Whew!!! It was a tough travel going to Tanzania. I was very excited that morning of September 10 (Monday). On board, I was fascinated by the sceneries though everything was all the same dried and brown grasses and trees. It was drought. The road was nice. It’s like an endless road because of its distance. Truly, I am in Africa! After about 3 more hours, we have finally reached the border of Kenya to Tanzania. It took us about less than an hour to process and get our visa and finally went on our way. All in the same sceneries, Kenya and Tanzania has just a bit of difference regarding economy. The currency of Kenya is higher than Tanzania. Here in Kenya there are places and establishments where one can refresh and have a shopping. In Tanzania, it is rather hard to find one.
At about 2 in the afternoon, we have reached Arusha and went immediately to Burka, a parish where two SVD’s were working. A little of lunch and in the afternoon we went to visit confreres and friends around Arusha. We have met some of them and they are good guys doing a lot of hard works there.
The following day, we set forth for a long journey going to the mountain in the parish of Fr. Sebio where mostly populated by the natives of Tanzania, the MAASAI people. On our way, we got sighted a lot of this BOMAS or the houses of MAASAI. These houses are usually made out of mud. Every boma means a house for a wife and if there are many bomas around it means the number of wives.
MAASAI people are nomadic. They are found everywhere in Kenya and Tanzania. Their herds of cows and goats define their status in life. That is why they have to look day after day after their herds and travel places looking for pastures especially during summer and drought. Their culture has been preserved and practiced. They lived in mud houses having wives as many as one can afford to pay the dowry. Women are less recognized and their status is confined to child bearing and earning a living for the family. MAASAI people are highly patriarchal. Men enjoy the rest of the day sitting and chatting with each other while their wives are working. Something that is so amazing with them is that everyone they meet on the road they greeted with a gesture of raising the right hand. Foreigners are respected and they are peaceful people. That is why I never felt threatened by them despite the fact that they are really tall and big people.
It’s really tough to work with these people. Their language alone is very challenging to learn but our guys there manage to stay foot and do something great for them. I must admire them!
Tanzania possessed the wealth of wild animals because of their preserved park where these animals are protected and therefore they live and survive while the government benefited from them especially from the Europeans. We went to that Manyara lake park where we met different creatures passing through right there on my face. Elephants sometimes became the cause of traffic in the middle of the jungle because they are fun of crossing roads. These were the animals that I have seen only in pictures and television but now they are right there before my eyes. I am indeed in Africa!
After 3 days in Tanzania we went back here in Nairobi to prepare and process our papers for Congo. We have to double check the necessary matters to prepare like passport and invitation from Congo and some other important things. Just this evening we went to a particular Safari hotel restaurant here in Nairobi where I had the chance to take for my dinner exotic wild meat. One offer that made me very surprised was that when the waiter asked me if I still want more crocodile. I have never tasted that creature yet in my entire life so I asked for some. Afterwards, I have realized that crocodile is not that strange to my taste at all. It tasted like fish and even the texture of its meat is much similar to that of our known mud fish in the Philippines. Ostrich is quite delicious and tasty much more delecious than that of the meat of the Camel. Goat has a little difference than that of the lamb especially of the smell. I had enough experience of tourism and leisure here in Kenya. Enough experience to cherish for the rest of my life. Experience that may not happened to me regularly but perhaps very rare. But even then I am happy to have them even just for once. I just can raise my eyes above and thanked God for all these blessing. Thanks as well to those people of whom God made as his instrument for me to experience these wonders of His care and love. Now I am ready as I am to go to the place where I belong – to Congo.
At about 2 in the afternoon, we have reached Arusha and went immediately to Burka, a parish where two SVD’s were working. A little of lunch and in the afternoon we went to visit confreres and friends around Arusha. We have met some of them and they are good guys doing a lot of hard works there.
The following day, we set forth for a long journey going to the mountain in the parish of Fr. Sebio where mostly populated by the natives of Tanzania, the MAASAI people. On our way, we got sighted a lot of this BOMAS or the houses of MAASAI. These houses are usually made out of mud. Every boma means a house for a wife and if there are many bomas around it means the number of wives.
MAASAI people are nomadic. They are found everywhere in Kenya and Tanzania. Their herds of cows and goats define their status in life. That is why they have to look day after day after their herds and travel places looking for pastures especially during summer and drought. Their culture has been preserved and practiced. They lived in mud houses having wives as many as one can afford to pay the dowry. Women are less recognized and their status is confined to child bearing and earning a living for the family. MAASAI people are highly patriarchal. Men enjoy the rest of the day sitting and chatting with each other while their wives are working. Something that is so amazing with them is that everyone they meet on the road they greeted with a gesture of raising the right hand. Foreigners are respected and they are peaceful people. That is why I never felt threatened by them despite the fact that they are really tall and big people.
It’s really tough to work with these people. Their language alone is very challenging to learn but our guys there manage to stay foot and do something great for them. I must admire them!
Tanzania possessed the wealth of wild animals because of their preserved park where these animals are protected and therefore they live and survive while the government benefited from them especially from the Europeans. We went to that Manyara lake park where we met different creatures passing through right there on my face. Elephants sometimes became the cause of traffic in the middle of the jungle because they are fun of crossing roads. These were the animals that I have seen only in pictures and television but now they are right there before my eyes. I am indeed in Africa!
After 3 days in Tanzania we went back here in Nairobi to prepare and process our papers for Congo. We have to double check the necessary matters to prepare like passport and invitation from Congo and some other important things. Just this evening we went to a particular Safari hotel restaurant here in Nairobi where I had the chance to take for my dinner exotic wild meat. One offer that made me very surprised was that when the waiter asked me if I still want more crocodile. I have never tasted that creature yet in my entire life so I asked for some. Afterwards, I have realized that crocodile is not that strange to my taste at all. It tasted like fish and even the texture of its meat is much similar to that of our known mud fish in the Philippines. Ostrich is quite delicious and tasty much more delecious than that of the meat of the Camel. Goat has a little difference than that of the lamb especially of the smell. I had enough experience of tourism and leisure here in Kenya. Enough experience to cherish for the rest of my life. Experience that may not happened to me regularly but perhaps very rare. But even then I am happy to have them even just for once. I just can raise my eyes above and thanked God for all these blessing. Thanks as well to those people of whom God made as his instrument for me to experience these wonders of His care and love. Now I am ready as I am to go to the place where I belong – to Congo.
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