FINALLY AT MY NEW HOME
I woke up my first night in Mwanza unable to sleep from some barking guard dogs next door. I lay listening to the early morning prayers at the mosque and to the wind blowing over Lake Victoria coming through the window and thought about what is ahead both this year and my future. What roles and responsibilities I will take on, what I will accomplish hereand relationships developed, and where this will lead my future. I wonder whether I can really make a difference at my college. So this is my home for the next 9 months. Sometimes this feels very real and other times not like I’m here at all but looking out the window of an island resort. Know it won’t last long but enjoyed the sun rise over the lake.
We arrived at my new city home Sunday August 28th flying from Dar es Saalam as the flights from Dodoma are expensive and the bus is a very long ride. There is a train from Dar es Salaam to Mwanza but we hear it is not reliable and takes forever so not like Amtrak. So now I have experienced flying into Dar from Ethiopia but also flying within country from Dar. I barely remember flying into the country except going through customs in a groggy state. Bekah (the other nurse from KC who will be here) and I brought our 2 suitcases each plus each a 3rd suitcase of educational supplies for the college of nursing donated from HSHS medical recycling program. So we have been lugging these along for 7 weeks and so ready to be settled somewhere. Henry our director for Tanzania Peace Corps-Global Seed Health flew with us to transition us, take care of immigration issues, and assure our housing is set. Deb, the nurse midwife who is returning another year but went to the states for 3 months had ordered and had shipped from Lardel equipment to Peace Corps Headquarters in Dar. So the 3 of us had a total of 12 checked pieces of luggage and supplies that we had along with ours that when weighed made it under the weight limit total we could have which was amazing!! Woo Woo!!!.
Though I’m sure Henry our Tanzanian director was ready to be rid of us after being in Washington DC in July, then having all the organization of 17 of our programing since July 22 when we arrived in Tanzania he never complained about all our luggage holding our possessions for one year and negotiated all the transportation. He always has a smile and laugh even though there have been lots of logistical problems he has to manager. He is fun to watch as he knows people everywhere it seems from those he worked with years ago he ran into at the university here to someone selling on the street. Even though he is from Dar es Saalam he has worked with different agencies in various locations in Tanzania so he randomly meets people he knows. It is fun to see him in his genuine outgoing personality role outside of GHS management with the taxi drivers to heads of Tanzanian CDC, Ministry of Health. Know why he is a good manager when you see him outside of that role as he interacts with others.
Finally arrived !!! Almost the last of the luggage move.
So the first week we had meeting with the immigration office in case we are stopped (we have visas but don’t have our work permits yet and he didn’t want to have to come back and get us out of illegal jail), the chief of police on a day there was supposed to be unrest over opposing political parties being told not to meet but none occurred. Then chief had been to the U.S. and saw Hollywood:) Then we met with a healthcare not for profit that collaborates with Global Seed Health, and got housing fixed as far as he could. Then he left Saturday. So we are on our own. Feels a little strange after 7 weeks of all the programming with our orientation.
So I am finally in my town on Lake Victoria where I’ll spend the next 10 months. So patience is still on my learning curve. We still could not move into our permanent places until Saturday 9/3/16 as one of the apartments we could not get the key for yet and the other was not vacated until September 2 and then found out it needed a lot of work done so we stayed at a place owned by the Tanzania Archdiocese where the Catholic bishops stay when they are here. So Bekah the other nurse from Kansas City and I roomed the first 6 nights in a pretty nice location overlooking Lake Victoria. We still pinch ourselves in realizing that after 7 weeks we really are here. Now we have to figure out a 3rd town, markets, stores, our homes neighborhoods, people, hospitals and colleges.
Mwanza
So this week I’ll tell you a little about Mwanza and then next week about my home and follow with the college of nursing.
The first afternoon we took a walk into town into the local market Sunday afternoon and then walked along the lake. There are sidewalks more in this town and it is not as dusty and dry as the other towns we have been in but hilly and rocky. I have always loved the most traveling to where there was an ocean, lake and somehow the air, wind and view calm my spirit. So am excited to be living here.
Mwanza is the second largest city in Tanzania after Dar es Salaam. It is called the Rock City, It is located on the northern border next to Uganda and Kenya. The population is around 700,000 and it is Lake Victoria’s economic heart. Its geographic location makes it an important transit point for business, people and travelers from Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and the outlying towns. It is a busy port with ferries crossing the lake, fishing boats coming and going. There is a national park island (Rubondo) nearby and some people start their safaris though Ngorongoroo and the Serengeti 2.5 hours from here.
Lake Victoria is the second largest freshwater lake in the World, with an area of 68,000km2. However, the lake is relatively shallow, with a maximum depth of 84m and mean depth of just 40m. The area of the lake is divided into the national waters of the bordering countries, with Kenya owning 6%, Uganda 45% and Tanzania 49% of the area.
