I was promised to have a chance to introduce the project to the principals. Well, their schedule kept changing so I ended up waiting for my turn for five hours. When I finally got my chance I only had 5 minutes time. I did my presentation and asked for an audience with each one for 5 minutes. So by the end of the day I had received the information I wanted. Now it looks like our journey will start to get more interesting.

We are leaving in the morning by local bus towards South West. People keep saying that it gets colder but I doubt it. Today there were few clouds in the sky and Mama complained how cold it was. She even put on her coat and wore a hat. I am still wearing my shorts and sleeveless shirt.

So I don’t know what kind of weather is ahead of us. I only know that our schedule is impossible to follow. We will take one place at a time.

Buy the way I literally left my foot prints here. While waiting for my turn with the principals, I stood in the sun for ten minutes talking on the phone. Suddenly I noticed that the black top had melted under me and my feet were stuck. So there I was with my SNEAKERS buried in the street.

One last thing I have to share with you quickly. They have their own Idols here. It is called Bongo Africa. I love it. I am becoming a fan. They have some traditional singing and also western music on it. This beats even the American Idol.

Gotta go! It is getting dark. I want to get back at the guesthouse before dark.

So tomorrow we leave Morogoro behind. Karibuni!

Damn Swedes beat us again. Today I witnessed this country to step in the 21st century. I have been telling you how all the schools have up to date ICT departments. The people behind it are the Swedes. Sweden has had a high-technology development project here in Tanzania since 2005. Today it was launched. Now all the Teachers Colleges (33 as you remember) have new computers with wide brand. And the places which don’t have the power have now solar energy to run the computers. First things fist; computers first then the toilets.

All the principals from Teachers Colleges around the country, delegation from the Ministry of Education, Sweden’s Ambassador and lot of other VIPs were at the Morogoro Teachers College to celebrate it. The ceremony was long and I really mean long; lots of speeches. The highlight of the party was when students represented a song that was about the ICT. It was awesome. It started as gospel, but it had a rap part also. I loved it. I could see the Ambassador get excited too.

So all the principals from each Teachers College were there. There are 8 women among these 33 principal. They sure are big Mamas. We all know that black people have some figure which we Mzungus lack. But also among the young students the figure is quite clear. I can’t wait to play sports with them. I am very interested to see what they wear then or do they come with wearing those Tangas. Anyway, I don’t know if it is so that the higher the status is the clearer the figure gets. Though I have already seen Mama Mazenga, the Director of Education, she is quite tiny. What ever the case is these Mamas had a figure.

Taking part of the big ceremony was an experience. All the students, teachers and guests had dressed up nicely. Women here really try their best to look good. Some even wore high heels. Imagine wearing heels in red mud. Dresses are very colorful, mainly two pieces with all kinds of tops. Some wear solder pats, some have puffy shoulders. Men on the other hand were ties and dress pants, some were suits. Fortunately some still have a long traditional African shirt with wide legged pants. Makes you wonder how they keep their clothes so clean in this dusty weather. My whites are all dust-red after only two weeks.

Another thing that was funny was how the school had really done its best to look good for the ceremony. I even saw women wearing dresses and doing the final touches for the plants. There was lot of new surroundings changed into cement. Stairs were painted. Lot of flowers, garments and flags hanging on the walls. Classrooms were cleaned from the dust and spider webs. This had all changed in two days. I have to admit it looked nice. Bathroom was still just a hole – clean though but a hole.

About greetings. It is very big thing here. I still haven’t got used to it. While walking by myself I know how to greet people I meet. I would say I am like a local already. Meeting elderly people or my work related people I am lost. Touching is a big thing here. Men and women hold hands a lot. Touching person’s arms while talking is also very common. Then there is that cheek swipe for both sides. It is neither a kiss nor a touch. It is some kind of weird swipe. Anyway, I am always very confused. Can you imagine me the real hugger?

Today was all about celebration. I had my long pants on (only ones) and didn’t get to do my presentation. What the heck am I suppose to wear tomorrow? Same pants or shorts. Not like there are stores around here. One other thing is the shoes. Those SNEAKERS look really good with everything.

After the celebration we had refreshments. I was invited to eat with the VIPs. Picture this. First you do the hand washing ritual. Then you eat chicken (no surprises there), fish, rice, vegetables, peas and what ever is on the menu, with your bear hands. You can see the oil and grease all over people’s mouths. And when you get some of it stuck in your teeth, you just spit it out – sometimes straight ahead. And these people are the VIPs.

One more story about chicken. I don’t know if I ever get tired of writing about it but I sure am tired of eating it. Anyway, Mama Qaresi likes it so much that now we don’t only have it for lunch and dinner, now we have chicken soup for breakfast also. It is good for the stomach, you know, they say. Yeah right, what ever, me no like chicken no more! Just to be clear that it isn’t just my selectiveness, soup is never just chicken soup. Sometimes there are bananas, potatoes or vegetables in it, but sometimes lot of other things which I can’t name.

