La fiestas del Pilar AKA The festival of Pilar

The Spanish are big on fiestas, traditions, celebrations, partying and generally enjoying life. The week of 7-13th October were the Fiestas del Pilar/Festival of Pilar.

Gigantes y caberzoros on the Stone Bridge

My language challenge: Español

Still from All About my Mother, Almodovar

New month, new job, new country, new start. NEW LANGUAGE.

So, as you may know I'm living in Spain, one my main goals I wish to achieve whilst being here is to master the Spanish language.

I never studied Spanish at school, I momentarily learnt French and German but with little success and always thought that languages "weren't my forte" despite desiring this skill. This view of mine changed last year when I spent 8/9 months in Tanzania and learnt to communicate in Kiswahili and a little bit of Maasai. I came to the conclusion that the best way to learn a language is immersion, if you are faced with daily situations that require you to communicate with people in order to get by, there's a much greater push to learn the language.  The inquisition of knowledge and vocabulary evolves from a hobby, an activity, a subject at school, to something that is essentially a basic need.

Salou, Spain : Misfortunate adventure number one

There's a fine line between spontaneous and rash decision making...

At the beginning of this week I started to dream of the Spanish coast. It was a combination of things: hearing my new colleagues mention their homes on the coast and the  beginning of autumn subconsciously making the looming winter seem ever more present.

The place that kept being mentioned was Tarragona. The smaller historical city close to Barcelona and surrounded by coastal towns. Being a history lover, both Barcelona and Tarragona appealed. I mistakenly assumed that the surrounding towns would offer some of this rich Spanish culture too and opted for one of these as my main request was relaxation on the beach. So late on Thursday evening I decided to go to the closest coast on Friday after work. BIG MISTAKE! I thought it'd be best to visit both cities another time as one doesn't visit for the weather but for the history and culture. Well now I hadn't been so typically British and wanted to sun!

What is it about 2013?

España

Madrid- Zaragoza- The Pyrenees

I have been in Spain for just over a week now nearing the end of the second week :o (a combo of my memory and uk:eu adapter plugs has made this blog malarkey a bit tricky), it's gone by so quickly, hence no related blog posts.

Vogue fashion nights and house parties in Madrid. Successful completion of my first week at school with a unexpected dose of public speaking to parents! The week ended with a peaceful weekend in The Pyrenees. Oh and lots of yummy tapas! I couldn't really dream for a better beginning to my year in Spain!

View from my hostel in Madrid, which was fantastic!

Chapters

This is a note to say that this is the end of my Tanzanian chapter and now the beginning of my Spanish chapter.

Sere na, kwaheri, badaye (Swahili and Masai words for good bye) 

&

Hola! 

Outside the classroom and other happenings

This post is basically a stream of photos that I love. Taken throughout my trip which I think are beautiful and say a lot about the country, a mixture of nature, wildlife, humanity and culture.

Children

The Maasai of Lake Natron

Lake Natron is a place in Northern Tanzania, populated by the Maasai tribe. The area is one of outstanding natural beauty: The Great Rift Valley passes through the area and the sodium lake is home to flocks of the magnificent flamingo.It's also home to the active volcano Oldonyo Langai. The land is very arid and vast, what one may envision the Tanzanian planes to look like.

African Safari

I was lucky enough to have my mumma and her partner come to visit me for a few weeks in August, I got to experience all the wonders of Tanzania which people regularly travel to see. It was strange acting as a 'tourist' and being treated like one in the fancy safari camps, viewing the spectacular and infamous African wildlife, sunning on the beaches of Zanzibar and getting lost in the maze of the streets of Stone Town. Of course, it had to be done!

These photographs don't do the awesome African safari justice, mainly because a photo cannot relay the atmosphere of the plains but second to that my compact camera couldn;t quite capotuyre the magnificent scenes. None the less here are some of the best of my three day safari across Ngorongoro National Park, Tarangire National Park and Lake Manyana, I was luckily enough to experience this side of Tanzania with my mum :)

Elephants!

Coastal Tanzania

I got the chance to visit the beautiful island of Zanzibar. 

