Rest In Peace Ruge Mutahaba

I have never him in person, yet his legacy precedes him. Those around me that met and worked with him spoke greatly of him. A lot of achievements in the music industry in Tanzania is because of him. This is what legacy is! He is not yet 50 years old yet his contribution to the nation is beyond his age. May you rest in peace kaka.

Meat or Vegetables?

Hey y'all, 

How realistic is it for someone to be a vegan or vegetarian in Bongo? Not for a second have I given a thought to the idea of being vegan or vegetarian, and  I only ask because we are surrounded by butchers on every corner of the city. Not only that, those who have their own homes (not living in apartments) have poultry farms for their daily needs and a side source of income. The availability and affordability of meat in Tanzania is perhaps the reason for promoting a market for professional kitchen equipment and butchery equipment. I would not trade the meat eating luxury for anything, regardless of the health related problems that may come with it. And I say so because as humans, we are capable of self control, and too much of anything is harmful. I haven't had beef in a while and when I think of how easily available and affordable beef it is in Bongo, I feel like there is something missing. This experience of not having the luxury to eat beef on daily or weekly basis will make me appreciate life in Bongo when I return. I mean, who doesn't want beef choma and mbuzi choma on weekends? Life can't get any better than that. 

Is being adventurous a permanent trait?

Hey y'all, 

Image from Google.com

Before going to bed last night I came across an article from Psychology Junkie talking about different Myers-Briggs personalities and what makes them brave. And mine said  "Unlike some people who choose a steady, secure existence, you’d rather live life with a bit of excitement and adventure. Because of your ability to see countless possibilities you aren’t satisfied unless you’ve explored as many as possible. You defy the norm and face risks with bravery, whether that involves starting your own business, traveling around the globe, or risking it all to be a digital nomad. You pursue freedom over the safer route of a structured, ordered existence. To you, feeling alive means braving uncertainty and proving to yourself that you can do it on your own." click here to read more

I must say, this adventure word comes up a lot when people try to describe me, and yet I feel as though I have lost my passion for adventure. And I want to understand what the word adventure really mean? I can agree with wanting to live my life with excitement, I haven't lost that at all, but do I still have 'adventure' in me? Don't mistake me, I can go on adventure safaris but that's probably it. Would I want to be as adventurous as I used to be 10 years ago? Maybe not. I can keep my life exciting in various ways, but I doubt if I still have a sense of adventure. 

In order to fully understand this word "adventure" I plan to listen to podcasts, read books, and watch YouTube videos on people with adventure traits in their personalities to see if I still got it. 

Education and Ambition

Hey y’all, 

Image from Google.com

Lately, I have been thinking about life from different perspectives. I know education is important and it’s meant to get us somewhere in life, but does it all depend on education? Don't we need something extra for our dreams and goals to achieve what we want / who we want to be in life?

I know a few people who only went through diploma courses for various reasons, but they’ve worked so hard and use their creativeness to do great things for themselves. And yet there are those who have a Masters degree and are still waiting for something to happen? I do wonder, do those who feel like they have less to offer think outside of the box while those who do think their education is all that, are limited within a box?

Just a thought. 

House Hunting Hassles in Dar

Hey y'all, 

So house hunting hassles in Dar, who else is feeling the heat? As much as property dealers and real estate agents exist for our sanity sake, it is also important that we get genuine ones. A friend has been house hunting (but finally found a house two days ago), and her hassles were infuriating, it's sad to go through disappointment.

Here's her story:

So the other day babe and I were walking after a long day of house hunting. We come upon a house that was empty,and decided to go in...it's a huge compound with other houses in it. So, we knocked on one and some lady came out and told us the house is empty coz people just moved out. Then she said there is someone who oversees it and works across the road. 

We went out and it was this tailor shop. So we asked and he said yes he is in charge...lets go see it. So, he took his keys, we went in saw the house. When we were done we were like - we love it. He said sawa. Guys it was a beautiful house!!! And huge. Then he starts "well...do you know the procedure??" I'm like what procedure? He says one month rent once we finalize.

