Point & C A P T U R E

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-23T15:46:00.001-05:00

2010-12-08T23:03:00.001-05:00

Along the Kilimanjaro Trail

2010-11-19T19:39:00.000-05:00

End of a Work Day

2010-11-14T21:31:00.003-05:00

Tilonia, Rajasthan, India

Peruvian Cow

2010-11-13T23:04:00.002-05:00

One day as I was exploring the alleys of Cusco, Peru I passed a house with its doors slightly open. The only reason the space between the doors caught my eyes was because of this cow staring straight out with this look of evil. Of course I had to whip out the camera and capture the moment. It's been six years so I'm doubting this cow is alive. RIP Peruvian Cow!

2010-11-11T18:51:00.000-05:00

2010-11-10T20:27:00.000-05:00

Fuzzy Wuzzy

2010-11-08T00:16:00.005-05:00

long road ahead

2010-11-04T21:25:00.001-04:00

As the sun sets in Texas.

2010-10-29T23:18:00.001-04:00

London 2004

2010-10-28T19:46:00.004-04:00

Been a long time

2010-08-15T23:09:00.005-04:00

So I lapsed on the blog writing. I stopped writing because I accumulated so many topics to write about that it became a bit overwhelming and then I just ended up not writing anything. Since my last real post I left Tanzania, finished my thesis, graduated, had a little heart break, went to India for a month, moved back to Texas (hopefully temporarily), and am now filling my days playing housekeeper and front desk clerk at my parent's hotel. I've also been planning my brother's wedding...I can check off wedding planning on my list of possible careers, NEVER will I do it! A good thing about being home is that I have found time to discover the ever wonderful, happy inducing Glee!

Right now I'm searching for a job, which is proving to be a frustrating process. I find myself thinking more about starting my own project than looking for a job, which is obviously not going to get me anywhere because without a job I have no capital!

Otherwise my life is at a bit of a standstill. I want to move to D.C. or NY but haven't built up the courage to move without even a job lead. So for the moment I feel very unsettled, in between what I've experienced and what is to come. Perhaps I'm supposed to use this time to process and understand, which is what I will try to use this space for. I'm also hoping this little unread blog of mine will help me push myself out of this rut before I become a fat couch potato blob.

So Linus (above) and Charlie (below) are keeping me sane while I'm home.

2010-07-03T13:57:00.001-04:00

oooppps

1 month from today...

2010-02-22T01:25:00.003-05:00

www.presidenterestaurant.com

In exactly one month I shall be boarding a plane and making the long journey back to good ole' Texas. Though I shall be sad to leave certain things and people that I've come to love, I can't help but be excited, primarily at the thought of all the food I shall eat when I arrive. My list, in no particular order...

1. MEXICAN

2. sushi

3. mother's home cooking

4. more of mother's home cooking

5. MEXICAN

6. MEXICAN

7. this new fusion place my brother goes on about.

8. MEXICAN

9. MEXICAN

10. and more MEXICAN

holy shits I can taste it now! (when I say mexican I really mean tex-mex, mmmmm)

Thandiswa

2010-02-17T07:10:00.004-05:00

www.thenewblackmagazine.com/view.aspx?index=205

www.mio.co.za/article/thandiswa-mazwai-unveils-new-project-2009-02-11

Another one of my favorites from Sauti Za Busara...Thandiswa.

Thandiswa is a South African artist with what I think is a beautiful voice. Get background information here and read a review of her music here.

Check out her music here

(yes I'm linking multiple sites, but its the quickest way to share info. right now without trying to think up something to write...no time...im in handover mode!)

Mzungu Kichaa

2010-02-16T02:59:00.004-05:00

One of the groups at Sauti that I liked and found a bit unusual was Mzungu Kichaa literally translating as "the crazy white man". Mzungu is the term given to foreigners in Tanzania, you often hear it being shouted out in a negative way. Luckily, since I look like I belong here, I don't get it. My friend's Swahili teacher said that it literally means someone who is walking around aimlessly.

Mzungu Kichaa is a Danish man that sings in perfect Swahili. His music is a blend of reggae and hip/hop and is liked by nationals and foreigners. Check out his music here His cd is on sell on i-tunes as well. Enjoy!

Here's a bit of his bio as written on his myspace page...

"Although Mzungu Kichaa originally hails from Denmark, he is one of the pioneers of East African bongo flava. His mission is to open the European market to East African music, with a foot in both Africa and the west Mzungu Kichaa is able to transcend barriers, build a bridge between cultures and reinforce the concept of music as a universal language.

In 2001, Mzungu Kichaa topped the East African charts with 'Mambo ya pwani', one of the first songs to take traditional Tanzanian music and fuse it with hip-hop...."

Sauti cover up

2010-02-15T07:49:00.003-05:00

Back from the friendliest music festival, Sauti Za Busara. It was a great experience. The music was fantastic with beautiful, sultry voices, crazy drum beats, and guitar stringing. It was packed with foreigners, expats, the local Zanzibari community, folks from the mainland, and of course my office. There was some dancing, not as much as I expected, a lot of illegal drug usage, more than what I expected, and some down right dirtiness. I was impressed and saddened by the amount of fuel this festival consumed. Zanzibar has been without power since December with no hope of it returning before March. The island has been consumed by the noise of the generators, the smell of petrol, and just down right uncomfortableness for months on end.

What shocked me most is the way many people, especially women, were dressed. When folks think of Zanzibar as a fun island getaway with lazy days on the beach. This is true, but only on the private beaches. It is not an island where you can walk around in your bikini with a skimpy cover up, not an island where you your cleavage is everywhere, your shoulders are bare, and your legs exposed. Zanzibar is 95% and therefore, to respect the community one must cover up. Nobody is telling anyone to wear a hijab, just don't expose skin that doesn't need to be exposed. The website for the music festival had warnings on what not to wear, all the guide books mention it, and its pretty much common sense to respect the community you're in. Unfortunately, that was not the case here.

I didn't take my slr because I didn't want to lug it around so, I didn't get many good shots. Here's a few to give an idea of the fest.

He was trying to teach her how to shake her shoulders.

stoned Israelis

One of the skimpiest dressed girls who also enjoyed dancing in front of everyone near the stage.

morning or motion sickness?

2010-02-12T04:33:00.002-05:00

Yesterday after work I went to the friendly neighborhood pharmacy to get motion sickness meds. There are 2 near my house. The one I've gone to in the past was full of people and the other was empty. So I regrettably went to the empty one. I told the lady I needed motion sickness medicine. She looked a bit confused so I said I'm going to be on a boat and I swayed back and forth to imitate some sort of rocking boat. She spouted out some long mumbo jumbo name and I said sure that one. I paid the equivalent of a buck and walked out. I took it this morning 7hrs before though, not 12 hrs before like she said .

This morning I had a meeting. Hour one I was fine, hour two started feeling iffy, hour three I damn near just put my head down on the table for a nap.

I came back to my office and googled the name of the med. Its for pregnant women to combat morning sickness! Grant it the symptoms are the same, but this shit is high dose. Maybe she thought I said morning not motion sickness. Or maybe my weight gain makes me look pregnant! After some more research I've learned this same medicine was being prescribed in the 80s and resulted in babies being born with short arms and legs. Ahhhh my poor non-existent baby! hahaha They say the meds have improved and its still being prescribed though many mothers-to-be would rather just live with their heads in the toilet, SHOCKER! hahaha

I'm sure the drowsiness will pass. But now what about the numbing of my hands...humph!

Sauti Za Busara

2010-02-11T06:43:00.004-05:00

I'm going to this festival this weekend!!!!!!!

For the last 7 years Zanzibar has hosted the Sauti Za Busara (Sounds of Wisdom) Music Festival within the walls of the old fort in Stonetown. Its been coined the "friendliest festival on planet earth". There will be taarab drums, hiphop, poetry and so much more from Zanzibar, Mainland Tanzania, Ethiopia, Kenya, Senegal, The Gambia, Uganda, DRC, South Africa, and some Euro-African groups. And to my delight selling of jewelry, clothes, shoes, and other handmade, beautiful wearable art!

I'm so excited! Leaving Friday by ferry to Zanzibar. All I need is that sea sickness medicine... Last time I was on a ferry I spent the entire ride with my head in the toilet. : )

Development???

2010-02-08T23:56:00.007-05:00

Last week I went on my first UN mission as the gender expert for a joint program on wealth creation and economic empowerment. I was basically the annoying one who always asks, "What about the women?" "Can we hear a woman talk?" "Where are the women!?!?!" and then some. It was a very rural, very beautiful region on the border of Mozambique. We had our convoy of white Land Cruisers speeding past curious communities at 130km on unpaved roads with our high frequency radio antennas flying in the air. I learned a lot and I'm questioning the existence of development even more. My two biggest observations...

1- The UN has its role in the world and implementing projects is not one of them. A development practitioner cannot implement agriculture programs while sitting in his or her air conditioned office in the mega city of Dar es Salaam. If I had a project fail stamp, it would have been plastered all over everything. Cassava processing plants in an area where cassava doesn't grow, cashew processing plants that exploit women's labor and permanently damages their hands, importing chickens from Europe because they are supposed to be superior to local breeds (ummm sounds like colonialism chicken style), giving power tillers to farmers who don't have a license to drive them nor can they afford the petrol, building a sesame processing plant only to have it put to a stop because the location is not good, youth platforms that are pointless, tons of workshops and capacity building for the government only to have them transferred immediately after, etc. etc. etc. The UN is good at policy and working with national governments. They should stick to that instead of wasting millions of dollars on projects that don't work. The good thing is everyone on our mission agrees and told me that the UN is slowly moving in this direction. My only request is let's stop strolling over there and start running.

2- Tanzania is aid dependent. Not everyone, but at least the parts of Mtwara region I saw. I couldn't help but compare my experiences of visiting communities in India and visiting communities here. I will say in India I was with an NGO and here with the UN which definitely influences the community's reaction, BUT I've never encountered communities that stare blankly at you when you arrive and always always say "We need more money." There is little intiative to take ownership and to contribute to projects. The women I met usually walked around with haughty attitudes and the children looked absolutely miserable. They didn't find imaginative things to play with, they weren't running up to us, there was very little curiosity displayed. My theory is they are jaded by seeing development workers and would rather get straight to the point and ask for more money. There should be a time limit to giving development assistance, but who sets that limit and how is it enforced? Development workers should work harder to development community driven, managed, and owned projects. I think that's the best way to prevent dependence, but that would put development workers out of work (which I still hold is the goal, but obviously we all watch our back first, but in this case at the expense of others). I have so many more thoughts about this...will try to continue to process and share.

Though many mistakes have been made, I'm sure everyone will find a way to make the few positives seem like amazing feats, while the mistakes are a work in progress. After all nobody wants to lose their job. Why do we do this thing called development? It's full of greedy pigs. Just finished reading Lords of Poverty...also contributing to such depressing development thoughts. Perhaps I should just go and take photos and forget all this. Speaking of photos...captures from the trip

2010-01-26T01:39:00.002-05:00

I haven't blogged in a while...too much going on and not enough time to process and put into words...hope to return soon!

my ugly American side rears its head

2010-01-14T05:21:00.000-05:00

Since I've come to Tanzania my boss has periodically thrown the phrases 'Don't be so American' or 'You're too American' at me. After the latest 'Don't be so American' that I got today, I decided to make the following list of instances when my boss has pointed out my ugly American side.

1. When I first approached her about selling my photos to HQ: "Don't be such a American, capitalist pig!" She then realized I was selling personal photos not photos taken under my contract. Though she didn't retract her statement. hehehe

2. The most common instance of "Don't be so American" is when I complain how slow things are moving.

3. "Efficiency is American. This is Africa. If you want American efficiency in African, go work at the American fort (the embassy and USAID, yes it really does look like a fort)" When I go off on my 'this bloody country and everyone working in this organization is so inefficient' tantrum.

4. "You work too much. Remember you're not in America" Cause we are work-alcoholics.

5. When I'm always on time to meetings or when I start to fret when I'm late "Relax, this is not America. Things do not start on time."

I remembered another one this morning (Tuesday)

6. Whenever my colleague, who has decided to move into my office, goes on and on about all the work she has to do, I one, either ignore her cries of pain or two, I tell her maybe she should start working on one of those many things. So when my boss came up to our office for a chat, my 'woe is me' colleague complained to her that I don't say anything when she goes on and on. I looked at her and said "what do you want me to say." Then my boss tells me "Don't be so mean like those Americans. We don't want to hear the truth, what we already know. We want to hear you say 'oh pole' (roughly translated as poor you)" Nope not me, I don't sugar coat lady and that's not necessarily American, that's just me. : )

Got another one yesterday

7. My boss trying to pass between two chairs during a meeting: "I can't fit. I'm too fat." Me (laughing) Boss: "I knew you would laugh. You're a cruel American." hahaha

2010-01-08T01:39:00.002-05:00

Job searching sucks $%!

Will the real UN please stand up?

2010-01-06T06:47:00.003-05:00

An anonymous UN employee

"We are not missionaries! This is political, personal and driven by greed."

