The philosophy of African life

This could be the title of a new book about the lifestyle and everyday life in Africa.

Since I have been unemployed for the last two weeks I had enough time to think about impressions and ways of life of Africa. I have to admit that this was quiet easy as I was laying on the white beach, eating fresh oranges and listening tot he clear blue sea. There are two things that you learn here straight away. First: pole pole (slowly). Things take their time here. As my guide said: „Where you come from time is money. Here, time is time“. Normally dinner takes about an hour to be served or even some events take place a few days later. Just go with the flow. Secondly, where nothing is planned everything is possible. I already discovered that whenever there is no plausible answer tot he question „why not“ people here just go ahead and do it. That is why a bajaj (Tuk Tuk) might just drive on the wrong side oft he street to overtake the traffic jam on ist side.

The traffic in the city is absolutely mad. Normally there are traffic jams and you have to wait for hours in a boiling hot car. You are best off to use either a piki piki (motorbike) or the bajaj. The Piki piki are dangerous because you are travelling without security gear and you sneak around big busses or trucks. Still, the bajaj drives in the third lane of a two-laned road or it can drive on the pavements.

Let´s talk about food. All the volunteers here are gratefull whenever there is water coming out the shower or there is electricity. Nevertheless, you can cope with that. All we talk about is food. It is very hard to get used to the food habits here. The food is extremely fatty, and not very pleasant. Milkproducts are luxury and therefore rare. We mostly eat rice, or ugali (which is some water mixed with flour) with peanutbutter sauce and dry meat. Some of the volunteers had already big problems concerning their digestion…

The contact with local people can be either good or bad. Mostly the people are friendly and welcoming. They greet you on the street and even the kids love it whenever you ask them how they are on Swahili. Nevertheless, you are still an attraction as a white person. Some taxi drivers drive an extra route to show you off to their colleagues or people examine you curiously. Unfortunately there are still negative encounters with local. You are called „white/ foreigner“ on the street, you get higher prices and sometimes there are even insulting gestures. Sadly racism still plays a decisive role here.

But we have to come back to business. After talking to the people in charge in Germany as well as here, I found out that the project in Mikumi National Park will not take place. As an alternative I am placed in a park called Wami Mbiki which the animals cross while migrating fromone national park to the other. Nevertheless, Wami Mbiki is no national park and I have to see for myself whether the projects can be classified as an appropiate alternative.

I spent the last three days with three girls from the student house in Dar es Salaam and two girls from Lindi in a little coastal time called Kilwa. Kilwa is seperated in three parts: Masoko, Kivinje and Kisiwani. There are huge ruins on a small island and some are over 1000 years old. These ruins are protected by the UNESCO and quite interesting to look at. Nevertheless, there is not a lot going on in Kilwa. In comparison to Dar es Salaam which is smelly, dusty and loud Kilwa is very quiet. Still, we spent our time rummaging around in the ruins or just chilling at the beach.

As I said, I will jump on a rusty Dalladalla (bus) tomorrow and take the bumpy roads to Morogoro where I will go to the Wami Mbiki park soon. Everything happens “pole pole“ and “where nothing is planned, everything is possible“ :)