Team Tanzania are just back from Tanzanian Girl Guide Association (TGGA) Headquarters where de-brief took place this morning. We were slightly late (as we waited an hour an a half for the car to collect us, then realised we'd left the Resources bag in the hostel), but it went really well and hopefully they will take our group suggestions on board!
We are pleased to say that the training in Dar went ahead over the weekend and was a great success. The group we trained were fluent in English which made our training a lot easier, but the hyper-active seven year old boys didn't... Luckily they were only there for one day, so on the second day we were able to focus on training the older girls who are reaching leadership age, which is what our project is all about. The time we spent with them was a lot shorter than in the previous two regions, mainly due to the last minute change of plans, but we adapted the sessions and with the understanding and enthusiasm of the girls they still got a lot out of the weekend and it was well worthwhile.
The plan at last posting was to travel to Zanzibar this afternoon, but taking into account Tanzania time and how late we were leaving de-brief, we are lucky we had changed our plans to continue with onward travel tomorrow.
So this is our last blog posting on project!! Tomorrow morning Alex, Ashleigh-Jane, Carley, Katy and Sue will travel to Zanzibar (then AJ, Katy and Alex fly on to Arusha for Safari and to go to Mt Kilimanjaro) and Ellen goes on tour of Namibia, Zambia and Botswana from Thursday. We are all really excited for our onward travel and to return home to share the stories of what has been an amazing GOLD project and completely awesome experience.
Thank you for following our blog! See you back in the UK...!
Team Tanzania xx
Monday, August 15, 2011
Friday, August 12, 2011
Dar isn't so bad...
We were pleased to hear last night that we have a group of Guides to train in Dar on Saturday and Sunday!! A little shorter than the other training, but the girls have school commitments, so we got to spend today at the beach :D It was lovely to chill out as all our days off so far seem to have been spent on buses (apart from the day we got chased around by the crazy lady). Some of us showered and realised that in fact we aren't as tanned as we thought.... oh well.
The plan now is to de-brief on Monday (fingers crossed) and then continue with our onward travels. It's amazing to think we have been here in Tanzania for just over 2 weeks so far. The time has gone so fast, yet it also feels like such a long time ago we arrived in Dar (the first time). We have had one or two challenges along the way, but this is GOLD, anything can happen! It's lucky our Team Tanzania motto is Uwe Tayari (Be Prepared).
Until next time, TTFN...
Team Tanzania xx
The plan now is to de-brief on Monday (fingers crossed) and then continue with our onward travels. It's amazing to think we have been here in Tanzania for just over 2 weeks so far. The time has gone so fast, yet it also feels like such a long time ago we arrived in Dar (the first time). We have had one or two challenges along the way, but this is GOLD, anything can happen! It's lucky our Team Tanzania motto is Uwe Tayari (Be Prepared).
Until next time, TTFN...
Team Tanzania xx
Thursday, August 11, 2011
We are back in Dar!!
A complete change of plan since we last blogged in Sumbawanga, we are now back in Dar Es Salaam!.
The bus from Sumbawanga to Mbeya on Tuesday was the worst yet. We were at the back of the bus, where the seats were not attached to the floor, they were stuck in recline and the driver was going WAY TOO FAST over the bumps. Even those of us without bad backs ended up with back ache. We were literally flying off the seats of the bus! (Who needs Alton Towers?!). Even though the windows were jammed shut (just to make us even sweatier), Sue still managed to get covered in dust. After 8 hours we were extremely glad to get off the bus in Mbeya. At that point each one of us would have been glad to never get on a bus again, so when we found out our planned day trip to Malawi would involve 5 hours each way on the bus we immediately decided there was no chance!!
After arriving at our hotel, the team really didn't feel safe in Mbeya so we booked the bus back to Dar Es Salaam earlier than planned. It was very difficult to explain to the Guiders in Mbeya that we couldn't stay and wasn't an easy decision to make, but Team Tanzania safety has to be our priority. So, yesterday saw us on another 13 hour bus journey back to Dar Es Salaam, this time more comfortable than the day before, but a long journey all the same!
