I Like to Move It Move It

Jambo! Habari?

One week ago today Kate and I packed our bags, piled our luggage in a taxi and moved to a house that I can only describe as paradise. Being just a short 3 minute walk around the corner from the APYN offices was only one of the many perks of moving from the apartment at Mlango Moja to our new house in the Isamilo area. 

Our new roommate Shannon had originally been living with Megan (who sadly left us last Saturday to head back to Canada) but now had ample space for both Kate and I in the house. Not only do we all have our own wonderful rooms, but a spare room is kept as a catch all for everything from laundry to study supplies. 

Instead of hearing music blaring, cars honking and people yelling, we are surrounded by the noises of all sorts of birds and other wildlife. The green space inside our compound lets us enjoy the beautiful days at our 'home office' without being in sight of the road, or any other people. The privacy is nothing but blissful.

Our gate and front yard

Our front yard

Kate sitting at our 'home office'

One of the papaya trees

Living Room

One of the 2 bath/shower rooms with American style toilets!

Shannon enjoying our fridge AND freezer in our kitchen

My Room

 Although our apartment was still quite nice for Tanzanian standards, the Pro/Con list really didn't deny that the house provides superior accommodations. At the house we have a guard named Freddy, who is a very kind individual that takes care of the gardens and watches over the house. Our landlady is named Mama Mary. She is quite an incredible woman who works at a nearby hospital and owns a few compounds in the area. She is one of the nicest people I have met while living in Mwanza and her hospitality can't be beat. Even before Kate and I moved in she invited Shannon, Megan, Kate and myself over to her house for an African feast. She had made a whole host of authentic African dishes including sambusa (samosa) which were our favourite. Her kindness just adds a cherry on top of this wonderful place to live.

I know I just wrote a blog about food, but the extra kitchen space, utensils, and fridge/freezer space has allowed us to try our hand at making a variety of new things. 

My first batch of homemade tortillas and the biggest pineapple I have EVER seen

Banana nut bread

Some homemade fresh guac

The start of cinnamon buns

Ready for the oven

Freshly baked, and tastes almost exactly like they do in Canada!

My stay in Mwanza is nearly half over (hard to believe!) and many exciting things are on the horizon. APYN will be hosting workshops for the yoghurt Mamas in March to provide further training surrounding the probiotics and their positive effects on immune health, as well as a training session on entrepreneurship. These workshops will be very beneficial for both APYN and the kitchens in order to come together and discuss their struggles and successes as a network.  

I also have a few trips coming up at the end of March including a Safari in the Serengeti and a trip to Dubai for the Easter long weekend. The next month should be quite exciting! 

Asante!

Lions and Tigers and Hail, Oh My!

Jambo Rafiki!

I felt I needed to write a blog post, and what better than weather and food to talk about? Mwanza's climate has been fairly consistent, reaching about 30C during the day and getting as cool as about 17 or 18 degrees at night. The humidity here is much lower than in Southern Ontario, only making it feel a couple degrees warmer than it is on any given day. When it is cloudy, the days seem a lot cooler and provides some relief from the super hot sun. 


This past Saturday we were considering heading up to Isamilo Lodge for a day by the pool. After deciding against it, we went about our day. At about 3pm clouds started to roll in, the wind picked up, and we had a full blown thunderstorm on our hands. Not only was it raining incredibly hard, within a few minutes it had started hailing! Marble sized hail! Unfortunately our roommate Emily was out during the storm and forced to take cover in a shop. It hailed for almost 15 minutes and just as it stopped, the flooding began. The storm only lasted about an hour or so, but they are still shoveling the dirt and sediment from our streets. 

All of the white on the sidewalks is hail!

The start of the flooding. Note the large black hole on the ground to the right of the Coke sign... a drain.

Just to the right of the jeep is a large grey bubbly mess. This is water surging from under the sidewalk drains.

The flooding got worse. Vans, cars, and trucks with brave drivers still drove through. Note the drainage hole has disappeared.

These are just a few of the many pictures Kate and I took from our balcony. I think the locals found it funny that we were getting so much amusement from the storm, but I don't think hail is very common here and would have surprised the locals as well. After the rain had stopped, a large group of people gathered on the sidewalk cheering on the brave individuals who were willing to try and wade through the icy water to get to the other side of the road. Many tried, many failed, but it was the effort that counts. 

On to food! I must say, the fresh produce here is amazing. Many fruits and vegetables including avocado, cucumber, carrots, pineapple, mango, tomato, banana, papaya, limes, and a whole host of leafy greens that are all basically called 'spinach' can be found at markets around town. On Sunday morning Kate, Emily and I venture out to a large market held that day a mere 10 minute walk from our apartment. The market is packed with vendors and you can find most anything you might be looking for. Although a busy, stressful type of environment, it is always satisfying to some home with big bags of fresh produce for very small amounts of money. 

A salad made from avocado, tomato, cucumber, and onion. Delicious!

My haul from the market one day. The whole lot cost about 4000tsh, or less than $3.  

 Other than the great food at the markets, Mwanza has a whole host of excellent street food. Chapatis are round tortilla like breads that are thicker and flakier than tortillas, and absolutely delicious. Vitambuya (sp?) is a fried rice cake (not rice cake like puffed rice, but more like a fried dough cake), and chipsi mayai (a french fry omelet... don't knock it 'till you try it) are probably my favourite treats to get. There are also a whole bunch of food and beverages that are absolutely hilarious when looked at closely. Kate and I found these pop cans at a store and had to buy them just because of the packaging!

'Freakin' do-gooder! Didn't you know that just by necking a Tango, you'll help transform a real 1cm2 patch on one of loads of skate parks around the country? Together, we'll create more space for you to nail an Ollie!'

They even show you the patch you will be transforming!

Last but not least... 'Tastier than liposuction'

 The fun with food and weather never stops here in Mwanza. I look forward to finding new things to try, and new packages to laugh at. I hope I can find them without being pelted by hail!

Asante