In Out and Around Dar!
"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend." --Melody Beattie
HellOoOoOoOo! & Happy Thanksgiving to all--my first Thanksgiving away from the USA. Wow! I do miss home and all the holiday festivities--its just another day in Africa, nothing different here ;)
Here's another update from yours truly. Life is swell here in the TZ! I've been having a healthy balance of work and play which I learned the hard way... I'll explain in the coming paragraphs!
Well each day that passes here I've been able to gain a bit more insight on how to get around and I'm feeling more and more comfortable each day. I really can't believe that I'm almost halfway done with my time here! In less than a month I'll be leaving for my holiday break to South Africa and my mom will be joining me as we take a fun tour around all the big destinations in Southern Africa, wine tasting in South Africa, Victoria Falls, safari river cruise on the Zambezi. I'm super excited! So less than a month from now I'll be in full R&R vacation travel mode. Until that time I've got my plate full with different activities both work and play that I'll need to accomplish!
Well I had another week solo as my roomie was out of town, it worked out fine. I'm very impressed with myself! I'm learning more and more how to take care of myself completely alone, it takes some getting used to, but I think its most necessary to spend some time reflecting inwards for a change.
I wasn't completely alone, I've had the pleasure of getting to know a few people in Dar here and there and exploring new places with them. A while back I made it to the famous Friday Night Indian Bingo at Upanga Club in downtown Dar. Its exactly how it sounds, bingo night Indian style at a private club. It was actually really fun, a lot of older people. I went with Anna, a carpenter from Austria, we did not win anything, boohoo! But it was a fun night regardless :)
I also had the pleasure of hanging out at the beach with another volunteer from my job. Leah is from Tanzania and showed me around the Konduchi Beach club and was kind enough to invite me to her home after for dinner. I've really enjoyed getting to know a few Tanzanians, everyone has been really nice and welcoming to me. I suppose I'm a bit curious to people and I'm also curious about life as a local, we chatted a lot about Tanzanian politics and day to day life here, I hope to be invited back soon ;)
After really pushing myself with more fellowship applications and completing the first section of my master's paper I was not well. I was working 8 hours a day and then coming home and doing computer work late into the night for a few more hours each day, I really neglected my own physical and mental wellbeing, getting little exercise and little to no social interaction--the intensity of my work ethic is also my downfall. Well I soon felt the consequences of my work binge the following week when I was having trouble sleeping, due to muscle spasms and anxiety attacks. I spent a bunch of hours awake at night with my heart racing and being unable to get back to sleep. Ugh I was miserable and having joint pain and spasms and shaking in my hands and feet. What was wrong?!?! Well I looked up the symptoms (which you should never do as it freaks you out even more!) and I thought, oh, maybe I have malaria, although I am on antimalarials there's always still a chance. So I went into the health clinic- which is right next to my office and got a malaria test after they tested my blood and urine. A lab technician (who I thought was a doctor at the time) called me in with the news that I didn't have malaria or typhoid, but I had high levels of glucose in my urine which they said is a sign of diabetes. I freaked out...mainly because the way that he told me led me to believe that that was a diagnosis and no one had told me anything else, anyway I started crying unconsolably and they did a finger prick on me and said I should come back in the morning after not eating to make a confirmation.
I really thought I had diabetes, it was an awful day, the nurse even escorted me home and sat with me for an hour or so because I was so shook up. But can you blame me? I was terrified that I had a chronic condition and was very far away from home. I came back the next day expecting the worse and the lab tech mentioned that he didn't want to tell me the day before but it wasn't a likely conclusion that I had diabetes because the threshhold of the bloodsugar was overall low --but at the time I was crying too much so he thought he would just let me cry and calm down. WHAT!? Although we were speaking in English there's more to really understanding a person and getting through to them, and that clearly didn't happen. I told him he should have told me and he apologized, saying that he was unsure of how to do so because I was so hysterical. So, there you go, word to the wise-- don't freak out if you are unfamiliar/new to a foreign a health system, there may be a lot more factors influencing things that you are aware of. I sat there in disbelief after thinking that I had diabetes as he was pricking my finger and proceeded to ask me if I had a husband/wanted to go on a date. Oh, how things would play out differently in the U.S. but here it seems fair game to ask someone out at any time in any setting, even as you are drawing someone's blood. Gag me. So long story short I didn't have diabetes, but after I got to talk to the actual Doctor (not the lab technician) he told me the results showed that I was severely dehydrated and had low levels of electrolytes so he prescribed me some b12 vitamins and sent me on my way. I've been taking the vitamins everyday and taking it easy with my workload and things have improved a lot. No more shakes or sleepless nights (for the most part). Whew I survived, and I'm a bit wiser now because of it....