I further learned during this 3 hr meeting the European backstabbing efforts to drive out American aid in Tanzania. Boxing match, Americans in one corner, Europeans in the other...ready, set, FIGHT! Whose cheering them on? Certainly not the poorest of the poor who suffer the greatest from these geo-political battles because in the end the poor watch the money that is supposed to improve their livliehoods line the pockets of the fighters and this is not chump change folks...money is pushed by the thousands, millions . *sigh* this is the business of development at its highest and most corrupt level...absolutely disappointing, but sadly not surprising.

Lastly, got into a nasty argument with a colleague over why I'm pushing for community participation and approval of the solar project. I want focus group discussions and I want them to own the project. Then I busted out with "This is why so many UN projects fail!" Then she didn't say anything and I probably will get my head chopped off now. At least Prof. Howard would be proud...

Barefoot Solar Engineers in Tanzania

2010-01-05T02:41:00.003-05:00

I met Bunker, director of Barefoot, my mentor, and sort of acts like a caring grandpa, 2 weeks ago in Dar. He was here meeting with a local University, which is now a UNIFEM partner (thanks to me, toot tooting my horn) and they have selected 4 more women to be trained in solar electrification in India. If you know me then you know how much I love Barefoot and believe in the Barefoot approach. So of course I jumped at the opporutnity to get UNIFEM involved with the already trained Barefoot solar engineers who returned in March 2009. These women are featured on the front page (!!!) of todays The Guardian newpaper. Bunker also wrote an editorial, which I can't find the link to online, but as a summary money wasted in multi-lateral and bi-lateral institutions could be better spent, such as bringing light to Africa's rural poor thus, increasing household income, combating climate change, improving women's health, elevating women's status in society, and an overall improvement in the quality of life of those who suffer because of the mistakes of the rich. I could go on and on, but the article sums up the idea of the project. We are now working to get the Meatu women connected with an extremely impovershed area to train more women.

I knew Bunker was writing this article because he told me to keep an eye out for it. Then this morning we had a chat, which really made me laugh. I've left out what he's referring to because thats too personal for the blog world, but...

me: got the paper...its on the front page. will save you a copy

B: There is something inside as well on the Opinion Page...so the Editor said I have found a (blank) for you. (more blank)

me: what (blank) is this?

B: Patience.

me: i have no patience

B: Then go for a meditation course

me: funny

2010-01-04T00:22:00.002-05:00

"I don't want to play frogger with my life!"

I find myself saying this everyday to and from work when trying to cross the busy streets. I see some people cross in and out of traffic like that little frog in the old school arcade game and then I say the above to myself and wait for the walk sign. Often people stare at me and I feel they are laughing at me on the inside...oh well at least I'm still in one piece!

ooo me likey

2010-01-01T11:59:00.001-05:00

Will someone buy me this dress, please with a cherry on top : ) hehehe...love the mix of patterns.

my 2009 in review

2009-12-30T13:52:00.006-05:00

2009: survived the boston winter; had a fabulous, sexy haircut; went a week without showering; brought a guy home to my parents; moved to tanzania; cough cough; became great friends with lier; saw lion king live; had a crazy, bad fight with mother; made up with mother and became closer; unburdened myself from past secrets; became great friends with tamika; broke up, got back together, and broke up again with the same guy; went to vegas; ate fried chicken, mmm; started the year with a kiss; bought blue mac eye shadow; went to nyc!; bought orange shoes; bought purple shoes; went to navajo nation; slept in serengeti; became a gbv expert; fell in love; got into more debt; went to big bend; fell deeper in love with texas; been on tanzanian television; been in tanzanian newspapers; saw hippos; bought a great bcbg dress on sale!; took great photos; in the end became more comfortable with myself; someone made me heart shaped cookies; gained weight (really i did); made a nasty cheesecake; got the flu; had a birthday surprise; saw the sun rise; sold my car; danced with maasai women; ate cheesy enchiladas; saw the sun set; didn't make it to india; ate a ton of free heller pizza; learned to scavenge for free food at heller; left boston; went to houston; went to cape cod; had an in and out burger, delicious; got a job offer; started a solar project in tanzania; started a blog; saw dear bunker; had my heart broken; became even more critical of others and myself (new years resolution CUT DOWN on the nasty virgo trait); fell in love with being a virgo; got a permit without paying a bribe!; drank alot of water (and other substances); went to oklahoma; deepened my friendship with maggie; gave presentations on vaw; continued my great friendships with bhavik and monica; spoke up to my advisor; got a practicum; ate jerk chicken, mmm; lost myself; had fun; laughed; cried; fell more in love with me : )

Happy New Year Friends! I hope 2010 brings a job, money and love, but if nothing else at least it'll be an adventure! : )

look up at the sky tomorrow...it'll be a full moon

(i cheat, the fireworks are from 4th of july, hehehe)

I'm no Baby!

2009-12-30T01:15:00.004-05:00

No malaria! WOOHOO! This is the second time I've gotten tested at the hospital right next to the labor and delivery room. This time the outpatient room was packed! I'm quite proud of myself for navigating the medical system alone. So no malaria means I have a cold/flu. But after sleeping all day yesterday and all last night, I broke my fever so I'm on my way to recovery! I haven't been able to sleep the past few days, but last night learned the trick....hugging a pillow, hehehe.

Other than a pounding headache, I'm feeling better today and I'm gonna work on my thesis since I've been asked not to come to work and infect everyone. Oh yeah the title refers to my response to my brother. Whenever I get sick he tells me to stop being a baby cause I tend to get a little dramatic and go on and on about how I'm going to die...hehe

Reflection of 2009 to come soon...

Trip of a Lifetime

2009-12-28T01:24:00.007-05:00

sunrise over the crater

I've experienced SO MUCH in the last few weeks that I don't know where to begin sharing. My mom was here for just under 2 weeks. I took her around in Dar, she came to the UNIFEM office and met my bosses, then we went to Moshi and did a day hike in Kilimanjaro National Park, followed by a trip to Arusha then off to Manyara National Park (we decided this was the best park out of the 3 we visited), followed by 2 nights in Serengeti, 2 nights in Ngorongoro Conservation Area and lastly ended with 3 days on the island of Zanzibar (will blog about later). We went to all the typical tourist hot spots, but I was surprised because it didn't feel touristy most of the time, except in Ngorongoro crater.

I experienced amazing eco-friendly tents and lodges, saw an amazing array of wildlife, went to a local spice farm in Zanzibar, and met a Masaai family who invited us into their hut. The best moment was watching the sunset with a glass of wine from our tent, overlooking the wildebeest migration with background music provided by hippos. The wildebeest migration was breathtaking. Endless plains filled with wildebeest and zebra. I quickly learned that this annual phenomenon is one of nature's remaining wonders. I didn't see a kill or a birth but this site quickly made up for it. I'm still amazed how they just know when to start moving and where to move towards to get water. The beauty of nature.

I also saw a just born Thomson Gazelle running around in circles, lions eyeing zebras but never making the kill, beautiful birds, the endangered (and highly protected) black rhinos, giraffes, monkeys, baboons, hyenas, and so much more. I've decided that zebras are the most photogenic animals and lions are lazy and rather boring : )

Though the lodges and tents blended in with the environment, allowed animals to pass by without any harm, and ran primarily on solar, I still couldn't help but feel a little negative about seeing the number of jeeps running around the lands. The animals are used to seeing them, but still ran away when a jeep came, EXCEPT in Ngorongoro where they are so used to seeing jeeps they don't move when one tries to pass. Ngorongoro remains a conservation area not a national park meaning Masaai families can build their huts and graze their cattle within the area and sadly in moments of danger wildlife are often killed by the Masaai. Scientists are trying to ban Masaais from grazing their cattle alongside the wildlife because of the obvious risks of spreading diseases from domesticated animals. We learned from our guide that they would eventually like to turn Ngorongoro into a National Park allowing for more conservation and protection. But like always, politics rears its ugly head and the politicians don't want to loose their votes and thus, continue to allow Masaai pastoralists to occupy the land.

All and all it was a trip of lifetime and highly recommended. Here are my top 5 shots of the wild life.

Back!

2009-12-24T02:02:00.003-05:00

I'm back in Dar and would love to have another vacay to recover from my official vacay. Boy I'm beat. I've got over 900 photos, yes I'm crazy. I will slowly recount my travels and share some photos, but it will take some time. I've got to work on that damn thesis too! ahhhhhhhh In the meantime here are some photos that I love from the day hike up Kilimanjaro. My favorite part was my mother claiming the hike was not a vacation but work and she was gonna die going up the mountain...hehehe she did make it after some pushing. : ) I loved the way the light was illuminating nature...had tons of fun taking photos. Happy Holidays!

The day is shaping up nicely!

2009-12-08T03:51:00.003-05:00

I GOT MY PERMIT WITHOUT PAYING A SINGLE BRIBE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I played clean and won a 3 month battle with immigration and even got them to admit they made a mistake. *phew* now I can breathe.

Am rushing off to the aiport to attend a summit with VAW survivors, will be moving to say the least.

THEN

A 2 week vacay with my mom. I'm really fortunate to have her come here. I'll be back near Christmas with photos of hippos, giraffes, lions, zebra, birds of all kinds and so much more (at least I hope).

AND

I got positive feedback on my latest thesis submission. "rich conclusions" hehehe Things are looking brighter, for the moment. Knock on wood.

Peace out everyone!

Youth Say NO!

2009-12-03T03:37:00.005-05:00

I'm too lazy to write much about the latest 16 days event I attended on Sunday. It was a concert targeting youth involvment in eradicating violence against women. It was hosted by the United Nations Association, remember those Model UN clubs back in high school, those guys. I never once thought about joining Model UN and now look where I'm sitting. hehe It was right on the public beach, over 1000 signatures were collected, Obama was present on more than 1 shirt, there was singing by popular local artists, and dances from International Youth Fellowship. They even did a number for Jingle Bell Rock, santa hat and all. Oh and a wodnerful play depicting violence in a bf/gf relationship. All and all a great time. Here are some captures...

OBAMA!

Thats my field advisor dancing!

Christmas on the Beach...and yes thats Nicole Kidman.

2009-12-02T08:30:00.000-05:00

HeHeHeHeHe : )

zzzzzzzzZZZZZZZZ

2009-12-01T07:41:00.004-05:00

Feeling sleepy...rather would be playing like these guys (or watching is more like it...I failed miserably during the one season I tried to play when I was 10)

6 am at the fish market

2009-11-30T02:42:00.003-05:00

So I managed to secure a bodyguard to go with me to the fish market early in the morning. I wanted to take some shots and since its such a sketchy area, I was sure to get harassed and possibly loose my precious baby, my SLR. So I found a friend, local Indian guy who said he would go with me. He then had to enlist bodyguard number 2 to watch the car.

The market was packed early in the morning with men and women waiting for their boats to arrive with their catch. Fishes were being chopped up, heads in one pile, tails in another. So many people. Here are some shots from the photo trip.

Sausage dog

2009-11-29T12:44:00.004-05:00

Whenever there is a meeting here I'm told to not eat a heavy breakfast or lunch depending on the time of the meeting because.....

of these "sausages". They love it here. Does anyone else just see a hot dog missing its bun??? Definitely not the type of sausage I was expecting. I don't get it and I kind of find it gross.

16 Days of Activism Launch

2009-11-26T03:43:00.005-05:00

November 25th was the launch of the 16 days of Activism against Violence against Women coinciding with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (VAW). Basically, the days are dedicated to advocacy with the aim of creating actions towards eliminating VAW. It's also the fruits of my labor from the last 2 months.

so many plastic water bottles...

The launch was held in the public grounds where it was HOT! The Prime Minister was the guest of honor and speeches from development agencies and NGOs were given. The best, from what I hear since I couldn't understand a word or hear from the table I was manning in the back, came from a survivor of violence who is staying in Dar's only women's shelter. The best for me was the march into the grounds where students, activists, men and women marched into the ground after trekking through the city carrying signs to end VAW and corruption that prevents justice from being served.

I got some great photos and got 230 people to sign up to UNIFEM's Say NO-UNiTE campaign. It was hectic and a success if numbers are all one looks at. One student summed up my feelings the best "So what happens after I sign this campaign? What's the point?" What's the point indeed? I mean yes awareness is raised, people start talking (at least for the moment), the word is spread, etc...but what is the point of all this advocacy, where thousands of dollars are spent, if it doesn't result in concrete actions? I was saddened to see the grounds after the event, littered with all the information the NGOs and we were handing out and everyone was eager to get. I've noticed that so many people are attracted to the colored books, but only a handful actually read it and out of that a random few take it to heart. Often all these efforts seem pointless...

good effort, good effort clap clap ha!

2009-11-22T11:28:00.003-05:00

It's now 7:30pm and I cant say YAY! about the lit review progress. I went out for lunch and had a walk around the city with a friend instead, then I took a nap and further procrastinated with evil facebook : ) I'm still at my five pages that I had this morning and haven't cracked the other things advisor person wants. humph...OH WELL!

Mvuli and Thesis= my Sunday

2009-11-22T04:02:00.003-05:00

The short rains, mvuli, started in Dar es Salaam in October, but disappeared after a few blissful days of rain and cooler weather and this week they came back! The lady in the drawing, her dreams are slowly coming true (if climate change doesn't interfere again).

