I thought I'd share just a short story about this television show here called Bongo Starsearch. I saw part of it last week and it was really quite funny. The show is Tanzania's version of American Idol. The similarities are crazy...the format is the same with the judges traveling city to city looking for talent to come to the capital and compete against eachother. Even the judges themselves resemble the three judges from the American show. Two men, one woman, and they all have the same personalities as Randy, Paula, and Simon. The episode I saw was interesting because they were holding auditions here in Mwanza. There seemed to be a rather long line of people hoping to get a chance at trying out.
However, looking into it further, I asked some of my co-workers about the show and many of them said they didn't care for it. I guess the manner in which the judges behave towards the contestants is considered too impolite for most Tanzanians. They don't like seeing people be put-down by judges like that, and therefore the show isn't as popular as some might think.
And no, I didn't try out for the competition :)
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Freedom Day
Habari za wikendi? (how's your weekend going)
My internship is going well so far. It's fairly hectic getting used to how the organization operates, but I'm finding my place in it all. I'm still producing health education materials, but I'm also working on writing a grant now. We're applying for funding through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to pay for a proposed nutritional program for PLWHA (ppl living with HIV/AIDS). They receive free ARVs from Shaloom, but many of them are not getting good, nutritious food every day either because they can't afford it or it is not accessible. So we're trying to start a program that is similar to a soup kitchen model. It would help PLWHA get a free nutritious meal once a day M-F. I'll keep you updated on how that's going.
In other news, it was Freedom Day yesterday. It wasn't their independence day but the concept is similar. It is a showing of solidarity where many people come to celebrate and fight against things like corruption. They celebrate this by launching a long three month torch relay--it's just like the olympic torch relay only it's run throughout Tanzania. Yesterday, the torch was lit in Mwanza and started its journey. There was a huge gathering for this at the soccer stadium. There was singing, dancing, performing, ect., and I ended up being out in the sun for far too long (got a little sun burn for sure :) It was a good experience overall and a happy celebration.
Today, I'm happy because I bought a pizza for myself at a restaurant downtown. Since I've arrived here, I've only been eating Tanzanian food, and I've been getting tired of the same thing all the time. They normally eat the same thing everyday. Always rice, beans, or ugali (maize and cassava flour mixed with water into a porridge). Then they have cooked bananas put into a kind of stew with vegetables. They aren't plantains or the bananas you're used to, but similar to plantains more than anything. For meats, they somtimes have fried chicken, fish, beef, goat, and last night I had chicken livers. So after eating that same food twice a day, everyday for 2-3 weeks, I was very happy to have a pizza, yum.
That's about it for now. Hope everyone is enjoying their summers!
Until next time,
-Ben
My internship is going well so far. It's fairly hectic getting used to how the organization operates, but I'm finding my place in it all. I'm still producing health education materials, but I'm also working on writing a grant now. We're applying for funding through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to pay for a proposed nutritional program for PLWHA (ppl living with HIV/AIDS). They receive free ARVs from Shaloom, but many of them are not getting good, nutritious food every day either because they can't afford it or it is not accessible. So we're trying to start a program that is similar to a soup kitchen model. It would help PLWHA get a free nutritious meal once a day M-F. I'll keep you updated on how that's going.
In other news, it was Freedom Day yesterday. It wasn't their independence day but the concept is similar. It is a showing of solidarity where many people come to celebrate and fight against things like corruption. They celebrate this by launching a long three month torch relay--it's just like the olympic torch relay only it's run throughout Tanzania. Yesterday, the torch was lit in Mwanza and started its journey. There was a huge gathering for this at the soccer stadium. There was singing, dancing, performing, ect., and I ended up being out in the sun for far too long (got a little sun burn for sure :) It was a good experience overall and a happy celebration.