Ok so after all that stress I decided I needed to go on a little vacay to calm things down and get away from the computer screen for a bit. I also conveniently got invited to join some gals interning at the Scandinavian embassies on their trip to Bagomoyo right on the coast and directly across from Zanzibar. It was the perfect weekend getaway and just an hour or so out of Dar. I even took the Dala Dala (local bus service) to get there and managed ok!!
Bagomoyo was an ancient little town that was literally crumbling! It had similar cultural influence to Zanzibar and existed even when Tanzania was under Persian rule. We stayed in a beautiful hostel called Firefly that really played up the rustic/crumbled look of Bagomoyo, I would love to go back just to relax, it was fab!
The next day I left to go back to Dar but not before checking out the town a bit more. All the doors had beautifully patterned frames and often had these sea shells dangling in front.
HellOoOoOoOo! & Happy Thanksgiving to all--my first Thanksgiving away from the USA. Wow! I do miss home and all the holiday festivities--its just another day in Africa, nothing different here ;)
Here's another update from yours truly. Life is swell here in the TZ! I've been having a healthy balance of work and play which I learned the hard way... I'll explain in the coming paragraphs!
Well each day that passes here I've been able to gain a bit more insight on how to get around and I'm feeling more and more comfortable each day. I really can't believe that I'm almost halfway done with my time here! In less than a month I'll be leaving for my holiday break to South Africa and my mom will be joining me as we take a fun tour around all the big destinations in Southern Africa, wine tasting in South Africa, Victoria Falls, safari river cruise on the Zambezi. I'm super excited! So less than a month from now I'll be in full R&R vacation travel mode. Until that time I've got my plate full with different activities both work and play that I'll need to accomplish!
Well I had another week solo as my roomie was out of town, it worked out fine. I'm very impressed with myself! I'm learning more and more how to take care of myself completely alone, it takes some getting used to, but I think its most necessary to spend some time reflecting inwards for a change.
I wasn't completely alone, I've had the pleasure of getting to know a few people in Dar here and there and exploring new places with them. A while back I made it to the famous Friday Night Indian Bingo at Upanga Club in downtown Dar. Its exactly how it sounds, bingo night Indian style at a private club. It was actually really fun, a lot of older people. I went with Anna, a carpenter from Austria, we did not win anything, boohoo! But it was a fun night regardless :)
The situation!
My bingo partner for the evening!
Me with the evening's Bingo Master (basically the Indian equivalent to James Bond, lol!)
Upanga Club-- the happening spot on a Friday night ;)
Rabbit update - 2.0 -- I finally made it down to see the rabbits aka "sungura" in Swahili. The pressure was just too great one day, I was looking outside the window of the apartment after a heavy rain and there were many many rabbits hopping around eating stuff. For rabbits, I conquered my shyness and marched down to the empty lot to meet them! The guys down there were somewhat surprised yet amused at my appearance where I demanded to see the rabbits, they got a good laugh at the crazy mzungu lady ;).
look at these adorable/scruffy guys!
After incessant chattering about sungura to my mini social circle (aka Simon the bagage driver) he knew of my interest in rabbits and took me to see some more along with some cows and chickens!
trying to make friends with the cow, he was not interested...
rejected!
my favorite!
Chickens! also not interested in being my friend...
I also had the pleasure of hanging out at the beach with another volunteer from my job. Leah is from Tanzania and showed me around the Konduchi Beach club and was kind enough to invite me to her home after for dinner. I've really enjoyed getting to know a few Tanzanians, everyone has been really nice and welcoming to me. I suppose I'm a bit curious to people and I'm also curious about life as a local, we chatted a lot about Tanzanian politics and day to day life here, I hope to be invited back soon ;)
Leah and I, she wanted me to do that "power to the people" sign, lol (awful picture of me)
Day at the beach
Abandoned tanker ship
Fancy beach club
After really pushing myself with more fellowship applications and completing the first section of my master's paper I was not well. I was working 8 hours a day and then coming home and doing computer work late into the night for a few more hours each day, I really neglected my own physical and mental wellbeing, getting little exercise and little to no social interaction--the intensity of my work ethic is also my downfall. Well I soon felt the consequences of my work binge the following week when I was having trouble sleeping, due to muscle spasms and anxiety attacks. I spent a bunch of hours awake at night with my heart racing and being unable to get back to sleep. Ugh I was miserable and having joint pain and spasms and shaking in my hands and feet. What was wrong?!?! Well I looked up the symptoms (which you should never do as it freaks you out even more!) and I thought, oh, maybe I have malaria, although I am on antimalarials there's always still a chance. So I went into the health clinic- which is right next to my office and got a malaria test after they tested my blood and urine. A lab technician (who I thought was a doctor at the time) called me in with the news that I didn't have malaria or typhoid, but I had high levels of glucose in my urine which they said is a sign of diabetes. I freaked out...mainly because the way that he told me led me to believe that that was a diagnosis and no one had told me anything else, anyway I started crying unconsolably and they did a finger prick on me and said I should come back in the morning after not eating to make a confirmation.
