PűBlog TZ

So, we made our way to Haidom, the village in which we will be conducting our research, after a 6.5 hour trip in the most uncomfortable, crowded and crazy transportation ever! We rode in a Land Cruiser, a quintessential African vehicle, with our luggage strapped to the roof. After being blackmailed into paying more for our massive “wazungu luggage”, Tanzanians apparently do not travel with five full-sized pieces of luggage, we were on our way. The Land Cruiser, which was originally to have a maximum capacity of eleven, was stuffed with fifteen people. Tanzanians, while short, are much wider than Betsy and I; not only were our legs smashed into the seats in front of us, but my body also doubled as a backrest for an inconsiderate woman. We traveled 3.5 hours on a double track dirt and grass road, which was not without its potholes, washes and various water mitigation issues (thank you, Jaron, for the terminology), up a large mountainous region. Thankfully, the Land Cruiser was equipped with a snorkel which helped as we forged a river before hitting the mountains and into Mbulu. The town of Mbulu is mid-way from Arusha to Haidom, which we stopped for a stretch and a potty break (this is the point of mild “freak-out” for me). After going on a wild goose chase, we were finally pointed in the right direction to the choo, or restroom in Swahili. The second half of the ride we requested the front seat, which made the last 2.5 hours of driving “not-so-bad” but by American standards, horrible. We made it to Haidom around 3pm, which has absolutely no paved roads, and our host family was waiting for us at the station. We came back to their place where they have a separate detached structure which is to be our home for the next 10 months. The first few hours here were wavering at best, as the thought of being here for almost an entire year began to saturate our minds. I got my first taste of the bucket-showers and pit latrines, which I am sure we will become more proficient with as time progresses. Our family, however, has been great to us and has made us feel right at home; they had lunch ready when we returned and then around 8:30pm they served us dinner. This morning they brought us breakfast and then lunch around 1pm, the hospitality has been great! It has been quite an eye opening experience for me thus far and seems that the next ten months will continue to hold my constant attention.
-Ryan
ps- sorry, we will post pictures soon, the computers in Haidom are extremely slow and we have to size everything down.