. If lucky will eat a piece of bread, and if very lucky will have chai as well! Usually can get chai once I reach the office. The 20 minute walk to work is very pleasant. The road doubles up as a sidewalk as the cars are very few in this part of town. Most belong to AKF so sometimes I hitch a ride. The others typically belong to Helvetas or an NGO. The bay is very calm. A few fishing boats can be seen. I can see the Indian Ocean at the other end of town as Pemba has a perfect tilt to it. It’s usually about 26 degrees by this time (pre-summer). Birds are chirping and locals carry small pieces of firewood and go about their daily chores, usually with baby attached via an additional capulana (sarong).

White people.

I see white people. Or a white person; a big white person – in Millenium/BIM Bank. He was a full head above the 100 plus locals that filled the branch. I couldn’t imagine how out of place he must’ve felt. He literally looked like an ex-NFL’er – or convict for that matter. I couldn’t help it – I had to stare at him. He had a massive orange jumpsuit on –no doubt custom made – and the label read Haliburton. Oh - and on Sunday Oct 3rd, I was bored and walked over 2 hours to Pemba Beach Hotel (hoping to play tennis, but by that time I was famished) where I saw him again. He seemed a little more normal in this environment. I think he was a Texan.

I also met a South African naval worker last week (with a ship searching for oil off Mozambique) who had docked for a day and was trying to send USD home. Sadly, none of the banks had USD. I also was on my search to find a bank machine to provide Meticais – 4 banks later, I finally got some.

Monday I wandered to Baixa (lowland near the port) to see a place. Wasn't able to see it, so hung out with Musaji AbdulGani instead- a wonderful old guy who has a nice shop and comes from the tiny unheard of village in Gujarat India right next to my Great grandfathers tiny unheard of village! After, I dropped by the net cafe next to M-Cell and met a great British couple who have travelled overland with stops in syria, egypt, ethiopia, and now 2mths in Mozambique with the childrens charity Arco Iris, before moving on and settling in South Africa. They too gave up their jobs and came from good backgrounds and were questioned why they wanted to go to africa. I hope to meet them again as they are great inspiration for me. Inspired by Gandhi, and God, their goal is to slowly give things up and become more content with the simple things in life and really immerse themselves in the lives of african children. Cheezy and crazy to some, but to me, they are brilliant (said with a british accent!). Downward mobility, as an American friend in Dar explained to me. The best part of travelling is definitely the people you meet. Whether it be like-minded travelers, or deep-hearted locals, you can always find people who inspire.

In terms of the rest of the L.W., I watched hindi films and shows like mad as my roommate was away in Maputo. Striker, Annadata, aur pyar ho gaya, yuuvraj, dil kabaddi, jhoom jiya re, dhoom, etc. Bati, the servant enjoys them too. But today (Tuesday) the boss was back and the work piled on quickly.

Pemba is amazing although sometimes I just don't know what to do with myself. I enjoy just wandering, visiting with Indian friends, taking pics occassionally, and just chatting, drinking, and eating with locals.

Coming up next...A 'Top Ten' list...

Home at Last (edited)

Challenges of writing a blog

Forever we are required to entertain - don't lose the readers attention! said my 8th grade English teacher. That's the dilemma I face. There is so much to write about in my day to day affairs. But when I sit down to type, not only do I forget those special or quirky moments, but I lack inspiration to write. Ok, well here's my best attempt. It may just turn out to be a journal. When it's 29 degrees and you have no a/c, thinking, breathing, and even typing is a little tough. And to think many people work for $30/mth outdoors in this difficult land. 'they're used to it' many 'strangero' (foreigners) say, 'that's their life, it's ok for them'. Well if you consider inadequate sanitation, meals consisting primarily of carbs (pao as they call it - fresh bread/buns) and xima/ugali - (maize flour mixed with water to form a solid porridge), irregular access to water and electricity, then yes, it's just fine for them. Perhaps our vision for a better life for the poor is not so necessary after all.

On Saturday, we took an off-road journey to Murrebue (www.murrebue.com/Pages/home-page.html), an amazing beach 30 minutes away. It was a scary journey which was beyond my comfort level - but upon saying 'yes, I'd like to join - do you have space for me?' I had past the point of no return. I'll avoid the details since I'm now at an age where I give family access to my blog!

Sunday, you guessed it...I went to the beach (near Nautilus) with a local friend. I visited this young Mozambicans home for brunch before the 5 meticais bus journey to the beach. His home was basically a little concrete dwelling in behind the landowners home. His rent, at $24/mth (800mts) was 'expensive'. It was basically a double bed, with just enough room to walk around it. There was space for a tv and fridge, and his clothes were visible in a makeshift armoire. We had fried fish (90mts/kg - about 4 little fishies), a fried tomato/onion mix (very common), and xima (ugali). It was a nice day, other than the 1 hour he left me waiting alone while he tried to reload his phone with credit.

So I committed to a home at last. Not sure it will be permanent, but will do for now. I know my roommate is charging me way too much, but worth it for the piece of mind and for the stability. Better than bouncing around from motel to shady motel. The houseboy makes it really awkward for me. The owner thinks he treats his 'servante' very well - but he sleeps on the floor - at night he has a straw mat though, for that added touch of luxury. He sleeps in the corner like a dog. I don't think he has access to a shower so the scent is a little overwhelming. My boss has advised me not to get involved - it's none of my business, as long as I treat him well.

The housing challenge:

Not only do people not mark places for rent, but even if they did, it’s impossible to find the owner. In one case, a colleague from M&E, moving back to Dominican, showed me a 2 bdr place on the beach for $800. The owner was based in Maputo, and the guard was only found after a repeat visit, in which case said (Portuguese speaking) colleague was not with me. It was nighttime, and there was no power in the house, so his Nokia light (most cells here have flashlight and radio!) was all we had. Now, oil companies are scooping up beach properties.

The solution:

Learn Gujarati, Portuguese, and Hindi/Urdu as fast as possible. Network like mad. Talk to airline agents, NGO workers, AKDN staff and interns, even randoms on the street.

The result:

Success! Tuesday Sept 28^th I moved, after 3 weeks in limbo.