Settling in to Bagamoyo

Habari

Today is the first day I haven't felt too exhausted to actually walk 40 feet over to the internet cafe to write get on the computer. I'm finally getting through the jet lag. The heat and culture adjustment took it out of me a tiny bit since I've arrived and I am settling in rather easily to my new environment, the other volunteers and the overall experience.

Our "compound" is really great and quite chill. We have a main house a kitchen, pool(just kidding) and an outdoor common area to eat and hang out. This is also where we meet for our Swahili lessons and group discussions about African/Tanzanian culture every day for 1 hour. Basically we wake up at 7:00 have an amazing breakfast - the food is fantastic here and all organic :) and super fresh, and they drive us to our placement where we stay for 3 hours and then come back to the main house for lunch, an hour Swahili lesson, and a discussion in regard to Tanzanian culture: health care issues, education, women's empowerment etc and then we have the day off. Let's not forget dinner because we all know how much I LOVE to eat. Dinner is delicious and i can't seem to get enough. Then we have the night off.

There are 8 other volunteers: 1 guy and 8 girls. Go Jeff! or is it Poor Jeff. I stay in a room with 2 other ladies Naomi and Charmaine both from Canada. I feel like I'm at church camp but this time there is no way I'll be sneaking out at night this time...well at least not yet ha ha. Our curfew is at 10:00 so we must be back to the compound by then. Our time to venture out is on the weekends where we can go wherever we. I'm looking forward to the weekend!!

I must say I feel pretty at home here and haven't had too much culture shock. I think I left off the day before I was going to my placement at the seaweed farm. I think once we had our initial welcome day where we talked about ourselves and got to know each other better, they must have decided that Heidi didn't belong on the seaweed farm because Zik and Mama C, our coordinators pulled mentioned that they wanted to talk to me about my placement. I immediately froze up. I was thinking, 'oh gawd are they actually going to have me work the farm, carry the seaweed too and from the water while trying to teach English all at the same time. Am I going to be a worker working towards my own empowerment? Well needless to say they we so gracious as they took me aside. They told me that they felt the drive was too far in relationship to the other placements and if I would be ok changing my placement. I actually was quite excited by this. The apologized and said that they felt they had two wonderful places for me to choose from. One was working with the youth and teens at the main arts center where students study music, dance and film :) and the other one would be working with the Independent Artists group: Sculptors, Designers, Sewers and carvers. I would be teaching English, selling techniques , merchandise display, marketing and promotions and 101 business basics. I was THRILLED and I already had ideas swirling around in my head. I chose number 2!!!!

The following day I pulled my books, markers, magazines and some of the material I have created for Heidi. I also brought my book :) Of course I was excited to show them whatever I could get my hands on. I really reserved myself from having expectations and left if completely open. And it's a good thing I did....We pull up at this row of local markets/merchants that I had noticed the day prior. For many of you who have traveled about know what i mean when I say huts on the side of the road where you buy your souvenirs and or awesome handmade, or not,
finds. I actually was thinking 'ok I can do this, yes I can. I can do this right. Hell yah I can. So I got off the bus and looked into the 3 group of huts where there was a curious pregnant lady eyeing me and 4 guys in the back that got up from working, on the ground, to come and greet me. Ok, we all know that I don't speak Swahili yet, and my coordinator introduced me to the group all in a matter of 3 minutes. She looked at me with with the look of 'are you going to be alright,' and I nodded and said "see you in a few hours. I'll be fine."and she said, with a beautiful African smile, Miss Heidi I know. You are capable, bring your passion today. " and she hopped in the van and buzzed off. oookaaayyy. I turned back toward the group and immediately set my bag down and opened up my backpack to pulled out my dictionary. I met each person. Stella has a portion of the shop where she sews clothing from batiks and other materials and she is 30. then there is adorable Samuel who is a wood carver and is 21, Augustine 24 and a wood carver and jewelry designer, Swalhe 22 wood carver Mwandale ? sells woven scarves and Wabi who is the coolest dude who sells their jewelry for them on the beaches and in town. Three of the other artists weren't present.

I have to say I am quite proud of myself. I really just dove in head first and started to ask each of them what they created in the shop. It was a day to get to know them and their creations. I asked them in broken Swahili, my fresh off the boat Swahili and English. Augustine speaks a little English so he translated for me. What a saviour. I couldn't help but laugh hysterically when I mispronounced words and couldn't say what I wanted to say. Talk about language barriers left and right. There was one time when I asked them "what makes your product special. Different from the guy across the street? The sweeties all looked at me like "a deer in the headlights" Blank stares. I had to laugh at myself again to break up the awkwardness and they laughed along with me. We were becoming friends fast.

When I asked Simon what made his product different from the guy across the street he said. It isn't different and that is what the others said too. In short spent 2 hours teaching them the importance of what makes each of their creations "different", "special" than anyone else's. Talk about language barriers. I not only have to teach them what to say but why they are actually saying it. Why is it important to point out your differences. I caught myself wanting to say, 'you need a point of difference to set yourself apart from the competition.' A niche:)
So I taught each of them to show me their designs and tell me what makes it special. I taught them to talk about the details of their work, the texture, quality and the fact that it took them 1 either one week or one month to create. It was such a challenge yet I was really enjoying it as were they. They were so attentive to me and listened to every word I said. Sometimes they would get shy when they couldn't answer, which was most of the time and I felt it as quite endearing. I could see it in their eyes how proud they would become when they started to pick up the meaning/importance of describing their work. They had NO idea how to do this. All they know how to say is "very fare price" and "this is 20,000 shillings." Bless their hearts.

This was the best part. I asked them how they branded themselves. Yes, I did say "brand." Hello, I asked Augustine, "how am I to know that you carved this beautiful, statue of a woman carrying a baby in her tonga." He looked at me with a blank face. I then taught the group the importance of signing their work. "we call it a logo" in America. Or even an autograph."
I explained to them. I then proceeded to asked them what their name was...their company. That was very interesting. By the end of my session they each had a name and are thinking about a sign for the bottom of each of their pieces. I LOVE it!!!! I taught Stella to put her name on tags in all her garments because if I walked into her store I wouldn't know who designed them and when I left the store and wanted to tell my friends about her, I wouldn't know how too. She smiled. Mind you, she maybe speaks 10 words in English on a good day, yet she got it. I asked her how long it would take her to create them and she said a week. I'm going to keep on her :)

I also showed them my business card and told them how important it was to have one so they could pass them around to friends and in town. They LOVED the idea, but the funding is VERY challenging to come by. I will brainstorm with them how to create something to hand out....
I also explained how important it is to make a sign and printouts to hang in town and in the hotels. They are going to have it "GOIN' ON in no time flat ;)

I was so emotionally exhausted and was ready to call it a day. Bless all our teachers !!! The van pulled up and my students helped me gather my things and we said farewell. I left thinking "oh gawd what am i going to teach for 3 weeks'??? Ohhhh dear I immediately became
overwhelmed and wondered how am I going to do this? I went back to the house and took a nap, after I ate a delicious lunch :) hee hee.

I must say I am a bit overwhelmed by this incredible experience because I feel like I want to do so much. Oh yah, it's true. I went to bed last night and woke up in the middle of the night thinking of all the ways in which I can come to Africa and design a program around Working Towards the Empowerment of Men and Women. YES!! And run my Heidi business too. Never say never right! I have a ton of new ideas for Heidi creations it's crazy!!! and I've only been here for 3 days. I made it this far and i feel it is only the beginning...

Habari jioni - Heidi