Its a good day to work on my thesis especially after receiving an email from my academic advisor, advising me to consider postponing graduation to August. I asked for one bloody extension and I'm still ahead of the official deadlines...WTF! Grrr....her freaking out is freaking me out. She hopes I'm working on it every evening and every weekend. Yeah right...though her email is an exaggeration of the actual situation, it is a wake-up call. I need to get my act together. Though its a bit hard when now she's asking me to give her my table of contents, draft abstract, and draft conclusions on top of the literature review that she wanted a week ago. *sigh* Thing is I know what I want to write, but it's all disorganized in my head. I'll post at the end of the day, hopefully with a big YAY! because I finished the lit review or at least the list of other crazy things needed. Fingers crossed!

The Daily News and Me

2009-11-20T06:09:00.002-05:00

http://www.dailynews.co.tz/home/?n=5464

Check it out. I was quoted in the papers. Though the journalist didn't use my fake title and didn't mention who I work for...bad journalism, but my boss is THRILLED! At least I did something right : )

I <3 TX

2009-11-20T04:31:00.008-05:00

Yes that's right, I'm missing Texas. You know that state with the funny Governor that wants Texans to secede the Union, the state that claims 'Everything is bigger in Texas' and of course the home of those two whacky Bush fellows. Oh and how can I forget, the state where apparently everyone is a cowboy or cowgirl. Yes its true, we ride horses instead of drive cars. Silly folks.

AND I also miss my pup who has a loose tooth and is going to the dentist today :*(

A funeral

2009-11-19T08:57:00.005-05:00

I went to my first funeral today and it was an African one. I don't know the man who passed away. He was my colleague's brother. In traditional Tanzanian fashion, money was collected from all of us yesterday to help the family with the expenses of a funeral. The burial is tomorrow in their hometown of Moshi. Today was an opportunity for people to pay their respects. We arrived in the afternoon in a UNDP mini bus. All of us at UNIFEM went to show our support to Salome. It felt like we were together, part of this work family, it was a nice feeling. Women had dress codes, to wrap a kanga around your waist, and the men had none, quite different from the all white attire in Hinduism. There were at least a 100 people if not more. I couldn't understand anything being said, but I didn't need a translator to understand the raw emotions being expressed. Women wailed at the site of the open casket and men shook from crying so hard. I could tell this man was loved tremendously. I too stood in line and paid my respects and saw, for the first time, a dead body. I gave Salome a big hug and said nothing, I had no words, I myself was on the brink of shedding tears from hearing all those women breaking down. One woman fainted and was lucky that a WHO doctor was there to attend to her. After 2 hours of praying and hearing a beautiful choir, the ceremony was over and people stood in line for food. Since we all had had lunch we said our good byes to Salome at which point she insisted on giving last minute work instructions while shes away. : ) Oh and she really wanted me to meet her nephew cause he's doing an internship in India. He had just flown in last night from Pune where a dear friend of mine is right now. It's a small world.

I can't really compare a Tanzanian funeral to say an American or Indian one because I've never been, but all in all it was a sad event even for someone like me who didn't know him. He was taken after 8 years of battling HIV. The family knew it was coming, but that doesn't make it any easier.

May he rest in peace.

"VAW Specialist"

2009-11-18T07:06:00.002-05:00

So I gave another presentation at a workshop for Tanzania Media Houses on the importance of involving men in eradicating violence against women (VAW). The presentation went well and discussions were had on the role of the media, yeah yeah yeah... That was important, but what had me leaving freaked out was the fact that so many of these journalists were asking me my title. The first someone asked I just blurted out "VAW Specialist" cause I couldn't very well say intern. That was fine until I was formally interviewed by the Daily News paper and now my fake title will be in print. I came back to the office and turns out freaked out for nothing. My field advisor said I am a VAW specialist : ) Made me feel a bit more confident and qualified. hehehe

Tomorrow I'm going to my first funeral ever and its an African one. My colleague, who I went to the judges training with, lost her brother to HIV. I'll keep you posted on what its like.

2009-11-17T10:33:00.003-05:00

I saw an Indian woman on the dala dala today...I take back my statement that Indians don't ride dala dalas. She proved me wrong!

2009-11-16T05:56:00.002-05:00

I wish I only had to do the work I've been assigned at UNIFEM or I only had to do my thesis. I can't seem to do both. I missed my lit review deadline and I don't see any chance of getting it done until after Christmas. I'm overwhelmed : (

Say NO- UNiTE

2009-11-14T14:33:00.005-05:00

The judges and my collegue : )

Judges and Magistrates

Committing to UNIFEM's and the Secretary General's Say NO- UNiTE to End Violence Against Women Campaign

I don't think one can ever find their papers once they get filed in this mess.

A room where cases are heard.

The start of the 16 days of activism against violence against women is coming upon us from Novemeber 25 to December 10th. Since I arrived in Dar all my work has been towards planning these 16 days. We are supporting 8 organizations and the Ministry of Community Development, Gender, and Children. Two events have happened outside of the 16 days time frame, but are still contributing to the international days of activism. The first I posted about here and the second was this past week in Kigoma, a small city on the shores of Lake Tangayika. In the distance I could see the hills of the Congo or was it Burundi. : ) After travling with high court judges and getting VIP treatment at the airports, we arrived on Monday to a nice hotel right on the shores of the lake.

The view from my room.

Judges and magistrates from Dar es Salaam, Kigoma, Tabora, and Mwanza arrived to participate in a training on the international and regional laws that Tanzania is a party to. Focus was on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and on the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). There are so many treaties and laws that Tanzania has signed on to, but very few are actually upheld in the courts. So the training was specifically on violence against women and inheritance laws and how to look at cases from a gender lens. It was an interesting experience to see how judges operate. Every minute was accounted for and the only color in the room came from myself and my collegue, everyone else was wearing grey and black suits. House rules were set before anything else and all decisions were made based on consensus. Though there were some light moments here and there about desperately wanting to go to Gombe National Park. I mean there isn't much to say about the week. Everyday from 8 to 5 the judges went through case studies and did role plays, at times I felt like I was in a real court room. There was a lot of talk and committments made, but let us see what actions actually result. Oh but there is a case that one of the magistrates is trying. She told me that she's working on a case of an 11 year old girl who was forced to have sex with a dog and the perpetrator is a Dutch man who was making a porno. Sick!

Despite hearing horrendous stories like that, all and all it was a great week and I feel rejuventated. A trip out of Dar was exactly what I needed. Can't wait for the next one.

A typical house

Kids outside the David Livingstone museum.

Every morning snails were everywhere!

AND BATS!

another year passes

2009-11-11T13:50:00.004-05:00

A writing of some sort, doesn't fit the structure of any poem. My mind wondered on a 'special' day for me during a gender training for Tanzania's judges and magistrates. (A post will surely follow)

five years ago today

the world turned upside down, literally

he drove the bus like a race car driver

she wishes she knew his name

the curve came

they found themselves

all of them full of dreams

facing the ground

covered in shatterd glass

silence ensued

dust fell

then the screams

cries of pain

the blood

covered in blood

the bits of flesh

mixed with rock and pebble

but all survived

40 lives changed forever

she wonders if the driver thinks today

of that fateful day 5 years ago

she sure as hell does

Dare 2 Dream

2009-11-08T09:03:00.005-05:00

This weekend I attended my first conference in Tanzania called Dare 2 Dream. It was an inspiring 1 1/2 day conference about mentoring, not giving up, not listening to anyone who tells you "You can't do that because you're a girl", about believing in your self, health and beauty, and of course I threw in a talk about violence in the work place, just to chipper things up a bit : ) It was attended by 200 young aspiring African women and elder successful African women. The contrast between the views of the young and elder women was evident from the talks. The elder women, who are taking on the role of a mentor for the younger women, were married young and strongly dislike men. On the other hand, the younger women were looking for a way to be a feminist without hating men. In a way it was proof that social change had taken place and we had gone from one extreme to another in the past and were now finally reaching a middle ground.

I also met local designer Doreen Mashika Funny enough I had emailed Doreen last week to see if she would be at fashion week since I love what I have seen of her stuff so far (think modern African chic). She emailed me back and said she wouldn't be there but I was welcome to her shop anytime in Zanzibar. I guess the universe liked me this weekend because she happened to be at the conference in this fabulous mix kanga print dress she designed herself. I talked to her briefly, while trying not to make it obvious that I wanted to strip her of her dress and run away with it. She told me that she would send me pictures of some of the fabrics she has and she would help me design a dress for myself. Now it would cost well over a 100 bucks, so I'm still debating on whether I'll actually do it. Man, but it would be such a unique creation better than what I was able to create on my own. We'll see...

All and all it was an interesting conference that really tried my patience at times. Nothing started on time and the speakers time was not moderated so some spoke for hours and by the time it came to be my turn to speak the audience was tired and it was already 7pm (we were supposed to be done at 5pm). The slogan of the event was 'YES we can' with a clear acknowledgement that they were taking Obama's slogan. This is the third time I've heard reference to Obama's 'YES we can'. I must say that many people here are proud of him, even sporting his face on t-shirts and kangas (I promise a picture of this will come).

The take away message from the conference: We, as women, can do anything we set our minds to. Like one man said at the conference, one of the only men, "There is a reason why computers can only do one thing at a time...they were created by men and men can only do one thing at a time" hehehe This is true, women can multi tasks quite well. One topic that remained unanswered is how women can balance there multiple roles because even with our multi tasking abilities, it can get extremely overwhelming. It was a concern raised by many of the girls, but never got a clear cut answer....I wonder this all the time.

Swahili Fashion Week

2009-11-08T08:52:00.003-05:00

SO the pictures came out pretty crappy (I stupidly didn't take the SLR), but it was a great night. I went into it with little expectations, I mean this isn't Milan, Paris or NY. Of course it started an hour late, in true African fashion and featured designers from Tanzania, Kenya, and South Africa. The MC for the night was none other than a girl that sat in my office just last month wearing her United Nations Association hat. Little did I know then that she is former Ms. Tanzania, a budding actress, and EXTREMELY well known in Dar es Salaam. I felt a little cool when she came up to me to say hi. : ) The fashions were not outlandish, they were moderate and wearable. The make up was extreme with red, shiny lipstick like the shoes Dorothy wears on her way to see the wizard. Oh and there was a full on Janet Jackson moment. I felt so bad for the model, but she kept strutting as we stared at her fuly exposed breast. Classic.

Immigration Adventures

2009-11-06T02:01:00.002-05:00

I finally got my permit...yay! NOT!!!!!! I tried to play it clean and only got a permit for 6 weeks. Now I'm playing dirty. Good God help me...

My Creations (sort of)

2009-11-06T00:46:00.007-05:00

Imagine thinner sleeves

Angel my tailor

She's so nice and I really gave her a challenge with these designs!

I finally got my dresses made. Though, not exactly how I wanted and they had to go back for a second go since the zipper on the blue one didn't work and the sleeves on the green were too wide. I got these things fixed (the picture is before they got fixed, so imagine thinner sleeves on the green dress, sorry I'm too lazy to take the picture again) The things I couldn't fix were the saying on the bottom of the blue dress that is not in the centre and a bit big on the top and the brown border on the green slants and cuts off at the corner and the lines aren't vertical but diagonal. BUT I've come to accept that these little bits make the dresses unique. I will be wearing the green one tonight to the young designers competition at Swahili Fashion Week. Can't wait!

Weekend at a beach resort

2009-11-03T00:42:00.003-05:00

I get to stay at the Kunduchi Beach Hotel and Resort this weekend (for free!!!) for a conference we're co-funding on women entrepreneurship and women's rights in the workplace. I'm sure it will be quite the extravagant fanfare with the President's wife expected. As UNIFEM representative I have to document it and write up a news brief *AND as and addition, cause I just found out, give the UNIFEM presentation and suffer through a Q&A. YIKES!*. Can't wait to blog about it!

The man on the wall

2009-11-02T06:12:00.002-05:00

I go to sleep seeing this man and wake up every morning to his face...do you see it???

Hip-Hop night

2009-11-01T09:27:00.007-05:00

A bit for Halloween: students from the previous day's hip-hop workshop

Saturday night I went to an AMAZING hip-hop show/dance. The show started with a history of hip-hop. Unfortunately, the sound was bad and parts were in Swahili, so I resorted to Wikipedia (I know this is not real research, but what is a girl to do when a lit review is looming in the horizon) to learn about hip-hop.