After all that partying I was finally free to do what I wanted. I decided to give one more try to get online, and as you probably noticed, I finally got to publish some of my writings. So I spent four hours at the computer. I just want every reader to know that it is quite an effort to get these stories published. Where is that high speed internet when it is needed!

Sun sets here around seven. It turns dark on an eye blink. It was already close to six so I decided to pack my stuff and head to the guesthouse. On the way down I met one of the teachers I had met earlier. She welcomed me into her home. I couldn’t say no. So I went. She has two children. Her husband died two years ago to Malaria. Now they three and the house maid live in the house just as big as my apartment. I think it looked good all things considered. They even had a TV. We talked a lot about things. I asked about remarrying but learned that it wasn’t a choice here. When there is history there is no chance to make things work. It amazes me still how people who don’t have a lot are willing to share everything. I was offered food, drinks even a place to stay. I had to say no to all which was a shame. They really wanted to be kind.

Another thing that I learned today was the procedure to get married. There are three different parties in three weeks time in order to go through it. First comes a Kitchen party. This is for the bride only. It is arranged in her home. Only women attend. They bring new kitchen supplies for the future wife as a present. Then they teach everything for the bride so that she knows how to manage in the kitchen for her family. Do I need to get married to learn to cope in the kitchen?

Second party is called send away party. This is for the bride and groom and their guests. Bride and groom have different sides for their guests. Contributions are in order. It is a custom that future couple gets everything as wedding gift to start a life.

Then one Sunday is the real wedding which takes a whole day. I don’t have more to tell you about it. All though we were invited to one of the principals send of party. Her daughter gets married and they need contributions. Unfortunately we will be on the road that time.

About our road trip. I don’t know how many times I heard each principal say that our trip is a marathon. Person has to be insane to do it. The rainy season which I heard had already started makes road conditions bad. Our schedule will not work, they said. Some places are unreachable. You can only drive there and if the car in front of you gets stuck all the other cars behind are stuck too. They laughed at our plan to get to each place in one day. More like a week they said. So tomorrow after my presentation we will sit down with each principal and ask about the route suggestions. I smell trouble ahead…

Missu! You are putting pressure on me. Are you saying that I need to check my spelling? Sneakers or snickers all the same to me. I’m pretty sure that wasn’t my only mistake. Thus it is good to keep you alert.

Phase in Africa is totally different what I am used to. It didn’t take me long to understand it. If I am walking I usually pass everyone. While jogging kids join me and lead the way. I can’t keep up with them. This morning I decided that only way to get rid of my stomach ace was to go for a run.  So I put on my snickers (like I had a choice: flip-flops or snickers) and left. I decided to take the main street since the others wonder right and left with a good possibility to get lost. Thanks to my decision I had to swallow the red sand that is thrown on you by passing cars. Time flies when you are having fun. People shouting “Mzungu” with a big smile on their face. Kids were joining me. What can I say: “Sun is in the sky, all right, all right, don’t wanna be anywhere else.”

Today is Sunday. We talked about going to church this morning but Mama was too tired. I hope to experience that too. Many people are Christians but I sure don’t know the difference between the churches. I passed one where two older people were sitting in the front on chairs which looked like royal chairs. People were praying and sometime they clapped for twice. I couldn’t stay longer but sure hope to see more in the future.

Today is our rest day. Tomorrow we are supposed to have that presentation for the principals of all 33 Teachers Colleges. I heard that there will also be delegation of 20 from the Ministry of Education. I don’t know if I should get worried.

So I walked to school hoping to print out some material and get to publish my writings on my blog. A 45-minute-walk uphill in this heat just to find out that there had been an over capacity and a data projector had collapsed. So to be safe they had turned down the server and all the computers. I had to walk back with empty hands, fortunately downhill this time.

Back at the guest house I witnessed another chicken slaughter. They sure make noise. Well who wouldn’t if someone tried to cut their head. I also ordered my tonight’s dinner. I went wild two bananas, rice and mango juice. No chicken, they wondered.

One of the advantages of travelling here is that you don’t have to worry about laundry. Most places I have visited there has always been someone who is willing to do it for you. Today was my laundry day. After my run plus four days on the road there was quite a load of it. Six hours later and 1 euro poorer I had clean clothes again.

While waiting for Mama to wake up I took some time to study. I had my Swahili book out plus a book about Tanzania. It didn’t take long when I was rounded by some guest house workers. They taught me Swahili and I learned a lot from them. I was faced with reality again. One of the workers had had a child, not married and now works long way from her baby. The baby is five years and mother visits him few times a year. At the same time this lady had lost her mother mysteriously. She used to travel abroad a lot and just one day never came back. I don’t know what to think about that. Did she decide to stay somewhere where things were better, was she killed or was she actually disappeared. I really didn’t know how to respond.

