Heading even further east


Our last day with the Reaching Children’s Potential Program was busy, rich and full of gratitude! We spent the last morning with our sweet wanafunzi at the Mukungo school. We were very pleased that most of them remembered our lesson  (question asking - “What is it?” and “It is a…”) from yesterday. Children are such sponges for language! We will miss them all! 

In the afternoon we visited two new moms and met two Tanzanian infants, who seemed to be doing very well. RCP is working to reverse a fairly high infant mortality rate here. After our visits, we helped organize donated supplies in the medical clinic. To our surprise, a good portion of the supplies came from Partners in World Health, located in Portland, Maine! 

A local farmer came to talk with Steve and share farming practices/ideas, with Deborah doing the Swahili-English translation. Mama Tony cooked a big meal (spiced rice, coconut peas, roasted chicken, fresh fruit) and many of the staff joined us for dinner. 

We had a lovely surprise when the local childrens choir arrived to sing us songs of gratitude for our work! They really take music seriously here, their voices are lovely and harmonic, and their songs/dances are so well rehearsed. Think Landysmith Black Mombaza style singing/dancing.  


Our students trying on Jane’s cap and Steve’s glasses

Now we are down at sea level in hot, moist, smelly Dar Es Salam, spending a day exploring this huge, loud, diverse port city, one of the largest in Africa. While we are still the minority wazungu here, there are Africans from all over the continent (I’m hearing African French, finally), and about half of the residents here are Arabic. It is Ramadan, so things are a bit quieter than they might be, though still crazy-chaotic! 

We took a $2 tuktuk ride out to Coco Beach, just north of the city center and got to see the Indian Ocean, a first for both of us! Here we are at a rickety bar on Coco Beach, enjoying a sea breeze. 

We visited the Tanzanian National Museum and learned about archeological discoveries of early humans and mammals here, the Tanzanian independence movement, and the slave trade. We were given a long, excellent and informative lesson by the young clerk who checked us into the museum, probably a Tanzanian history major.  

In the evening we took a Dar Es Salam old city walking tour where we got to try numerous African-Arabic street foods. My favorite was the Arabic-spiced samosas and the fresh-squeezed sugar cane juice. 

Steve was a little grumpy about spending a day in smelly Dar Es Salam, but I think he finally appreciated the diversity and craziness of it all! 

Tomorrow we’re heading even further east - off to Mafia Island, a little-visited island just south of (much more touristy) Zanzibar. We’ll be staying on tent playforms at a small Ecolodge dedicated to protecting the area whale sharks. Sadly, whale shark season just ended, but maybe we’ll get lucky and see one?? Fingers crossed! 

If we have any signal there, I’ll post some more photos. 

Much love,

J & S 




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