Swahili for Beginners

Iringa, Tanzania
April 14th, 2009

Entering the border at Tanzania proved to be an expensive experience with the two of us shelling out $50US each for visas and an additional $25 for the car. Once we crossed the border and were driving along the road we were struck by how beautiful the country is. The south has an amazing landscape with thick deep green leafy trees and bushes and rolling hills. Admiring the luscious views we worked our way towards the Old Farm an infamous campsite near Iringa known for its amazing culinary delights. We arrived as it was dark, set up our tent and fell fast asleep.

In the morning we woke up and organized for breakfast. We may have missed the famous dinner but wanted at least a sample. On route to breakfast we met the owner, an amazing woman named Nicky. She brilliantly runs the camping and lodging and manages the farm and has a staff of over 300. After asking a few questions, we decided to stop at the Toyota dealership in Iringa rather than Dar Es Salaam for a few things we needed to get done on the car.

After enjoying our breakfast of fresh bread, eggs, yoghurt, fresh fruit and fantastic coffee we made our way in to town. Finding the Toyota dealership proved to be dead easy given the instructions we received from Nicky. Unfortunately the car couldn’t be looked at that same day and instead we booked an appointment for the following day. We spent the rest of the day wandering around the market and struck by how different Tanzania is from Southern Africa. We were experiencing our first communication complications and stuck easy language had been until now. Stopping for a quick lunch in the market of mostly rice and a few pieces of meat (which actually couldn’t be cut and had to be swallowed whole) we chatted happily as best as we could to the woman running the restaurant who in return for conversation gave us some more lumps of meat (joy!). Following our lunch we went for a Pepsi, yep Pepsi not Coke (we were super surprised). Over our Pepsi we spoke to the owner who taught us our first Swahili. He was a lovely man, very patient and kind and enjoyed sharing his knowledge with us. It was wonderful speaking to a person so proud of their culture and so anxious to share it.