Economic activities and employment
Many residents are employed in the service industry or self-employed in the commercial fishing industry, agriculture, micro-fishing activities which you can see on the lakes shore. We went with our house mama to get foods and fruits and vegetables Saturday at the “real Tanzanian locals market”. This is a big city, but it was like no other market I’ve been to and though we had been to what we thought was the market 3 times before there was another “real” local market which was crazy busy with all kinds of fruits, vegetables, eggs, grains, live fish and butcher shops. We had given our momma Grace money as she could negotiate better than the Mzungu or white person price. The average per capita income here is about $21 per month. Grace our house mama will be shared 6 days a week by the 3 of us. She has 4 children and her husband is not around so we will pay her the going rate of $5.00 per dayx6 days or 30.00 per week times 4 or 120.00 a month for the 3 of us. We are told to go with the going price as it creates problems if you pay more. She will cook, clean, shop, do laundry and garden. Though I will do some of my laundry and cook some I am happy to support a local Tanzanian to help her raise her children.
Fishing in Lake Victoria has a long, historic background and creates direct employment for 8,000 and indirectly 300,000 people. One place I read there are 52,000 fisherman on the Tanzanian side of the lake. Today fishing is done mainly for commercial purposes, rather than traditional fishing. Sardines are fished in large quantity in the lake and shipped all over Tanzania. We have seen these in the local markets but I’m not sure I’ll try them. One of the commercial fish is the local Nile perch fish in the lake that is locally known as Mbuta, Sangara or marine gold. It can grow to two meters in length and weigh up to 440 pounds. We have had these while we were in training.
The city is very hilly with enormous boulders on land and in the lake. There seems to be a lot more green plants and trees. Others say it is hot right now for the winter season. I was thinking it would be chilly so brought a few sweaters but so far pretty hot during the afternoon and spring like evenings. Will see when the rainy season starts.
Culture
Mwanza is known as Sukumaland because most of the population comes from the Sukuma tribe, which mainly covers the regions in and around Mwanza. Apart from speaking their native language, residents speak Swahili, though the bad news was even if I get better at Swahili I may have village people who do not speak it but only their tribal language… Sukuma people are famous for traditional ngoma (drum music) and dancing.
Church and Religion
The presence of the church is much felt in Mwanza, with the African Inland Church of Tanzania as the most prevalent denomination. There is also the presence of many other Christian denominations in Mwanza, like Lutheran, Anglican, Assemblies of God, Mennonite, and Roman Catholic. Islamic religion is also evident in town, and the church and Islam coexist peacefully. After two weeks of church in Swahili I decided to try a United Kingdom English church today so met several UK citizens, some Americans, and some Tanzanians. Then after Chai I decided to stay for the Swahili Tanzanian led service. Though I don’t gain a lot I just try and pick up words I recognize and try and remember their meaning. It also helps me remember people are striving for good and Love God in Tanzania.
First day on the job
So Monday August 29 was our first day on the job though still orienting. We were able to go to our college and meet shortly with the Dean of Bugando SON, turn in our Tanzania nursing license and sign in for our first day of work and see our shared office space. She was busy finishing end of the semester grading of exams and for one program they were taking their finals as we toured the university. So it was interesting to see students in their uniforms taking their final exams.
Kija who is my counterpart met us and took us on a tour of some parts of Bugando Hospital and then to Catholic University of Health and Allied Sciences (CUHAS). I’ll talk more on the relationship of these two organizations next week. Tuesday we met again with Kija and went to the Sekou Toue regional government hospital and were able to have a tour of several units and met some of the nursing staff to let them know we might be there with students. We ended in the afternoon eating at a lakeside restaurant viewing the famous rocks. It was nice to have some informal conversations with Kija about our personal lives, beliefs and health care differences between here and the U.S.
Tried to view the annular ring elipse on September 1 which was best viewed in the very southern part of Tanzania. This is where the moon’s diameter was to appear to fit entirely inside the disc of the sun for around 2 minutes 52 seconds. This was my phone’s cameras best attempt at seeing it.
In wondering how will I make it here and accomplish things, I then have to say stop wishing for someone else’s life, language abilities, professional or international experiences and discover what I have that is useful here. I have to remind myself that I am not my ambition, energy level, efficiency, worth to this program. I have to remember this is not all about the total accomplishments I make but to be the best I can be as myself and the internal values I bring. Whether in the U.S. or here I need to reach for encouragement of others, dignity and respect of others, seeing the best in others and potentiate and encourage this.
Enjoying the beautiful lake views as that is the view that will sustain me this year.
Disclaimer: This is a personal
weblog. The thoughts and opinions here are those of Jennie Van Schyndel. The information does not in any way represent or reflect the opinions of the Peace Corps or Global Seed Health.
