A Fresh Perspective

I have almost been here two weeks which has allowed me to explore and get a better picture of Hanga, Tanzania.

One major thing I have noticed is that the village and people live much closer to one another than people did in Katibunga, Zambia. The Tanzanians used to be scattered and dispersed throughout the bush, but the government has moved people closer together and compressed the living space. This is because they wanted everyone to be able to be accessed by social services more easily. This is a good idea, but one drawback is that it pulls everyone away from their farm land and way of making a living. Therefore, many have to walk a large distance to farm and harvest their crops.

This was a move done by the past governmental authorities. It was done fairly recently, though, in the past ten years or so. The new president, John Magufuli, has also made some changes as well. I mentioned last time that he is working to make primary and secondary school free, but he has also declared war on waste. This is a great thing for Tanzania. Many African countries struggle with waste and littering, but it is really bad here. Litter is everywhere and trash is thrown around every second.

He has also gone onto try and rid corruption from the leadership of the country. This is a big challenge considering this has been an issue that has plagued Tanzania for some time and the research and statistics prove it.  In 2014, donors ceased to give after finding out politicians had stolen over $100 million in governmental funds. Even with a large amount of natural resources, tourist attractions and being the second-largest aid recipient in Sub-Saharan Africa, poverty rages on. Research shows that 70% of the population lives on less than $2 a day which makes it one of the poorest countries on earth.

You must be a pretty big jerk to steal from people who already have so little.

So, as I said, hopefully this new president is the real deal. If he is and is able to succeed in his endeavors then things may be on the up-and-up for Tanzania.

As for other things…

While walking around Hanga I came across an old rickety bridge that looks like it may topple over at any second. It is really cool, though, and so I enjoyed seeing it. It used to span out over a swamp, but the monks diverted the water a few years back and since then the swamp has dried up. There isn’t really much use for the bridge/dock which explains the state it is in, but it’s neat and I like it.

A few nights ago I noticed a cockroach and a few other friends of his making their way underneath my door and into my room. As you can imagine, I wasn’t too thrilled at the prospect of becoming roommates with these guys. So, because of this, I have begun to place my towel there to block their way in. It seems to work really well too. Fewer bugs in my room and less work must be done to shuffle them out in the morning.

I have been helping Br. Peter with his chicken coop this past week. Br. Peter is the chicken man around here and he tallies and records the number of eggs his chickens produce each day in a large graph book. With three chicken houses, over a thousand eggs being produced a day (there are a lot of chickens), selling the eggs and making sure all are accounted for recording can become a chore. Therefore, he has asked for me to help him with learning how to use Microsoft Excel. Luckily, he has a computer with Excel already installed. I have no idea where we would have to go to find the software if he didn’t have it. His computer is quite old, but it works just fine. I have been going over to the chicken coop and helping him and his assistant with recording everything on Excel. I set up a worksheet for the month of January so it is easy to find and everything is organized. My biggest worry is that they won’t keep up with recording in Excel. If they don’t then all the work is for nothing. That is up to them, though. Another issue is that they don’t know how to use Excel so I have had to try and teach them. They don’t know much English so that can be tough. Nonetheless, things have been going in the right direction and they seem to like it.

While over by the chicken coop I met up with another brother who works at the printing press. He is an old man so he just makes fun little books such as small notebooks and visitor books for people to sign in and whatnot. The printing press is very old, though. It looks like something from Ben Franklin’s time. Also, in order to print something they must use very small letters and arrange them into what they would like to say. This means you must spell out everything in these small letters. This was how the first Bible was printed. I, personally, wouldn’t have wanted the job of writing out and organizing each page of the bible in small letters.

The printing press was a cool thing to see, though.

Today I picked up my newly made shirt from the tailor. You are able to buy fabric at almost every store. The trick is to find a nice piece with a cool pattern. I finally found one in Songea a few days ago and so I bought it and took it to the tailor. They made a shirt out of it and now I am having some pants made. I really like the pattern and colors – straight out of Africa. It is fun to have and wear and everyone seems to like it.

Additionally, today I have to track down Fr. Mugaga because he is the head teacher over at Saint Benedict’s secondary school. Sometimes trying to find these guys can be like chasing a ghost. Wherever you look they have already gone. He said I could come in in the afternoons rather than the evenings on Wednesdays and Fridays, but I am going to try and alter that. I want a full week schedule. I believe there is a specific time for sports in the afternoons and as much as I love sports and think they are beneficial I am sure there are kids who do not. Therefore, I am sure they are just sitting around. So, hopefully I can tutor during this time. We will see. Everything is a process here.

Other than the school I will be looking into the clinic and workshops. With a limited amount of English speaking people it becomes difficult in getting involved with a job right away. This week I know I will be at work again, though, and that is good.

Thanks for reading!