The music is used to express concerns of political, social, and personal issues. Hip hop arose during the 1970s when block parties became increasingly popular in New York City, especially in the Bronx. Block parties incorporated DJs who played popular genres of music, especially funk and soul music. DJs, realizing its positive reception, began isolating the percussion breaks of popular songs. This technique was then common in Jamaican dub music and had spread to New York City via the substantial Jamaican immigrant community. A major proponent of the technique was the "godfather" of hip hop, the Jamaican-born DJ Kool Herc.
Dub music had become popular in Jamaica due to the influence of American sailors and Rhythm & Blues. Large sound systems were set up to accommodate poor Jamaicans who couldn't afford to buy records and dub developed at the sound systems. DJ Kool Herc was one of the most popular DJs in the early 70’s. Due to the fact that the New York audience did not particularly like dub or reggae, Herc quickly switched to using funk, soul and disco records. Because the percussive breaks were generally short, Herc and other DJs began extending them using an audio mixer and two records. Source: Wikipedia

Tanzanian Hip Hop (thank you Wikipedia)

Hip hop culture in Tanzania began in the early to mid 1980s chiefly as an underground movement, when promoters and artists would be forced to record and copy music in makeshift studios using rudimentary equipment. Underground rap began, not in the poorer working class areas of Dar es Salaam, but in the slightly more affluent areas of the city, where there was access to the Western world through friends, family, and travel opportunities. Oddly enough, rap first caught on amongst the youth of Tanzania's 'middle class.' These were teens with some formal education, a familiarity with English and a connection in another country who could mail the music to them. Hip hop provided the perfect outlet for Tanzanian youth to voice their anger and dissatisfaction with society. These students of hip hop played an integral part in the formation of bongo flava, "through participation within a transcultural, multilingual and multiracial global hip-hop nation, combining African-American language with Swahili and local street varieties ("Kihuni")". In the 1990s, Tanzanian hip hop shifted from an underground phenomenon to commercially accepted model, and became accessible to working class youth as well.

Bongo flava is Tanzanian hip hop, with fast rhythms and rhymes in Swahili. The name “Bongo Flava” comes from the Swahili word for brains: ubongo. Bongo is the nick name of Dar es Salaam. It means that you need brains to survive there. It has evolved over time, combining elements of American rap, R&B, hip hop, with its unique Swahili twist. As much as American culture is in Tanzania the lyrics are politicized, about HIV, poverty and corruption, or about life, relationships, money, jealously and love.

Tanzanian hip hop has been seen to voice many positive messages. Music has served as an alternative to newspapers, radio, and other forms of news about social issues and conditions. Tanzanian rappers have been seen to work with government organizations and NGOs regarding social issues among youth such as AIDS awareness and drugs.

Rappers such as Sam Stigillydaa has said, "American rappers talk about crazy things- drinking, drugs, violence against women, American blacks kill blacks. I hope African rap stays African and doesn't turn crazy." Tanzanians view the United States as an aggressive country that romanticizes both violence and crime whereas Tanzania dispel such a romanticization of violence and crime.

After the brief history lesson, we witnessed the unbelievable moves of Zahrbat I never knew a body could move with such fludity, then switch to such ridgity, then black flip all over the place and end with endlessly spinning on your head. It was a mix of breakdancing, gymnastics, and contemporary dance. All I can say is wow. Following the dances, The Best Friends, Mrisho Mpoto, Professor Jay, and Fid Q raised the energy of the crown with raps on love life, and an array of social issues. With the pumped energy, the crowd gathered to dance the night away.

Below is a video of a dance off with the students and the members of Zahrbat. Sorry its a bit rather crappy but it gives you an idea. Nevermind, it won't upload : (

Raid!

2009-10-30T07:07:00.002-04:00

A common ad for Raid. I like the cartoon they use.

International Shopping Festival

2009-10-29T03:14:00.008-04:00

I guest blogged for Carribbean. Conservation. Chic. this week. Below is the copy of my post there. Enjoy!

International Shopping Festival

When I saw the posters for this event I was a bit apprehensive. I immediately thought that it must be an event of outright consumerism masquerading under a veil of promoting cultural diversity. Nonetheless, I was curious and set out on opening day to the Saba Saba grounds in the south side of Dar es Salaam, unchartered territory for me. I went with a friend by taxi after haggling with a few taxi drivers. Eventually we got the price down to a fair deal and we set off. Traffic wasn’t as bad as we were warned and we arrived to a relatively empty place. The grounds themselves are filled with various venues, like the Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya and other venues where what seemed like preparations for a wedding were taking place.

After we explored the ground a bit we paid our 1,000 shilling (.77 cents) entrance and entered a rather empty space. Stalls were up, but most of the vendors were still unloading their goods off the truck. We should have known that though the fair was officially to start at noon that day, it obviously would not be on schedule. There were a few vendors on top of their game and eager to sell their goods including socks, costume jewelry, honey combs (surprise surprise), make up, western shirts, Indian leather jutas (shoes) and a very funny vendor selling vegetable slicers with a full on demonstration on how to slice carrots, potatoes, and tomatoes (I hope for the sake of the hungry they actually use the veggies after slicing them and not just throw them out). We stopped at a vendor from Pakistan selling Kashmiri scarves, bed covers and wall hangings. It was such a nice feeling being in that stall. A cultural difference I’ve noticed here versus India is that when you go shopping here, the sellers don’t show you anything. For instance, when I went to buy my kanga (traditional fabric) I was behind the counter facing the seller and hundreds of kangas piled up, but she didn’t show me any without my having to ask. I had to point to ones in the pile and hope that it would be the one I wanted. Now India is the other extreme where the minute you look at something, the seller never leaves you alone and shows you all they have, so you never have to ask to see something. However, often times you have to tell them what you’re looking for, style, color, etc otherwise they show you want they want to sell, usually the most expensive things. Now both have their pluses and minuses. In India I would get annoyed with the constant in my face approach to selling, but here I get annoyed with the lack of help. So when we went to this vendor, it was great to see a bit of the Indian (and I assume this is a trait of most of South Asia) way of selling. After seeing many fabrics and much bargaining, my friend ended up buying a scarf from him.

A bit of South Asia in Dar

We then moved on to another vendor that was up and running, an Iranian jewelry sells man. Ahmed, the kind young man from Iran, helped us buy the earrings below. At first I didn’t like the eyeball looking beads, but then it started to grow on me. It was interesting to see a couple of African men in suits buying rings with giant stones and I couldn’t help but wonder if they were planning on re-selling them. They didn’t spend much time picking and trying different rings the way someone would if they were buying it for themselves. Who knows maybe I’ll see the rings again somewhere in Dar.

Ahmed

My earrings

The fair is hosting vendors from India, Pakistan, Iran, Malaysia, China, Syria, Oman, Turkey, Egypt, Kenya, and Tanzania for the next 10 days. I was expecting more handicrafts, but I suspect most of the goods coming in were made in China (no offense!). A trend I noticed was that almost all the vendors were men, of course who would send women to Tanzania for 10 days to sell merchandise and most of these men were of South Asian descent. Despite the questionable quality of the goods being sold, it was nice to see a bit of the world and vibrancy gather in Dar es Salaam. I learned that this is an annual event. There isn’t a high demand for these goods year round so they only come once a year. I’m still fascinated by the fact that so many people are intrigued by South Asian and Middle Eastern goods. I still feel like these are the regions producing the most appealing fabrics, jewelry, bags, etc. I have yet to find attractive Tanzanian goods, but I’m still searching…there has to be something appealing that’s not South Asian here! All in all it was an interesting experience and maybe worth visiting again when all the vendors are set up.

The Scene

Leather shoes

Honeycomb

UN Day Part 2

2009-10-28T02:39:00.004-04:00

A bit overdue. Last Friday UN Day was celebrated in one of the public grounds in Dar with a flag raising ceremony, speeches by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Resident Coordinator of the UN, and the President of the United Nations Association. The best speech was by the United Nations Association. They are a non-profit organization that works to highlight and make the UN's work accessible to the communities, espcially children and youth. You might be familiar with them from their Model UN program from your high school days. They have these UN clubs in schools all around the world. Below is a poem, about the birth of the UN, recited at the ceremony by one of the members of the local UN club.

My Dream

I was born in a family, a family of many nations
I was born after my brother, the League of Nations
I was born to accomplish, where my brother ended
I was born for a purpose, for a purpose indeed

Since I was born, I have seen the best
The opposite is true; I have also seen the worst
See what I am seeing, a vision for the future
What the future might bring, it’s a work of every creature.

The world is sometimes bad, not because of bad people
But because of good people, who can’t stop the bad people
The first or the latter, which group are you in?
But before you choose, hear the dream I had then.

Hear the dream I had and see through my eyes
When the time passed, to a darker evening on bed
I lay trembling, with a bad dream in my head
It is not even a dream, it only brings tears
You still want to listen? Alright, give me your ears.

I heard the kids crying, ooh please not me
I saw the women raped, ooh god don’t let me see
I saw the people dying in the heart of Africa
I saw the people fighting in the South-East Asia
My nightmare ended and now I have a dream

Now I have a dream, a nice dream to share
A dream to end hunger, poverty and diseases
A dream to stop wars and live like brothers
Helping the women, and children together
By delivering as one, it is our mission together

By delivering as one, we shall reach our mission
I am only the path, a path to emancipation
For the past and the present, and the future generation
It’s only your contribution, without any hesitation
Will make the world better, better for every person

Otherwise it was another event that I don't feel too eager to blog about. Below are some photos from the day. I forgot my flash drive so these are all I can upload at the moment. Oops!

There was stall highlighting each of the UN's joint programs with local artist performing. The aim of the exhibition was to provide a space for learning about what the UN in Tanzania is doing.

Many local artisans came with their goods to sell.

The dala dala

2009-10-26T09:30:00.000-04:00

I learned this weekend that the term dala dala comes from dolla(r) dolla(r), which is what the conducter used to shout. It eventually transformed into dala dala. I also continued to learn that I'm nutty for riding them. Basically the dala dala is a minivan/bus costing 20 cents a ride and is filled with seats for about 20, but usually you find twice the amount of people inside. The ceilings are covered with some sort of cheap carpet recylced from someone's house or a sleezy motel and pipes are installed on the ceiling to act as a hand rail. I've only had the pleasure of having a seat twice. Though, it was almost three times, but I felt the old lady should sit instead of me, which I also learned was not a typical Tanzanian move, silly me. I'm usually squeezed in between people who smell, remember no deodarant here and its HOT, and who continuously step on my feet. Being on a dala dala is a wild ride, which often requires extensive praying while the driver weaves in and out of traffic. I'm always so grateful when I get off and am able to breath again. I got some pictures of the wild things, though none of them are the one I take, it gives an idea of the beasts that rule the streets of Dar.

A leaning dala dala.

A new, shiny dala dala. Wish mine looked and was empty as this one.

A dala dala decked out in Manchester United stickers.

Still trying to get a picture of the cramped insides. But this should give you an idea.

The 'special' mug

2009-10-26T02:57:00.006-04:00

So many pictures and events to share...UN Day Part 2, the start of the short rains and my second trip to a beach resort. Since I only have the Internet at work and I haven't transferred the pictures hopefully, by the end of the week these posts will make it to the blog. For now I want to share the occurrence of Saturday morning.

Saturday morning I went to the kitchen to make a cup of coffee. Next to the microwave is a wooden mug hanging thing where typically I find 3 white mugs with a blue stripe and 1 smaller mug with birds. Saturday morning there was only the mug with the birds. I didn't think anything of it, so I took it, filled it with milk and put it in the microwave to warm. Seconds later roomie walked in and exclaimed, "What are you doing. Oh no Payal. No no no!" I freaked thinking what the hell did I do now. She quickly turned the microwave off and told me that's the maid's mug. I looked at her and said, "Umm...ok. Is that a problem? Will she mind if I use it?" Roomie told me that the maid (Zainab) wouldn't care, but don't I. I told her it didn't bother me and she turned the microwave back on and told me "I segregated the cups". I couldn't say what I wanted, something along the lines of she's human too, I'm not going to catch some disease from drinking from the same cup, etc. Instead I made my coffee and drank from the mug with birds as she sat there watching me, thinking who knows what.

When she said segregated, it hit a nerve. Now I shouldn't be surprised, I should have expected it. I've seen it over and over with my family in India and I've made similar 'mistakes' in India. The worse being when I walked into a house using the lower caste entrance, boy was I scolded, but I continued to use that entrance anyway, my small rebellion. Given that I've gone through this before, I shouldn't have been so shocked, but I was. It took me by surprise, especially since when I first met Anar she told me Zainab is like family, shes been with the family for 21 years. I guess I was mistaken to think she would be treated like family. The divide, the segregation, the superior complex, whatever you want to call it, has traveled across the Indian ocean and rooted itself here. They replaced the lower castes with black Africans, but the mentality is still the same. One aspect of Indian culture I abhor, though I suspect it is not exclusive to India. I have no answer to how I should handle this, so I'll continue my small acts of rebellion, like going to the duka (roadside store) to buy my goods instead of sending Zainab and drinking from whatever mug is avaliable including the one with the birds (besides its a prettier mug).

By the way I hate using the word maid, but since this post is about my experience and maid is the term used here, I've decided to use it.

HaHaHaHa

2009-10-23T01:05:00.013-04:00

I received this cartoon in my email this morning. I'm sorry I can't find the source to give appropriate credit. Don't sue me! I credit this to someone very talented and funny. Enjoy!

Note: This cartoon does not express my sentiments in any way towards the UN and its work.

The U.N. Addresses a Critical Issue

UN Day Part 1- Community Service

2009-10-21T10:04:00.009-04:00

United Nations Day (UN Day) marks the birth of the UN. This year the UN celebrates its 64th anniversary on October 24th. The aim of UN Day is increase the world's awareness of the aims and achievements of the UN and to gain support for its work. As part of the commeoration here in Tanzania, the UN agencies participated in a UN Day community service activity. On October 23rd (tomorrow) we will be going for an official flag raising ceremony (a post will follow). I participated in the community service activity and have included photos of the event. I've decided to share the factual occurences of the day. It would not be so smart for me to share my opinions, negative or positive, as I still work for the UN. Those of you who know me, especially the one who got a 100% on my 'How well do you know Payal Patel' quiz, will be able to imagine how I felt.

