Snake bitten…

Well, I am just enjoying my last few days of break, and then we head back for the home stretch. Only 7.5 weeks of school left… this year has flown by.

Classic Acacia, Tarangire National Park

I didn't have many plans for the break except to spend my birthday in Tarangire where my friend Ethan is doing guide training. For the first several months that I was here, I really missed the Manitoba sky. When I was on the open plain here, the sky was always dull. Not anymore… since the rains began, the sky is a brilliant blue (when it's not raining that is!) with fantastic clouds. I smiled my entire drive out to Tarangire, enjoying the rolling hills that are now green, and the fantastic sky. I have now been to Tarangire three times - September, January, and April. It is quite fascinating to see the changes to the park as the seasons and the rainfall change. There were many more animals in the dry season as Tarangire has a permanent river that draws many animals in search of water. There are not as many animals now, but the park is still beautiful with tall grasses, and the aforementioned fantastic sky. I just love that place.

A brilliant sunset in Tarangire

I spent one night at the Tarangire Safari Lodge enjoying the panoramic view and my fantastic company. The second night I stayed in camp with the guide trainees and had the chance to help teach a couple lessons while I was there. I taught a lesson on light – visible spectrum, refraction, dispersion etc. – which Ethan followed up by explaining how the visible spectrum of organisms varies, and why some animals can see better than others. Some birds of prey can see ultraviolet light, so they see the rays reflected off rodent urine and use that to help find their prey. Cool eh? I also taught them about sound and thunderstorms, and again Ethan took over and talked about sound in the animal kingdom. We made a good team! I also had a chance to go on a couple game drives with the guys. Ethan knows all kinds of fascinating facts, and can spot a cool bird a mile away. In two days I saw (with his help for identification) 43 species of birds.

Love those kingfishers! This one is a gray-headed kingfisher.

Birds = cool. Snakes = not so cool. The morning after I got back to Arusha, I found out that Ethan had been bitten by a black necked spitting cobra during the night. Fortunately he knew what to do and was at the clinic within a couple hours for treatment. He was quite ill before he received the anti-venom, and he was in a lot of pain, but things are looking good now. They kept him in the clinic for 4 days to monitor and administer medication, so I kept him company and helped keep an eye on his arm. He's gone back to Tarangire now, with promises to kill any snakes in camp and make sure his tent is fully zipped. I am now irrationally paranoid.

Today is Easter Sunday and there was a lovely service this morning at the home of a woman who came here many, many years ago as a missionary with her husband who was a pastor. There was another service at church a bit later with beautiful music including a brass band and a choir. The music in the church here is truly exceptional. I will have to spend the next couple days at school, and then back at it on Wednesday. I am planning another night in Tarangire next weekend, and then I will finally get onto Kili the following weekend on an outdoor pursuits trip with students – not to the summit but to the base of Mawenze. These plans will make it a bit easier to go back to school this week!

I have booked a trip back to the great white north from June 20 – July 24. Hopefully it won't be white then, but it will be great! Can't wait to see some familiar faces, both human and furry, and a couple of new faces that will have arrived by then. I also am hoping to see most of the faces across a great big plate of nachos J

All things Tanzanian…



Check that tie!

I giggle every day in Arusha. As I drive through town on my way to work, I feel as though I am in a Richard Scary book. Wherever you look, there is somebody doing something you would never see in North America, and wearing something you would never wear in North America. I find Tanzanians' choice of attire particularly fascinating. For instance, if you are wondering where your toques end up when you take them to goodwill, look no further than Tanzania. Toques are remarkably popular at 30 degrees Celsius. Ditto for your puffy San Jose Sharks Starter parka that was oh so cool 15 years ago, and in all likelihood your prom dress also. Men seem to have no idea how long a tie should be…. It is not unusual to see a tie tied so that it is only a few inches long. Cracks me up every time. Today I spotted a Molson Slowpitch sweatshirt, and I see a Timbits jersey at least once a week. One of my favs was the gas jockey I spotted wearing a "Number One Grandma" t-shirt. But my #1 find was a Hawerchuk jersey I spotted my first week here. When I see that guy again, I'm going to buy the shirt off his back.

  



A bread bike with only a light load

One of my other favourite things to do while driving through town is to see what people are carrying on bicycles. One day I saw a guy with the head of a pig sticking out of the basket on his bike. (It was reminiscent of Lord of the Flies….) Every single day I see at least one bike with beer crates on the back; the height of the stack depends on the courage (or stupidity) of its rider. My favourite, though, are the bread bikes. These bikes will be stacked to ridiculous heights with loaves of bread. More loaves of bread are draped across the handlebars and crossbar. If I am particularly lucky, as I was this morning, enough loaves are draped across the crossbar and the seat that the rider can no longer actually sit on the bike but rather just walks the bike along. Hee hee!

The delightful shop names also provide a good chuckle now and again. If you are looking for "Fancy Electronics", Arusha is your place. (Not to be confused with "Cheap Electronics", for which you need to go to Mombasa). There are two shops called "Bolt & Nut", which, I assume, sell bolts and nuts. Along the road to Moshi, you will find the "Golden Shower Restaurant" which sounds very appetizing, along with the "Black Baby Shop". Not sure what they sell…. There is a pub called "Merry Makers" which I think is quite clever. The grand champion, though, in entertaining names is the "House of Lubricants". Some advertising slogans are equally bad - case in point, the slogan for Savanna beer: "It's dry, but you can drink it."



So inspirational :P


And perhaps my favourite form of entertainment is reading the dhalla dhallas. Dhalla dhallas are minivans that serve as the local form of public transportation. Typically they serve as a constant source of frustration since their "drivers" don't actually know how to drive. However, they are lovingly adorned with unintentionally comical decals. One is labelled "Ars Express", presumably referring to Arsenal. Several are labelled "VIP Shuttle" despite the fact that they don't look to be in good enough condition for a demolition derby. I saw one this evening that proclaimed "Old is Gold" in a red font made to look like dripping blood. Many pay tribute to Led Zeppelin for some reason, but only one is labelled "Led Zepperlin". There is one dhalla that encourages me to "Never Give Up" (while at the same time asking God to "guide me from my enemies"), but there is also a discouraging dhalla that just this morning told me to "Give Up". Another features a picture of Eminem with the advice to "Loose Yourself". One of the greatest has a picture of Tupac on the back window with the words "Me Against World"…. I guess they don't realize that Tupac lost his battle with the world. My all-time fav (which unfortunately has not been seen since Christmas, and may have met its maker) proudly displays "0.00% Real". Oh, the innumeracy! Not to be outdone in the department of ridiculous, I have also seen a full-sized bus with a lovely painting on the back window of a tiger lying in front of Kilimanjaro…..???