The 29 hour of travel and what came after

Sunday and Monday

29 hours of travelling ahead. The morning already started with a lot of adrenaline. Short before the train was about to leave at Amsterdam Central Station, one of the Students arrived with all our tickets. A second interruption was because of changing our train due to some issues. That is really typical for the “Deutsche Bahn”, never a train ride is without an interruption or delay. However, it gave us the possibility to stay in the same train until the airport and we didn’t have to make any more step overs. At the airport last shopping was done to be prepared for the long travel and our time in Zanzibar. With a little drink to support the sleep in the second plane and at the Airport in Muscat we finally arrived in the heat at Zanzibar.
First observation was, that there is no luggage band but the luggage was handed out by man. After withdrawing cash, we all felt like rich people, because 1 € is around 2500 Tanzanian Schilling. Outside of the hall Philemon, the head of Khaya and our host, waited for us with his crew to pick us up. Left side driving is another thing we have to get used to. Some would be helped by signs on the floor as in London to remind them on looking into the right direction.
After our arrival, Ross and Thandi (Volunteer workers at Khaya) showed us the beautiful beach to relax after that hard time of travelling and to make us even hungrier for our first dinner in Zanzibar. During the dinner we got a nice welcome and introduction speech of them how things work and how they have planned the next day to show us around. Everybody was excited to start the next day, but the first thing to reload our energy was to get a good night of sleep and everybody vanished in their rooms.

Tuesday

With a nice German song “Guten morgen Sonnenschein” some people got waken up, others were already awake. The day to discover the city has started. However, first things first. The breakfast was a discovery for some as well. Toast soaked in water and egg and then fried in a pan. Me personally (Mila), I have never seen that before. Then we got a ride to the city center and walked around. A lot of little boutiques and small streets weave through the city. Passing by some locals starring at us, some honking at us to free the street so that they can pass (16 people at once plus the volunteers of Khaya are really annoying), some didn’t even noticed us due to playing a really hard looking game. After passing by the little shops we made a small break at the coffeehouse to get a good coffee our addicted people already missed. From the top of the building one had the possibility to watch over the city and we were surrounded by a nice breeze.
Our further path led us to the market. That was crazy to see, all the spices and the fruits and food. Lying partly open in the sun not covered by any fabric to be rescued from flies. Especially the meat hall and the eggs were astonishingly without any cover. When passing via the little streets you could see into the old open houses that are more work spaced. One shopped of the head of a goat, the other one cut out a part of a cow, again another one transported heavy sacks with onions around.
Sadly the sim-card shop we went to for Zanzibarian telephone numbers was closed. So we took a dalladallas to get home for Lunch. These public busses are open at the back and you are sitting in U-shape really close to gether to be transportet to the next stop. They do not really seem to be safe and drove really fast. To get off you have to tell the person who stands at the back of the loading platform to stop. He then makes sounds to stop the driver.
The afternoon was the same as the day before and in the evening a good meeting was held with the group to prepare all the last things for the day after. The day to meet the entrepreneurs, the day where the work will start. The meeting was good. Most important, it gave us a better insight in how many uncertainties we are facing. How many will show up? What if they don’t speak English? And many more.
Late but better than never, sleepy time was more than needed!!