Catching up: Tanzania

We went to Tanzania a few weeks before Christmas. I'm of mixed feelings over the whole experience, in part because, at the time, I was about 11-12 weeks pregnant and feeling like death warmed over. In retrospect, this was probably not the ideal time for a week long journey (for Nathan's work) into rural northwestern Tanzania.

However, I am glad to have seen Tanzania, and been able to compare it a bit to the area of Kenya that we live in. We were shocked to see how much cleaner most of the villages were- in Kenya many communities are surrounded by trash, strewn about and blowing in the wind. Most communities that we saw in Tanzania were very tidy, in contrast. I'm not sure if this is a relative poverty thing- if those Tanzanian communities were unable to afford to buy items that eventually became rubbish (plastic bags, soda bottles, etc.) or if there is a cultural difference (and these particular Tanzanian communities value tidiness more). Regardless, most villages were pleasant and tidy looking- the countryside is really beautiful.

Another really interesting difference was the number of bicyclists. We've since discovered that there are many towns near Lake Victoria in Kenya that have a lot of bikers, too- but this was our first time noticing a large number of people getting around by bike. Most bikes serve a dual purpose- to carry additional passengers, or to carry various bags/bushes/loads/dead animals/live animals. Most of these areas are pretty flat, making a bike a great way to get around- and it seemed there were tiny bike mechanic shops on every corner in every village. I think more Americans would bike if there were inexpensive repair shops every few hundred meters. (And if it were flat and warm and sunny all the time, but that's another issue.)

Look closely. Yup. Cow legs. 

An impressive walking load. 

I also saw Lake Victoria for the first time. The lake is hugely polluted from the major cities on it, and also has been taken over by invasive hyacinth plants, but is still an impressive sight. There are apparently a ton of tiny fish in it, as evidenced by this market in Musoma (a town on the lake)- a huge swath of unidentified tiny fish drying in the sun. We didn't get a chance to try them- and the lake is so polluted that I'm not sure it would be wise?

Gazillions of tiny dried fish, with Lake Victoria in the background

Market stalls in Musoma, most selling large scoops of tiny dried fish.

The main purpose of the trip was to visit a CARE project site in very rural Mugumu, after attending a meeting in Musoma. Nathan visited a ton of communities that have water projects funded (in part) by his organization. I believe the visit part went well, but we were extremely 'challenged' by the hotel that we stayed at in Mugumu- The Giraffe Hotel (which we do NOT recommend) is the only option for a relatively safe place to stay. Aside from lack of power/water for a large part of the day (not really a big deal), and confusingly muddled service (also expected) the food situation was extremely difficult... and puzzling. Have a look at their menu.

In particular, note our favorite, "Critmas clomourpud cake". Even after asking multiple staff/cooks, we were unable to ascertain what, exactly, this delicacy is. At one point a cook described it as a 'pudding cake with large... you know.. coming up, and sparkling'. Um. Unfortunately, though their written menu was extensive we found after two nights that they only really had goat, ugali, rice, french fries, tea, and noodles served with carrots and green pepper. You can guess what we ordered. (And then waited 2-3 hours for.) (I didn't get a picture, but their menu even offered bagels and bialys. I did ask for them but, shockingly, they were 'out'.)

The biggest mystery is how they wrote their menu- and where they got the idea for 'beatroot' and asparagus with goat cheese. We're fairly certain none of those items has ever been within 200 kilometers of Mugumu. 

WARNING, GRAPHIC: The final challenging part to the whole trip was that it is the time of year when the Kuria tribe, who largely live in the areas we were visiting, conduct their traditional circumcisions. Or, in the case of the females, female genital mutilation (FGM). Boys and girls of around 14 years old undergo this right of passage annually, even though it is illegal in both Kenya and Tanzania. While the boys lose just a bit of flesh (I believe it's a pretty typical 'trimming'), the girls lose a very large part of their genitalia. Without getting too graphic (though I do encourage you to educate yourself), most of these women will have to have their vaginas 're-opened' (with a razor) after they are married to facilitate sex, and then opened further just before birth to allow the passage of a baby. Tanzania, especially this area, has a very high rate of HIV/AIDS, in large part due to FGM and circumcisions, as they often re-use the razors on multiple teenagers. 

As we travelled back from Mugumu to the border, we witnessed countless parades of young men and women and their families, celebrating post-procedure. (We did get a few discreet pictures of the parades but I don't think it's appropriate to share them in this venue.) The boys might be pale and slightly staggering along, but the girls... many seemed as if they could barely walk, with blood soaking their skirts. It was horrible to see. While I do appreciate that the tribe sees these events as a celebration of coming-of-age, marking the teenagers belonging in the community, it is unfortunate that it spreads disease, and causes such pain (and sometimes death) now and in the future. I hope that this matter is something that the Tanzanian and Kenyan governments take a stronger stance on in the future. 

So, as you can tell- our time in Tanzania was both good and really hard. I'm glad for the experience.