The day unfolded like this:

This year's UN Day theme- education. All agencies were asked to participate and we were split into 3 groups to go to 3 different schools. The group I was in was taken to Ruvuma Primary School. Since I was told there was not enough room in the cars going, I had to take our agency's car with me as the sole passenger. We arrived at the school in the morning after about an hour's drive. We were greeted by a pathway lined with kids singing and dancing to welcome us. The jeeps and minivans (about 6) proceeded to inch through the welcome party surprisingly without crushing any toes along the path.

Once we exited our vehicles, we all gathered in our matching, newly made UN shirts and hats. We enjoyed the kids singing and dancing and then we shook every child's hand. They continued to sing and dance and giggled at the opportunity to shake some of our hands. Following the hand shaking and greeting we sang and danced our way back to the start of the line of children and sat down in school desks. I often heard the comment 'Sitting in these tiny desks brings back so many memories of my school days.'

The UN representative of our group then gave a brief talk on the importance of education and the UN's committment to community service. During this introductory talk, I sat in front of two UN staff members having an entirely different converstation about their personal lives. Caught between the two dialogues I was unaware that we were just given instructions on where to go. So I just followed a couple of people I knew and ended up in classroom 2. There were 3 classrooms that the UN had donated resources for repairing the concrete floors. We entered the classroom and were told to clear out the concrete that was being broken. We formed a chain and started passing chunks of concrete.

Some of us worked very hard and some of us watched.

After some point the classroom became overcrowded with people so some of us started talking/playing with the kids. Too many people and not enough work.

After about 45 minutes, with cut hands, I went in search of some water. I found the person in charge of water and he told me that he couldn't give me any because they didn't bring enough for the kids and we couldn't drink in front of the children. I said that makes sense and I turned around to see UN staff members drinking away. I understood that there were exceptions to what I just heard, but I didn't mind. So I went back to the room but decided that I was being useless and ended up taking photos of the kids.

After a few photos, I went back to the classroom to see if I could be of help, still I was useless. Then a man brought in about 6 bottles of water and handed it to one of the senior staff members. All the children immediately ran to the woman and starting jump up and down trying to grab the water from her hands. Now they were thirsty. The school had no water and the UN didn't bring enough water. She asked the students to get in a line and separated them into groups of about 6 and gave each group 1 bottle to share, while right outside the door some people had their own bottle.

Now I'm not sure exactly what this girl was doing with the water and who it was for, but...

After an hours work we were rounded up and taken to sit back in the desks. An award was given and the bags of concrete that the UN donated were brought out. That was it. We contributed an hours work and left the mess for someone else to finish. We piled back into our jeeps, drove through the line of kids singing goodbye and that was our day of community service.

At lunch that day I was talking to a colleague and asked why priority was given to the floor when the school could have been painted to enhance learning or why not get the children drinking water by perhaps building a rainwater harvesting tank. She couldn't tell me why priority was given to the floors, but did say this is how it is. There were mixed reactions after this event. One colleague said, "Sometimes I don't like to remember that I'm part of the UN." Another colleague said, "Well, I've done my contribution for the month." My reaction...

Let us see how the flag raising ceremony goes tomorrow.

Kenyan Condom Ad

2009-10-20T09:00:00.007-04:00

Saw this ad on my favorite blog on life in Dar, Louder Than Swahili
Made me laugh.

Creative Release

2009-10-20T07:16:00.003-04:00

I mentioned in a previous post that I was in search of a painting class in order to release some creative energy. I emailed the local art school and checked out the cultural groups that offer language and dance classes. However, I didn't find any classes for painting or any other art form so I went on search for paints. After not finding any on my own I asked roomie last weekend if she knew. She pointed me towards a stationary store in town. I went on Saturday and met a VERY friendly and funny Indian man. He only had barbie watercolor paints (meant for children) and poster paint. He tried to get me to buy the poster paints because he hadn't been able to sell a single box (he had 6). I told him if he ordered some brushes I would buy it. He's promised to order some and I promised to come back in 2 weeks. As I was about to leave disappointed (yet again) I saw a box of oil pastels and decided that would be my medium. I'm glad I bought them because they are so much easier to blend than paint. So I bought 2 boxes of pastels and 2 Arabic drawing books (they open from the opposite side).

Saturday evening, before my Diwali outing, I played and drew a beach scene, which I will not share (because it REALLY sucks), but it was the MOST FANTASTIC exercise. I felt so much more balanced after that one drawing. So Sunday morning I woke up eager to do more. I sat on the terrace and closed my eyes and thought of where I wished I was at that moment. Though it is an elementary drawing I am comfortable sharing what I saw:

What I pictured was a photo (which I later used for reference Yes I did cheat a little) I took when I was with a small NGO, SST, in Andhra Pradesh India. Behind the NGO was a small pond and hills. The kids from the NGO and I used to walk there in the evenings and watch the sunset. They would teach me how to skip rocks in the water and sometimes we would play badminton there. I loved sitting there watching the sky blaze like fire and transform the hills into silhouettes. It was beautiful and oh so peaceful. It is hands down one of my most favorite spots in India...Ramapuram Village, Andhra Pradesh.

Times Like These it Feels Even More Like India

2009-10-19T08:09:00.006-04:00

This is the post I would have written on Sunday if I had internet access.

My collegue and his wife were invited to a Gujarati's house for Diwali celebrations. They told them about me and the family kindly extended the invitation to me, someone they had never met. Now that's true Indian hospitality, to invite someone into your house even if you don't know them. I later learned that roomie knows this family and has spent many Diwali's at their annual function. Apparently, an incredibly well known family in Dar. I was super excited about going and having the opportunity to partake in traditional Diwali festivities. BUT the evening turned out not to be what I expected. I envisioned a traditional Diwali celebration full of laughter, sweets, and fireworks. There were fireworks being done in the city with small additional ones by the family. There were no Indian sweets, but there was a carrot cake and cupcakes. And aside from the family and myself everyone else were expats, all couples, most with kids. I felt out of place, being the youngest and also alone, but it was still nice to be out doing something rather than staying home. I loved watching the little kids chase around the family cat and cry from fear of the fireworks. The house was beautiful. Who knew behind the failing exterior was such a beautiful, rich interior wonderfuly decorated with old dark woods, candels, and rose petals floating in basins all around the house. I really appreciated being invited out and took a step towards noticing the small things.

When I got back to my place the balding roommate was asleep. I had expected him to have gone out. The next morning he non-chalantly said "This is nothing compared to the celebration in India. I've seen better, no need to see it here." Underneath all his talk I could tell he was missing home especially since this is his first time out of India. It was comforting to know I wasn't the only one feeling a bit lonely. Below are some photos from the afternoon preperations and the evening festivities.

Two of the many festively decorated shops.

Barfi, Indian sweets, from Poornima Sweet Shop.

A quick capture of the entrance to the house.

A kid with a sparkler.

Bits of the City Centre

2009-10-19T03:11:00.011-04:00

This is what I would have posted on Saturday if I had had internet access. (excuse the formatting, will deal with it later.)

In the morning I went to a stationary store and bought some oil pastels, since they didn't have paint. The shopkeeper was super friendly and was trying to sell me the only paint he did have, a bottle of poster paint, but he had no brushes. He promised me that he would order some and to come back in 2 weeks. Let's see if it happens. After the stationary store I headed over to what was supposed to be a 'Stand Up' and take action demonstration by NGOs to hold the government, bilateral and multilateral institutions accountable to their committments to the Millenium Development Goals and to the MKUKUTA, The Tanzanian National Action Plan to Eradicate Poverty. The UN and development partners were invited, but when I went nobody other than local students were present. I was also expecting it to be full of people and bursting with energy, similar to events I went to in India. Instead I walked into a half empty grounds, with someone speaking, which I couldn't understand because it was in Swahili, and a crowd of students that seemed to be drained of energy. Maybe I missed the energetic portion of the program. It is an important issue. Its the NGOs who are doing the work, but yet they're often not given a seat at the table with the big dogs making the decision. Well, I hope that the event was a success for them. Here are a few photos.

Focus on the writing on the visor.

Listening, zoning out, checking the cell for messages

A school group in the shade

I then went to my favorite Indian restaurant at the Badminton Institute and had lunch and walked around the city taking photos with my SLR. Other than one questionable man who kept hovering around me while I took a photo, it went well. Now that I feel comfortable with that, the next step is the market place, where the real interesting captures are. Saturday was Diwali and I was expecting all the shops to be closed, but they were all bustling with last minute shoppers preparing for the evenings festivites. Diwali photos will come in a seperate post. Here are some shots of the city centre.

Want your shoes shined, only to immediately get dusty again?

The Dar skyline.

City centre flats

Tried to capture this from the window of a taxi on my way home. I like the slogan "Bring out the gorgeous woman in you"

One of the many mandirs in the city

Oh yeah, almost forgot. Friday night when I got back to my place there was a huge tent set up outside of our entrance. I asked roomie what was going on and she told me that 40 days before the old man leaving below us passed away and this was his sort of wake where family and friends gather to celebrate his life. She said it would go on for a few hours. Ha! It went on all night and continued till 4pm Saturday afternoon. It was a night of singing and talking. Saturday morning, I took this picture of their backyard from the kitchen window. Big pots of meat and rice. Reminded me of festivals I attended in India. That was the first time I had seen such huge pots and stirring spoons, more like rods. It was nice to see things aren't so different here.

The same neighbors washing clothes. I wonder if they've seen me snapping photos of them. It's probably rude to do it...oops

HAPPY DIWALI!!!

2009-10-16T03:19:00.008-04:00

HAPPY DIWALI to all!

(technically tomorrow, but I won't have internet access)

This made me happy today when I read it on my favorite South Asian blog, Sepia Mutiny. President Obama is the first President to personally celebrate Diwali and he has re-instated a federal panel on Asian American and Pacific Islander issues. The group was created by President Clinton, but expired under President Bush. But its back now! There is hope!

Outlook Overhaul

2009-10-14T00:56:00.003-04:00

I wanted to start this post like this: Been awake since 2am. Roomie upgraded her snoring levels and added some coughing. Moved onto the couch at 4am and spent the next 2 hrs being eaten alive by mosquitos.

BUT after a dear friend's advice, I really got to stop focusing on the negatives and find some small pleasures in my everyday misery outside of the office otherwise I'm going to end up hating every minute of being here. Like this morning as I laid on the couch I heard the call to at 5. I just listened to the beautiful sounds, not understanding a word but loving the idea of knowing that at that moment, all around Dar, people were praying. I wondered what and who they prayed for and for unexplainable reasons, it calmed my anger. I appreciated that roomie woke up at 6 to find me on the couch and to ask me if I was feeling ok. When I told her I couldn't sleep, she guessed it was because of the snoring and she apologized and said we'll have to come up with a solution. Though I know there really isn't one other than my moving and I don't have the bucks for that, I appreciated the fact she recognized it was a problem. Lastly, I appreciated the fact that for the first time since I've been here, I had a seat on the dala dala this morning. Finally, one ride without being sandwiched between 2 people. I got to sit next to an open window and feel the ocean breeze as we passed through the deserted streets (its a national holiday).

So this is the start of my attempt to just accept that sleep won't be coming easy for the next few months, but that not all things are bad. Think positive and maybe positive things will happen. And I apologize in advance if I do occasionally write another bitter, negative post. Change is slow right? So I end with a smile : )

Thanks friend.

Warning Long, very negative rant

2009-10-13T00:58:00.016-04:00

Such a rotten day yesterday. As my previous posts states my trip was canceled. I didn’t make it to the tailor because the coordinator from the organization that runs the shelter came and basically had me write his report for him, which was annoying the crap out of me, and I got an email from a friend that unhinged me for a moment. I left the office at 5 in a crappy mood and ended up waiting for stupid a dala dala (public bus) for 30mins. While I waited I took this photo.

My view at the bus stop.

As I was standing there I kept thinking on the other side of this ocean is India and how I wish I could swim the ocean to get there and away from here. As my dala dala was approaching I was all set to take a picture, but my battery died and I didn’t have enough time to switch batteries. So you’ll see a picture of a dala dala soon. I don’t know why I keep taking these stupid dala dalas that take forever to come. And while I wait I subject myself to constant staring because for whatever reason (though I suspect it has a bit to do with almighty status they have here) never ride the bus. Balding man (my name for the man renting a room here) asked me one morning how I can get to work and I said the dala dala. His exact words, “Oh you shouldn’t ride the dala dala. There are only black people on there.” Ummm HELLO we are in bloody Africa, who did you expect to see?!?! So here I am, an Indian (dropping the American bit for now since so many people don’t seem to believe me), who is breaking the norm by riding the dala dala and oh yeah I don’t speak Swahili. I can’t count anymore how many times a taxi driver has said “Why don’t you speak Swahili?” I usually calmly say I’m not from here. Today I wanted to yell from the rooftops “I’m not Tanzanian Indian!!!” Which I’m so glad because the only Indians I’ve met so far are lazy, arrogant, and think the world is at their feet. Bet if they left this cushioned society of personal massages, cooks, drivers, even people to turn the light on and off for you when your 2 steps away from doing it yourself they would have a rude awakening.