Today, I'm happy because I bought a pizza for myself at a restaurant downtown. Since I've arrived here, I've only been eating Tanzanian food, and I've been getting tired of the same thing all the time. They normally eat the same thing everyday. Always rice, beans, or ugali (maize and cassava flour mixed with water into a porridge). Then they have cooked bananas put into a kind of stew with vegetables. They aren't plantains or the bananas you're used to, but similar to plantains more than anything. For meats, they somtimes have fried chicken, fish, beef, goat, and last night I had chicken livers. So after eating that same food twice a day, everyday for 2-3 weeks, I was very happy to have a pizza, yum.
That's about it for now. Hope everyone is enjoying their summers!
Until next time,
-Ben
Friday, May 22, 2009
Karibu Mwanza! (welcome to mwanza)
Hey Hey Hey!
I finally made it back to the internet cafe. I'll probably only be able to post on the weekends, because the internet is too slow and frustrating for me to deal with it everyday. I guess I'm just too used to having high-speed back in the states. Anyhow, let me tell you a little bit about Mwanza...
Mwanza is in the NW region of Tanzania situated right on the shore of Lake Victoria (the world's 2nd largest freshwater lake). It's the country's second largest city with a population of at least 500,000 but it's really hard to get an accurate estimate. Some people think there could be well over 1 million people living in the area, and I'd believe them. Even since the last time I was here in 2007, Mwanza has grown rapidly. I can't believe the hoards of people everywhere and constant vehicle congestion. Most of the main roads in the city center are paved, but the majority of the side roads are your worst nightmare. I can't imagine trying to drive in the city here (plus they drive on the left side of the road...silly british).
I'm working at Shaloom Care House, which is run by the Archdiocese of Mwanza Health Dept. Shaloom is an organization for HIV/AIDS only--the rest of the health dept deals with other health areas. Shaloom provides free HIV tests, as well as a variety of other services for HIV-positive persons. They provide free ARV drugs to those who can't afford them, and there is a doctor that is at shaloom on tuesdays and fridays that many people line up to see (but only if they are registered HIV-positive by shaloom). They also have free counseling services and support groups to reduce the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS. For children who are orphans because of AIDS, shaloom will pay their school fees, purchase their school uniforms, and give them money for some food and supplies (beans and soap on a monthly basis).
However, when I arrived here I was surprised to learn that Shaloom has almost no prevention/education program for those in the community who are not HIV-positive. So, I've been making educational brochures with information regarding what HIV is and how it's transmitted. Also, I'm working on some materials dealing with common HIV myths and FAQs. Hopefully, we will hand these materials out to youth at our next community event--a talent show in June. I'll keep you posted with my progress at work, but so far my co-workers have been very nice to me. They're bearing with me as I struggle to pick up Swahili, and luckily some of them know a little bit of english.
So, until next time, take care!
-Ben
I finally made it back to the internet cafe. I'll probably only be able to post on the weekends, because the internet is too slow and frustrating for me to deal with it everyday. I guess I'm just too used to having high-speed back in the states. Anyhow, let me tell you a little bit about Mwanza...
Mwanza is in the NW region of Tanzania situated right on the shore of Lake Victoria (the world's 2nd largest freshwater lake). It's the country's second largest city with a population of at least 500,000 but it's really hard to get an accurate estimate. Some people think there could be well over 1 million people living in the area, and I'd believe them. Even since the last time I was here in 2007, Mwanza has grown rapidly. I can't believe the hoards of people everywhere and constant vehicle congestion. Most of the main roads in the city center are paved, but the majority of the side roads are your worst nightmare. I can't imagine trying to drive in the city here (plus they drive on the left side of the road...silly british).
I'm working at Shaloom Care House, which is run by the Archdiocese of Mwanza Health Dept. Shaloom is an organization for HIV/AIDS only--the rest of the health dept deals with other health areas. Shaloom provides free HIV tests, as well as a variety of other services for HIV-positive persons. They provide free ARV drugs to those who can't afford them, and there is a doctor that is at shaloom on tuesdays and fridays that many people line up to see (but only if they are registered HIV-positive by shaloom). They also have free counseling services and support groups to reduce the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS. For children who are orphans because of AIDS, shaloom will pay their school fees, purchase their school uniforms, and give them money for some food and supplies (beans and soap on a monthly basis).
