OR ANYTHING ELSE YOU'RE SELLING! Or, my recent trip to Zanzibar, especially Stonetown!
I actually love Z'bar and never turn down a chance to go! So when my friend Jenny said she really needed to get away, and would I mind going during my week holiday (Spring Break is how I think of it), even though I'd just been in December, since she'd never been and wanted someone who knew the ropes, I couldn't say yes fast enough! Another mentor, Shelley, had also never been and had no plans for that week, so the 3 of us took off. We stayed in the same place Sarah and I had stayed in Dec., and it was lovely and restful and relaxing and beautiful. We went snorkeling on an all day trip and just loved it. Jenny loved it so much that she rented gear the next afternoon and we went again just off the beach from where we were staying. Ate lots of seafood, slept, read, watched sunsets, had a great time. We were there from Sunday till Thursday when we left for our Spice Tour on the way to Stonetown.
I've never stayed in Stonetown before, just spent time there, but Joanna had and suggested a place to stay that was in walking distance of everything we'd want: shops and restarants, as well as historic places to see and the market. That was where the title of this cames from! Because it is such a popular place for tourists, hawkers just hang out on that street jumping at anything that even remotely resembles a tourist! Apparently, the following things are true of tourists: we never walk anywhere (so we must want a taxi!), we can't get enough Tanzanian music (so we want to buy the one CD they sell!), and we've come to Z'bar for spices (so we have to buy more!). Unfortunately, I haven't perfected the knack for rudeness that other poeple have, so I was often the target of these pitches. One man practically followed me around Stonetown and ended up asking me to take him back to Arusha with me! On Friday night, we were at a very public outdoor garden with lots of families and locals, as well as tourists, and we were just bombarded by hawkers with artwork, spices, etc. One woman was heading our way, and I jokingly said, "Wouldn't it be funny if she tried to sell us something?" Since no women had approached us up to that point, it was highly unlikely, I thought. HOWEVER, she walked right up to me and asked if I'd like a henna tattoo! I said no, but just had to grab Jenny and Shelley to keep from snapping!From then on, Jenny would just look at me at random times and say, "Don't you want a taxi?"
On Saturday, because we had almost a whole day before our plane took off, we went snorkeling again! It was a perfect thing to do and a great end to our stay. I'll definitely go again, but I'll work on rudeness before that!
Me with my sponsored children
Me with my sponsored children
Monday, April 18, 2011
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Saturday night in an Arusha hospital
Yes, I'm fine; I was the driver of a sick little boy and his parents.
Saturday night I was in my room on skype when one of my housemates and fellow mentor, Joelle, came to say that one of our night guards was on the phone. I had seen Godfrey earlier that day, and he said they were just taking his young son Christian to the hospital as they thought he had asthma. His wife cleans for us, and his 5 year old daughter Agape was in the preschool class I spent so much time with last year. He is good friends with Joelle and Corinne, another housemate and mentor, and so he called Joelle because he didn't know who else to call. It was 10:00 at night, and their son was worse and they wanted to take him to the hospital but couldn't get there at night. I got on the phone and asked if he wanted me to take them. He said, yes, please, and that they would be there as soon as they could get there.
About 11 they arrived at our compound gate, and I picked them up and off we went. Christian was very warm, sleeping, but didn't appear to be having trouble breathing. We arrived at the hospital around 11:30, and waited to be seen. While there, I saw more drunk men than I've seen in awhile, some brought in by people who looked about as bad off as the men they brought in! One man who brought his friend in was apparently himself the victim of a knife wound, as I saw the hole in his shirt and the blood on the side of his shirt. As far as I could tell, no one paid any attention to that! There were also a couple of women and one or two other mothers and fathers with children. No one was unruly or dangerous in any way, and I thought I was in a documentary of third world hospitals! Mama Agape took Christian back, and he got some kind of injection because Godfrey and I heard him yelling, "Maamaa!" It was so pitiful!
