Week One: A day in the life of Mwanza, Tanzania!!!

May 1st, 2013

I arrived yesterday, April 30^th, 2013, after a long trip from Toronto.  I flew from Amsterdam to Nairobi and finally Mwanza, Tanzania!  So far I feel that I am adjusting well.  Upon my arrival, I realized that my luggage had not been sent on my flight from Nairobi to Mwanza.  It was an interesting experience.  The airport in Mwanza was extremely small.  Once I entered the building from the plane, there were many young men there to assist in carrying luggage.  Unfortunately, this time it was unnecessary, as I had no luggage to carry.  There wasn't really a line up during the passport checking process, just a glass that divided the employees and the new arrivals.  My passport was taken by an employee, no words or questions asked, and it was quickly given back to me.  I took this as a good sign :-) 

There was a lot of confusion and chaos when we started to realized that the luggage had not been sent with us on the airplane.  Instead of being given any details, it was simply implied for us to stand around and wait to fill out a form regarding the missing luggage.  When it was finally my turn to report my lost luggage the employee assisting me was very friendly and a great help!  He put my mind at ease by saying "it happens every day."  The following day, my luggage was returned to my apartment by the same man who helped me fill out my form.  This taught me a valuable lesson for the beginning of my trip...relax, everything will be fine! HAKUNA MATATA :-)

May 2^nd, 2013

I went to APYN for the first time today.  We dropped off yogurt at seven of the ten kitchens.  Everyone seemed very friendly and helpful.  They asked me to introduce myself and what plans I had to work with APYN.  I expressed my interest in working with them on their business development, finance plan, and marketing strategies.  They filled me in on the current position of the organization and goals.  I definitely feel excited to work together.  I felt bad that my Kiswahili was not better.  I did not understand a lot of what was being said around me and needed help understanding.  I am really going to focus on improving.  As a side note, I  had not had a good shower since Canada because our shower was broken.  It was finally fixed today!!! I had a nice shower and am feeling a little more refreshed. SAFI SANA!!!

 

May 6, 2013

Today, I experienced my first meeting with APYN.  The meeting began by addressing what had been accomplished from the previous week, what the intention is for the coming week, and ended by discussing what the month would entail.  When asked what I planned to accomplish for my upcoming week, I discussed some marketing and finance ideas that had been raised the previous week.  My input seemed to be very appreciated and supported. 

Some of the marketing and production ideas that were raised have been in regards to packaging, monitoring the activity in each kitchen by documenting and recording the patterns of sales, and to outline the step-by-step process regarding quality control of the product in each kitchen.  As my one week mark of being on the ground comes to an end, I am feeling very positive.  I am adapting to the language, culture, and I feel very welcome.  I know I am extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to work with APYN and am excited to be a part of putting the future plans into action.