However, when I arrived here I was surprised to learn that Shaloom has almost no prevention/education program for those in the community who are not HIV-positive. So, I've been making educational brochures with information regarding what HIV is and how it's transmitted. Also, I'm working on some materials dealing with common HIV myths and FAQs. Hopefully, we will hand these materials out to youth at our next community event--a talent show in June. I'll keep you posted with my progress at work, but so far my co-workers have been very nice to me. They're bearing with me as I struggle to pick up Swahili, and luckily some of them know a little bit of english.
So, until next time, take care!
-Ben
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Long Travels!
Hello from Tanzania!
After a long journey I am in Mwanza at last. I need to be brief because this computer is horrible and my internet time is already running out, but here's a quick rundown of everything so far...
Drove 5 hours to Chicago to fly out on Tuesday night, then had a 7 and 1/2 hour flight to London (which I got exit row leg room for!), then I had to wait in Heathrow for 10 hours before my flight out to Dar es Salaam. I would have done some shopping or something in Heathrow but I only saw high end stores like dior, gucchi, tiffany & co, dolce, etc. My flight to Dar was 9 and 1/2 hours long and again I was lucky becuase no one was sitting next to me. If you can actually imagine this, I layed down in the fetal position on my two seats...yes, that's all 6 foot 3 of me laying down on two airplane seats. Needless to say it wasn't very comfortable :).
Once in Dar, I took a taxi to the Kurasini Centre, a church run hostel, and rested until the next day. Then I flew out to Mwanza just yesterday and am finally overcoming my jet lag. I'm staying at St. Dominick's Pastoral Centre (which is just a long name for a hostel). It is an enclosed compound with gates and guards and my room is self-contained with a bathroom. They even prepare three meals a day here in the cafeteria and they only cost $2, so that's quite the deal because I don't even have to shop or cook! I'm just resting today and tomorrow, but on Monday I will begin working at Shaloom Care House, which is an organization dealing mostly with HIV/AIDS education for the community.
I wish I could tell you more, but I'm quickly running out of time on this stone age computer. I'll try and get back here to the internet cafe tomorrow and tell you all a little bit about Mwanza. Until then, take care! I miss you all!
-Ben
After a long journey I am in Mwanza at last. I need to be brief because this computer is horrible and my internet time is already running out, but here's a quick rundown of everything so far...
Drove 5 hours to Chicago to fly out on Tuesday night, then had a 7 and 1/2 hour flight to London (which I got exit row leg room for!), then I had to wait in Heathrow for 10 hours before my flight out to Dar es Salaam. I would have done some shopping or something in Heathrow but I only saw high end stores like dior, gucchi, tiffany & co, dolce, etc. My flight to Dar was 9 and 1/2 hours long and again I was lucky becuase no one was sitting next to me. If you can actually imagine this, I layed down in the fetal position on my two seats...yes, that's all 6 foot 3 of me laying down on two airplane seats. Needless to say it wasn't very comfortable :).
Once in Dar, I took a taxi to the Kurasini Centre, a church run hostel, and rested until the next day. Then I flew out to Mwanza just yesterday and am finally overcoming my jet lag. I'm staying at St. Dominick's Pastoral Centre (which is just a long name for a hostel). It is an enclosed compound with gates and guards and my room is self-contained with a bathroom. They even prepare three meals a day here in the cafeteria and they only cost $2, so that's quite the deal because I don't even have to shop or cook! I'm just resting today and tomorrow, but on Monday I will begin working at Shaloom Care House, which is an organization dealing mostly with HIV/AIDS education for the community.
I wish I could tell you more, but I'm quickly running out of time on this stone age computer. I'll try and get back here to the internet cafe tomorrow and tell you all a little bit about Mwanza. Until then, take care! I miss you all!
-Ben
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