More than one full week since arriving in Morogoro, the initial culture shock seems to have worn off and I think I have finally come to term with the ever-present ants in my bathroom--they seem to have a thing for cinnamon toothpaste--and my gecko friend that always seems to rattle against the window just as I'm about to fall asleep. I've gotten used to the lack of make-up, the constant odor of DEET and the unpredictability of the power grid. How easy it is to take simple things like electricity, warm water, constant Internet access for granted. The scenery continues to impress me and the showers sure haven't gotten any warmer. Just when I think I've got it all under control, something surprises me. Last night it was the owl on the top of the roof eating a mouse. (EW! Birds.) Or last week when the power decided to go out for 7 plus hours. Or the credits I bought for my cell phone don't work.
Luckily the weekend was not full of such surprises. I went into the lab on Saturday, mostly just to use the Internet and make sure all the samples in the freezer hadn't been completely ruined by the power outage on Friday night. I even went into town on a dala dala all by myself! Once I got there I of course reverted to the usual path to the market and back but a small success nonetheless. Unfortunately there is not much to explore in Morogoro. When I returned I decided to take a whack at the whole cooking thing and turning on the satellite in the common room of the hostel. Once again, it seems that soccer will provide some distraction and comfort while I'm in Africa. Thank goodness for Euro2008 (and Skype). Surprisingly Al Jazeera news in English is a comfort as well. Tonight France is playing and a match-up against Italy and the Netherlands--should be a good night.
Saturday, June 7
Rainy Day
Lots of malaria research yesterday, especially on DNA microarrays, a way of analyzing gene expression within a single sample or to compare gene expression in two different cell types, such as healthy and infected. They look at the expression of hundreds or thousands of genes at once, a hot area of research and tool for identifying new vaccine candidates. Pretty cool stuff!
All the wamzungu from the lab left for the weekend, which hopefully will force me to go into town by myself. I asked for a cab in Kiswahili all by myself yesterday and negotiated the price. We ended up picking a Professor from another taxi that broke down and he insisted on paying for me. There are two common reactions to mzungus in town: (1) the curious stare down or (2) the "MZUNGU MZUNGU!!! Hello! MAMBO!" Now that I've got some of the basic greetings down I can respond to those that try to talk to me and politely greet the ones that suspiciously eye me. Yesterday, while in town, I had my first interaction with drunk Tanzania men. As I walked by one started yelling MZUNGU MZUNGU! and once the other realized what he was saying he ran over to me and started speaking some indecipherable form of Engliswahili. Totally overwhelming, he tried to hug me. My reaction was where is your phone and your money but they guy was too drunk to even walk, let alone grab the TSh 10,000 I had on me. Reminder: Stay on the main roads, away from the bars. I was very impressed by my ability to take a dala dala back to campus safely (read: crammed up against the door with my arm out the front window, holding on for dear life).
I found a shortcut to the only restaurant I've eaten at (SUASA Club) and myself got eaten alive by mosquitoes while I had my usual vegetable curry and rice with an orange Fanta. I promise to try the grilled chicken before I leave but for now I'm satisfied with baby steps and vegetable curry. I'm getting much better at eating alone and even brought my book with me.
To avoid the downpour that was this morning, I did some reading at the hostel and walked down to the lab once the rain had stopped (sort of). I worked for a good amount of time before, surprise surprise, the power went out at the lab. It has to go out at least once a day or it wouldn't be Tanzania...
All the wamzungu from the lab left for the weekend, which hopefully will force me to go into town by myself. I asked for a cab in Kiswahili all by myself yesterday and negotiated the price. We ended up picking a Professor from another taxi that broke down and he insisted on paying for me. There are two common reactions to mzungus in town: (1) the curious stare down or (2) the "MZUNGU MZUNGU!!! Hello! MAMBO!" Now that I've got some of the basic greetings down I can respond to those that try to talk to me and politely greet the ones that suspiciously eye me. Yesterday, while in town, I had my first interaction with drunk Tanzania men. As I walked by one started yelling MZUNGU MZUNGU! and once the other realized what he was saying he ran over to me and started speaking some indecipherable form of Engliswahili. Totally overwhelming, he tried to hug me. My reaction was where is your phone and your money but they guy was too drunk to even walk, let alone grab the TSh 10,000 I had on me. Reminder: Stay on the main roads, away from the bars. I was very impressed by my ability to take a dala dala back to campus safely (read: crammed up against the door with my arm out the front window, holding on for dear life).
I found a shortcut to the only restaurant I've eaten at (SUASA Club) and myself got eaten alive by mosquitoes while I had my usual vegetable curry and rice with an orange Fanta. I promise to try the grilled chicken before I leave but for now I'm satisfied with baby steps and vegetable curry. I'm getting much better at eating alone and even brought my book with me.