This morning we have booked into the YMCA in Dar and are hoping to be able to train Guiders in Dar over the weekend. We are all glad to be safe and settled (and to have no more bus journeys for the rest of the project!!!). We aren't really sure what's happening yet, so gotta go with the flow (T.I.A.!!).
Until next time... thanks for reading :)
Team Tanzania xx
The bus from Sumbawanga to Mbeya on Tuesday was the worst yet. We were at the back of the bus, where the seats were not attached to the floor, they were stuck in recline and the driver was going WAY TOO FAST over the bumps. Even those of us without bad backs ended up with back ache. We were literally flying off the seats of the bus! (Who needs Alton Towers?!). Even though the windows were jammed shut (just to make us even sweatier), Sue still managed to get covered in dust. After 8 hours we were extremely glad to get off the bus in Mbeya. At that point each one of us would have been glad to never get on a bus again, so when we found out our planned day trip to Malawi would involve 5 hours each way on the bus we immediately decided there was no chance!!
After arriving at our hotel, the team really didn't feel safe in Mbeya so we booked the bus back to Dar Es Salaam earlier than planned. It was very difficult to explain to the Guiders in Mbeya that we couldn't stay and wasn't an easy decision to make, but Team Tanzania safety has to be our priority. So, yesterday saw us on another 13 hour bus journey back to Dar Es Salaam, this time more comfortable than the day before, but a long journey all the same!
This morning we have booked into the YMCA in Dar and are hoping to be able to train Guiders in Dar over the weekend. We are all glad to be safe and settled (and to have no more bus journeys for the rest of the project!!!). We aren't really sure what's happening yet, so gotta go with the flow (T.I.A.!!).
Until next time... thanks for reading :)
Team Tanzania xx
Monday, August 8, 2011
Last day in Sumbawanga!
Our second training is over in Sumbawanga, we just have Mbeya to go!!! The training went really well and again they loved the games and songs. There are a few girls we trained who we can see will make excellent Leaders of the future. We are well practised now so our trainings are more structured and clear and we felt it was a real success. When we finished the training yesterday and presented the girls with certificates they were all loving having their photographs taking with us. We are minor celebrities here (actually we are, as we made it onto the local news on tv the other day!). We were all given a Zebra print Kanga as a gift, which is a large piece of material they tie round themselves when in the kitchen. Our guess is that the Leaders got inspired by 'Ride My Zebra' which the girls loved to play (we did too, especially when it sounds more like Fry My Zebra!!).
As we are walking around the streets of Sumbawanga, lots of people are calling 'Muzungo' to us (which is Swahili for White Person). Muzungo is also the name of the newly formed African Rap Band, comprising of Team Tanzania (we obviously have way too much time sitting on buses). The first release will be a re-mix of the Crazy Moose....
Tomorrow we will be catching the 8am bus to Mbeya, so hope to arrive some time before dark. The man in the red coat is now less scary after being followed around Sumbawanga by a crazy lady who keeps chanting and laughing at us... she is harmless enough though, and Safina (our Guide) thinks she is hilarious. We are hoping to go on a day trip somewhere on Wednesday as we have some free time, possibly to Malawi if we can, we need to investigate when we arrive to Mbeya, but we are all really excited to explore some more of Africa!
TTFN... Kwaheri
Team Tanzania xx
As we are walking around the streets of Sumbawanga, lots of people are calling 'Muzungo' to us (which is Swahili for White Person). Muzungo is also the name of the newly formed African Rap Band, comprising of Team Tanzania (we obviously have way too much time sitting on buses). The first release will be a re-mix of the Crazy Moose....
