Please Support: Community-Based Touristic Income Generating Activity for the benefit of Choma Village

This project needs funding to develop camping site facilities at the Choma Village; situated on the foot of Ulugoro Mountain (western side) in Morogoro, Tanzania.  The beneficiaries are the Waluguru (ethnic group) people who are mainly dependent on agriculture for their economic livelihood. 

Karel is my friend and a former neighbor at the compound where I am currently staying.  He initiated this project and utilizing his own resources.  After his job in Dar had ended, he settles in Morogoro and spends most of his time to this project.  

To support and help Karel to make a difference in the lives of more than 800 Waluguru people in Choma village; please visit http://www.1procentclub.nl/projects/uluguruchoma.

The pictures below were taken in Morogoro last February 2011.

One of these mountains is the Ulogoro

The Mikumi National Park in Morogoro (80 kms. away from the Morogoro Town)

"do something good"

Yesterday should be my flight back home back to the Philippines.  But I am still in Tanzania.  I have extended until the end of June. I am wondering until now if the additional 3 months to be here would be a wise thing to do. 

I was ready to go.  I have packed all my stuff including some souvenir items for family and friends, have given away the rest of my personal things that my luggage can no longer accommodate, have rushed and prepared all the outstanding activities and reports to my organization and VSO, travelled outside of Dar es Salaam a week before my supposedly flight back home, have cleaned the apartment I am staying, and lastly; announced to everyone that I am going back home on 23 March. 

It was last minute that I made up my mind to prolong my stay.  I solicited advice from some people and weighed the situation emotionally and logically.  But what stirred me most was the text message from my sister.  “There’s nothing urgent that you will be doing here (home).  So, you can stay. Who knows, you can <still> do something worthwhile there.” And this helped me to decide.   Not 1 year as requested by my organization but I only settled for 3 months.  At least, I will not be leaving them with pang of guilt or regret.

Am I happy for this decision?  I don’t know exactly.  I believe that to be happy is a choice no matter what distractions or circumstances to be encountered along the way.  I will just enjoy what life brings me for these last 3 months in Tanzania.  And – “do something worthwhile” (?).

“People are just as happy as they make up their minds to be.” ― Abraham Lincoln

What does it take to make a difference?

I am almost a year in Tanzania.  The days moved so quickly for the past few days.  I was surprised when I noticed the calendar.   I remember during my 1^st quarter here, the days were so slow.  I thought I can’t manage to stay that long. 

To make a difference is tough job with many challenges, frustrations and disappointments.  Some of us (volunteers) end up successfully with flying colors and some failed or quit.  But regardless of the duration we stayed in our placements, it’s a humbling experience to all of us.  We have realizations that we are so blessed and became appreciative of what we have materially.  We managed to survive with the economic level of what our monthly allowance could afford us to live.  The simple things like a good bed and clean water are luxuries which we took them for granted when we are in our own home land.

with fellow volunteers during the 50th Anniversary of VSO in Tanzania

We are not spared of many situations that test our limits and well being.  We know for a fact that change is a process but it takes longer than our expectations until our patience runs out.  We work hard to deal with people who are different from us totally –the culture, beliefs, ways of thinking, manners and characters.  Yet, we don’t like to give up our hope that somehow we can make a difference or at least we can share something that makes the world to be a better place to live for everyone. 

Now, as I count the days that I am here in Tanzania, and having all of these kinds of experiences, I am thinking if it’s really worth it that I chose to stay that long.  I don’t like to have regrets or bitterness feeling.  This self-confrontation made me ask myself if I still can take the plunge beyond my comfort zone.  I am in the process of debating with myself on weighing the situation of having enough or too much of Tanzania.  But sooner or later, it’s all up to me to choose – I know that decision is always have consequences that might be good or complicated.

with the women in my community.  They are aspiring to be self-reliant economically/

The anonymously written passage below is inspiring that distracts my tired spirit.  But in reality, they are hard enough to do them by heart (without pretentions).  At least, I will try.

People are unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered. Love them anyway.
If you do good, people may accuse you of selfish motives. Do good anyway.
If you are successful, you may win false friends, and true enemies. Succeed anyway.
The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.
Honesty and transparency make you vulnerable. Be honest and transparent anyway.
What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway.
People who really want help may attack you if you help them. Help them anyway.
Give the world the best you have and you may get hurt. Give the world your best anyway.
The world is full of conflict. Choose peace of mind anyway.

