Christmas in Tanzania

 Christmas in Tanzania

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So the festive season is approaching a close, and this one has been a very different Christmas to my 32 previous ones!  Whilst it has not been my first xmas away from home, it has been the first one for a long time where I have not been working, and certainly the hottest Christmas I’ve ever had!

Christmas in Tanzania is nowhere near as big as it is in the UK, those local families who celebrate Christmas here (many are Muslim so do not!) do so by going to church then having a meal with their families. It is mainly a low-key affair, with none of the big build up that starts in September and very few of the customs we are used to in the UK.. No Christmas trees, tinsel, crappy Christmas music, silly paper hats, or the Queen’s speech (which I heard was in 3D this year??!)

Saying that, us wazungus still managed to have a semi-traditional Christmas but with a Tanzanian twist!  The Nyangao volunteers (Sandra, Claire and myself) went to Mtwara to meet up with the other volunteers who are based there (Kayley, Paul, George) and Louise who came down from Dar-es-Salaam for a Tour of the South.  

 We stayed at “Cliff Bar”, a lovely secluded bar and guesthouses surrounded by trees and close to the beach, and is run by Mama Mtupa, a fantastic lady originally from Poland but has been in Tanzania for decades. 

Guest house at Cliff Bar

Christmas Breakfast

  Christmas Eve was spent swimming in the tropically warm sea followed by drinks and food at another bar close by.  For Christmas day, we started with homemade bucks fizz (Sparkling wine from Dodoma mixed with passion fruit juice), scrambled eggs and some fresh mango.  Our Christmas dinner at Cliff Bar consisted of prawnsi, kuku, wali, chipsi, mchicha na kachumbari (prawns, chicken, rice, chips, spinach and salad) washed down with a generous helping of Safari Lager.  Like all good Christmas dinners I ate about 3 plates full and felt uncomfortably full!

Christmas Dinner.. TZ style !

 

VSO Christmas.. .(Silly Hats Optional)

BAH HUMBUG !

 After the traditional post-dinner lull, we went to the local ex-pat hotel to steal their Wi-Fi and Skype home.  It was great to speak to my friends and family on Christmas day and made me wonder what previous volunteers did without the wonders of technology we have today!

In the evening, we all went to Kayley and Pauls house in Mtwara and had a bonfire (because it wasn’t hot enough already!), much to the puzzlement of their Tanzanian neighbours (Chizi Wazungu!).  And the highlight of the day……..CHEESE….. Bought down from Dar by Louise, and washed down with a good bottle of Dodoma Red wine.   There was a shared silence as the cheese platter was bought out and held aloft like a holy grail….. but the silence was soon replaced by mmmmm’s and aaaaah’s as we tasted our first cheese in months.   If you ever need to make a volunteer happy…. Give them cheese!!

Cheese, Crackers and Wine..... must be christmas!

Louise enjoying the Cheese!

"Oh my.... cheese"

Standing around the cheese altar

My boxing day was spent in a similar fashion to the rest of the holiday, swimming, relaxing, and a few beers.  I did miss our traditional Boxing Day get-together at my house with all my friends, but I did manage to Skype them, so it felt like I was there.  By the looks of it, it was a good party but obviously not as good as it could have been as I was not there ;)

After a great 3 days in Mtwara we all headed back to Nyangao to show the delights of village life to the “city folk” of Dar and Mtwara!  I’m not sure Nyangao was quite prepared for 6 wazungus wandering round the market, but I’m sure we gave them something to talk about for weeks!  Everyone wanted to be introduced to the “Wengi”, and especially to Paul, the “Mzee” with a big beard (think Santa!). 

As no Christmas is quite complete without a Christmas Pudding, Claire (The new volunteer in Nyangao who arrived a week before Christmas) kindly bought a Christmas pud and some custard with her!  Thankfully the electricity held out long enough to cook it but went off as we were eating…. So another Tanzanian twist to Christmas… pudding by candlelight!

Christmas Pudding by Candle light in Nyangao

Now it is Christmas..... pudding and custard!

For New Year’s Eve we are going to Lindi, to have dinner in the Italian restaurant which serves probably the best pizza in Tanzania!   (more cheese!).

So that’s been my Tanzanian Christmas!  Hope you all had a great time with your family and friends… it has been a bit strange not to see everyone, but on the other hand I have had a fantastic time here with a bunch of lovely people, and lots of sunshine!  Wish you all the best for the New Year, I hope you all have a happy and productive 2013.