World Cup:
I want to start out by saying I love being able to watch the world cup in the correct time zone. I’ve been doing what I can to get some games in, and last night watched the England vs. USA game in a restaurant/bar with at least 20 people from each of the two countries (I don’t know where they all came from, I feel like every Mzungo in town showed up).
Let’s just say my “CA-NA-DA, CA-NA-DA” chant didn’t really catch on. I mostly plan to cheer for all of the African nations, as it would be great to see one make it through a few rounds. However, among the favourites I am picking Argentina (this could change with a few blatant dives) as I want to see an individual player take over, and Messi has the best chance to do that (I really just want to see some goals. I know scores are low, but the 8 goals in the 6+ games so far just do no cut it).
I want to add that I think having the World Cup in South Africa is great for this continent in more ways then I previously realized. When people think of Africa, minds generally go straight to the poverty and charity and to the general burden it puts on the world. This is one of the first major events that connect Africa to a positive connotation, and being here I can tell it means a lot to the locals. Even hearing the song “Wavin’ Flag” (the official song of the tournament by K’naan. I recommend his album) in a local bar/club, the mood just exploded, and everyone seemed genuinely happy and excited.
Weather:
Now with sports out of the way, let move onto the weather. While it is consistently very hot, and I sweat a good portion of every day, overall it has been more bearable then I expected. Being shirtless in public isn’t really an option here (I know what you’re thinking, what kind of world is this right?), so I have had to learn to live with it. Fortunately the nights cool down enough that sleep is possible, just often using no blanket. We have also had a few periods of rain, when it pours down for about half an hour, the whole town shuts down, and then the sun comes out again and everyone gets back to work.
Other:
The food has actually been quite good so far, with a large Indian influence on most restaurants menus. Most menus are quite long, giving me more choice then I prefer. And then when you finally order, half the time they can’t even make it, and you have to look again. But so far I have been eating out too much, and I am going through my money a little faster then I would prefer, so it is time I start shopping a little more.
Two of the three other interns I came down here with will be leaving for Kenya tomorrow morning, so I’m just going to blame this spending on them. Once they are gone I will have to start adjusting to what my life will be for the next two and a half months.
Something I have noticed in Mwanza is the high number of hotels, a number of which are actually quite nice and quite new (some extremely nice). This is interesting, as most of them, especially the nicer ones, seem to be almost completely empty, and this is one of the busy seasons. I have been to a few of the hotel restaurants, and the staff often outnumber the customers.
Also, the service at most restaurants, even nicer ones, is generally quite poor. I think this is due to a mix of the more relaxed culture and the lack of tipping in this country (it’s all about incentives). Everyone seems so nice over here except for the people you’re giving money too. But interestingly enough, while things can take a long time, they never seem to forget anything. Yesterday at lunch, a friend had to use Tabasco sauce as salad dressing. Ten minutes later, she’s just about done, and a big container of salad dressing is brought to her.
The Project:
Now onto the project. So far progress has been slow, as we are still just adjusting to our role and the country. The last intern working here recently managed to source new packaging for the yogurt, which will hopefully allow the product to be sold in the local market, and at a higher price. However, before this is allowed, the process needs to be certified by a local government organization. Their representative is examining the kitchen tomorrow, and that result will play a large part in what I will be working on in the near future.
We have also been spending some time at the kitchen getting to know the Yogurt Mama’s better, while performing interviews for the research component of the internship. These are meant to give us a better idea of the Mama’s feelings throughout the growth of their business, which is important as we will need to know where the success’s and failures of the past lie when creating the ideal model for expansion.
I could probably write about a few more things, but I got to save some stuff for next week. If anyone has anything particular they are wondering about the project or country, feel free to ask me in the comments section. Also, you can check the blogs of the interns I am here with, as most of my time has been spent with them so far.
Kathleen - http://kathleenheadseast.blogspot.com/
Kinleigh - http://kinleighheadseast.blogspot.com/
Jackel - http://jackelheadseast.blogspot.com/
Some of them have also managed to upload some photos using a program not available for my mac. But I will see what I can do in the future.
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