Needless to say I was not in a good mood on the way home, which only worsened when I realized I couldn’t go in my room and lay down because roomie was getting a personal massage. Not like I would have been comfortable laying down since the bed collapsed on Saturday so one corner of the bed is being held up by a stool and now I have to sleep at a slant until she fixes it, which should be fixed by now, but of course that's expecting too much. So I decided to go to the terrace to capture my surroundings and to hope that the sound of the releasing shutter would release some of my frustration and bring some positivity in my life.

Bought this necklace for a friend, but then I wore it and now I want to keep it. The beads are made out of paper recycled paper. I like how the colors are similar to this blog. Carribean Conservation Chic are you proud???

The gate to my building

I could have lived in that tall building which has a view of all of Dar es Salaam, a pool and a gym. But chose not to live with a questionable man.

The neighboring houses.

My neighbor's rooftop garden.

Those below us. Do you see the baby greenish blue hens??? So cute.

Sadly though, my frustrations only continued. When I tried to get online so I could write this post I couldn't get the wrieless signal at all. I'm fearing I've been caught for stealing and of course the cable that I was told before I rented the room worked, doesn't. Big surprise! So I tried to watch a movie that I bought, but my computer decided not play the dvd, even though it has in the past. So I curled up into a ball and tried to go to sleep only to be awaken at 4am because roomie kept needing to go to the bathroom. So I thought for 2 hours about 2 things...why is roomie so inconsiderate and is all this worth it.

Point 1

Roomie wakes up constantly, think she has some bowel problems, and snores. These things I know she can't control but why must she always turn on all the lights each time she wakes up??? When I wake up I fumble around in the dark, get dressed in the morning in the dark, and walk and open doors and cabinets, etc. as quietly as possible. I kept thinking about how I wish I could just do what I want without any care to the other person. Instead my every movement is to ensure that I don't disturb roomie and then end up complaining and being miserable. I even did this with my Cambridge roommate. Any suggestions on how to break this trend and just live comfortably without scurrying around as quiet as a mouse and always being on guard??? All in all she is nice and makes good food and stays out of my business. She told me I could turn the lights on in the morning, but I just personally can't without feeling like I'm disturbing her and then I get pissed she doesn't do the same for me when she turns the lights on in the middle of the night. What the hell is wrong with me?

Point 2

Why am I here? Is beefing up my resume worth my sanity? Really since day 1 this whole thing has been one hurdle after another from getting a TOR to getting my passport stolen to getting a place to live to now trying to get a residency permit because they won't extend my visa. I have 4 weeks left before I have to leave the country and when I asked the woman at the UN who takes care of these things she told me I'm not staff so she can't help. WTF! I have a bloody contract. I've been pushing this since I got here and my advisor says 'oh don't worry, it'll get fixed if not you can just go to Nairobi.' Yeah like I have 500 bucks for a plane ticket plus I have to get a visa to go to Kenya. So I waited thinking it would happen and now 4 weeks left and I've taken matters into my own hands. I went to the immigration office just to be told to pay 120 bucks for a residency permit and I have to get all these letters from the UN. Long story short, it has been one obstacle after another and I've hit my limit now. Is this worth it? Honestly, I don't think so and if I could do it over I would have chosen a different practicum. I'm learning alot, doing high level work blah blah blah. I'm sick of meetings and paperwork. I want to go back to my barefoot days of being connected with people.

Somebody tell me something good will happen to me soon!!! What does the virgo horoscope look like for the coming months???

CANCELED!!!

2009-10-12T08:24:00.003-04:00

I blogged too soon. My first trip to the field was canceled today so that we can stay behind and do more paperwork and attend a bloody, pointless meeting on Wednesday. I'M SO BUMMED! I feel like I did when I was little when I would get so psyched for a trip to Dairy Queen for ice cream (a special treat) and then be told on the day of the planned trip that my parents were caught up in work or some other excuse. I would so look forward to it that thats all I would think about all week and then bam, all my hopes of eating a Reese blizzard shattered. Thats how dissappointed I feel today. Im a gonna cry now. :*(

Contemporary Dance Fest.

2009-10-11T13:43:00.003-04:00

Saturday night I went to a contemporary dance festival. It was a 4 day festival with dances from East African groups and some European groups. I got to see 3 Tanzanian, an Ethiopian, and Swedish performances. It was interesting to say the least. The last Tanzanian one was downright bizarre and I didn't get it at all. It was titled Rood which means red in Dutch and involved alot of red paint being dumped on the dancers. It was way over my head. I wasn't expecting to see men dancing in their underwear, which I'm sure the parents that bought their kids weren't expecting either.

I did really like the one called Black in White. This dance was about a horrendous human rights violation that still occurs today, killing of albinos. Witch doctors are still practicing making magic potions out of human body parts. Albinos are targeted for these killings for 2 reasons: One, they are not considered to be human. Two, it's believed by the witch doctors that the skin of an albino has magical power. Women and children are mostly targeted. These killings are endemic to most of sub-Saharan Africa. I haven't learned the complete history of these killings, but they still occur today. This dance was portraying these killings. What was interesting was that the choreographer mixed medias and used bits of an interview with an albino woman as a backdrop to the dance. It was emotional as she talked of how her mom fear This is an issue I definitely want to understand better. I'm anticipating a visit in November to the region where most of the killings have taken place. Once I learn more Ill be sure to share it.

All in all it was an interesting night. I'm glad to finally see a cultural event in Dar as they seem to be scarce.

Leaving Dar!!!!

2009-10-11T08:06:00.003-04:00

WOOHOOOOOO!!!! I'm FINALLY going to the field. I leave on Tuesday and come back on Thursday. Its a short trip to participate in event (don't ask me what it is, I'm just happy to be going) for Nyerere day hosted by the Ministry of Gender. I LOVE LOVE LOVE being in the field, but this is far different from my past field experiences with Barefoot in India. Then we always drove or took a train or bus. We usually crammed 12 people in an 8 seater jeep and drove for hours crossing Rajasthan by night. I even once had to lay down (if I sat up I would hit the roof) on a pile of fabric at the back of the jeep for a 14hr ride. Once we got to the field we talked with communities, saw projects, and worked tirelessly.

Not this time though. When I asked my colleague if we were going by car or bus, she laughed and said, "Are you crazy?!?!" I thought it was a logical question, but apparently not in UN world. How silly of me to ask, of course we're spending 500 bucks per person to go by air. Shucks I wanted to drive and see the country. We will be going to Mara region, near the Kenyan border and Serengeti National Park (sadly no side trip to Serengiti this time). Also, another point of difference is that this time instead of working, we're partaking in a event of some sort, which coincides nicely for the government whose in campaign mode. Needless to say this will be one politically charged event and an interesting one at that.

Also yay for me. UNIFEM asked me if I would be so kind as to take the photos. Of course! Little do they know that I would absolutely love to! Stay tuned for the recap of my first Tanzanian field visit with the government.

By the way here is information on Julius Nyerere, Tanzania's first president, who will be celebrated on Wednesday a public holiday, but not a UN holiday as I learned.

My New Place of Living

2009-10-06T03:34:00.011-04:00

I finally moved out of my supervisor's house (after 1 month) on Friday. I'm sharing a room with a 45ish widow which means I have NO privacy. When she's in the room, I go to the living room and vice versa. She comes in at 3am, wakes up often in the night and turns on all the lights each time she wakes up and snores. On top of that the bed is lumpy and hurts my back. SO I won't be getting much sleep these next 6 months. Her extra room has been rented to a 40ish balding Indian man, whose nice, but not too talkative. BUT not all the things about my new place are bad. The rent is cheap and includes delicious food, like the masala chicken and chips in the picture, it has internet access, a weak signal, but a signal nonetheless, and the location is great. I love that I live across from a Buddhist Temple and that I can walk out into a bustling neighborhood and take the local bus to work. Though at times I still feel like I'm not really experiencing Tanzanian life. I moved from the European bubble to an Indian bubble. My entire building is filled with Indian families, the tv is only subscribed to Indian channels, and the food is always Indian. I'm reminded I'm in Africa when I take the bus (Indians don't really seem to take the bus) and when I go to my friendly neighborhood market for a caffeine boost. Otherwise, I'm in an Indian bubble, which is Tanzanian, just from a different viewpoint.

yummy masala chicken and chips, my dinner Friday night

I stepped out of my building to see this fish being gutted. The first time I've ever seen the insides of a fish! I think he thought it was strange when I asked if I could take a picture...oh wells.

The very peaceful Buddhist temple across the street. I think I'll be finding myself going here often when I need some space.

My First Kanga

2009-10-06T02:23:00.006-04:00

Since I've come to Dar es Salaam, I've realized the great importance of having some sort of creative outlet for myself. Without taking photos as often as I would like, I feel completely unbalanced. Though this weekend I did manage to take some photos at the beach, it hasn't been enough. I need more. So I've been on a mission to find an art supply store (no luck yet) because I've always wanted to take up painting, but out of fear haven't yet. Therefore, until I can start painting and taking more photos, I've decided to design my own dresses.

This weekend I went to Uhuru Street in the centre of Dar es Salaam and bought my first Kanga. A kanga is a traditional Tanzanian garment consisting of 2 brightly painted pieces of cloth. You can either wear the kanga as a 'doti' (a borrowed Hindi word) or get it tailored into a two piece dress. It's about the wide as your arms outstretched and as long your neck to your knees. The interesting thing about kangas is that they each have a Swahili proverb printed at the bottom. Check out this site for common sayings and the full history of the kanga. While I was shopping for one I found 2 REALLY interesting kangas. One was an outright political statement supporting the ruling party and the other had a huge picture of guess who....OBAMA! hahaha it cracked me up. I have yet to see a woman wearing it, but the minute I do I will surely try to get that picture.

I picture this as a knee length dress.

My kanga doesn't have Obama, but the Swahili proverb roughly translates to 'God is a shelter in moments of hardship'. I initially had gone to the stores with certain proverbs in mind, but of course I left it at the house so I just bought the one with a pattern and color I liked. Now I'm not the most religious person, but I find this saying quite fitting for my time here in Dar es Salaam. Maybe the universe is trying to tell me something.

I think I'll cut that brown diamond in half and make it a neckline and the bottom brown bit the border at the bottom of the dress. Can't you see it?!?!

After I bought this Kanga, I found a man selling batik (tie-dye) fabric. I like the batik fabric much more, it has a natural feel to it. Kangas mostly have huge prints of flowers and leaves that can be a bit overwhelming.

Anyway, I decided that I would make a dress, but not in the style that the women here wear. Though the women look great, I don't think I would wear them much. Once I find a good tailor, I'll have 2 new dresses. Stay tuned for the results.

2009-10-05T13:25:00.005-04:00

Kipepeo Beach...went on Sunday with my colleague and his wife. While they learned how to kite surf, I had drinks, a book, and this magnificent view. Look how pretty it looks against my newly coded background : )

Under some sort of construction

2009-10-02T13:50:00.007-04:00

UPDATE Holy shits! I just bolded that using HTML and changed the background color to a more suitable grey using code!!!! Who woulda thought! Basic html mambo jambo isn't so intimidating after all. : ) I should be working and not playing but this has made me sooo excited. Thanks Lee and Chaitan. I'll have to stop this addictive fun and get back to work.

Still looking for the ideal color combinations (that must have my favorite dark purple). Thanks to a wonderful tip, I've learned that I can put a photo in the header.

The photo in the header was taken in Oaxaca Mexico in 2008. My mom and I went to this village outside the city where they make these wooden figurines, usually animals. They sterilize discarded injection needles and fill the tube with paint so that they can make these precise tiny little dots to paint the figurines (like in the photo above). While we were at this house in the village I noticed this chair sitting against the beautiful blue-ish colored wall. I loved how its covered with spots of paint with an empty bird cage next to it. It makes me feel like the scene is just waiting for the artist to return. It's quite a fitting picture for me right now as my inner artist is waiting to return as well.

BOO!

2009-10-01T01:57:00.003-04:00

I'm not happy with the appearance of this blog and I'm really not happy that I haven't gone on any photo walks.

Any suggestions to make this thing look better?

Technical Assistance PLEASE

2009-09-30T01:19:00.004-04:00

Why is it the format I use when I type isn't what gets posted? Like in the previous post I put spaces between the paragraphs, but that's not what got posted. Or the one with the Maska Chaska, the photos were aligned properly and made the post look neat and orderly and when it posted it turned into a mess. I tried many times to change it, but it always post however it pleases. What am I doing wrong???

You're an intern? Humph...

2009-09-30T00:34:00.006-04:00

So last night after work my superviser told me that instead of going home we were going to a reception at a certain Ambassador's house (the country shall remain nameless). The house was beautiful...right on the water with floor to ceiling windows, a rich dark wood frame, and a balcony where you can feel the ocean breeze... oh what a house. Of course the shindig was fancy.

