Reflections on Tanzania (random photos etc!)

Mount Meru (my nemesis!) with snow at the top at New Year
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Some general points about Tanzania (and some more photos, predictably many of Kili, plus some more Usangi views, plus Moshi as well this time).

I greatly enjoyed my time in Tanzania - the volunteering was good fun and rewarding, especially the adult class I taught at the pottery. The secondary school was fun and interesting in the short time I was there - classes of 70+ pupils and no resources other than a blackboard was an interesting challenge! I wasn't at the primary school during a significant period of teaching to comment on that.

Mount Meru with Arusha rooftops (from the Flamingo Hotel)
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Usangi is a wonderful place with lovely people (if you ignore the drunks and general wierdos - you get those everywhere in the world though).  Once the rainy season ended (not until January) the place simply shimmered in the sunlight.  The greens and other colours became even brighter and the red mud of the road became orange dust (so I still came home every day with filthy feet when wearing sandals!).  I walked to Kamwala (mountain on the soutern edge of N range - 2000m ish) twice in my last few weeks and saw Kili from there once.  I also found the spot on the road outside of the village where I could see Kili rising above the Pare mountains from 65km away - the only time I've really managed to get a scale, as usually it stands alone with nothing nearby to indiciate its size.  By chance I also (thanks to the lovely young volunteer who joined me for my last few weeks) found out that the big mountain was indeed visible from the middle of the village ((only the snow & ice from te very top).

A visitor on the bathroom wall, Usangi!
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I visited Moshi again in my last few weeks.  This time I was joined by two other volunteers so I was able to share my cake eating, curry and pizza sessions.  We also made it to the rooftop bar of the Kindoroko Hotel which had lovely evening views of the mountain and the street below.

Things I didn't enjoy in Tanzania:

• Being shouted at all the time in th street ('mzungu' gets really irritating, especially when I'd been there for months and it's simply stating the obvious)
• Waiting on hot crowded buses for them to fill up and then depart. 
• Paying extortionate customs charges to receive parcels (50% of value of items!)
• Being a little bit ill on safari and then again on Mt Meru - rubbish timing!
• Not being able to walk at night in towns
• The ferry to Zanzibar

Maasai on the area near Mgagao (where I visited a Maasai livestock market - no photos of the market - I couldn't afford them!)
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Things I really enjoyed:

• Mangoes
• teaching
• fresh pineapple
• going to peoples' houses (but not being given food whilst the host doesn't eat!)
• mangoes
• the views from Usangi and Meru
• walking in mountains
• meeting new people
• (have I mentioned the fresh mangoes?)
• Finding a shop that sold chocolate in Usangi (even better that it belonged to one of my adult students & here husband)

Pare Mountains from near Mgagao
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Food - I never thought I could get sick of rice or bananas, but I think it's possible to have too much of a good thing! Rice was often twice a day, bananas a minimum of twice per day (although they were the nicest bananas I've ever had - from the plantation metres from my window). I have become a tea drinker (in time for India) and loved pineapple (never had nice fresh pineapple at home - I was always indifferent to it).

Housemates

I enjoyed sharing the guesthouse with other volunteers - it was nice to have company after being on my own for three weeks to being with.

A welcome visitor in the house!
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I have decided I prefer spiders to moths.  I've suspected this for a while at home - major advantage being that spiders don't fly in my face.  Hawk moths (4-5cm long bodies, 5-6cm wingspan) also make an unecessary amount of noise (although at least I could hear them coming).  Mosquito nets are wonderful things.  Only really had mossies for the last few weeks (after rains) but they kept the spiders, moths, beetles, scorpions and giant hoppy things (not sure of identity) and other mini beasts off me at night!

Late afternoon on a Saturday in Moshi
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Will probably add more to this as I continue to reflect on my last few months.....