FROM TANZANIA, WITH LOVE
Note: Avishka is now back from her 2-month trip to Tanzania and wrote this entry in November while she was there.
Mambo friends! I am writing to you from Arusha, Tanzania where for the next two months, I will be volunteering with Youth Challenge International (YCI) promoting youth development, leadership and livelihoods through education and health. I’m having a nzuri sana (very nice) time so far! It’s hard to believe that a few months ago, I was busy getting prepared for my venture abroad, from learning more about Tanzania and getting vaccinated (I’m pretty much set for life) to meeting my fellow volunteers and experiencing my first taste of Tanzanian culture when Kristin and I stopped by Ten Thousand Villages on Locke Street and sampled Tanzanian coffee. Read more about my project here: Avishka in Tanzania.
As I was packing two month’s worth of clothes and other travel necessities into my suitcase, there was one item which I knew without a doubt that I had to pack: my I Heart Hamilton shirt. The shirt represents a little piece of home for me and also a reminder of my fellow tourmates, three of my closest friends. They have been here for me and supported me in this venture, from when I first found out the news in July up until I left for Tanzania. Thanks to the I Heart Hamilton Tour and those who came out to our car wash, we were able to raise over $200 towards my project! I remember that day vividly, from putting up posters and balloons to greeting our first customers and humming the song ‘Car Wash’ as we washed car after car. Despite finding out that we had some competition in town, my tourmates kept my spirits up. Proudly sporting our I Heart Hamilton tees, the four of us had a blast soaking up the sun, dropping some beats (trust me, we need our beats when we dance) and attempting to spread the love in downtown Dundas.
A few months later, I am halfway across the world in the beautiful continent of Africa and the touring hasn’t stopped! That’s right people, the I Heart Hamilton Tour has gone international. Taking a similar approach as the tour, my friend Nicole and I have been checking out the local spots here in Arusha and immersing ourselves in the culture where we’ve tried Tanzanian cuisine, shopped for fabric (resulting in some intense bargaining), tried banana wine, gone on safari, hiked a mountain and even checked out a karaoke night at one of the local cafes! We’ve also met quite a few mzungus (foreigners) and struck up conversations with both locals and foreigners alike in town about the city. My work with YCI has been an eye opening learning experience, from teaching at the Umoja Centre to working with local NGOs and planning community events that promote youth as leaders. It has also given me insight into how I can not only make a change, but be the change both abroad and in my own community.
Painting a mural at one of the community events
I’ve had many moments where I’ve seen something and thought of my tour mates. One popular form of transport here in Tanzania is the ever efficient dala dala which is essentially a minibus taxi crammed full of people to maxiumum capacity. The other day, I spotted the word ‘FIESTA’ in bright colourful letters splashed on the back of one of the dala dalas which brought a smile to my face and reminded me of our Mexican cooking day. I have also had a few full circle moments here that have made me think of times where the four of us will look at each other in amazement and be like, ‘FULL CIRCLE!’ Then there was one evening, Nicole and I met up with some friends at a quaint French restaurant called Michel’s. That on its own had me chuckling as I thought of full circle moments involving France (faaancy!), F words, and the time we got lost on our way to the Festival of Friends and ended up in Paris. And of course, learning Swahili has been an experience in itself. As the official language in Tanzania, I have definitely expanded my vocabulary of words and had moments where I would use words which I knew my marafiki would be like, “Poa sana (very cool), we have to add that to our vocab!” My fellow YCI Arusha volunteer and roomie Nicole and I also have our moments of indecisiveness, especially when deciding what to eat. Naturally, I had to share with her how notorious my three friends and I are for our indecisiveness, both individually and as a group wherever we go.
IHHT has helped me through some tough times. I became unwell for a few weeks soon after arriving in Arusha, having caught a stomach bug in Dar Es Salaam. My first weekend was spent in bed where I rested and listened to music. I don’t get sick very often, so when I do, well, it’s terrible. Not the end of the world terrible, but terrible enough. It was also kind of hard because it was my first weekend in Tanz away from home. I remember one evening I felt just AWFUL, not only because I was feeling sick, but because I was missing my friends. So I climbed down from the top bunk (Nicole and I had bunk beds because we’re cool like that) to the cupboard where I rummaged through my clothes, found my I Heart Hamilton tee and slipped it on. As I lay in bed listening to the sweet sounds of Max Wray and Kirby, I thought about my friends and felt a sense of home. There’s something to be said about that because the next morning, I felt a lot better. The shirt and the ‘get well’ vibes all the way from Hamilton definitely had something to do with it.
The four of us are like a sisterhood. I remember when we first talked about getting tees made, I commented on how it reminded me of The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants, except that we each had our own tee and they didn’t travel all that much except for in and around Hamilton. Since we parted ways in September though, with Carly at grad school in Kingston and me here in Tanzania, this shirt has definitely become a travelling shirt of sorts. It found its way to the beautiful island of Zanzibar where the group of us YCI volunteers met up for a weekend of fun in the sun! I proudly sported my lime (often mistaken for mint, so in order to reconcile any differences, it’s been decided that I am a lime mojito) I Heart Hamilton shirt one morning at breakfast. This attracted looks of curiousity from some of my fellow YCIers who weren’t aware of IHHT, leading me to hand out business cards (always prepared!) as I explained the story behind the tour to my new friends, all of whom have been promised the statuses of Honourary Tour Members whenever they drop by Hamilton and hang with me and my tour buddies.
One afternoon, Nicole and I hiked Mount Meru (one third of it, anyway) with some new marafiki (friends) to some stunning waterfalls. The hike was somewhat reminiscient of the Stoney Creek Day hike, the last group tour stop of the summer. There were moments where I’d be sliding down a muddy hill and walking through streams, getting my hike on and imagined what it would be like with the four of us. Seeing that Hamilton is the waterfall capital of the world, it was quite fitting to visit a waterfall whilst in Arusha and in a mountain, no less.
Every day during my walk to and from work, I get to see this beautiful mountain standing proudly amidst the trees and clouds and am reminded that no matter how much things change in life, there are some things that will stay the same, people who will always be there, and like a mountain be there through it all, weathering through the good and bad times.
Standing in front of Mount Meru
I would like to say asante sana (thank you very much) to everyone who has supported me on this journey thus far, especially my tour buddies who have been updating me on the latest in good old Hamilton. I couldn’t have done it without you.
Kwaheri (goodbye) for now, everyone!
xoxo Avi