The receoption took place in the backyard under the moonlight with little lanterns hanging from the trees. Perfect breeze to cool us off while we sipped our wines and beers and ate tiny pieces of bread with some sort of fish, calamari, some fried cheese dough thing, and my favorite chicken with a kick of spice...mmmmm.

When my boss and I arrived we immediately were greeted by the Amabassador. We both said we were from UNIFEM and went along into the party. I met a minister (one that I will work closely with, but I can't say Minister of what) and a man from east Asia working in his embassy (which shall remain nameless). He was great, incredibly funny. He has been here a month and was standing alone at this function and when he saw me came running over and started conversation. He later said that at all these events there are so many westerners, very few Asians, but then he saw me. I was glad he came to talk to me too, someone just as new as me and who felt out of place among all the suits and high heels.

Later in the evening the Ambassador, not having anyone else to talk to, decided to come talk to me. He asked me how long my posting was, I told him 6 months. He then said "Oh, so are you one of those JPOs?" Now I had been determined not to say I was an intern. I have learned that when I say intern, people shut me out, even within the other UN agencies, BUT I didn't want the Ambassador to think I was a JPO and find out later I lied. SO I said, "No, I'm not a JPO, but an intern." BINGO shut out! His demeanor immediately changed. He was probably wondering why an intern was at his shindig where only so called 'important' people were in attendance. Grant it I was thinking the same thing, but hey just cause I'm an intern doesn't mean I don't know anything.

When we returned home, my boss gave me sound advice..."Don't always be so honest!" In this particular arena your title can open the door or shut you out. I know this, but I've been spoiled by how UNIFEM Tanzania doesn't treat me like an intern, but as a colleague and I get actual work! Sadly, we don't work in a world full of people like the one's I work with. *sigh*

Long story short: Don't always tell the truth. : )

Look what I found!

2009-09-25T01:20:00.002-04:00

So I went to the supermarket the other day and found Maska Chaska crackers!!! These were my favorite in the villages of India. Of course there they cost something like 40 cents and here it was a buck, but I still bought a couple. Really made me happy. All the cookies and crackers I've found so far are the same ones they sell in India at double the price, of course. Aside from these packaged snacks, Tanzanians munch on casava chips, which aren't bad. We used to order them at a Indian restaurant back home and here its sold on the streets. Nice to see how they are REALLY supposed to be eaten, with your hands while you walk, not in a plate with silverware while you sit.

After I found the Maska Chaskas, I went for a walk in the city centre and came across a sidewalk vegetable market. I was too scared to take my camera out for fear of having it stolen(I think everyone I have met has told me their story of getting robbed. I would die if my camera got stolen!) Anyway, I was walking through the market when I had to do a double take. I found sitaphul!!! I think the English name is custard apples, in Hindi its sitaphul, and in Swahili its tope tope. I quickly paid too much and bought 3. I first ate this sticky, sweet fruit when I went to India in 2006 with my mom. She loves these things and at the time I had never had them before. So when we were in India, at my grandfather's house, she bought many. I remember we were sitting outside and my mother was soooo happy to tear one open. She gave me some to eat, I took a bite, and said no thanks. Sitaphuls have a very unique, acquired taste and require some effort to eat because of all the seeds. So I didn't enjoy them at first, but my mom kept buying them and then before you knew it, I acquired the taste and loved them. I have yet to seen them sold in the states. I didn't once think about finding them in Dar es Salaam so when I did boy was I thrilled! So for 3 mornings in a row I started my day off with a sitaphul.

There was only one man selling them in that market, but I hope to find more in the bigger market this weekend and I'm still on the hunt for more Tanzanian snacks. Until then I've got the Indian goods and the sitaphuls, custard apples, tope tope (whatever you want to call them) to keep me munching.

Only kitchen gifts...say WHAT?!

2009-09-23T10:49:00.006-04:00

The Stage: Notice the clay pot on the non-existent fire to the right. I thought they were going to do a cooking demonstration. No such luck!

Dancing round and round

The happy bride to be on the left and her sister. That's the cake in front. I thought it was a real basket with vegetables. Looked so real! Good job cake decorator, Ace of Cakes would be proud.

All the kitchen gifts, including a deep fryer....mmm fried chicken

So Sunday afternoon I was lazily sitting around not working on my thesis, but reading The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (a good read) when my advisor who is letting me kindly stay at her house asked me if I would like to accompany her to a kitchen party. I was hesitant at first because I assumed it was some sort of potluck, lets get together in the kitchen and cook some food kind of shindig. Boy was I in left field on that one. A kitchen party in Tanzania translates to basically a bridal shower where the bride to be only gets kitchen gifts as seen in the photo. She was lucky enough to get a microwave and a washer! As I sat there with my advisor, a feminist to the core, I couldn't help but think how the whole event was reinforcing the stereotype that women belong in the kitchen. When I asked my advisor what the theme of a groom's party would be, she wasn't sure (she's Kenyan and they don't do this there), but she jokingly said "Must be a bedroom party" haha

The party itself was very middle class. I couldn't help but compare the event to an Indian event. Though we don't have kitchen parties for our brides to be we do have some similar traditions. Like the dancing and the feeding of the cake. I did notice that at this event the bride to be feeds her mother and relatives a piece of cake as opposed to us who try to stuff the bride with cake. And they use toothpicks while we get our hands dirty. Side note, I find there is a strong attachment to toothpicks here. Toothpicks everywhere!

The oddest thing I came across in regards to the Kitchen Party is that guests are told how much money to give, in this case 100,000 Tsh about 80 bucks. Really?! I find it surprising that you can tell someone how much money to give and not even a modest amount and then when you go to the actual wedding pay again. Baffles me. Societal pressure forces people to pay up or be ostracized. And not just weddings, when someone passes away you are told to financially contribute to the family as well. All sounds like a money making scheme to me.

I know I must stop the constant comparing to India and Tanzania. 2 different countries, 2 different cultures, but I can't seem to help it. Honestly, I will find some nice things to say about this place. Just in a bit of a sour mood due to the fact I'm still living out of a suitcase.

Still without a home : (

2009-09-18T04:09:00.005-04:00

Well, I am not exactly homeless, but I might as well be. My boss is very kindly still letting me intrude on her space for a bit longer as I endlessly search for a room to rent. I've found many, they just happen to cost $700 a month or more, money I don't have since I'm not getting a dime to be here. I've ruled out hopes of having a studio or sharing any sort of flat and am now on the search for a family that will kindly rent me a room. I did manage to find a room with a Tanzanian woman and her son, whom I know nothing about. Its a cramped room for $450 a month. I know she's ripping me off, but I decided to take it because its the cheapest I've found. I had plans to move this Sunday, but it seems people at work have now decided to help me find a place and have told me very strongly NOT to take this room because she just wants my money. Yeah, I already knew that, but with no other options in sight, I was just going to let her take what little money I have. It's rather frustrating navigating this unknown system on my own, where finding a place to live basically comes from asking around. I think I've asked everyone I've met if they know of a place and they all promise to look, but I know it takes a special kind of person to help someone they've met for 5 minutes and there aren't many of those. My efforts have born no fruit, but my collegues have talked to multiple people they know so there is an army of Tanzanians out there hunting down a room for me (apparently). So I've decided to trust the people I work with when they tell me to have some patience...pole dada (slowly sister). It's just quite frustrating to read about things working so well for the fellow SIDers out there (grass is always greener on the other side, right?). I guess I have to trust that things will fall into place for me as well...just have to follow with the African way of things...pole pole.

Gender...really?

2009-09-12T10:10:00.005-04:00

As I was waiting for my ride home, I started chatting with one of the UN security guards. The following is somewhat how are our conversation went:

Guard: What agency do you work for?

Me: UNIFEM

Guard: The women’s one.

Me: Yep

Guard: You gender people always women, women, women. What about us men? There is a reason why men are up here and women down here. (he shows me where men and women are with his hands)

Me: Really? What is that reason?

Guard: Men are supposed to work and make money. These jobs can only be done my men. (I assumed he meant any paid work that doesn't involving selling goods in the market. He obviously ignores those signs pictured above).

Me: And women can’t do these jobs that men do?

Guard: Of course not. There is a reason why women always do worse than men in school. They are just not capable of doing well in school.

Me: Maybe the women you have seen do badly in school have not been given a fair chance. Or perhaps they weren’t given the same support and encouragement that men are given.

Guard: No they are just not able to do the same things we men do. Now everyone is giving them chances. Everything is reserved for women. Soon they will move past us and that is not right. There is an order to things, that’s how it is.

Me: So you are working in the UN, but not believing in what the UN is working towards?

He had no answer and my ride came. Grant it this isn’t word for word, but it is pretty much what he told me.

I wasn’t the least bit surprised by what he was saying. I get he’s simply guarding the compound in exchange for the hefty paycheck he receives. What surprises me is hearing these beliefs coming from the staff working within the buildings, writing the reports, pushing the money through the system. I attended a human rights working group meeting. Though the meeting I went to was rather dull, I was told that the previous month's meeting, which I obviously missed, was much more exciting. During this meeting, one of the UN staff members claimed that gender had nothing to do with human rights. Can you believe that?!?! I quickly have learned that within the UN system, at least in Tanzania, though I've been told it happens in many country offices, gender is not taken seriously. UNIFEM staff members are thought of as those 'crazy radical feminists'.

I've quickly learned that UNIFEM is the underdog here, which makes working for them more bearable because they don't have such big egos. They get far less funding compared to the other agencies and are frequently crushed by the elephant sized hooves of UNDP and UNFPA (whom thinks of gender only from a reproductive lens, as if all women do is make babies). UNIFEM is supposed to be the gender group within the UN system working on gender violence, women's economic activity in non-agricultural sectors, and women in the political arena. They are the 'gender experts'. Except in Tanzania, they seem to be constantly fighting within the system to mainstream gender and to be credited as the gender agency. UNIFEM is frequently left out of the dialogues because the lack of or extremely limited number of funds they can bring to the table. Grant it each agency has a gender specialist, but as my field advisor has told me, they aren't taken seriously by their agencies either. So what is to be done? It is hard enough to fight the battle on the ground, in the fields, but to have to fight the battle within the system too is even harder. To me it makes perfect logical sense, hello GENDER is not rocket science! Grrr...to the staff here. Let's see what else unfolds on this journey.

Frustrated in Dar es Salaam

2009-09-07T09:21:00.002-04:00

Dar es Salaam is literally the haven of peace. Yet, I am not feeling very peaceful lately. I arrived 5 days ago, though it feels I've been here weeks. It all feels strangely familar maybe in my past life I lived here, who knows or more likely because it is strikingly similar to a large Indian city, not as big as Delhi, more like Jaipur size. What has been frustrating is the cost of living here. Who would have thought I would be expected to pay more for a room in Africa than in the US...ABSURD! Along with being the haven of peace, Dar is also the home to all the embassies, NGOs and international NGOs; the big dogs with a lot of money. So of course landlords know and jack up the price for everything within any suitable distance to the offices. Sucks for us unpaid interns who are expected to pay those same prices. I've got a temp place with my supervisor as I continue my search for more ''local'' areas where all one is expected to pay is $150 a month as opposed to $800. Just have to find a safe place where I won't get mugged. The previous intern from America stayed in such a place and had way too many muggings for my liking. It seems all the Europeans are forking over the money, its us cheap ass Americans who seem to forgo safety for the savings. Personally, I would like to get away from this very high end western feeling locale. Doesn't feel like Africa at all in this area.

I've managed to meet other expats, but I didn't come here to drink and party everyday as if I was back home and even then I didn't do it everyday. The more I think about it, the better it will be to live further from the office. It'll be more challenging without the comforts of running water and other necessities, but I did it in India and really enjoyed the simplicity of the lifestyle. Its this dual lifestlye that I struggled with in India and I'm struggling with again. Working on narrowing the inequality gap, but living in way that only reinforces the gap. I think many development workers feel this way. How to bridge those lifestyles is still a puzzle to me, but maybe living like a Tanzanian is a step in the right direction. Hopefully, by next time I will have found a place and have a picture to post.

My Next Move

2009-08-28T23:29:00.002-04:00

Been a looooong time. Soon I'll be posting photos from Tanzania, my home for the next 6 months. When I think about the fact that all the people I met a year ago at our master's orientation are now scattered across the globe from Tajikistan to Haiti to NYC, I'm in awe. It's exciting to think that by May 2010 we will all arrive back from all the corners of the world to the small town of Waltham, MA to share our experiences. Right now though, I admit I'm a bit nervous about the work and the environment. I've done this multiple times now, but the pre-departure still hasn't gotten easier. It's a mix of emotions that I can't process because I'm too busy taking care of logistics. That's why I love the plane ride. Traveling across the globe provides hours of solitude to process everything so that when I land in Dar es Salaam, I'll feel a bit more organized emotionally and logistically. One thing I really look forward to is hopefully, getting out of my photography slump. Since I've been home I haven't had much desire to take any photos, lack of inspiration and pure laziness. : ) Besides photos, I'll hopefully, also get out of my development slump. I must admit, I haven't been on top of the development world. Instead I've been consumed with playing receptionist, housekeeper, and tending to other hotel matters. Sometimes I feel I live in two different worlds, development and hotel business. I need to learn to live in both worlds without having to create such a huge divide between the two....one day.

