head east
where did the time go?
Two Months of Adventures!
the adventure continues!
Tours, Travels, and updates!
Mwanza Pictures
the two week mark!
Pictures of
Karibu Mwanza!
karibu Africa!
the countdown begins...
who we are
we are two Canadian students from the University of Western Ontario, currently in the process of completing the third year
of our Honours Bachlor of Arts in Media in the Public Interest.
at the moment, we are in Mwanza, Tanzania as interns with Western Heads East.
learn more about...
- western heads east (WHE)
- the university of western ontario (UWO)
- mwanza or tanzania
- FONELISCO
- swahilli
archives
October 2006
November 2006
December 2006
the two week mark!
Thursday, October 26, 2006it's been two weeks since rob and i stepped foot on our first plane and travelled accross two continents to get here to the beautiful city of mwanza. somehow, it feels both as though we have been here much longer, yet for no time at all.
this week, we finally met the yoghurt mamas who form the heart of our project here.
they are all fabulous, vibrant, unbelievely strong women who immediately welcomed us into their project wholeheartedly and without hesitation.
it was interesting to visit the kitchen where the yoghurt is made and distributed, as we quickly came to see that this place is more than merely somewhere to get food. like many of the stores and cafes here in mwanza, it is a social hub with the yoghurt mamas in the centre, where people come in for nutrients of both the physical and social variety.
even with our (slightly less, but still) limited swahili, the atmosphere alone was enough to leave us grinning.
aside from spending time getting to know the yoghurt mamas, we have also been volunteering at an orphanage for street children, FONELISCO. i don't think that there is any better way to feel more comfortable in a new culture than to play with kids; they are living proof that, regardless of how far people are seperated by land or sea or language or beliefs, we are all fundamentally the same. i mean, who doesnt like to play football or enjoy dipping their toes in the lake or laugh till they cry when they're tickled? it was a stroke of pure luck that we got invovled with this organization, and we intend to stay invovled as much as possible!
so that's (in short) what we've been up to over the past little while.
more stories and pictures coming soon!
3 comments
posted by sam at 4:31 AM
Here are some pictures of Mwanza and our apartment. The first photo is of 'Toby', the gecko that haunts are apartment at night. The second and third photos are views from our apartment. We believe the metal roofing to be covering a market or shops of some kind, and the hill is across the main highway from us.
The last picture is of our apartment building. We live on the third floor, and that is our laundry hanging outside. KIVULINI is located on the other half of the third floor, as well as in the lower right hand corner of the building (where they have a stationary store).
Sam and I are busy still getting settled, finalizing previous tasks from other interns, and learning the language. We have been helping out at a local orphanage (Fonelisco) on weekends, and we are starting more work with the Yogurt Mama's this afternoon.
Sam and I both realized that we have already been here a week and this has helped us guage how quickly our internship here will pass.
We promise to post more pictures of the Orphanage, the Yogurt project, and Mwanza very soon!
posted by sam at 4:31 AM
Pictures of
Monday, October 23, 2006
Here are some pictures of Mwanza and our apartment. The first photo is of 'Toby', the gecko that haunts are apartment at night. The second and third photos are views from our apartment. We believe the metal roofing to be covering a market or shops of some kind, and the hill is across the main highway from us.The last picture is of our apartment building. We live on the third floor, and that is our laundry hanging outside. KIVULINI is located on the other half of the third floor, as well as in the lower right hand corner of the building (where they have a stationary store).
Sam and I are busy still getting settled, finalizing previous tasks from other interns, and learning the language. We have been helping out at a local orphanage (Fonelisco) on weekends, and we are starting more work with the Yogurt Mama's this afternoon.
Sam and I both realized that we have already been here a week and this has helped us guage how quickly our internship here will pass.
We promise to post more pictures of the Orphanage, the Yogurt project, and Mwanza very soon!
1 comments
posted by Robbie at 4:20 AM
After four long days of travel, Sam and I are landed and settled in Mwanza.
Luckily we had other interns drive us to the apartment from the airport and give us a quick tour of Mwanza en route. We quickly realized that our apartment was wonderful, but very empty (and no running water as well). With the help of Pendo, our wonderful housekeeper, we were able to get the water situation sorted out and get a walking tour of Mwanza and the market.