Mama Qaresi told me that Sundays are her rest days. I didn’t really think that rest meant resting the whole day. I hadn’t seen her since breakfast so I knocked on her door. She woke up for an hour to have dinner with me and went straight back to bed. I on the other hand was full of energy. I had slept 8 hours finally, had had a good run, and walked to the school and back and studied for hours. Well, there wasn’t much to do so I kept on studying Swahili.

Finally some sleep. But another surprise – my stomach. Now it stopped cooperating. This means few more stops on the way to Morogoro.

We got to our lodge late in last night. Power was out which was a good thing again. It was quite a surprise to see the bathroom and so called shower room in the morning. In the shower room there were the whole ceiling full of butterflies/night flies or something that reminds them. Anyway, if bathroom looks like that and you are in the need of using it quite often I might add, the situation can be tough.

This was also the first morning to see what rain really is in this country. I was told that the rainy season had already started. What – everyone said that it won’t start until March. Well, that is when it is in its worse. Oh well, the locals were talking if it was smart to leave by car. To me it didn’t really mean anything. I thought that so what if it rains a bit. Roads are muddy but so what. Well, stepping in the car proved me wrong. The red mud which looks almost the same back home wasn’t the same. I was ankle-deep in the dirt. We made in the car and left. Fortunately rain stopped and we had no problems. Still I managed to see what is ahead of us. So many times we had to make a curve to the field to cross some puddles. We drove 10 km/hour and slowed down after each 100 meters. If my stomach wasn’t going around before, it sure was now. Seatbelt aren’t helping either. After each use of break the belt tightens and you are about to feel sick. It took us 90 minutes to get to the “main road”.

Again it was a good trip. We drove with the principal and he shared the secrets with us. He told us how rich the country is and what kind of problems they are facing. We passed a mine where they dick red tomarid and sell it to crooks who take the profits. If the country only had the equipment and the knowledge. There is lot of richness in the country. You can find diamonds, cold, uranium, copper, tanzanite, red and black tomarid and lot of other things that I can’t remember. So far the locals are only digging on the top with their bear hands. One of the problems is also the ignorance of the people, he mentioned. Lot of locals just play with the findings. Sometimes they exchange them to goods for too less value. Mama and I decided to come back to Mwapwa after the research and get rich.

On the way we passed many villages. We even saw a funeral or a mourning session. It is a custom for women to wear two nice tangas (piece of garment) and for men to wear something nice. Then they sit in silence in two groups, men on the other side and women on the other, so there would be no disturbances.

The most interesting encounter was passing a Barbaig family. You have probably heard about Maasais. This tribe departed from them long time ago. They both are originally from Iraq. They are famous of their tall, slender physique, aristocratic features and trademark red robes. They don’t marry outside the tribe. They practice polygamy. Kids don’t attend school. And there are famous of stealing cattle with which they identify strongly. Today many Maasais are hired as guards in the cities since they like outdoors and are good fighters. Anyway, we passed a family and stopped. It was quite an encounter. I took some pictures which they didn’t like. After paying them they calmed down a bit. The mother (pregnant) of the family was in the front carrying a baby and some cooking supplies. We saw 8 kids organizing (what is the right term, I don’t know) the donkeys. Father and some sons were behind with at least a hundred pieces of cattle. The donkeys were carrying everything: cooking supplies, chicken, goats, you name it. While talking to them we were surrounded by flies. I could only imagine why. These people drink and eat from the nature. Their famous drink is cow’s blood and raw milk combined. They never get sick since they have cure for everything. Hospitals mean death so if someone goes there he will be left behind. All disabled or other ways slow are killed. Well, you can kind of understand it. There is no place for a wheelchair, is there. They walk hundred of kilometers a week, settle somewhere and after a while move again. Their strength has been noticed. All long distance runners originate from this tribe. Well, there will be more Maasais in the North so I can’t wait to get there.

One term I got familiar with today was Mzungu. That is what I hear where ever I go. It means a white person. So if I want to buy something there is always a Mzungu price. If I let Mama buy me it, it is more than half of it. So this is good to know before we start our business in rich mining.

So since we left Dar es Salaam I have only met white people at some colleges. Most of the colleges have some volunteers at their ICT department. I have met Canadians, Americans, British and Swedish while traveling. They aren’t so hard to notice for some reason. And just like I thought, we always greet each other and share some experiences when we meet.

So this is my tenth day in Tanzania. Every day brings some things to wonder. I wish I could remember them all when I get to my computer. There is so much to write.

I have started to get the hang of the lifestyle already. It is very important to greet people. Everyone speaks Swahili so I really need to learn that fast.

People speak British English. They have a better vocabulary than I do but their pronunciation is a bit rough. I sometimes have problems of finding the words from their sentences.

The weather keeps changing during the day. When sun is out, it sure is hot. When it rains the weather cools down a lot. Rain also brings the mosquitoes. So far it has only rained today and another night.