Eventually it was decided the mother and son would be admitted to the hospital, but not the one we were at, and I couldn't take them because they had to go in an official hospital car. I knew Godfrey didn't want to leave them so I told him we
could stay as long as he wanted to. Another mama there finally sad she'd look after them and we should just go. It was about 1:00 by then, so we left, giving Mama Agape Godfrey's phone and my phone number, so she'd be able to contact someone. On the way back Godfrey admitted he didn't know where to sleep as he couldn't go back to his home in the village that late. I offered him one of our guest bedrooms, and he took me up on it. I asked him if I could get him water or milk and he said, "Can you help me? I have hunger." I warmed up some soup and made him a cup of tea, made his bed, showed him where the bathroom was, and said good night.
I did think momentarily of putting a note under the doors of my sleeping housemates, but decided he'd be gone before they woke up. However, Sarah got up in the night, saw lights (I don't think Godfrey knew how to turn them off so he left them on!), and went to turn them off, including the one in Godfrey's bedroom! She saw male legs and had no idea what they were doing there, as she'd already been in bed when I left! I told everyone about it the next morning, but it did give her a rather troubled night!
Mama and Christian ended up staying in the hospital till yesterday (Tuesday), and he had pneumonia, it turns out. Godfrey just came by to thank me again and welcome me to his house any time. He also wants to bring the family to see me, so I told him we would make plans for both of those things. He apologized for the trouble, but I told him I had originally named my car Saidi, which is Swahili for "help," as I prayed that God would use the car to help others. I told him, "It's really God's car. He just lets me drive it!"
Saturday night I was in my room on skype when one of my housemates and fellow mentor, Joelle, came to say that one of our night guards was on the phone. I had seen Godfrey earlier that day, and he said they were just taking his young son Christian to the hospital as they thought he had asthma. His wife cleans for us, and his 5 year old daughter Agape was in the preschool class I spent so much time with last year. He is good friends with Joelle and Corinne, another housemate and mentor, and so he called Joelle because he didn't know who else to call. It was 10:00 at night, and their son was worse and they wanted to take him to the hospital but couldn't get there at night. I got on the phone and asked if he wanted me to take them. He said, yes, please, and that they would be there as soon as they could get there.
About 11 they arrived at our compound gate, and I picked them up and off we went. Christian was very warm, sleeping, but didn't appear to be having trouble breathing. We arrived at the hospital around 11:30, and waited to be seen. While there, I saw more drunk men than I've seen in awhile, some brought in by people who looked about as bad off as the men they brought in! One man who brought his friend in was apparently himself the victim of a knife wound, as I saw the hole in his shirt and the blood on the side of his shirt. As far as I could tell, no one paid any attention to that! There were also a couple of women and one or two other mothers and fathers with children. No one was unruly or dangerous in any way, and I thought I was in a documentary of third world hospitals! Mama Agape took Christian back, and he got some kind of injection because Godfrey and I heard him yelling, "Maamaa!" It was so pitiful!
Eventually it was decided the mother and son would be admitted to the hospital, but not the one we were at, and I couldn't take them because they had to go in an official hospital car. I knew Godfrey didn't want to leave them so I told him we
could stay as long as he wanted to. Another mama there finally sad she'd look after them and we should just go. It was about 1:00 by then, so we left, giving Mama Agape Godfrey's phone and my phone number, so she'd be able to contact someone. On the way back Godfrey admitted he didn't know where to sleep as he couldn't go back to his home in the village that late. I offered him one of our guest bedrooms, and he took me up on it. I asked him if I could get him water or milk and he said, "Can you help me? I have hunger." I warmed up some soup and made him a cup of tea, made his bed, showed him where the bathroom was, and said good night.
I did think momentarily of putting a note under the doors of my sleeping housemates, but decided he'd be gone before they woke up. However, Sarah got up in the night, saw lights (I don't think Godfrey knew how to turn them off so he left them on!), and went to turn them off, including the one in Godfrey's bedroom! She saw male legs and had no idea what they were doing there, as she'd already been in bed when I left! I told everyone about it the next morning, but it did give her a rather troubled night!
Mama and Christian ended up staying in the hospital till yesterday (Tuesday), and he had pneumonia, it turns out. Godfrey just came by to thank me again and welcome me to his house any time. He also wants to bring the family to see me, so I told him we would make plans for both of those things. He apologized for the trouble, but I told him I had originally named my car Saidi, which is Swahili for "help," as I prayed that God would use the car to help others. I told him, "It's really God's car. He just lets me drive it!"
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