In order to show my mum and her partner the 'real Tanzania' I suggested that we travel to the island by bus and then ferry. The experience was interesting, let's say! The bus journey began in Arusha in a relatively empty bus station, after 12 long hot, bumpy and noisy hours on the bus I think my parents had had enough! Taking a long distance bus jouney in Tanzania is not for the faint hearted but it's definitely worth it if you want to experience the local way of life and see organised chaos in action! We arrived in Dar Es Salaam at night, which wasn't the most pleasant experience, dark, busy, potentially dangerous and no idea of where we were going! However we managed to find a hotel and stay the night before we caught the ferry the next morning. The ferry was a calm and enjoyable ride and we arrived to this paradise...

Loved ones...and learning Maa language

Those who are still on my desktop background, still come into my dreams and still cross my my mind every single day. 

One little boy called Lemboris and his family

Recycling/Upcycling African style

Making the most out of a little.

Tanzania is such a contrasting and a varied place. This post is about the amazing ways people create and invent things hear, whether it be for fun, practicality, emergencies, it happens in Africa!

The handmade bike.

Hand crafted bicycle
Made from cardboard, rope, wood and a lot of vision. 

When I witnessed this I was so impressed, gob smacked and humbled and heart melty all at once.

The wheel theme continued...

Good old fashioned fun

Local Boy

Quinn got the bug and made a pretty successful baseball bat

Surgical implements

At first glance you will not know what this stick, my limbs and a few pairs of hands has to do with inventivity. Well fear not, another post will show you the delightful medical procedure that took place in my foot using this twig.  

The boys weekend project

The final product

NB. The antenna is a monkey head, formally on a skipping rope given by me. :/ I was pleased to see it being recycled however!

What I often witnessed and felt saddened by was how quickly this could change, the scenes above can, could and would be heavily contrasted to alternative aspects to this country. The inequality I encountered at different levels and institutions in Tanzania is staggering. The most visible illustration of this to the passing eye, being the huge dominance of  4x4 guzzling safari jeep and toyotas that speed the roads of Tanzania, or the huge commercial developments that are dotted all over Arusha and even in some rural areas. Yes, both of these examples are for the purpose of tourism (don't get me wrong, I do believe tourism has it's positives and should happen, it's just the way it goes about I have the issue with!) and the argument, I know, is that this boosts the economy. The tourism in Tanzania and in Africa in general is BIG big business, but as history and consumerism illustrates and prevails there's only a few who actually feel any of these benefits. 

I know this isn't the best articulation of such issues, this could be a fifth of a badly written blurb on the topic! However I wanted to highlight the contrasts there are in the society here and offer a realistic viewpoint of this. 

These photos alone could suggest something of a stereotyped, media driven view of Africa... of people being poor, having nothing... which to an extent is the case for these kids BUT my point is what they're doing is much better than what their money obsessed seniors are doing to the country! They may be poor because they don't have money but they are happy and rich in life's ingenuity and offerings!

The point is, Tanzania is a beautiful land, blessed with wonderful wildlife and natural resources and the people themselves are clever, inventive and these cases above give us in the western world a lesson to take home, yet sadly all to often, the glamour and bright lights of 'our' western world dominates, creates further divisions and what I am afraid will happen in Tanzania is the gradual erosion of the very aspects of humanity that have been lost in other parts of the world, due to the mass onslaught of so called 'development' and, technology..all things which have created stressed, depressed, money obsessed corrupt nations.

Please Tanzania, don't loose your humanity and fight corruption! 

Calvin & Quinn Adventures

Calvin and Quinn

From March till June Quinn and I shared experiences together in Tanzania. He is from Canada (sadly I have no contact for him since no longer being on facebook...hopefully someone I know will forward this on to him.) and this pictorial account shows our day spent with a boy named Calvin whom we took to visit his family and mother who lives away from where he stays in Kimundo.

Tree, Calvin, Quinn

Calvin lives with his elderly grandmother and his sister/dada/relative Sarafina and a cute little baby toddler. He stays with them so he can attend Peace Matunda school.

He rarely sees his mother as she lives close to her place of work in a flower plantation. 