Tomorrow we will be catching the 8am bus to Mbeya, so hope to arrive some time before dark. The man in the red coat is now less scary after being followed around Sumbawanga by a crazy lady who keeps chanting and laughing at us... she is harmless enough though, and Safina (our Guide) thinks she is hilarious. We are hoping to go on a day trip somewhere on Wednesday as we have some free time, possibly to Malawi if we can, we need to investigate when we arrive to Mbeya, but we are all really excited to explore some more of Africa!
TTFN... Kwaheri
Team Tanzania xx
Friday, August 5, 2011
Sumbawanga training is going well!
We arrived safely in Sumbawanga, Rukwa yesterday evening and have just completed our first day training. The girls are really enthusiastic and look like they are really enjoying themselves! They love the games and songs and are really getting involved in the sessions. Most of them have good English, so it's easier for us to go more in depth into our training. We are in a small classroom of a school, in a beautiful (and hot) town in Rukwa region of Tanzania.
The rest of our journey to Sumbawanga, Rukwa, was less eventful that the bus from Mtwara to Dar, but 24 hours on a bus over the last two days was pretty hardcore travelling! (We were right in our estimation of the 14 hours from Dar to Mbeya!) We were lucky enough not to be swamped by chickens and ducks; instead the animals were on the outside of the bus! As we went through Mikumi National Park we were lucky to see giraffes, zebras, elephants, wilderbeast, gazelles and baboons, as well as the very beautiful rural Tanzania.
When we finally arrived at Mbeya on Wednesday evening we were all very tired and were horrified when we turned up to the hotel and there wasnt enough room for us! After dragging our bags round looking for somewhere to stay we everntually found a place to stay where they called the chef in especially to cook us up a chicken curry (and they managed to get rid of the man in the red coat who had follwed us most of the way round!). After a nights sleep, we were ready for our next bus to Rukwa. We were only 1.5 hours late leaving (after going round the block the tyres blew), but by now we are well used to Tanzania time. After all T.I.A. (This is Africa).
We are on the way back to our hotel to get all our resources sorted for the rest of the weekend training. We are sure that by the end of this weekend, Rukwa will have some promising Leaders!
The rest of our journey to Sumbawanga, Rukwa, was less eventful that the bus from Mtwara to Dar, but 24 hours on a bus over the last two days was pretty hardcore travelling! (We were right in our estimation of the 14 hours from Dar to Mbeya!) We were lucky enough not to be swamped by chickens and ducks; instead the animals were on the outside of the bus! As we went through Mikumi National Park we were lucky to see giraffes, zebras, elephants, wilderbeast, gazelles and baboons, as well as the very beautiful rural Tanzania.
When we finally arrived at Mbeya on Wednesday evening we were all very tired and were horrified when we turned up to the hotel and there wasnt enough room for us! After dragging our bags round looking for somewhere to stay we everntually found a place to stay where they called the chef in especially to cook us up a chicken curry (and they managed to get rid of the man in the red coat who had follwed us most of the way round!). After a nights sleep, we were ready for our next bus to Rukwa. We were only 1.5 hours late leaving (after going round the block the tyres blew), but by now we are well used to Tanzania time. After all T.I.A. (This is Africa).
We are on the way back to our hotel to get all our resources sorted for the rest of the weekend training. We are sure that by the end of this weekend, Rukwa will have some promising Leaders!
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Our first training is over and we are back in Dar...
Today (Tuesday 2nd August) saw us on a hidious 10.5 hour bus journey from Mtwara back to Dar Es Salaam. It was a surreal experience for most of us, sharing the bus with chickens, turkeys and ducks (not quite the goat Ashleigh-Jane had been hoping for, but we think she may have changed her mind now). It was especially funny when 2 women, 2 children, a chicken and a duck all squeezed into a double seat... The roads were very dusty and bumpy (like caves in the floor), as we drove a lot of the way next to an almost completed tarmac highway. Nevertheless, we are experiencing Tanzania's public transport at it's best (we will never complain about British public transport of pot holes EVER again..).