The market was a new experience for Sam and I. People shouting, bargaining, and trying to upsell you at every chance they can get. Luckily Pendo was looking after our deal making and she did a wonderful job of getting everything we needed to cook our first meal. Pendo speaks only in Swahili, but she is very vocal and expressive when she talks which makes it easier for Sam and I to understand her.
Everyone here is very welcoming. We have had dinner at some of the locals houses over the last four days and each time are overwhelmed by the hospitality and wonderful meals!
Mwanza has been very welcoming to us so far and we cannot wait to continue exploring!
Kwa heri!
posted by Robbie at 4:20 AM
Karibu Mwanza!
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
After four long days of travel, Sam and I are landed and settled in Mwanza.
Luckily we had other interns drive us to the apartment from the airport and give us a quick tour of Mwanza en route. We quickly realized that our apartment was wonderful, but very empty (and no running water as well). With the help of Pendo, our wonderful housekeeper, we were able to get the water situation sorted out and get a walking tour of Mwanza and the market.
The market was a new experience for Sam and I. People shouting, bargaining, and trying to upsell you at every chance they can get. Luckily Pendo was looking after our deal making and she did a wonderful job of getting everything we needed to cook our first meal. Pendo speaks only in Swahili, but she is very vocal and expressive when she talks which makes it easier for Sam and I to understand her.
Everyone here is very welcoming. We have had dinner at some of the locals houses over the last four days and each time are overwhelmed by the hospitality and wonderful meals!
Mwanza has been very welcoming to us so far and we cannot wait to continue exploring!
Kwa heri!
1 comments
posted by sam at 9:18 AM
right now, i'm sitting in our room at the Grand Regency Hotel in Nairobi, still trying to digest the fact that we're on the other side of the world.
two full days of flying, and one still to go before we reach our final destination of Mwanza, Tanzania.
rob and i are still strugging to figure out time differences... last night, we could barely figure out that time it was here in Nairobi, let alone back at home in Ontario! all i know is that my inner clock is telling me it's bloody tired. the next few hours have "nap time" written all over.
we explored Nairobi a bit, and found that it's pretty developed; aside from mirthful smiles at my attempts to speak very broken Swahili and two adorable kids whispering "mzungu" from the table next to us at breakfast, i can't say the culture shock has been all that stunning.
yet.
after our little snooze, Rob and i are headed back to the airport for our flight out of Kenya to Tanzania. as much as i've enjoyed the trip over, i'm eager to finally get settled in our new home in Mwanza.
well, my internet time is almost up and Rob's already comfortably settled in for a rest, so it's time to bid you all adiu! although it was easy to get internet access here in Kenya (our hotel is about ten times classier than we are, by the way) we're not sure how it will be in Tanzania, so it may be awhile til you hear from us again.
until then, take care!
asante sana,
sam & rob
posted by sam at 9:18 AM
karibu Africa!
Saturday, October 14, 2006
right now, i'm sitting in our room at the Grand Regency Hotel in Nairobi, still trying to digest the fact that we're on the other side of the world.
two full days of flying, and one still to go before we reach our final destination of Mwanza, Tanzania.
rob and i are still strugging to figure out time differences... last night, we could barely figure out that time it was here in Nairobi, let alone back at home in Ontario! all i know is that my inner clock is telling me it's bloody tired. the next few hours have "nap time" written all over.
we explored Nairobi a bit, and found that it's pretty developed; aside from mirthful smiles at my attempts to speak very broken Swahili and two adorable kids whispering "mzungu" from the table next to us at breakfast, i can't say the culture shock has been all that stunning.
yet.
after our little snooze, Rob and i are headed back to the airport for our flight out of Kenya to Tanzania. as much as i've enjoyed the trip over, i'm eager to finally get settled in our new home in Mwanza.
well, my internet time is almost up and Rob's already comfortably settled in for a rest, so it's time to bid you all adiu! although it was easy to get internet access here in Kenya (our hotel is about ten times classier than we are, by the way) we're not sure how it will be in Tanzania, so it may be awhile til you hear from us again.
until then, take care!
asante sana,
sam & rob
2 comments
posted by sam at 4:09 AM
we're set to fly out the morning of thursday, october 12th bright and early!
more updates to come once we arrive in tanzania...
until then, why not learn more about western heads east?
posted by sam at 4:09 AM
the countdown begins...
Sunday, October 08, 2006
we're set to fly out the morning of thursday, october 12th bright and early!
more updates to come once we arrive in tanzania...
until then, why not learn more about western heads east?