We all travelled by dala dala: me, Quinn, Calvin Sarafina and Bibi/Grandma and of course it goes without saying: chilckens, sacks of maize, rice and 26+ other people in a 12 seater mini bus! It took about an hour and a half each way but is probably only about 10 miles away.  

The family: reunited

Left: Calvin, From right: Mumma Calvin, Bibi Calvin 

Me (excuse the hair) and Quinn drinking the sweetest chai and eating bread

After we were given the loveliest, hospitable welcome, the family caught up with one another and we said our goodbyes...

Wasn't quite sure who this little tacker was but he was very cute!

....and then the youngsters decided to take us on a "scenic route" back to the main roadside where we needed to get the dala dala. The initial walk was already pushing on a 30-40 minute trek during the rainy season's humidity. This 'scenic route' became more of a jungle/river trek....it was a pretty awesome and memorable day.  These photos don't actually do it justice, Calvin and his pals took us on a wild goose chase at day!

  

          Me and Calvin pushing on through!

                  

Hiding in the maize

Picture perfect! 

Back at base:

Calvin stays very close to the school and orphanage compound so we saw him often: i went to his house quite regularly but even if I nipped to the little duka (shop) I'd usually bump into him or his bibi and sometimes I'd see him down by the river. 

                                         

The little one who he stays with

Fetching water

I miss you

many a night 'on fire pit'

xxx

School Days

PEACE, LOVE, FUN: SCHOOL?!

Yes, that's right. These photos depict the daily peace, love, fun, friendship and that these children of the Mount Meru region experience on a daily basis at school.

Please enjoy these pictures, which I have complied...with fondness and poorly attempted selectivity as there are just so many!

Dressing up: looking pretty bad ass for a school show

Water at the ready

Students dressed for a performance

Peace bro

Smiles in face of the rain

Boys'll be boys!

Natural flower picked for the clay pots

Just adorable

Serious thumbs up business

Rough and tumbles

Ndizi (banana) time! 

              

Teaching methods

My personal favourite: art and design.
Clay mobile phones and flower pots!

Typical classroom

Typical clasroom take 2! Exploring nature

Games: Three legged race!

Riffling through the library books

Little un's

Music and Religion class

Sustainable Staff

Peace Matunda started out with humble beginnings: a single room, one teacher and some international volunteers... now I am pleased to report that it is relatively self sufficient. There is a huge local work force at the school and orphanage, below are just a few of the people who make it happen.

Teacher Raphael: Maasai maths genius!

Mumma Onesmo: 'Dinner Lady' aka makes mackande

Teacher Margaret

Teacher William: couldn't stop laughing for pictures! 

Best smile :) dinner lady/caretaker

Stoic Head Teacher Chris

Farewell and a final little note

This photo was taken in the last month of my placement.

With the 'baby class', one of Adam and I's final lunchtime classes 

At times I felt that I wasn't needed at the school: initially, in all honesty I felt this affecting me on a personal level but quickly I began to feel content with this situation knowing that the goal had been achieved, this wasn't about me but about the hundreds of kids who attended the school and will continue to in the future and the people who it employs in the local area. The opportunities that Peace Matunda is and will create for those in this area are incredible.

What all NGO's, schools, projects and the like intend to set out to do in Tanzania has in part, been achieved by Peace Matunda. There are classrooms for each standard of class, there is a teacher for each of them, there is food set out for lunch and break times and the children are receiving a much better standard of education than their government school counterpart.

Of course there's always room for improvement!? This comes at a grassroots, regional, national and global level and is a topic too vast and contentious to start a conversation about here. 

How to help?

There are two classrooms that need help and attention. When I left at the end of September 2012 they needed some superficial attention, decorating etc...and furniture and equipment. At the time I left the children were yet to move up to the next standard of education, by now they'll be well on there way. 

Paper, pens and pencils are always needed for the classroom and monthly tests.

If you want to help you can find details of what they want and need by emailing coordinator@peacematunda.org and explaining your interest and info on how to help. Here you can be put onto the newsletter mailing list and keep up to date with it's progress.

www.peacematunda.org  

xxx