To avoid the downpour that was this morning, I did some reading at the hostel and walked down to the lab once the rain had stopped (sort of). I worked for a good amount of time before, surprise surprise, the power went out at the lab. It has to go out at least once a day or it wouldn't be Tanzania...
Wednesday, June 4
A Day in Mjini
After some background Internet research on the pathogenesis and pathology of malaria, I went across the street to check out the dogs that are trained to sniff out land mines. I spent a couple of hours over there and was given a very lengthy tour of the entire facility. The dogs even have their own swimming pool. The training facility itself is pretty modest but the idea behind the experiment is really interesting. They train the dogs to sit in front of samples that contain a certain concentrations of TNT. They have yet to field test it but have been fairly successful to date. I met a number of the lab assistants and technicians, all of whom have English names (which tends to be a trend). Afterwards, I ventured over to another research facility where they have successfully trained rats to do the same with land mines. Training in the field is in the early morning so I missed it but I will probably go over and follow them out one day next week.
After a short rest in the lab, my guide and I ventured over to the unofficial taxi and bus stop on campus. When I went into town with T-Man we took a cab for about 3 bucks but to get the full experience, this time we took a dalla dalla--kind of like a shared van version of a cab--that dropped us right at the Morogoro Market. The dalla dalla was an adventure in and of itself. Of course, all the kids in their primary school uniforms were staring at me and giggling about the mzungu--white person--sitting across from them. They packed us in; in a van that would normally seat about eight, there were eighteen. But the price was right, for the two of us it was TSh 500, less than 50 cents. Morogoro Market was founded in 1953, just towards the advent of independence. One section has stands with mounds of fresh vegetables and herbs, another has used clothes. Think trendy vintage shirts, worn Levi's, and handmade leather shoes. Not exactly where I will be doing my food shopping but an awesome experience. My eyes were particularly drawn to the two- to three-foot high piles of dried sardines. Even at around 14:00 the market and the downtown area were packed.
The search for a cell phone began. Unfortunately AT&T wouldn't "unlock" my phone from home so I had to buy a new one. To my guide's surprise I didn't want a fancy phone with Internet browsing or a camera function, just phone and texting, although the prospect of a QWERTY keyboard was tempting. The SIM card I purchased at the airport was also useless--go figure, the mzungu gets ripped off. Set on getting me the best bargain, my guide insisted on looking at each of the cell phone dealers before making a decision. We passed by a market where I picked up some bottled water, beans, and pasta to have later at the hostel. As per usual, the first place we looked had the best deal but by the time we got back to them they were closed for afternoon prayer. An interesting dynamic in Morogoro exists between Tanzanians and Arabs. Tanzanians seem to work in most of "the professions" and the Arabs open stores. Arabs also tend to live in the subsidized government housing closer to the town center and make less of an investment in property. We grabbed a Fanta at a kiosk and practiced Kiswahili until the shop owner returned. Finally a simple Nokia! I charged it up with TSh 5,000 worth of credits which to my surprise will get me a three second phone call to the US. According to the Professor, it's much cheaper to have anyone in the US call me.
Exhausted, we returned to campus on the dalla dalla and I walked up to the hostel after checking in with the Professor. I am still pretty hesitant about the food so I prepared myself a can of beans and some crackers, snapped on the television in the hostel common room and zoned out. I later become more acquainted with the shower, which has a hot faucet but doesn't seem to ever have hot water. After the shower, I could not fall asleep (I'll spare readers the details though)...
After a short rest in the lab, my guide and I ventured over to the unofficial taxi and bus stop on campus. When I went into town with T-Man we took a cab for about 3 bucks but to get the full experience, this time we took a dalla dalla--kind of like a shared van version of a cab--that dropped us right at the Morogoro Market. The dalla dalla was an adventure in and of itself. Of course, all the kids in their primary school uniforms were staring at me and giggling about the mzungu--white person--sitting across from them. They packed us in; in a van that would normally seat about eight, there were eighteen. But the price was right, for the two of us it was TSh 500, less than 50 cents. Morogoro Market was founded in 1953, just towards the advent of independence. One section has stands with mounds of fresh vegetables and herbs, another has used clothes. Think trendy vintage shirts, worn Levi's, and handmade leather shoes. Not exactly where I will be doing my food shopping but an awesome experience. My eyes were particularly drawn to the two- to three-foot high piles of dried sardines. Even at around 14:00 the market and the downtown area were packed.