Traveling by car in the dirt roads wears you out but at the same time you get to see lot of places you wouldn’t other wise. Also it is a good time to talk to locals and get some inside information.

Nights are still very hard for me. Either it is my stomach, the heat, the noise outside my window, and sometimes all together, but I haven’t had a good sleep here so far.

So far I have managed ok with the toilets and showers or the lack of them. Until now three days is the longest period without a shower. I haven’t washed my clothes yet so if I don’t find someone to do it soon, I will have to start wearing them inside out. To be honest with you, socks have been used more that twice already.

It is true what they say that you will get used to things. I am back in the same guesthouse I was on the other night in Morogoro. I didn’t enjoy the bathroom where the shower is on top of the toilet and you are surrounded by geckoes. Guess what coming back here was like coming back home. You just have to see something worse to appreciate less.

Food was delicious when we were in Dar. Now here in the midlands things have changed. It is chicken for breakfast, chicken for lunch and chicken for dinner. Since Mama Qaresi likes it, there isn’t much I can do. I have to admit though that it doesn’t increase your appetite to hear them slaughter the chicken, see them clean it and wait an hour to have it on your plate. For this reason plus my stomach I passed the chicken tonight and had tea, Chapatta and mango juice.

The job that I am here to do get more and more interesting while moving along. I have always considered sports as a good tool to become a better person. I think I am a good example of it myself. Seeing what it can bring to this society is the reason I am here for. Of course there are people who think that why do they have to play sports since there is no food on the table. Then there are also people who think that we need to find the talents from this country. I don’t want to undermine anything but there is so much what we can do through sports which I hope you will see by reading this in the future.

I have noticed that there is a very wide fan club on my blog. That is great. I have to admit though that you are putting some pressure on me. I also have to apologies that it takes time to get stories online everyday. It is because the connections are so slow. I have access to internet nearly everyday. The problem is more my patience or the lack of it. Sometimes it takes 20 minutes to lock on my page. I hope to get stories on my blog at least every week so keep checking it. If you want a reminder, I am on Facebook also.

Some people know how to pack

Barbaig man on the move

Another morning with almost no sleep. My room was the best in the rest house. At this point you should learn that first level is a hotel and you know what to expect. Then comes a motel and you know things aren’t so well kept as in the hotels. Lodge is one mean of accommodation. Guest house could be compared to a bed and breakfast. But the rest house. Well, it sure doesn’t mean that you get to rest there, especially if your room is by the place where they keep the chicken and roosters.

So after four I didn’t get any sleep. I was happy to get up though since this time the school was right there. We didn’t have to start the day with driving. This was the first morning when I had my first encounter with stomach problems. The problem wasn’t that it wasn’t working. Let’s just say that the pressure was more or less in the need of adjustment.

Another thing mentioning was the bathroom. Yes there was a toilet. It just wasn’t plugged to anything. There was a bucket of water by the toilet which I assume was to be used in flushing. But since there was no sink it was also meant to be used for washing and showering. You can probably guess how that turned out to be. No shower for me.

The school visit was very interesting. So far I have learned that all students are boarding. Most of the dormitories are similar. In some places there are only four people in the two bunk beds, but in some cases the whole building is just one big place with a hundred beds. I don’t think I could share my room with 100 people. Bathrooms and showers are usually in another building. They are in a really bad condition. Hole in floor is the only style I have seen so far.

All students bring everything with them when they come to school. School provides the bed, studies and food. For my three month trip I have two bags. These people have one back bag for their two year stay. Not that there would be any room for more. Also the most common clothing is Tanga (piece of garment) which can be used in 100 different ways. It is very handy and works also as a towel. Maybe I will need to rethink my carrions.

Things that amaze me in schools are the facilities. All the playgrounds are of course outside. Sometimes there are pool tables or home made table tennis tables inside for example a cafeteria. But since the grounds are outside they are always called fields or beaches. So we play basketball on a basketball beach, volleyball on a volleyball field and so on. Also the equipment is very well used. My old spikes would really be a hit here.

All though the dormitories don’t fill all the European standards nor the water or the electricity aren’t everyday necessities, you can still find up to date ICT department with at least 24 brand new computers with flat screens. Government has given 1 computer to each 10 students for every school. So I have also a chance to use their computers as much as I want. I wish I only had more time to do it.

Since I am travelling together with a person from the Ministry of Education we have pretty good authority over everything. I sometimes feel bad when they accommodate us in there guesthouses (read rooms with a bed) and at the same time their facilities aren’t even a half from it. I know this is something I have to get used to but it takes time.

On the road the level of food has varied. For breakfast we usually get toast with jam, an egg and tea or coffee. Because my stomach, it works. For lunch we are usually served “chapatti” which made out of flour and milk and taste like mom’s pancakes. Sometimes there is also toast and tea offered. For dinner it is always chicken. Let’s just say no more chicken for me. Fortunately it is always served with rise. Sometimes we are also offered pineapple, bananas or mango juice.