I really thought I had diabetes, it was an awful day, the nurse even escorted me home and sat with me for an hour or so because I was so shook up. But can you blame me? I was terrified that I had a chronic condition and was very far away from home. I came back the next day expecting the worse and the lab tech mentioned that he didn't want to tell me the day before but it wasn't a likely conclusion that I had diabetes because the threshhold of the bloodsugar was overall low --but at the time I was crying too much so he thought he would just let me cry and calm down. WHAT!? Although we were speaking in English there's more to really understanding a person and getting through to them, and that clearly didn't happen. I told him he should have told me and he apologized, saying that he was unsure of how to do so because I was so hysterical. So, there you go, word to the wise-- don't freak out if you are unfamiliar/new to a foreign a health system, there may be a lot more factors influencing things that you are aware of. I sat there in disbelief after thinking that I had diabetes as he was pricking my finger and proceeded to ask me if I had a husband/wanted to go on a date. Oh, how things would play out differently in the U.S. but here it seems fair game to ask someone out at any time in any setting, even as you are drawing someone's blood. Gag me. So long story short I didn't have diabetes, but after I got to talk to the actual Doctor (not the lab technician) he told me the results showed that I was severely dehydrated and had low levels of electrolytes so he prescribed me some b12 vitamins and sent me on my way. I've been taking the vitamins everyday and taking it easy with my workload and things have improved a lot. No more shakes or sleepless nights (for the most part). Whew I survived, and I'm a bit wiser now because of it....
Ok so after all that stress I decided I needed to go on a little vacay to calm things down and get away from the computer screen for a bit. I also conveniently got invited to join some gals interning at the Scandinavian embassies on their trip to Bagomoyo right on the coast and directly across from Zanzibar. It was the perfect weekend getaway and just an hour or so out of Dar. I even took the Dala Dala (local bus service) to get there and managed ok!!
Bagomoyo was an ancient little town that was literally crumbling! It had similar cultural influence to Zanzibar and existed even when Tanzania was under Persian rule. We stayed in a beautiful hostel called Firefly that really played up the rustic/crumbled look of Bagomoyo, I would love to go back just to relax, it was fab!
local art :)
I don't know if I'm convinced on the wine!! Good propaganda though...
Welcome to Firefly...
Look at this beautiful oasis!
Chill vibez
So after enjoying Firefly's ambiance, pool and delicious food for a bit we decided to venture out to Bagomoyo and check out some history. We went to the oldest catholic church in the area that was established by the Germans back from their colonial stint in Tanzania.
German church/museum
The dark side of history, a device used to transport slaves when slave trade was in full swing in Tanzania, this went around someone's neck and linked to another...
Beautiful palm trees everywhere!!!
After taking a gander at the museum we explored the town and I did more shopping. I'm now getting really good at the bartering, and can drive the price down to reasonable/appropriate with a few minutes of effort ;)
I also finally fulfilled my dream of drinking out of a coconut!
A few of the gals and I went on about 5 km outside of town to see the Kaole ruins, what was left of an ancient Persian city from centuries ago, it was amazing.
Here's an ancient bilboa tree, said to be at least 500 years old. Legend says you are supposed to walk around it clockwise to gain a year of life and counter clockwise to lose one, seems like an easy choice?
A bit of Tanzanian witchcraft-- people come to the Bilboa tree and visualize their enemies and hammer a nail into the tree, supposed to inflict pain on enemies voodoo style!
Me and the gals in front of the tree for scale!
Ancient ruins
Graves of two babies who died on the same day as a girl who was said to be able to tell the future, they were buried right next to her grave. People come and pray next to these ancient graves for insight/wisdom for their futures.
Here's the big grave of the mystical seriph girl who died at age thirteen and was able to see into the future!!
More beautiful, ancient ruins
After that exciting day we came back to Firefly to relax, perfect spot :)
The next day I left to go back to Dar but not before checking out the town a bit more. All the doors had beautifully patterned frames and often had these sea shells dangling in front.
Can you see the crumble?! People still choose to live in these ancient structures despite their disrepair.
One such ceiling made of rocks and wooden beams, everywhere felt like a cave, things just aren't build as sturdy today as they were back then :)
So there you have it! The latest happenings from your's truly. And the fun doesn't end. Tomorrow I fly to the town of Moshi right next to Kilimanjaro to visit my roomie Gill and her boyfriend Daudi where she's been living for the past few years, I can't wait to see what's in store. They are so kind to host me and I get to attend Daudi's birthday party and meet some new friends. I think I'll even get to witness some Maasai tribal traditions--more on all that later. I am so thankful for my friends (old and new) and my family and everyone's support of my adventure, every day is a new day and a new opportunity, keep on truckin!
Until next time!
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