Hamna "Cheetah"

So, my plans for this latest blog were to write a great entry about how I just climbed a volcano named Mt. Lengai, but instead, the night before I was supposed to leave for the trip, I woke up after midnight and proceeded to make several trips to the ladies' room. No, I didn't catch malaria or anything (although, one of our volunteers did! yikes!) but my friend Meghan and I managed to get food poisoning at dinner (that's what we get for splitting a meal) and were unable to get ourselves prepared for the 6 hour drive along bumpy roads, and then psych ourselves up for a hike up a mountain beginning at 12 am.

I'm bummed that I didn't get to do it; it's a night hike up the mountain and you summit just at sunrise...the hike's more challenging (but shorter) than Kilimanjaro, but the view is supposed to be incredible. Instead, I'll be grateful for the fact that I'm already back on my feet and eating again, and as far as sicknesses go, I've been extremely fortunate to only have had something as benign as food poisoning. Enough about that now...

One of my favorite parts of being here is the friendliness of the people. I've learned that "hakuna matata" is really only said to white people because we get such a kick out of it, (although I don't think I've come across even 5 africans who've ever seen The Lion King) but that the locals actually prefer a similar phrase: "hamna shida" (pronounce ham-nah shee-dah). Hamna shida means "it's no problem" or "don't worry about it"...and is said by everyone on almost any occasion. I however, have adopted a similar version that stemmed from my safari..."hamna 'cheetah'"...literally meaning "there is/are no cheetah". I personally think it makes a lot of sense...for instance, if you're feeling down and out or having a bad day, if someone says "hamna cheetah" it's sure to put a smile on your face, because, more than likely, there are no cheetahs around, so at least you have that to be thankful for! I'm working on integrating it into Tanzanian culture. It's been relatively well-received with my fellow program members, eliciting either a giggle, a groan or a roll of the eyes, but I've also noticed that although subtle at first, they've started picking up on the glory of hamna cheetah as well. ahhh...so when I ended up sick in bed unable to garner enough strength to climb a mountain, I just thought to myself, "hamna cheetah" and life was that much better.

I'm a little sad that my program is already more than half-way over. We have one week left in this village before we move on to our next village, which is said to be vastly different from the one we live in now. Just as we got comfortable and started to really feel at home here, we had to up and pack out...kinda sad. I did, however, have a great photo-op with my family: they were so excited that they were even posing and rearranging their furniture to capture a good shot. Adorable. I'll post those when I get a chance.

The teaching has been great, although limited; this past week was the Muslim celebration of Eid, a two-day celebration ending their fast. Because there is a great deal of Muslims in Tanzania, it is celebrated everywhere...the only catch is that it is still dependent on the moon somehow (i still can't figure out what exactly they're looking for) so as of last Sunday night, we didn't know if we were going to have a holiday on Monday and Tuesday, or Tuesday and Wednesday, and didn't end up finding out until Monday morning, that YES, we had to teach that day. So we taught on Monday, had our two day holiday, and then went back to school to teach on Thursday before our travel break on Friday. But when we arrived at the school, none of the students were in their classes...in fact they were out gardening and tending to the school grounds. We talked to the second-master to find out what was going on, and he told us that graduation was the next day, and the students were preparing the school. Well, that wouldn't have been an issue if we had at least KNOWN that we weren't going to be able to teach that day. One of my frustrations here has been how difficult it is to schedule things in the first place, but even once things have been scheduled, it doesn't necessarily mean that your event will take place. But in the end, I guess all we could do was sigh and say, "hamna cheetah."

It's also hit me how crazy it is that Western society has made such a large impact on a place like Tanzania, even up in my village. My family doesn't even have access to clean water (they'd have to boil it to drink it or use it for anything) but you can walk about 50 feet to a duka (little stores found all over the villages, run by local families) and buy a cold coke. Even our drinking water is a product of the coca-cola company. There are still many distinctly African things about the people, but there is definitely a trend toward Westernism in so many aspects. I just hope they don't ever lose sight of themselves or the culture here because it is so unique and beautiful in so many ways.

My swahili is getting better, slowly...but the more that I practice using it, the better it gets, so I have to just keep forging ahead. I usually end up giggling at myself more than I actually communicate well-worded sentences, but even then, I'm still learning and improving.

There's so much more to say, but time is short, once again. I'll write more next time I get a chance and post some pictures of my family and this village.

Hamna cheetah, for now!