Another weird but very smart custom is the washing of hands before we eat. When you are seated someone will come and pour water over your hands on top of a bucket. It is nice and warm water and you are also offered soap. At first I thought it was weird since we are also using forks and spoons but after eating chicken and meat I soon realized that everything should be eaten by hands. The same washing ritual happens after food.

After the visit we started our journey towards Mwapwa. Two hours of dirt road, one hour of “highway” (it sure is nice to find black top or concrete every now and then) and two hours dirt road. Our 180 km trip took five hours. We only had a flat tire once. I have also learned why there are always two persons taking us to the next stop. If things get rough they are there to help us.

While driving through Gogo tribe villages, we talked a lot about Tanzania. By the way there are approximately 120 tribes in Tanzania. Traditionally they married inside the tribe but nowadays it is more and more common to marry cross. The four biggest tribes are Chaggas, Hayas, Sukumas and Nykyusas. First two are famous of their wealth and education. Sukumas are probably the biggest by number. Maasais are probably the most famous ones. I will tell you more about them when we travel through their villages.

Anyway, passing the Gogo villages… In Gogo tribe it is still common to have more than one wife. When a girl gets a baby she is then considered a woman. So after that they are ready to be married. Sometimes they marry the father of the baby but in many cases they marry someone else. Husband is always the head of the family and he gets to decide if he wants to keep the baby or will it be given to mother’s parents.

In Tanzania government supports families with only four children. This means that you only get support for your first four children. This way government tries to control the amount of babies in Africa. All though it is still considered that it is God’s gift to have more.

It made me wonder that is there any chance to really know how many people there are in Tanzania. I was assured that through a survey held in every five years everyone is counted. Well, you believe it if you want.

Beuty of making your place look good

Gogo tribe style

Need to go?

Take your business outside!

24.1.2008

Like I said, there are some advantages when arriving somewhere in the dark. Let’s just say that my friends Missu or Mardu would not have stayed here.

I had a quick shower, hurried to breakfast and was ready to leave at 8. We were picked up by the school car and were taken to the school compound. After our routine questions we were facing the first changes in the schedule. We heard that in few days all the school principals were to have a meeting in Morogoro, the place where we were at that point. There was no use to visit any schools if the principle wasn’t there. So we made some changes, decided to visit the first five schools and come back to Morogoro for that meeting. The Minister of Education would be at the meeting also so it would give us a chance to take advantage of that too. First thing that popped in to my mind was, of course what to wear. I don’t think it is suitable to wear shorts in front of an audience like this. Well, the second challenge was to prepare my presentation. Like they say here in Africa, it will work out, don’t worry.

During the visit in Morogoro I had a chance to talk more with some locals. We talked a lot about woman empowerment. They questioned my Christianity while discussing the matter obeying your husband. There is more and more woman in high position already in Tanzania. Still the further urban you go the more traditional they get. Man is in charge of things. There is lot of women working but they still have to take care of the house and kids – no surprises there.

When talking about for example graduating teachers or students studying to become teachers, it is government who decides where they will go. This means that after secondary school, the latest, you will be sent away from home. After studies you need to get married as soon as possible so that you could be located closer to your husband. This is why you can find more woman teachers or principles closer to bigger towns and in the country there are only few.

Since Tanzania is almost three times the size of Finland, I feel that it is quite awful how far they can assign you to work/study. So far I have learned that most people I have met go home only during holidays, 2-4 times a year. After hearing at how young age, most kids are separated from their parents, I asked Mama Qaresi how mothers felt about that. She just laughed hard and said that mothers are very happy; because that leaves one free bed in the house (read more space, less mouth to feed). So regards to my mom who misses me a lot. Think of this as one less mouth to feed.

After travelling with Mama Qaresi two days now, I think it is time to tell you more about her. She is an awesome lady. She is 54 years old. She has six children. The way she told me about having kids was so much fun. “First we had three. Then we thought no more. Then came three more and that was it.” Then she laughed again. Buy the way she laughs a lot. I haven’t heard five sentences from her which didn’t include a mind-blowing laugh.

She is married with a former politician. He used to be in the government but wanted to get out as soon as possible because of the corruption. It is still a big problem in Tanzania.

She was very open when talking about their marriage. Her husband was away a lot and having six children and working they had some difficulties. It is very common for men, especially to politician who go to Dodoma (governmental capital in the middle of the country), to have some external relationships there. Since there is a big problem with HIV/Aids they decided to sit down and discuss about it. They decided to stay married but without all marital obligations. So now that her husband is retired, he lives partly in their farm few hours away and partly in Dar es Salaam with his wife and three children.

Mama Qaresi has six children, five girls and a boy. Three of the youngest ones are still living with her. They have two maids to help her around. She works for the Ministry of Education so she gets by on her own. She is a Roman Catholic and her practises it quite openly. I think that brings some spice into our trip.