The search for a cell phone began. Unfortunately AT&T wouldn't "unlock" my phone from home so I had to buy a new one. To my guide's surprise I didn't want a fancy phone with Internet browsing or a camera function, just phone and texting, although the prospect of a QWERTY keyboard was tempting. The SIM card I purchased at the airport was also useless--go figure, the mzungu gets ripped off. Set on getting me the best bargain, my guide insisted on looking at each of the cell phone dealers before making a decision. We passed by a market where I picked up some bottled water, beans, and pasta to have later at the hostel. As per usual, the first place we looked had the best deal but by the time we got back to them they were closed for afternoon prayer. An interesting dynamic in Morogoro exists between Tanzanians and Arabs. Tanzanians seem to work in most of "the professions" and the Arabs open stores. Arabs also tend to live in the subsidized government housing closer to the town center and make less of an investment in property. We grabbed a Fanta at a kiosk and practiced Kiswahili until the shop owner returned. Finally a simple Nokia! I charged it up with TSh 5,000 worth of credits which to my surprise will get me a three second phone call to the US. According to the Professor, it's much cheaper to have anyone in the US call me.
Exhausted, we returned to campus on the dalla dalla and I walked up to the hostel after checking in with the Professor. I am still pretty hesitant about the food so I prepared myself a can of beans and some crackers, snapped on the television in the hostel common room and zoned out. I later become more acquainted with the shower, which has a hot faucet but doesn't seem to ever have hot water. After the shower, I could not fall asleep (I'll spare readers the details though)...
Monday, June 2
Day Moja (One)
Genome SFirst day in the lab. I'm already exhausted but I guess that is standard procedure at a new job regardless of where it is in the world. Still wasn't hungry from all the eating I did yesterday so I skipped breakfast and headed straight for the lab. Started off the morning with a meeting with everyone in the lab as a sort of introduction and a "what do you want to get out of this experience." I was pretty much in the hot seat, wish I had prepared a little more. Afterward I drafted a proposal and timeline for the eleven weeks that I have here.
Because the cultural aspect of my trip is so important, I plan to dedicate a large portion of my time in the first five weeks to learning and practicing Kiswahili. Elisha, a student in a neighboring lab that trains rats and dogs to sniff out land mines (super cool!), taught me numbers which should help with the taxis and just buying things in general. The exchange rate is something like 1200 Tanzania Shillings to 1 US dollar. I'm kind of sloppy when converting in my head and just add the zeros and ignore the 200. I imagine that will might be a problem in the future.
According to my proposal this week I am to indepedently review some introductory biology topics (since obviously I did that pretty poorly the first two times around) including cell biology of protozoa, functional genomics and bioinformatics, host immune responses, and t-cell biology. Luckily whenever people in the lab "talk science" they do it in English. When they talk about me they do it in Kiswahili. Just kidding, the Professor assured me that they aren't talking about me! I did a little reading for INT199 and will be out the door soon to practice Kiswahili at the hostel.
Highlight of the day was definitely talking to Gatto in real time! Can't wait to get my cell phone situation under control so I can actually hear his voice. Oh yeah, and I guess it might be nice to talk to Mom and Dad. Not sure what I'm going to do about dinner but I certainly hope to put something in my belly, even if its trail mix from the airport!
Because the cultural aspect of my trip is so important, I plan to dedicate a large portion of my time in the first five weeks to learning and practicing Kiswahili. Elisha, a student in a neighboring lab that trains rats and dogs to sniff out land mines (super cool!), taught me numbers which should help with the taxis and just buying things in general. The exchange rate is something like 1200 Tanzania Shillings to 1 US dollar. I'm kind of sloppy when converting in my head and just add the zeros and ignore the 200. I imagine that will might be a problem in the future.
According to my proposal this week I am to indepedently review some introductory biology topics (since obviously I did that pretty poorly the first two times around) including cell biology of protozoa, functional genomics and bioinformatics, host immune responses, and t-cell biology. Luckily whenever people in the lab "talk science" they do it in English. When they talk about me they do it in Kiswahili. Just kidding, the Professor assured me that they aren't talking about me! I did a little reading for INT199 and will be out the door soon to practice Kiswahili at the hostel.
Highlight of the day was definitely talking to Gatto in real time! Can't wait to get my cell phone situation under control so I can actually hear his voice. Oh yeah, and I guess it might be nice to talk to Mom and Dad. Not sure what I'm going to do about dinner but I certainly hope to put something in my belly, even if its trail mix from the airport!
The Princepessa Treatment
Yesterday was great! After having trouble falling asleep (the neighbors down the street were blasting Mariah Carey, go figure), I awoke to Kitty at my door. I quickly changed out of my PJs and into my uniform (khakis and a Hanes). We walked over to her house which is very modest by US standards but I imagine fairly nice by Tanzanian standards. I couldn't even count the number of family members living in the house but I got to meet her mother-in-law, her sister, and her two adorable girls. She had prepared lunch of rice, this corn meal bread that is very typical of Tanzania, and a stew with beef. The beef was still on the bone, which is pretty normal.