I will try my hardest to write more often. A plane ride of processing the last few months should bring me back to this blog, whether people read it or not. : )

Leisure Reading

2009-07-14T17:10:00.003-04:00

On our coffee table, you'll currently find a heaping scoop of news consisting of The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, TIME, and The Economist. With a continuous supply of news magazines and newspapers, it's quite difficult to keep up with them. I finally got around to reading a 2 week old edition of Newsweek which covers what we should be reading now. Within the cover story is an opinion essay on the guilty pleasures of re-reading favorites. Since I've been home, I've read 3 novels and am on my 4th, 3 of which I'm re-reading: Middlesex, The Memory Keeper's Daughter (first time), Great Expectations, and Jane Eyre (currently). I love the comfort of re-reading books, but often feel I should be reading something new, which I do, but not often enough. Part of my reason for re-visiting some novels is that many of the classics I was forced to read in high school I either never read or don't remember. So I've been trying to (re-)read many of them and have found myself loving them now. For instance, I hated Pride and Prejudice, I just couldn't get past the banter of the first 20 pages, but now I love it and re-read it every year. That's how I felt about Great Expectations this summer, its a great novel (if the picture doesn't make sense, you should read the book!). I'm not as an obsessive repeater as David Gates, author of the article, but I do enjoy re-discovering characters and all the themes that I may have missed the first time around. To those who say repeating books is a waste of time when you could be discovering something new, try repeating a neglected novel on your book shelf and you'll be surprised by how much there is still to discover.

(The more appropriate question for me right now is when I'm going to put down the leisure readings and get back to 'serious' development readings)

Snap, Crackle, POP!

2009-07-05T22:59:00.005-04:00

Fireworks: enjoyment or pollution? I enjoyed the display last night, but I also hated it when I thought about all the cities across the nation popping crackers increasing the harmful pollutants in the air. So many contradictions in life, loving and hating things, people, ideas, etc. Is it ok to have such contradictions or should we all either love or hate? Put it that way and its very black and white. In most cases I always see the spectrum of grey in between, but maybe for such cases as these it should be black and white...fireworks or not, simple as that. Hmmm something to ponder. Any thoughts?

The Zoos & I

2009-07-03T22:30:00.010-04:00

I started my relationship with the zoos when I was around 10 and my mom and aunt took me to my first zoo in Atlanta. I loved it and still do, went this morning with my mom to the Houston zoo. I try to go to a zoo as often as I can. I know critics of zoos say that the animals should be roaming free in the wild. I also feel that pang of guilt when I see an animal behind bars so that I and so many others can enjoy seeing them. But, there is another part of the story. Many of the animals are endangered or have been rescued and are being protected by the zoo. Also, zoos are a great educational experience on the importance of respecting animals and their territory and of course the all important need for conservation. And on top of all of these reasons, it opens up a world that would otherwise be completely shut to most of us, the animal kingdom. You can read about the Association of Zoos and Aquariums commitments here. So all in all despite that pang of guilt (especially what I felt after seeing the monkey above), I'm not breaking up with the zoos anytime soon

: )

From : ( to : )

2009-06-20T14:51:00.004-04:00

Ever have one of those days when you could go back to being a kid. Smiling and laughing, feeling like nobody could ever hurt you and that you could be whatever you dreamed of being. Life was full of dreams without having to worry about the reality and consequences of decisions made. My parents went on and on about my dad's cousin's daughter becoming a doctor and I have to suffer through another round of 'you're wasting time going in development'; 'you could be half way through med school by now'; 'you're the type of daughter other parents are thankful they don't have', and of course 'nobody will ever marry you if you work in development' etc etc. Bet the newest addition to the medical field has no idea how her decision has made my morning hell on earth. I didn't know that when I made this career move 4 years ago that I would still be hearing the same thing and now my dad is even speaking up. Maybe they're right, maybe they're wrong.

Took this photo in a small village school in Andhra Pradesh. I went with people from a local org, SST, to deliver medicines for anemia and other nutrition supplements. No matter how much my parents try to push me down and break my spirit, I'll remind myself of this little girl and all the others. Can't wait to get back out in the field...

2009-06-10T14:19:00.003-04:00

Linus' pet cow

Here's to my efforts to stay calm and smile like this blue faced, red footed cow : )

Frustrations

2009-06-07T20:01:00.005-04:00

This was not my plan for the summer. Out of frustration I ran and ran today for 4 miles. I wanted to go back to India this summer or get a job here or an internship with CARE for the summer, but no because of financial constraints I'm home. It's great to be near family, but so frustrating that I'm wasting 2 months that could have been spent working towards a career goal. On top of it, I don't have my TOR for my internship and my mother is hounding me about how I should have gone into the medical field because only then would I be doing something that she approves of. This route I'm on she feels is all about being happy where according to her life is not about finding happiness, but about having security. I can't seem to explain my thoughts that maybe security is all she needs while I may need something else. I think she's convincing herself that security is all that she needs for happiness. All I can say is that I'm not happy right now without having my TOR. Once I get it then I'll have something concrete to work towards, which will ease some of this frustration. However, for the moment I feel just as I did a year ago, stagnant. (Hence the photo, which was taken a year ago. Its the embroidery from a sari that I used for an invitation for a family event).

Ode to Boston

2009-05-28T19:35:00.003-04:00

It's been a while since I wrote on this thing...guess the novelty of having a blog is wearing off, but I won't let this thing become a thing of the past. My only excuse is that things have been super hectic. Lately the biggest change has been, I've left Boston for Houston. My first year of grad school is over and it was a good year. I now have 3 months to do one of my favorite things, reflect on my experiences to learn how I've changed. For now, I've attached a photo of the budding warmth of Boston that I've left behind. Finally the weather got better in the city and I could enjoy it, but I had to leave. Eh, that is life....

Changing Times on the Delta

2009-05-07T17:42:00.013-04:00

Yesterday I read this article from the NY Times about Mississippi farmers trading in cotton for corn and soybeans, more profitable crops these days. Sadly the economy is changing the face of the delta region. Cotton buds have been the beautiful backdrop of the region for years and some people are pleading with farmers to keep planting cotton along roadsides because its prettier than corn. The article states that the global consumption of cotton is dropping and exports are expected to drop by $1.2 million this year. Textile mills are going abroad and as cotton farmer Walter Reese Pillow IV states, "its not very smart to think we can grow the commodity hear so they can make a shirt in China." The effect has been greatest in Mississippi where the acreage has dropped from 1.2 million acres in 2006 to 365,000 in 2008. The drop in acreage means gins have to be closed resulting in a slew of laid of workers. Cotton isn't just a crop, but has deep roots in the south, contributing to major themes for blues musicians and authors. However, cotton's history in the south is not filled with positive images. Picking cotton by hand, before the arrival of machines, was a backbreaking job done by slaves and later poor farmers; a major reason some in Mississippi are not so nostalgic to see the cotton go.

I've been to the delta region numerous times because my aunt and cousins live there. My recent trip was in December when bits of cotton on the roadside remained. I took the photo of the cotton right after we visited an Alpaca farm, another new industry spreading in the south. Alpaca farming has been present in the south for about 10 years, but is gaining ground as another source of income. I put together the faces of the different Alpaca at a farm my cousins took me to. It was closed when we went, but we were still able to see them. Their smiles make me smile. But alas, they won't save the cotton industry in this country.

Jason Colquett owns a cotton gin where he has had to cut his staff and ginning season in half. Sadly he states, “I can imagine Mississippi without cotton gins. It’s not a pretty picture.” Despite the cruel history of the crop, I'll miss seeing it's abundance next time I'm in Mississippi.

Pretty in Pink

2009-05-04T19:01:00.002-04:00

A bit of pretty to keep us trucking. Taken at the SST campus in Ramapuram Village, Andhra Pradesh, India 2008.

Kissing Rocks

2009-05-04T00:24:00.001-04:00

Navajo Nation, Arizona 2009

Pizza...not so mmm these days

2009-04-29T22:19:00.003-04:00

Today was another day of feasting on pizza. Last week I had pizza every day. This week has been better, today was my first time (its only Wednesday). So those in charge at the SID program almost always get pizza (because it is the most feasible), from the local pizza joint, for our meetings, seminars, and other random gatherings we have. Lately, as many students especially international prep to go home, mutterings about weight gain have slowly taken precedence over the crap happening in the world, from men and women! It's no surprise with our high consumption of pizza, like the one in the photo, which yes I did have 2 slices of today. I did some googling and found that one slice of cheese pizza has 230 calories (http://www.dietbites.com/Calories-In-Pizza.html). I would say in each sitting we average about 2 slices (for me 3 if there's enough). So thats 460 calories in one sitting and with our massive workload and utter exhaustion many of us don't make it to the gym. Even patting down the pizza in efforts to get rid of the grease is apparently proving to not be enough. You know what, for the time being the mutterings will continue until the next slice comes our way, because hey, until us starving graduate students start making money, we'll take the FREE food any day. Cheers to the next slice!

This is TEXAS size heat!

2009-04-28T11:55:00.003-04:00

I think everyone in the Boston area wishes they were this duck today. It is a whooping 90 degrees here!!!! Thats worse than back home, which is at a cool 72. But I'm not complaining. I'll take this heat over freezing any day!

The photo was taken during my first trip to D.C. in Oct., 2008. The duck was taking a dip in the reflection pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial. I would love (and hoping) to move to D.C. once I graduate from this place.

"Funny The Way It Is"

2009-04-27T12:34:00.003-04:00

I took this photo in 2003 while in undergrad with my old school film SLR. I was learning/experimenting with composition of photos. I like how this one turned out. The only connection of this photo with the title of the post is that the title is Dave Matthews Band's new song, Funny The Way It Is, and he plays the guitar (not this one, but a guitar). : ) I definitely recommend the song. Can't wait for the new album coming out this summer. Here are a few verses from the middle of the song:

Funny the way it is

And if you think about it

Somebody’s goin’ hungry

And someone else is eatin’ out

Funny the way it is

Whether right or wrong

Somebody’s heart is broken

And it becomes your favorite song

The way your mouth feels in a lover’s kiss

Like a pretty bird on a breeze

Or water to a fish

But a bomb blast brings the building crashin’ to the floor

Hear the laughter while the children play war

Funny the way it is

And if you think about it

One kid walks 10 miles to school

While another’s droppin’ out

Funny the way it is

No matter right or wrong

On a soldier’s last breath

His baby’s being born

Technical Difficulties

2009-04-25T10:52:00.003-04:00

I have nobody in particular to ask this techy question to anymore...so to the general public (as if anyone I don't know reads this, but just in case) How come photos I post on the blog are losing the vibrancy of their colors and how do I fix that???

Awakening

2009-04-25T10:46:00.002-04:00

So Spring is FINALLY here in Boston. Slowly people are coming out from hibernation. The streets are more active day and night and I've noticed people smiling more or at least I like to think so. Walking down Mass Ave. yesterday to get to the train station on my to school I saw this tree. I love how some of the branches have leaves, marking the spring, while the other half is still struggling to leave winter. A perfect display of the tree's battle against winter. I'll be watching this tree to see how quickly it progresses towards winning a full spring bloom.

Point & C A P T U R E

Happy Holidays!

Along the Kilimanjaro Trail

End of a Work Day

Peruvian Cow

Fuzzy Wuzzy

long road ahead

As the sun sets in Texas.

London 2004

Been a long time

1 month from today...

Thandiswa

Mzungu Kichaa

Sauti cover up

morning or motion sickness?

Sauti Za Busara

Development???

my ugly American side rears its head

Will the real UN please stand up?

Barefoot Solar Engineers in Tanzania

ooo me likey

my 2009 in review

I'm no Baby!

Trip of a Lifetime

Back!

The day is shaping up nicely!

Youth Say NO!

zzzzzzzzZZZZZZZZ

6 am at the fish market

Sausage dog

16 Days of Activism Launch

good effort, good effort *clap clap* ha!

Mvuli and Thesis= my Sunday

The Daily News and Me

I <3 TX

A funeral

"VAW Specialist"

Say NO- UNiTE

another year passes

Dare 2 Dream

Swahili Fashion Week

Immigration Adventures

My Creations (sort of)

Weekend at a beach resort

The man on the wall

Hip-Hop night

Raid!

International Shopping Festival

UN Day Part 2

The dala dala

The 'special' mug

HaHaHaHa

UN Day Part 1- Community Service

Kenyan Condom Ad

Creative Release

Times Like These it Feels Even More Like India

Bits of the City Centre

HAPPY DIWALI!!!

Outlook Overhaul

*Warning* Long, very negative rant

CANCELED!!!

Contemporary Dance Fest.

Leaving Dar!!!!

My New Place of Living

My First Kanga

Under some sort of construction

BOO!

Technical Assistance PLEASE

You're an intern? Humph...

Look what I found!

Only kitchen gifts...say WHAT?!

Still without a home : (

Gender...really?

Frustrated in Dar es Salaam

My Next Move

Leisure Reading

Snap, Crackle, POP!

The Zoos & I

From : ( to : )

Frustrations

good effort, good effort clap clap ha!

Warning Long, very negative rant