All together I am very happy with my companion. She is very open. We talk a lot about things in Tanzania and in Finland. I am sure we will have lot of fun on this tour. At least she will be laughing – again.

Not so unusual!

While some change the tire, others take a rest...

Forget everything I have written. This is the real thing. Dar es Salaam is another world. Leaving the city opened my eyes. This is Tanzania.

On Wednesday the 23rd we left the Onnela village at eight to be at the ministry at nine to leave on the journey. Surprisingly things weren’t ready. After a little hassle we were on our way to the first school at 10. An hour drive on a road that is under construction wasn’t anything new. Let me just tell you that I learned pretty fast that always go to bathroom before leaving, wear a good bra and take a seat by the window and as front as possible.

First school was a nice surprise. We drove through villages with mud huts, local stores and children playing around. We arrived in 16 hectare compound whose principal was a woman. We interviewed the principal, two teachers and some students. I learned so much that I don’t know where to begin. Since I am going to visit 32 schools more, I will only tell you the highlights from each one.

At this point it is good to know that in Tanzania kids go to primary school for seven years. It is compulsory and free of charge. If they pass the national examinations they can proceed to secondary school which takes four years. Public schools cost about 20 euros per year which includes the school uniform, books and teaching. After the examinations they can apply for 3-year University. Examinations are always in 9-10 subjects. The best students go to advanced classes and proceed to better universities. Students who don’t pass don’t continue or go to private schools. Of course you can always try to pass the ones you have already failed.

This means that to be a teacher with a diploma you only have to study 14 years all together. In 12 years you can have a teaching certificate which allows you to teach with a less pay. One of the subjects is Vocational studies, which include technical skills such as farming, domestic science such as electricity and pluming, music, theatre, fine arts and sports. So while studying to become a Physical Education teacher you only have gym for one period per week – the most. Since half of your two year diploma course include one year of block teacher training, it means that you have gym classes approximately 30 hours before you graduate. Exception to the rule is the ones who go the University. They have more Physical Education before they graduate. Anyway, this is where we come along.

True the research we try to find one Teachers College in each region (8 together), where we will start a five-year-developing plan for Physical Education Diploma course. Since the schools know that we are evaluating them and work in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, we are receiving a very warm welcome.

The first day on the road included two school trips. First one was close to Dar which meant driving conditions satisfactory. After the school visit we drove back to Dar to get the allowance for Mama Qaresi. At five we were back on the road. It was also time to say goodbye to Ari and Tor. We were left on our own.

Trip to Morongoro was interesting. Nature changed to more wild and houses turned from concrete to so called brick houses, stone houses and to the most beautiful mud huts. Mama was sleeping on the back seat and I was enjoying the view in the front.

After a three hours sun was gone and there was no light anywhere. It was 7 and dark. People were still out so it was very scary to drive while people were along the streets coming from their fields and kids coming back from school. You couldn’t see them at all. Fortunately we didn’t hit anyone. Approaching to our first destination we received a message that go to a town and find you a guesthouse. So we did. I have to say that there are advantages arriving somewhere in dark. My bathroom was quite an invention. There was a toilet and above it was a hose assumingly representing a shower. I took a quick shower, partly because there was no hot water and partly because there were two geckoes on the ceiling. We asked to get something for dinner and were told to wait in the room while they went to slaughter a chicken. After an hour we had cooked chicken with rise. Imagine the chicken in cattle taken into pieces all parts attached. So I tried to find myself a piece that looked eatable. Mama Qaresi was an old-timer and started to enjoy the meal. I had some problems but did ok.

After the meal I went to bed. I had some problems to fall a sleep – what else is new. Beds are quite short. Nets are attached to a ceiling. You are supposed to roll it down and tuck the sides under your mattress. Nets have lot of holes so it is quite an art form to put it on. I don’t like it to touch my head and can’t really sleep with bent knees. After some time it was in place and I was all sweaty and tired.

Offices have few similarities with the SLU office building where I work back home. Rooms are the same; small, tight, no room for free-inventive-imagination. Computers are from the cemetery and not hooked. They just stand in the top shelf. I don’t know if it is a requirement to know how to use one. There isn’t any post-its, plastic covers, pens or you name it on the desk. Desk is wooden and has one booklet from the stone ages. It is used to keep notes. Then if you need someone to type it for you, you find a person to do it. The walls are covered with some posters, mostly handmade informing us from God or the danger of AIDS. The hall way is full of people waiting to get into one. It is hot in the hallway and freezing inside because of the AC – feels just like in SLU; never good.

You respect older and people with higher status in greetings and everyday life. I am Mama Marika or Mama Vilanen which will take some time to adjust since the beginning has a weird tone in it.

There are lots of Finns and Swedes around here who have come here as a consult for some project, finished it, applied for another, and are still on that road. Most of them couldn’t go back home. There aren’t similar jobs for them and/or they can’t keep the same standard of living. Some seem to loose themselves in something – sorrow, bitter, alcohol.