Kitty's five-year old daughter demanded to be served the same thing as me and eat with spoon, knife, and fork (which apparently is not customary). She didn't do much eating, mostly ran around the table, spilling rice everywhere, and yelling, "NO speaking Kiswahili" to any family member that utter anything not in English or just staring at me. She goes to an international primary school where they only speak English. She loved practicing her English with me and would always giggle with surprise when I pulled out any of the five words I know in Kiswahili. After lunch she insisted on playing with my hair, such a style she gave me! Thank goodness I did not cut it all off, she had quite a good time with it probably because she just didn't know what to do with all of it.
After lunch and the salon, I went back to the hostel and laid down to read. The jet lag has finally set in. I'm currently reading The Fate of Africa, a history of Africa after independence. I was supposed to meet up with T-Man and the rest of the crew to head over to the Professor's house for dinner but I wasn't sure what time, and being cellphone-less I thought it might be good to head over to the project house where they live. I've been hesitant to get the cellphone situation covered because taking a taxi into town is intimidating considering how poor my language skills are. I walked across campus and was greeted by many. There seems to be hundreds of different ways to say hello in Kiswahili and twice as many appropriate responses. The commonly heard "mambo" is actually "street talk" and I only heard it today when walking with one of the students.
I met up with the crew to head over to the Professor's house for dinner. We piled into a taxi whose exhaust must have been hooked up to the ventilation system because none of us could breathe, not really knowing where we were going. Potholes are nothing for these taxi drivers. We went through streams and holes two feet in diameter all in a ten year old Toyota. Our directions said, "Turn at Californa"--notice the lack of "i." The Professor's house was gated, a little oasis compound with beautiful citrus trees and a wonderful patio. His wife served homemade pizza--I can't even make pizza from scratch. It was super delicious even though the power went out while she was cooking. Pizza was just the appetizer, a traditional Tanzanian dish of beef (sans bones, meaning it was much more expensive) and bananas. The bananas were more like potatoes and we amazing. The meat is literally "free range." The hospitality was divine and we laughed over the opening scene of The Terminator. I ate so much yesterday that I haven't been hungry all day.
Came back to the hostel after dinner and was exhausted but couldn't fall asleep (again). Using I start up one the classic time-to-PTFO movies but it was so quiet outside that I thought it might be nice to just listen to the crickets and stare up at the mosquito net (read: daily reminder to NOT get malaria) until 3 AM.
Kitty's five-year old daughter demanded to be served the same thing as me and eat with spoon, knife, and fork (which apparently is not customary). She didn't do much eating, mostly ran around the table, spilling rice everywhere, and yelling, "NO speaking Kiswahili" to any family member that utter anything not in English or just staring at me. She goes to an international primary school where they only speak English. She loved practicing her English with me and would always giggle with surprise when I pulled out any of the five words I know in Kiswahili. After lunch she insisted on playing with my hair, such a style she gave me! Thank goodness I did not cut it all off, she had quite a good time with it probably because she just didn't know what to do with all of it.
After lunch and the salon, I went back to the hostel and laid down to read. The jet lag has finally set in. I'm currently reading The Fate of Africa, a history of Africa after independence. I was supposed to meet up with T-Man and the rest of the crew to head over to the Professor's house for dinner but I wasn't sure what time, and being cellphone-less I thought it might be good to head over to the project house where they live. I've been hesitant to get the cellphone situation covered because taking a taxi into town is intimidating considering how poor my language skills are. I walked across campus and was greeted by many. There seems to be hundreds of different ways to say hello in Kiswahili and twice as many appropriate responses. The commonly heard "mambo" is actually "street talk" and I only heard it today when walking with one of the students.
I met up with the crew to head over to the Professor's house for dinner. We piled into a taxi whose exhaust must have been hooked up to the ventilation system because none of us could breathe, not really knowing where we were going. Potholes are nothing for these taxi drivers. We went through streams and holes two feet in diameter all in a ten year old Toyota. Our directions said, "Turn at Californa"--notice the lack of "i." The Professor's house was gated, a little oasis compound with beautiful citrus trees and a wonderful patio. His wife served homemade pizza--I can't even make pizza from scratch. It was super delicious even though the power went out while she was cooking. Pizza was just the appetizer, a traditional Tanzanian dish of beef (sans bones, meaning it was much more expensive) and bananas. The bananas were more like potatoes and we amazing. The meat is literally "free range." The hospitality was divine and we laughed over the opening scene of The Terminator. I ate so much yesterday that I haven't been hungry all day.
Came back to the hostel after dinner and was exhausted but couldn't fall asleep (again). Using I start up one the classic time-to-PTFO movies but it was so quiet outside that I thought it might be nice to just listen to the crickets and stare up at the mosquito net (read: daily reminder to NOT get malaria) until 3 AM.
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