Daily Life

Going on my fifth week in Arusha and I’m getting into the swing of things. My day usually starts around 6:30AM and as some of you know, this is definitely not my preference. However, Tanzania is an early to bed and early to rise country and when in Rome.....


I have a wonderful homestay family that I get along with really well. Baba Zamanya, the man of the house, is a shopkeeper and is always very curious about all things western. Mama Zamanya runs a vegetable stand and might be the hardest working woman I know, next to my mum of course. There are two boys; Boniface who is 18 and Allen who is 12. They are both very well mannered and so eager to learn English. We often go on walks or sit around listening to music and just chatting about anything that comes to mind. Baba has asked me to talk about the bird's and bee's with Boni which should be interesting. It's supposedly an uncomfortable discussion for a father to have with his son from what I'm told. The sad and unreal part is that two of Baba's sisters have already died of AIDS. It makes me wonder what else needs to happen to convince the people here that talking about sex is a matter of life and death.Every morning I’m brought a bucket of warm water which along with another smaller bucket is used for my daily shower. The key here is that it’s warm and although it takes about 20 minutes to heat by either charcoal or kerosene fuel, it’s a real treat. The alternative is a very cold shower which gets my day all off on the wrong foot.



The food here usually consists of a couple slices of bread in the morning with a cup of Chai. Chai is essentially tea but the locals love to mix it with lots of milk and lots of sugar. I refrain from the latter as it would take 5 heaping scoops to match anyone around here. Lunch and dinners always include either rice or Ugali. Ugali is similar to mashed potatoes but made with maize. The maize is boiled with water and constantly stirred until it becomes dough like. When its finally done cooking - the stuff is so thick that it needs to be cut with a knife when served. The typical way of eating it is to roll it into a ball in your hand (right hand of course as no one eats with their left) and then dip it in whatever sauce is provided. This is certanily not my favorite food but it’s served so often I’m almost forced to like it or starve. Fish, chicken, and beef are available but I’ve decided are not to my liking. The fish usually comes from Lake Victoria which is many miles away and who knows how long it sits out in the sun. The chicken is so bony and after seeing what these things eat around here, I’m not such a chicken fan anymore. The beef is so tough that 10 chews are not normally enough to feel good before swallowing. So that leaves rice and beans with a veggie or fruit thrown in for good measure. I can get a decent meal around here but that costs me some extra bucks so it is usually a treat.

As you can see the toilet is another story. I try to avoid going as much as possible but if nature calls, my bombadeering skills are quite good. However, my knees will never be the same.

One last thing to make note of and that’s the noise. From 5:30AM until 10:00AM, there is such an onslaught of noise I almost want to pull my hair out. From roosters, mosques, the 14 people I live with who know only one volume which is LOUD, to every car in the city honking at you before they try to run you over, its enough to drive anyone insane. How I long for the Paradise deck sometimes and those moments of absolute silence.

Some of the sights from my 30 minute walk to work every day.