Corruption is a big problem – not even close to the amount of other African countries I have heard. For example, it is against the law to build between the coastal road and the beach, but if you pay to a right person, you can do it. Or if you happen to bump in the parking lot into someone’s car on, who is in a higher position and knows the judge, the judge can just throw you in a jail without a reason. But if you know someone, you can blame it on the other.

Everything works as a pre-paid. Smart in a country where most of the people don’t have postal addresses. So you buy a pre-paid phone card if you want to use a phone. For electricity the same thing; you buy an electricity card. So if you run out of the balance, phone stops working or the electricity turns off. If this wasn’t the case there would be a lot of notices with a stamp “return to sender” on them.

Cars are in a bad condition. I don’t know if these people know what a clutch is, or don’t they have it anymore since the sound what comes every time you gear, is awful. There are no accelerators either. The seats, well I wouldn’t call them seats, are ok for 10-20 minutes rides but let’s see how I will do in a two-day bus ride.

I have learned to live with an insect spray at nights. I spray it all over my room and leave the room for ten minutes. When I come back there are lots of little dead bugs on the floor. I don’t know which I prefer, not knowing what kind there are in my room, or knowing and collecting them from the floor.

Europeans or other western people have lot of help around here. I can only imagine how hard it is to move back home and get used to not having help. Here you have someone taking care of your kid, someone doing your laundry, someone in the garden, someone cleaning and someone shopping. It is very normal to have 5 people working for you. It is kind of required also to take apart in employing people. Most wives stay home and would have time to do all that but then this “wealthy” (white means rich) family would not be respected by locals. It is expected that everyone hires locals if they have the money.

Money. The inflation is a big problem here. Like I told you earlier I became a millionaire over night just by changing some euros to local currency. I heard yesterday that in Zimbabwe they printed out money three times last year. Second time they didn’t have time to print anything on the other side so the money was blank on the other side and the amount was on the other. Their smallest bill is today a million. Fortunately it isn’t that bad here in Tanzania. And what do I care. It is nice to carry 10 000 bills in your wallet once in your life.

We started the day early which was hard. I still can’t fall a sleep at nights. It doesn’t seem to change. Maybe I will have to manage with 4-6 hour sleep in Africa. It is probably the hardest thing for me since I am used to 10 hour nights.

After having a delicious everyday-same-menu (fruit salad, frosted flakes, buns and eggs) breakfast we left to the city. We arrived in the Ministry of Education at 8:30. We were surprised how ready they were. The entire authorisation had been granted from the Minister itself. We gathered together with the Director of Sports, Director of the Education and his assistant, my future research colleague and three of us from Finland, to go through it. Everything seemed to be in order. We went through the schedule and made some adjustments which the locals suggested knowing the conditions of roads and all. We pushed the starting day with one day so we will hit the road on Wednesday 23rd. If you want to know more about the research tour you can read it from FAQ page.

My research partner is Mama (Mrs.) Martha Qaresi. She is 45-55 years old. We tried to guess her age but guesses varied a lot. Since she is older I will call her Mama Qaresi. Anyway, she isn’t quite the good looking hunk or the Robinson Crusoe type like I had hoped the researcher to be but she seemed nice. She lives in Dar, has kids and her husband has retired. I didn’t have time to ask any more personal question but I am sure we will get to know each other in next three months well enough to write you more about her.

So we will leave on the road on Wednesday. That left me one more day to relax here in Onnela. To be honest I would have liked to leave already. I keep hearing stories about the places where we are heading and time gives my imagination too much freedom. The longer I stay here, more worried I get. It would be better just to leave and not think about it.

We will start the 32 Teachers College tour from Dar es Salaam. In the morning we will visit the local college and in the afternoon we’ll drive towards inland. Ari and Tor will come to the first College with us but leave us then. So tomorrow after two I will be on my own. The plan is to visit one school a day. The next school will pick us up from the previous one. If the distances are long, we will have to take a local bus, train or the plane. For example on the map there are places where road starts from a city (________ direct line stands for road) and continues as - - - - and after a while it disappears totally. I asked what that meant and I was told that there could be a road if the weather is good but most of time there is no road.

Another interesting point was that there is at least one place where the roads used to be good and they had built some bridges on the way. After a little accident the bridge fell down and now the local bus takes a two-day-detour to get there. I can only wait to do that two-day-tour instead of two hour drive.

Like I said, I don’t want to hear more stories about the possible challenges on the road. I just want to get on the road. If they give me another day time to think, I will probably change my mind.

Anyway, after the Ministry we went to the Finnish Embassy. The meeting went well and things seemed to be in order. We also got to meet the Ambassador. I was told that what ever challenges I had I could always contact them. Kind of comforting thought but for some reason I don’t think there is anything that they can do when I am in the middle of nowhere sleeping in some tent waiting for the rain to stop so that I can leave to the next place. Despite it is good to know that they care. They also have my schedule, so if for some reason I was needed to be found, they would know where I was supposed to be.