Happy 2012!

Another year is coming.  In retrospect, my 2011 is not the best neither that bad.    Even life is too tiring sometimes, I have to hold on still and have many reasons to be grateful about for the whole year.  It also gave me the chance and opportunities to learn, grow and realizations.

Making a difference is not an easy job. So I pray for more hope and courage. 

And I wish that the year 2012 bring abundance of grace, kindness and miracles especially to the people who suffer from poverty, injustice, disease, abuse and unemployment.

Happy New Year!

source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-16373314

It's Christmas and Am away from Home

It’s Christmas and I am in the continent of Africa – thousands of miles away from home.  I feel homesick and  longing for the familiar and the usual way of celebrating this day – the festivities, moments with family, relatives and friends, the exchanging and receiving of gifts, lots of food, etc. , etc.  Although in my heart, I know that these are not so significant on the true meaning of Christmas. 

with fellow Filipino volunteers at the big mall in Dar es Salaam

I am trying to fight the loneliness by reflecting the good and the bad things that I have and got during this year.  I believe that the good ones are blessings or maybe just pure luck.  The bad ones should be forgotten but they are meant to happen because they gave me lessons in life which shaping me to be a better person.

For all these things, I’m so thankful and glad to have the gift of life that the Creator gave me. 

I wish that my heart will be full of love, joy, forgiveness and peace this season and not loneliness or emptiness.  And I wish the same to all humanity.

May Santa fills this plastic bag with peace, joy, hope and love and be scattered around the world - not the plastic bag, only those inside.:-)

Have a blessed Christmas!

crossing the highways

Crossing a highway is one of my greatest hurdles.   It happened when I was 7 years old.  I was hit by a fast motorcycle while crossing a busy highway.  I’ve got some bruises and fortunately, there was nothing major physical damaged on me except the visible scar on my left eyebrow.  This accident gave me occasional nightmares in my childhood and adult life.

But I have to face this fear.  I can not avoid crossing highways.  They are everywhere. I have no other option but to fight back the anxieties that paralyzes me every time I cross them.     And when there is no one to cling unto, I have to be brave and believe in myself that I can do it. I have to because I need to or else I can be stuck forever beside the highway and I can never go to where I intend to go.    

one of the pedestrian lanes along the busy highway of Dar es Salaam

It’s like facing life even it is so uncertain.  I had shares of pains and some left deep scars on me emotionally but life should go on.   I have to be strong to live fully or else my existence would just be totally wasted.  I have to take risk even it might hurt me. It is the natural flow of life which means that this flow knows where to go and have its own way to reach its final destination.   Therefore, I have to follow and go with it.  And maybe, this is the ultimate method to find the true path of life.   


“Life isn't simple. But the beauty of it is, you can always start over. It'll get easier. “
Alacia Bessette, Simply from Scratch, 2010

carrot juice and old buildings

I know that there is no relevance between carrot juice and old buildings.  I just can’t think of a better title for this post. J

I went to the city center one time to look for rechargeable batteries for my camera.  It was early afternoon and the strong sun discouraged me to start roaming around so I decided to stay for a while at a place that looks like a mini-food court with 4 food stalls to choose from – oriental to western. I ordered a carrot juice from one of the food stalls and ended up having a huge glass (450 ml) that took me more than an hour to finish it ‘til the last drop. The counter-lady told me that no available size of carrots for the small size juice that day.  I did not get the logic from her answer but when I observed the preparations I understood what she meant.  The ratio is 1:1; 1 carrot for 1 glass juice.  So, size here matters; small carrot for small size juice or large carrot for large size juice. 

After my glass was totally empty, I left to search for electronic shops in the area.  I had the chance as well to take photos of the old buildings around.  They were engraved of the year they were built; from 1930s to 1940s.  I wonder if the city government is helping to preserve or rehabilitate these buildings.  I noticed that some are poorly maintained.  I am not aware of the Land Use Plan or Building Code of the City but the way I looked at it, these buildings are not taken care of (my presumption) very well.   But they are beautiful and I am sure that I am not the only one who have seen their attractiveness.


I hope that locals are giving importance to these historic sights.

 

"He who loves an old house never loves in vain."

Conant, Isabel La Howe