Karibu tena

[Disclaimer for anyone who is eagerly awaiting some update in the photo gallery. I am having technical difficulties which can’t be fixed on a mobile device. I promise to upload pictures once I am back home]

It’s always remarkable how willingly I get up early when it involves travelling. When my alarm rang at 3 in the morning I was up like a flash. Today I was returning to Tanzania! Unfortunately, the staff at the airport weren’t equally excited as I was, since they took extra long to open their check in counter. Once I got rid of my backpack my journey began. The first flight took me to Zurich where I got to see a glimpse of the Swiss Alps and grab some breakfast. While I sat at the gate munching my pretzel and sipping my tea I watched other people make their way to my gate. Young people, old people, groups of people, families. People dressed in full khaki safari gear (including the appropriate headwear), others dressed up for what could have been a fashion show. I wondered what they were all up to. Was this their first time travelling to Tanzania, were they all just going on safari or was there anyone else like me maybe, someone returning to their past (or present) project or home? The flight from Zurich to Kilimanjaro airport went pretty smoothly. The food wasn’t great and the guy sitting next to me was so large he took his seat and half of mine but the excitement of what laid ahead made up for it. We flew over Crete, and Egypt and followed the Nile. It felt a bit weird because we had to avoid the airspace across Sudan. Here I was in my little happy place, flying to a dream destination while below me people were at war. Soon we flew over Kenya approaching Tanzania. As the sun was setting and we were making our approach to the airport I looked to my left and there it was, the tip of Mount Kilimanjaro peeking through the top of the clouds. Even the “shy mountain”, as the Kilimanjaro is also called, was welcoming me.

When I stepped off the plane the heat wave I was expecting to hit me never came. Instead I was greeted by heavy winds and temperatures around 20 degrees. Marvellous! Immigration, however, met my full expectations: pole pole (slow slow). The queue was looooong and the men at the desk took their time. I was a little worried whether there was any comment in my file from back then aka “suspected of illegal work without visa” but I should not have worried. Another sign that the issues I had back then with immigration were all to do with corruption. Oh well… When it was my turn the officer just looked at me and said, “You look very tired, I will make sure to hurry up”. Wow, this man knew how to compliment a woman. I nearly replied, “Yeah well, I am here to change that”. Instead I bit my tongue and just smiled appreciatively because the man kept his word and processed my visa within minutes. After I fetched my backpack and walked out the airport hall there were people already waiting, most of them holding little signs with names on them. “Katie” read one of them. That was me! I never had the privilege of being one of those people that get picked up by those name-tag people before. I was told by my driver that we were waiting for one more person but to make myself comfortable in the adjoining café. Off I went, starving hungry for the food on the plane wasn’t only horrible, it also came in tiny portions. I walked up to the counter and ordered in Swahili. “Ah how come you speak Swahili?”, the lady asked. When I told her she replied “karibu tena” which translates to “welcome again” - a phrase I would hear a lot in the next few days. Eventually the driver called and we made our way to the lodge.

The next morning it turned out that the people who arrived on my flight and I travelled with in the car last night were going to join the safari I was on. There was a young couple from Berlin and two people (aunt and niece) from Switzerland. Since we were the only people staying at the lodge we soon got talking and we all had breakfast together. While the others went out on their pre-booked day trips my plan was to just chill and get myself organised. I remember the first time I came to Tanzania I was totally insecure about everything. I didn’t know whether it was safe to leave the house, the traffic just seemed crazy and I also didn’t know how anything really worked. This time, I couldn’t wait to get out. I arranged for a taxi to take me into town. I was very impressed to learn that one doesn’t just hail a bajaji(tuktuk) or taxi on the street anymore (that option still exists though) but that the app Bolt is now very big in Tanzania and that one can easily schedule a pickup including a price beforehand. Normally the conversations are more or less the same. What’s your name? Where are you from? How long will you be here for? But I got chatting in Swahili with the taxi driver and he was quite impressed. He told me his English wasn’t great and so we agreed to help each other out. While we were driving into town he pointed out things in Swahili for me and I did the same in English. It’s remarkable how open and friendly people are. I could hardly imagine this happening in Germany.

My first stop was the bank to get some local currency. Then I looked for a book shop because I wanted to get some Swahili kid’s books to practice. The lady at the book shop seemed quite excited when I told her about my interest in practising Swahili and helped me pick out some nice storybooks. Next, I decided to get lunch at a famous tourist spot. While I sat there with a fresh Mango juice and toast I observed the people and cars go by. I had been in Arusha before but I didn’t recognise much. Last time, we only came here briefly as we stayed longer just down the road in a place called Usa River to visit a lovely vocational training center for disabled people. I only remember I didn’t quite like Arusha and my first impressions from back then were confirmed. The city center wasn’t very nice, it was quite busy and very touristic. After my lunch I went for a quick walk around, but the bustle was a bit too much so I decided to return to the lodge.

On the drive back I took everything in, like a dry sponge. The little metal huts, clotheslines dotted with colourful kitenge, the dusty red roads, car horns blaring, and the smell of burned rubber and plastic. It all felt so familiar and I felt happy to be back - it was a bit like slipping into an old glove. There was no negative energy from these people, everyone was in a good mood and I felt absolutely comfortable to dive back into the hustle and bustle.