Af-riikka

What is this country I came back to last Monday? I expected idyllic winter scenery with glittering snow and fresh air - instead I got weary looking people, black ground and darkness everywhere. It didn't take very long for me to start missing the colours, smells, sounds and people of Tanzania (or Benin too, still). Somehow the lowest point was reached when I was on a train from Helsinki to Varkaus, feeling a bit sick in a fast Pendolino train which was wobbling strangely and listening to a shaven 18-year-old boy in his army suit, talking on his cell phone about cruise boats, drinking and general Christmas stuff with a very strong Eastern Finnish accent. I started to feel very anxious and wanted to get away, quickly - it was just too much Finland for me. Today it was better already. I made one portion of gingerbread ('pipari') dough for tomorrow and went for this Winter Solstice thing that they organise at the old channel in Varkaus. Loads of candles, cool ice sculptures, pr...

According to the original plan at this moment I would already be in Finland – but as explained in the previous post, my homecoming got delayed by one day. So right now I am at the Grand Regency hotel in Doha , Qatar , watching Arabic and Western music videos from a huge widescreen TV in my air-conditioned, fairly elegant room. Apparently being late for your flight and getting a new one which has an overnight transit instead of a night flight was a good thing after all! I arrived from Dar to Doha after 9pm, asked around at the airport, was first being told that I should just sleep in the quiet rooms at the airport, but after checking them and stating that they are full I gave another try at the transit desk, and yes! Qatar Airways offers this night, which at the moment is like the best gift ever, although it also feels very surreal being in this five-star hotel after staying in all those crappy, cheap guesthouses in Tanzania . Room here would ordinarily cost 1400 QR, which is about ...

Right now I should be sitting on board of Qatar Airways flight, going to Doha and on to Vienna & Helsinki. But I am not - instead I am at a shopping mall 'Slipway' in Dar es Salaam, trying to spend another extra night here in Tanzania. What happened? I got to the airport - a bit late, I have to admit, but last days are always so busy everywhere. But I was there 1h20min before the flight time in my ticket. It didn't help though, since the actual flight time was about 1h5min before the time (16h35) mentioned in my ticket. So there I was, tired, with two heavy bags, trying to find someone to help me - all the Qatar Airways employees were finalizing the flight that I could not be on. Finally after pleading the security guards and various other airport employees, I got hold of one QA employee who managed to get me a flight for tomorrow. So, on Monday evening I will finally be in Finland, if everything goes well (inshallah!). What I learned? Always, always reconfirm your flig...

yes, YMCA in Dar es Salaam! I really do enjoy staying here, I already stayed three nights during my first week in Tanzania, and now I am back again since last Wednesday. I personally think that YMCA (Young Men’s Christian Mission) is a lot better than YWCA (Young Women’s Christian Mission) in Dar es Salaam, although all the guidebooks tell me the opposite. It is cheaper, there is more light and air going through the building, rooms are bigger and nicer, the staff is friendlier and the café/shop better equipped. The two hostels are situated almost opposite each other, near the main post office in the centre of Dar es Salaam. ‘Posta’ is also one of the main daladala (the public transport minibuses) stands, so I don’t have to walk too much if I want to get out of the centre – in the very city centre I can just walk. Most of the oh-so-grumpy staff in the beginning have started smiling, greeting me cheerfully ( “Rafiki! Mambo vipi?” ) and even trying to pronounce my name (I think I heard so...

Lushoto, a lovely small town in the Usambara mountains, a few hours from Arusha and at least 7 hours from Dar is Salaam is really the place for getting away from all the hustle and bustle of the coastal towns. Crisp mountain air, brisk walking in the rain forest and eating organic food at a farm - something completely different after strolling on the narrow streets of Zanzibar Town, munching greasy chapattis and samosas all day. Yesterday I really felt like being in Finland again when I was having lunch at Irente Farm, a few kilometres from Lushoto. The table was filled with rye bread (yes! real rye bread...didn't believe I would find that in Tanzania, in the middle of the mountains!), "the tastiest cheese in Tanzania", delicious jam, fresh vegetables and juice. Soon it also started to rain a bit, it got chilly and I had to add a sweater on top of my T-shirt. I felt happy :) Don't get me wrong, I really like the hot climate too, but after sweating for so many months...

Apologies for not updating for some time. My last weeks and days in Zanzibar were frankly just too hectic: trying to photocopy, write down, interview and otherwise absorb as much information as possible. On the research process and exhilirating interview experiences I will write something later in Finnish - let's just say that it involved dirty jokes and phrases such as "Patria o muerte, venceremos!" ... Thus I left Z'bar on Wednesday, with my new, heavy bag full of books and papers. I left most of my stuff at a friend's place in Dar so that exploring Tanzania would be a little less painful. Unfortunately I only have one week for my little tour, because I have to be (well, I don't HAVE TO be, but I kind of want to...) back in Dar for the Finnish independence day on the 6th of December, since all Finnish ex-pats are invited for the reception at the ambassador's residence. After leaving Z'bar I stayed one night in Dar and continued then to Bagamoyo again...