Proverbs

As part of our 4^th of July celebration, we decided we’d share a few American (or American-ish) proverbs since we are learning a new Tanzanian one almost every day. We wrote them on little pieces of paper and had each of our guests choose one like you would a fortune. I think (or hope at least) they were a hit. One of our teachers asked for the master list…problem is I didn’t keep a list, handed them all out and can’t now remember which ones we came up with! I’m jotting them down as I remember them and will keep a running list here…contributions are welcome if you can think of ones that aren’t here yet!

-A rolling stone gathers no moss

-Read between the lines!

-Never cry wolf

-An apple a day keeps the doctor away

-A pot shouldn’t call a kettle black

-There’s no need to beat a dead horse

-People in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones

-The grass is always greener

-Don’t count your chickens before they hatch

-Don’t bite the hand that feeds you

-If you don’t at first succeed, try, try again

-What doesn't kill you makes you stronger

-The early bird catches the worm

-Pink sky at night, sailor's delight. Pink sky in morning, sailors take warning.

-Never say never

-Let sleeping dogs lie

-Curiosity killed the cat

-Patience is a virtue

-One man's trash is another man's treasure

-Not all those who wander are lost (okay, this is admittedly JR Tolkien)

-Do or do not. There is no try. (…and this one admittedly Yoda. But I think he was American, no?)

The Story of the Moon’s Two Wives

Uraa is a small village on a slopes of Kilimanjaro with a killer view of the mountain’s snowy top. We stayed there only a couple nights but both were as clear as could be. Before any other stars were out, you could see the moon and this one bright star near to it that we realized later was actually Jupiter. Our professor, Mwalimu Ngonyani, overheard us talking about it and enlightened us on the story of the moon’s two wives. One of these wives (Jupiter) was a very bad one. Whenever she was near to the moon, he was always unhappy and poorly fed, so never full. Whenever the moon was near to his other wife (Mars) on the other side of the sky, he was fulfilled and well fed, so always full. Na hivyo ndivyo ilivyo (and this, indeed, is the way it was).

                                                                      The crescent moon with his bad wife Jupiter

Didn't realize we were going hiking when I put on my long skirt that morning.
I improvised but paid for it dearly - got eaten alive by fire ants!

A mama goat and her 5-day old - too cute to not paparazi

Readying our pot for coffee roasting

Smelled amazing :)

All roasted! Ready for grinding, brewing and drinking!

                                                       A quick visit during recess at an orphanage for 3 and unders

Kilimanjaro

A story on the origin of the name Kilimanjaro: I'd always assumed that name's root was in the kiswahili word mlima, meaning mountain. But a Chagga person who is local to the Kili region would tell you that Kilimanjaro was just a mispronunciation of the kichaga word "kilimankiero" meaning 'impossible journey'. As the story goes, a German explorer came, and speaking to a tribesman, pointed at the mountain asking what it was called. The tribesman assumed that he was asking whether it was possible to reach the top, to which he appropriately replied "impossible journey!". The explorer diligently chronicled this answer as the name of the mountain, misunderstanding the way it had been pronounced. He then pointed to Kili's second peak, again asking what it was called. To this, this tribesman responded "kibo!" which is just a kichaga expression of suprise, as the tribesman was thinking: if I've just told you this journey is impossible, what makes you think that second peak is obtainable?? And so it was.

The first of a few Kili pics


Tourists!

Having a little fun being a tourista...

The Machame gate to Kilimanjaro

Rules of climbing Kilimanjaro - #1: Must be physically fit. Visa accepted.

Yet another. Can't get enough of the sight of snow in the heart of Africa.

 Fourth of July Celebration

Preparations for our 4th of July potluck

Writing out 'American' proverbs (more on this later)

Taking a break for a swing and a soda

Fourth of July Swahili style

 'Grassroot' Tree Roots 

Impromptu neighborhood cleanup while wandering with our brothers as they
evaluated the success rate of a grassroots tree planting project they started

Roping in the passerby to help us out


For Love of Coffee

A quick cultural commentary: Coffee grows in many regions in Tanzania and is exported all over the world, including to the States (where it's best known as peabody tea). Yet for some inexplicable reason, it's nearly impossible to come across a real, locally grown and roasted coffee outside of a tourist-friendly hotel or cafe, since most everyone seems to prefer Africafe instant coffee blend. Luckily, the family we stay with actually grows, roasts and brews the coffee they grow...so pretty much every morning is a good one :)

Coffee beans pre-roasting

Baba Ndosi (homestay dad) showing a group of
Minnesota students how to roast coffee beans

More of the students (with Katrina and my digs in the background!)

Katrina assisting in the traditional grinding process
(requirements: blender and electricity)

Peel remover for raw coffee beans

Ngorongoro Crater, Oldupai Gorge and Shifting Sands

Shifting Sands - volcanic ash/sand that migrates a few
meters every year but always stays in the same shape

Oldupai Gorge - home of our early, early (Lucy-like) ancestors

A pundia milia with persepective

And a tembo with a view

Mbuni mwenye uhuru wake :)

Serville cat

Babies - cute in every species 

Punda Milia (direct translation: 'striped donkeys')

Baby hyenas waiting on mama to bring them their dinner

A pit stop for a camel ride on the way back from Ngorongoro.
I stayed behind the camera lens though - my 3 hour camel ride
through a sandstorm in the Moroccan Sahara about did me in..

 

Pictures, a few anecdotes, and other miscellany

Turns out keeping a blog is actually pretty easy when you rarely post to it!

Life is good – nothing crazy to report on. We’re about halfway through our language intensive...I’d be happy to continue, but no real surprise there. Such is the life of a would-be perpetual student. If only that were practical. As though anything I’ve ever done was practical :) 

So in the absence of a long narrative of our daily routine (for both my sake and yours), here’s an array of pictures, anecdotes and other miscellany from the last couple weeks:

Preparations

The mad rush to pack the day before (or was it the day of?) departure. Baba MPW had some choice commentary on my 'process': "You know, MaryGrace, the only thing more amazing than what you accomplish is exactly how you manage to do so." Lol, point taken. But like I said...if you're not wind sprinting to the finish, you're not in a race worth running.

The Essentials

Made it 1/2 lb under the limit

Ready as I'll ever be. Tutaonana!

First African sunset of the trip (okay, just kidding - last night on Gram's bluff in Michigan)

Pictures!

A quick presentation another student and I prepared for our class after our trip to Ngorongoro Crater, Oldupai Gorge and Shifting Sands (in Kiswahili, but pictures are worth 1,000 English words, no?)