Anyway, back to Mtwara, we had a brilliant first training session. The girls we were training were mostly around 16 years old with varying degrees of English. It took us a while to get their confidence out of them, but a few rounds of Crazy Moose, Funky Chicken and Thunderation (amongst others of course) and they were all ready to join in! The aim was to train the girls about Adult Leadership, how to run units and the benefits Guiding can have to them. By the end of the 3 days training we had presents, letters of love and lots of tears that we were leaving them. In her closing speech, Agnes (the Leader at the Guides where we were training) told us that the Guide unit was about to close because she had lost direction, but we had inspired the girls and they loved us all so much that they gave us their word they would work at it and they would all be good Guide Leaders. Needless to say, after this we were all in tears. It was such a brilliant experience to be in Mtwara with the Guides and we could see the life coming back to their unit, we are really glad to have changed their minds and helped save their unit.
We have also made two amazing new friends, Yasmin and Nelsha from Tanzania Girl Guides, who came down to Mtwara with us to help us translate. They are brilliant girls and saved us a lot of money!
We are up at 5am tomorrow for another 12 hour bus journey (our guess is 14+ hours) down to Mbeya. We will then travel on to Rukwa on Thursday to start our next training session. If you google Rukwa, you are unlikely to find it as it appears to be in the middle of nowhere, so don't be surprised it we don't write for a while...
Wish us luck... Ta-ra for now!! :)
Team Tanzania xx
Anyway, back to Mtwara, we had a brilliant first training session. The girls we were training were mostly around 16 years old with varying degrees of English. It took us a while to get their confidence out of them, but a few rounds of Crazy Moose, Funky Chicken and Thunderation (amongst others of course) and they were all ready to join in! The aim was to train the girls about Adult Leadership, how to run units and the benefits Guiding can have to them. By the end of the 3 days training we had presents, letters of love and lots of tears that we were leaving them. In her closing speech, Agnes (the Leader at the Guides where we were training) told us that the Guide unit was about to close because she had lost direction, but we had inspired the girls and they loved us all so much that they gave us their word they would work at it and they would all be good Guide Leaders. Needless to say, after this we were all in tears. It was such a brilliant experience to be in Mtwara with the Guides and we could see the life coming back to their unit, we are really glad to have changed their minds and helped save their unit.
We have also made two amazing new friends, Yasmin and Nelsha from Tanzania Girl Guides, who came down to Mtwara with us to help us translate. They are brilliant girls and saved us a lot of money!
We are up at 5am tomorrow for another 12 hour bus journey (our guess is 14+ hours) down to Mbeya. We will then travel on to Rukwa on Thursday to start our next training session. If you google Rukwa, you are unlikely to find it as it appears to be in the middle of nowhere, so don't be surprised it we don't write for a while...
Wish us luck... Ta-ra for now!! :)
Team Tanzania xx
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Team Tanzania Have Arrived!!!!! :D
After two six hour flights (via Doha, Qatar), Team Tanzania have landed in Dar Es Salaam!! We were all very glad to see that all six of our rucksacks arrived the same time as us (there was a moment we thought this might not be the case....). Some of the local Guides came down to the airport to greet us and gave a brief overview of our trainings for the next three weeks (and all the bus journeys to prepare ourself for) and we are now REALLY EXCITED!!!!
We have had a rest, covered ourselves from head to toe in deet and we are ready to head out into Dar for some food :)
Our first training begins tomorrow afternoon, after we fly down to Mtwara tomorrow morning, so it's all beginning to feel real! The adventure begins...
Team Tanzania x
We have had a rest, covered ourselves from head to toe in deet and we are ready to head out into Dar for some food :)
Our first training begins tomorrow afternoon, after we fly down to Mtwara tomorrow morning, so it's all beginning to feel real! The adventure begins...
Team Tanzania x
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