Made It!

We made it to Tanzania! After 30 hours of traveling we arrived in Dar Es Salaam on Wednesday morning at 7:00am. There was a giant praying mantis that greeted us in the tunnel getting off the plane. If you know me, you know I have a knack for identifying insects of the East Coast of Africa. It was a Tanzanian Flowering Praying Mantis. We were also greeted by guards with guns. Not quite as friendly as the mantis but probably a little more effective at keeping hooligans in line.
After leaving the airport parking lot it was like entering another world. Everything is so different compared to home. There are hardly any paved roads so anybody with a car travels on these roads. The other roads are dirt and have pot holes deeper than the deep end at WC Blair. Maybe even deeper. Needless to say driving is pretty much a nightmare. There is also a huge contrast between the rich and everybody else. There are some big, nice houses that are surrounded by make shift homes for people who have hardly anything. It is very strange and makes me wonder what the heck the people who live in these giant homes were thinking when they decided to build a mansion in a place full of poor people.
The roads are lined with little shops and stalls of people selling fruit, fish, rocks, flowers and other stuff. Lots of people are sitting around little fires on the sides of the roads.
Today we visited Ardhi University, the place where I will be working. As you can imagine, the planning/development issues they face are very different than at home. They were all so fascinated to hear about how things are done in Canada. About 80% of the population in Dar is informal (slums and other makeshift housing). I was also fascinated by them briefly describe some issues here. It makes me think that things are maybe a little too orderly at home.
We also visited HOPAC, the school where Jen will be working. The campus is absolutely amazing. I was happy and relieved to know that Jen will be working at such a great place. I was also over come with jealousy as HOPAC has air conditioning and other amenities.
We are learning so much over here. Time is really a non-factor for most people here. One hour is the same as one week. It makes us feel very powerless. Kate Gosselin would not last very long here. She loves control. I not miss Kate Gosselin one bit. For every step we take forward we take 5 back. Everything takes time.
We went for a walk yesterday morning and learned that going for walks is not safe. Even my macho exterior is not enough to intimidate people to back off from us. I know. Weird.
Our internet is very slow so I am going to see if I can stream Canucks games. Or at least the last period of them. The games are on at 5:00am here. Finally jet lag will come in handy for something. I am so happy that we beat Chicago. I am back on the "We'll never lose another game again" bandwagon.
Tomorrow we are going to HOPAC to watch the rehearsal for the school play. Today the teachers at HOPAC explained that everyone is in the play, even the gardeners and local people who work at maintaining the school property.
It has been a tiring but exciting few days and we are looking forward to starting our work and getting into routine. Now that we have the internet look for me to really blog it up. After I post this I am going to brush my teeth. Keep it dialed in here to hear all about my brushing habits. I'm thinking about starting with the lateral incisor and then moving to the central incisor. If I'm feeling really brave I might even start with the lower left 1st premolar. It is Friday night after all!

En Route

I'll admit, when I started this Africa blog I was 99% sure that my first post would be my last. Now here I am... making a second post before we've even stepped foot in Africa. I guess I just love blogging. And saying any word with "blog" in it. ex: blogosphere, blogorama, blogapalooza etc. Jennifer and I are currently at Heathrow Airport in London and killing time until our flight leaves for Dar later tonight. An emotional goodbye at the airport to our families combined with some gravol made for a nice sleep on the flight from Vancouver. Jennifer said it was the best and most relaxed flight she has ever been on so we are off to a great start!
I remember reading Heart of Darkness in high school, well at least the first chapter, and loving the part where Marlow, or Kurtz (Whoever the heck is narrating in the beginning) talks about maps and Africa. I love maps. So does Marlow... Or Kurtz. The next time I blog something onto this blog I'll be blogging it up from Africa. Blog ya laterblog.

"When i was a little chap I had a passion for maps. I would look for hours at South America, or Europe, or Autralia, and lose myself in all the glories of exploration. At that time there were many blank spaces on the earth, and when I saw one that looked particularly inviting on a map (but they all look that) I would put my finger on it and say, "When I grow up I will go there." The North Pole was one of these places, I remember. Well, I haven't been there yet, and shall not try now. The glamour's off. Other places were scattered about the Equator, and in every sort of latitude all over the two hemispheres. I have been in some of them, and... well, we won't talk about that. But there was one yet - the biggest, the most blank, so to speak - that I had a hankering after."

We're going to Africa.

Joel (me) and Jennifer are going to Tanzania for 3.5 months. We will be living in Dar Es Salaam. We really don't know what to expect other than sweating a lot and hopefully being able to spend some good quality time with some lions and elephants. We are leaving on April 25 and coming home at the beginning of August.

These are job descriptions of the work we will be doing there:

Jennifer is volunteering at a school, the Haven of Peace Academy (HOPAC)
Haven of Peace Academy (HOPAC) is a Christian
school for students aged 5 to 18+. HOPAC is a fully functioning
primary and secondary school.
The academy facilitates learning and growth in the
areas of leadership, service, and stewardship.
HOPAC is involved in many community service projects in Dar. Interns who are placed
here will work with HOPAC staff and students on numerous
community development projects. Interns will also have
the role as educator in an orphanage. Interns will have
the opportunity to do facilitate student community
outreach and graduate research projects as well.


I will be volunteering with the university there, Ardhi University, and their Institute of Human Settlements.
The Institute of Human Settlements Studies (IHSS) aims to
contribute to the improvement of living conditions and the quality
of life of the residents of all people throughout Tanzania. The
IHSS carries out research, consultancy services, training,
education, and dissemination of information on the topic of human
settlements and development issues. The IHSS currently works
with community organization in legalizing formal settlements, land
ownerships, and upgrading settlements so that they are healthy
and safe places to live.
The intern who is placed with IHSS would assist in shelter and
settlement upgrading projects and urban farming projects. For
this placement, the intern is required to have a strong working
knowledge of issues related to poverty and inequality, excellent
cross-cultural communication skills and an interest in human
settlements.