Bukoba

We spent the past few days in an area of Tanzania called Bukoba. It's a beautiful area on the shores of Lake Victoria. 

Saturday

We flew out on Saturday morning. We had to take two flights because the first plane was too big to land on the Bukoba airport. So we flew to Mwanza and then on to Bukoba. Our first flight out of Kilimanjaro (to Mwanza) was delayed so we ended up not even going into the Mwanza airport. They just checked our boarding passes on the Tarmac. The first flight was about an hour and the second was 30 minutes.

When we arrived in Bukoba there was a huge welcoming party...it wasn't for us. Apparently we had delayed the departure of the governor of Bukoba because of our original delayed flight. Whoops! Let me describe the Bukoba airport for you. When we got off the plane, we got on a bus and drove about 10 yards to the "arrivals lounge." To get into the arrivals lounge you walk up some steps into a rectangular room. If you take 15 more steps, you're out of the airport. The baggage claim was a truck driving to the bottom of those steps and 1 man taking all the cases 2 at a time into the "arrivals lounge." It was taking him so long that people began going around him and getting their own cases.

Outside the airport we met Smart, the man we were in Bukoba to see. We loaded into a bus and 3 cars and set out to the hotel. After settling our stuff into our rooms we drove to Smart's house where the two Johnson families were staying (both are close friends of his). After a light lunch we went to see the "Bruce Lane Johnson Library." This library is very significant to one of the Johnson families. Three of the Johnson's are Ron, his daughter Sue, and her son Aaron. Sue's husband, or Aaron's father, passed away a number of years ago (I believe it was 6 years). His name is Bruce Lane Johnson. I wish I could describe to you how incredible this family is, but my words can't do the story justice. 

After we visited the library, we went on to a goat farm, that currently has no goats. Smart started an organization called COSAD. I cannot remember what it stands for but it's basically to help improve communities in Bukoba and other places around Tanzania. They began a program called 1 woman, 1 goat in which they give women a goat and teach them how to use that goat to create a livelihood for themselves. Smart is currently trying to find goats, but there is a shortage and goats have to come from the Kilimanjaro region.

Next we went back to the hotel and Smart told us his story of how he came to the US. It is almost impossible to believe. I would never do the story justice if I tried to retell it. Smart is such a character and he jumped around and did all different voices as he told us. But basically he arrived in the US with $8. After being here for a few years he met Sue at a job interview and she hired him. When Sue's husband became ill, he helped her and her family with fundraisers. After Bruce passed away, Sue donated some money to COSAD. That money was used to build a library which they asked to name after Bruce.

Sunday

Sunday was my birthday! I turned kumi na tisa (19). I'm not gonna lie, it was rough. It was the first birthday I had without my parents. Anyways, we went to church in the morning, but this meeting was not translated so I didn't understand a single word. After church there was an auction, but it was shorter than the auction at the other church. The Sunday School teachers then took all of the children into a rectangular hut which serves as their classroom. They handed out the candy, pens, and balls that we brought. 

We went back to the hotel for a little while to change, then continued on to Smart's house. At Smart's house we sat for a little while and didn't really do much. After a while people began showing up for the "concert." The concert was basically a big house party with lots of singing. There were two singing groups. One group came from a boarding school in the Bukoba area. They were ages 16 to 20. The other group was the Imuka singers, which is Smart's choir. Both choirs were incredible! 

After the concert part, I began playing with some of the children that were there. They were all so cute. One boy, Justin, loves to dance and spin so we did a lot of that. Another little girl, Beta, liked to dance as well. She also liked to pick the straw off the floor and tickle people with it. After a little dancing, dinner was served. Natalie and I sat with the choir from the school. They asked us of we would go to drop them off at their school. We asked Chad, who told us to talk to Smart. Smart said we could go if we didn't get out of the car. We also made Aaron go with us. Smart had one of the elders from his church drive us. He made sure we knew that he did not drink at all! 

We somehow managed to squeeze 25 people into a 13 person van. The entire way to the school the students sang at the top of their lungs and helped teach us their songs. The boy sitting next to me translated the songs that were in Kiswahili for me. They were all so kind and full of excitement. It was definitely one of my favorite moments so far.

When we got to their school we had to get out of the car to let the students out. They told us to come and talk to their headmaster. Natalie and Aaron were already walking up the hill so I followed. The elder who drove us was also there talking to the headmaster. He told us that the kids knew their curfew was 6pm (it was 8). He said they would have to be punished. Aaron apologized for us all and said it was our fault and not to punish them because it was our fault. On the way home the elder said that the students probably wouldn't be punished. 

Monday

Natalie and I had the plan to get up and watch the sunrise. I felt really sick when I woke up, so I failed, but I saw it the day before. When I did get up, Natalie and I went down to Lake Victoria and got our feet wet. When we tried to leave for the airport, the bus we were taking decided to stop working. "He got sick" as Smart said. 

The airport was an interesting place. The first thing you did was walk through security. Then when they asked for our bags to be checked, they were on the other side of security. Eventually, we were all allowed to go into the departure lounge to wait while Chad figured it out. The entire building was made up of 3 rooms. The security and check in room which was split in half by the security gate, the departure lounge, and the "VIP lounge" (which was just a room with couches instead of benches). 

We flew back through Mwanza again but this time we had to go into the airport. On our second flight we saw Kilimanjaro out of the window! We went from the airport back to the hotel for a few hours. Natalie and I went to get food at the Green Bamboo (a restaurant connected to the hotel) with all of the Johnson's, because I hadn't eaten all day. A little while later we viewed some tanzanite, which is a rare precious gem only found in one place in Tanzania. 

Next we went to dinner at the Kilimakyaro Lodge. On the way there we saw Kilimanjaro out of the window if the bus!!! That was awesome! When we got to the hotel I was able to get FaceTime to work on my iPad and talk to some people at home, which was pretty cool.

Tuesday and beyond

Tuesday is the day that the rest of the group leaves and I am transported to the orphanage with Natalie, Anna, and Raechel. We will visit a couple local things in the morning, go out for lunch and then depart. I will update you all on that and the first few days at the orphanage when we get Internet again on Saturday.