Tanzania and BeyondVolunteeringtag:travellerspoint.com,2008-03-31:/blog/?domain=marni-j2008-09-05T18:40:20Zmarni-jimg/travel-blog-feed.pngThe Zanzibarian guiltstag:travellerspoint.com,2008-07-11:/blog/?domain=marni-j&thisblog_entryid=10&entryid=1187122008-09-05T17:49:04Z2008-07-11T11:08:29ZAfter 3 months of volunteering, my friend Emma and i were ready for a holiday. We planned to do the touristy things that people come to Tanzania to do. So we went on Safari, followed by a trip to the exotic island of Zanzibar. And that's when the guilt set in. I had just spent the last 3 months telling people i had no more money to give them. And when people asked me if i was going home after ...Learning to swim in the deep endtag:travellerspoint.com,2008-07-11:/blog/?domain=marni-j&thisblog_entryid=9&entryid=1187052008-09-05T18:09:22Z2008-07-11T10:40:23ZArriving in Tanzania as a volunteer i had no idea what to expect. We planned to work as part of a HIV/AIDS program, and had a vague idea about what that may involve. My ideas about HIV/AIDS was also vague. We assumed we would be given training of some sort. We were wrong.
The first two weeks were the hardest of the entire 3 months. We spent our first couple of nights making lesson plans for teaching orphan girls english ...Being Mzungutag:travellerspoint.com,2008-07-10:/blog/?domain=marni-j&thisblog_entryid=8&entryid=1186002008-09-05T18:19:28Z2008-07-10T18:31:14ZI don't know if you ever get used to being mzungu in Tanzania. It translates from swahili basically as 'white person'. Living in Tanzania mzungu pretty much becomes your name. Kids chant it, yell it, adults address you as it, call after you shouting mzungu in your wake.
The kids don't seem to get tired of screaming out mzungu at you as you pass by them on the same road you have walked down for the last 3 months. It ...Dalla-Dallatag:travellerspoint.com,2008-07-01:/blog/?domain=marni-j&thisblog_entryid=7&entryid=1167972008-09-05T18:25:30Z2008-07-01T10:10:24ZDalla-dallas are Tanzanias public transport. They are mini-vans with as many extra seats as possible crammed into them. Often they have pictures of Bob Marley on the outside or large words such as 'Lord Jesus will Save Us' printed accross them. Maybe this is to get your attention and persuade you to choose that particular dalla-dalla. I'm not sure, i never worked that out.
I think it only took us 2 weeks or less for the novelty of the ...Hot springstag:travellerspoint.com,2008-05-27:/blog/?domain=marni-j&thisblog_entryid=6&entryid=1111082008-09-05T18:35:04Z2008-05-27T08:33:32ZWe're in our last week volunteering and counting down to safari. Starting to get itchy feet to start travelling and looking forward to seeing more of the country. Also hanging out for Zanzibar and to be on a beach. I think Emma and i will get there and fall in a heap.
Looking back at our time as volunteers we feel like so much of it was spent waiting around for things to happen. But that's just Africa, and sometimes its ...Nutrition for the Neighbourstag:travellerspoint.com,2008-05-22:/blog/?domain=marni-j&thisblog_entryid=5&entryid=1103862008-09-05T18:40:20Z2008-05-22T08:31:21ZThis week saw the first of our nutrition seminars held at WALIPO. The day kicked off only two hours behind schedule, which is pretty good for here where everything happens in Africa time - pole-pole (slowly-slowly). They have a completely different concept of time here which after almost 3 months of living here, i still cant get used too. They are so into making timetables for seminars here but i often wonder why when you know how unrealistic it is.
Anyway ...WALIPO at a glancetag:travellerspoint.com,2008-05-13:/blog/?domain=marni-j&thisblog_entryid=4&entryid=1090152008-05-13T09:38:33Z2008-05-13T09:38:33ZWALIPO
Women in Arumeru Living Positive
HIV Resource Centre for Women
Background
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is an epidemic which affects over 41 million people worldwide. Twenty-three million of these cases are in sub-Saharan Africa. The disease has enormous and devastating consequences socially, economically and politically. There is a particularly high infection rate in Usa River due to poverty, ignorance about the disease and negligence.
WALIPO is a community organisation which emerged out of a need for information and resources fo ...opening WALIPOtag:travellerspoint.com,2008-05-10:/blog/?domain=marni-j&thisblog_entryid=3&entryid=1086242008-05-13T09:55:22Z2008-05-10T12:12:00ZWe had our official opening of our womens centre yesterday. It's called WALIPO - Women in Arumeru Living Positive. They are very into accronims here in a big way. It was a good day and it felt like a big relief when it was over; a bit like, finally we have acheived something, and now it's done.
When people have a party here, everyone comes over and helps prepare. It started thursday arfternoon, which we spent sitting around with the women ...HIV educationtag:travellerspoint.com,2008-04-19:/blog/?domain=marni-j&thisblog_entryid=2&entryid=1043182008-07-11T11:16:42Z2008-04-19T10:44:58ZIm no expert on HIV/AIDS. I know the basics; and that's about it. The little i do know came from some last minute internet search sessions i did before i left Australia. But it seems that the basics are enough for teaching students about HIV awareness in Tansania.
Our teaching experience starts with a couple of Saturday morning classes with an orphans club and us making it up as we go. The questions they ask us continually suprise me but also ...Welcome to the developing worldtag:travellerspoint.com,2008-03-31:/blog/?domain=marni-j&thisblog_entryid=1&entryid=1032792008-03-31T11:25:44Z2008-03-31T11:25:44ZIm in Tanzania up north in the Arusha region which is near mt. Kilimanjaro. we are living in Tengeru village in a house with other volunteers who are either working in the orphanage or in the HIV program with us. our village is at the base of Mt Meru and filled with banana trees and chickens and women carrying things on their heads on the way to market. the kids yell out 'Mzungu', which means 'white person' in Swahili, and ...