Third place we visited was the Immigration office. I hope I don’t need to go there anymore. Picture yourself in a room full of sweating people when it is 35 degrees out and you have to wait for your turn for hours. I hope I don’t have any more official papers to do. Well, hope no more. I still have to apply for the working visa – later!

After six hours of doing business, it was time to chill. We had lunch in the city while wearing long pants – mistake. We changed some money and decided to take a Dala Dala (local transportation) back to the village. As you see from the picture, someone else also had the same idea.

Back at the village smelly and sweaty, we decided to hit the beach and celebrate our successful day with some champagne. Enjoying sun (not me with my bright read) forehead, having some laughs and drinking what ever, time almost stopped. Some Snapper for dinner, “quick” stop at a local bar where there was no electricity and back to the village. I think the day turned out ok.

Duet ready to hit the road. Notice that they are still smiling...

Elbows up and in. Don't worry if you aren't wearing any deodorant - neither is your neighbour.

This morning I finally woke up for the alarm clock. I got almost 8 hours of sleep. Boy was I happy. At breakfast I met some new people again. There was a lady from Michigan who used to be an exchange student in Vantaa, Finland. She even went to same high school as me. She had married a Tanzanian while finishing her studies in Tanzania few years back. Now they live in Iringa which will be one of my stops in the near future. We exchanged e-mails and will probably see each other pretty soon.

After the breakfast, which had taken two hours, I decided to go for a run. I knew it was going to be hot but didn’t really know how hot. After 40 minutes of running by the coast line my heart rate was 194. I turned back and decided to walk for little to get it down. I also decided to take a short cut to the village – or so I thought. After 10 minutes walk my heart rate was still 180 but I decided to keep on running. My short cut turned out to make a loop so I finally made it to the village after another 40 minutes of running. My 90 minutes exercise turned out to be a marathon or at least it felt like it. I don’t think I have ever sweated so much as I did this morning. I looked like I was leaking. My average rate was 188 and maximum 200. Think of it as a preparation for my future climb to Kilimanjaro.

Back at the village I decided to take a swim in the pool and lay in the sun for a while. You know what happens when you have exercised and then lay down for a minute. Yes, you are right, you fall a sleep. An hour later I had a new colour and it wasn’t a sexy brownish tan. Now when writing this I can’t move my body. Better to stay still. How smart was that.

Three o’clock came Ari. He is the head of the organisation I am here with. He had been travelling around the country for two weeks to check out the other projects they have here in Tanzania. He is leaving home this week. He will come to the Embassy tomorrow and to the ministry on Tuesday with me. He knows everyone and wants to introduce me to all my future contacts concerning my project.

We went to Coco beach for lunch and stayed there till the sunrise. It is a nice beach where only locals go. Again I had delicious fish. Today my choice was King Fish. Yesterdays Changu had put the expectations high but King Fish reached them barely.

At the beach there was lot of locals enjoying their Sunday. Later it got, more people showed up. There were 5-10 boys, who were doing vaults and other acrobatic tricks at the beach. They used a truck tire as a trampoline. They were funny and really talented. Makes you wonder how much money we spend on building sport halls and sport equipment back home.

Beach became a real Tivoli, the later it got. There was lot of “booths” where each had its own entertainment on. Someone used biscuits as a famous three card trick where you are supposed to follow the ace. You never win; they change their places so quickly. Same happened here. Another “booth” had roulette. It was made out of some used wood. You could bet what ever you wanted and if ball hit your spot you doubled your money. I didn’t play but saw lot of people loose their money. Then there were lot of people selling what ever you can think of from socks to peanuts. The atmosphere was nice. One noticeable thing was that there were lot of Indian people on the other end of the beach and lot of local black people on the other end. We even saw few Masais (famous tribe in Africa). You can really recognise them from the others. We were the only white people so we tried to blend in. I am sure we succeeded.

Tomorrow is a big day. We will visit the embassy and some people authorising the project. I will probably also meet my local researcher. I know that she is married but that is all I know at this point. I was wondering how it is possible to find a person in two days notice like it happened in our case. I was told that if you mention to anyone that they’d have to travel for more than a week, and this project is closer to three months, there would be people lining up for it. An average salary doubles or triples when travelling. So I am looking forward to meeting my travelling companion. She and I will spend 24 hours a day together for three months. It would be quite good if we could get along. Not like I couldn’t get along with anyone but in this case I would really like to do better than just get along.

We are about to leave for dinner. I don’t know how to cover up my new tan since I left my make up back home =). Maybe I will stay at the village and enjoy a watching soccer on TV. Africa cup started yesterday and locals are very much into soccer. Tough decision – food and embarrassment or soccer and hunger. Luckily decision making has always been my strong point.

Locals at the Coco Beach

Public transportation