From savannah over fruit plantations and mountains to the ocean

Take a bus from Nairobi to Dar es Salaam and that is what you are about to see. The spectacular views are amongst what you will experience. Other include: cheeky young boys asking to see your passport while walking the 3 meter no man’s land at the border , a 15 hour road trip with sudden road bumps, security checks and a mix of Gospel TV, Asian B-movies and Tanzanian soap series on the tiny screen in the bus. Some of you might think ‘Why did she not just take the plane?’. Well, that would definitely have shortened my day intensively, but com’on guys, this is me you are listening to! Actually, there is really no big theory behind it. I just rather submerge in an adventure, grow into the country’s customs and observe local interpersonal relationships.

Observe is what I have been doing in the past week. So rewind (like the reggae artists when they perform live). What has changed in Nairobi since 2010? Firstly, the security measures certainly have gone up. Not that surprising after multiple bomb explosions of late. Soldiers are in the street view. Everywhere you enter a male or female guard is checking you and your purse. And not just at Junction or Jaya center, meeting spots for wazungu, but about everywhere. Secondly, the traffic police are fining citizens on regularly basis and after paying on the spot they even give a receipt. So, three cheers for this corrupt free attitude. Corrupt free-ish, because you can still bribe them not to be taken to court. But it is doing the trick because even the Matatu drivers won’t stop anywhere you want in town anymore out of fear of getting fined. Thirdly, the road works are just about everywhere. Truth to be told, the ring and bridge around University Way is super cool. A bit disorienting at first though, but every road still leads to town. They are trying to create bypasses though, which might cause a decentralizing movement. Or that would be my hope. Unfortunately the road works come with little organization and signalization. But let’s turn a blind eye to this, because if the city would not have taken up any will to change infrastructure, regardless the Kenyan organization style, that would now really have worried me. Apart from these modifications, it is still Nairobi a.k.a. the town as I know and grew to love it. And that is just fine with me.

Rrrrrewind to the first paragraph again. Saturday late at night I arrived in Dar es Salaam, the (economical) capital of Tanzania. I am staying with Peta, an exchange student I have met at UGent. Together with her husband Alex and his brother they live in Mwenge, one of the many neighborhoods. Opposite their compound there is a Lutheran church community, sided by a Hotel, called BnB Hotel. Their hospitality is heartwarming. And they insist on talking as many Swahili to me as possible (the main reason I am in Tanzania). I feel like being in Turkey all over again. My Turkish host mother used to talk to me for hours while she was cooking. At some point I even think I became her personal voice diary. But it allowed me to quickly understand the context of a conversation and rather learn to talk this language fast. So, Peta and her family can bring it on. I just realize it is so much less threatening because I have already experienced the not being able to understand anything, or the thinking they are gossiping about you. Anyway, on Monday I have entered my first Swahili lesson at KIU Ltd. It is soooo exciting.