I was like - but we just walked here...you didn't find the house for us??? He is like dada (by this time joined with another Dalali), the economy is really bad nowadays, this is just a thank you that we have not scammed you. (This is after they had called the owner and he is on the way.) "We have connected you to the owner.. So imagine if could have just scammed you"... And for that they want 1 month rent... To be exact 700k for bloody showing me the owner. I asked why not get paid by the owner,  he was like "Well dada those are the rules..we can just talk, don't panic". 

- the end- 

I laughed as I read her message but I understand what she is going through, it's not easy working a day job and take your evenings to go house hunting only to be met with such situation. I really do feel for her. 

Dr. Myles Munroe - HOW TO BECOME A LEADER Break away from your strugglin...

My accent is a conversation starter

Hey y’all, 

I have been meeting a lot of new people and when they hear my accent, they ask where I am from. 

When I tell them that I hail from Tanzania they say WOW like I come from Wakanda or something (jokes...Tanzania is way better). And a bunch of questions come flooding in, the usual ones by the way - how is the weather down there, have you been on a safari, what language do you all speak, when is the best time to visit, so on and so forth. My answers are usually the same; if you get to visit Tanzania you must visit Kilimanjaro, where the highest mountain in Africa is located. We speak Swahili - you know the movie Lion King? Well, Hakuna Matata is a Swahili word (and the WOOOW gets additional OOs in between). 

Swimming with dolphins in Zanzibar, eating chips mayai and octopus from street vendors (yummy). Visiting Ngorongoro crater, snapping crocodiles in Bagamoyo. I mean, it never gets tiring to talk about home because I am proud of what we have; the food, the wildlife, the gems, the social life and the incredible Dar es Salaam heat! (I joke about the heat, I don’t like it). The challenges though, is when I get asked certain safaris questions that I don’t know much about, (it happens). 

I sometimes inquire from Google, but I also get to tell them about my friend who owns a touring company and let them do the rest. However, questions regarding flying safaris, chartered flights, that’s something I don’t have experience with, but the good thing is, they do exist and Yellow pages Tanzania, Google and directory.co.tz will do a good job of directing you to the right people and places. 

When you visit Tanzania, do yourself a favor...eat food from street vendors. I mean, It doesn't matter if you are a billionaire, what's the point of being in Tanzania and not experience the wild side of life?

To those with a travel bug like myself, the beautiful thing about being an adult is to actually look forward to go on a vacation that you can actually afford...and 'Tanzania' is one vacation you will ALWAYS be able to afford, trust me.

Wedding vs Marriage

Hey y'all, 

Is it weird that not once in my entire life have I imagined a wedding reception for myself? I do not have an ideal conventional wedding dress in mind (meaning a typical white wedding dress. I don't mind wearing a black and red dress or something traditional from African fashion designers), an ideal venue or honeymoon destination and all that. As a matter of fact, I feel like extravagant wedding parties are a huge waste of money (at least for me). 

In 2010 I told my parents that since I am the last born, there will not be a wedding reception. There will be a wedding ceremony either at church, city hall or officiated by an Elvis Presley lookalike, but no parties and all that mambo jumbo. We can all go to a nice restaurant, eat our guts out, take pictures and call it a day. 

Being a 4th child for the most part, there is nothing new the family hasn't experienced. Your parents have seen it all, have experienced it all. And the last thing they would want is to accept you are no longer their little baby and you will no longer be available to run errands for them. Being someone’s wife kinda puts limitations on their requests and demands on your life and they are scared of that even though they will never admit it. 

My one time chance of being a wedding planner and a maid of honor gave me enough experience and insight on the craziness that goes into wedding planning, wedding venues, honeymoon research, blah blah blah, the list is endless. And I would not wish this kinda madness on any of my family members or myself. 

Weddings are emotional and they make you want to believe in the magic and the fairy tale of it all, but I am a realist and I want to know the good, the bad and the ugly. Living in La La Land is overrated. Maybe what we really need are more realistic movies on what marriages go through and highlight on the everyday challenges and victories married couples face so that we don’t end up killing each other once the happy hormones die off. 

Don’t get me wrong, I am a strong believer of Love, marriage and family union. But I am a stronger believer of staying together for better or for worse. It’s not easy, nor do I claim to have the ability to stick around during foolishness, but I pray everyday that in my request to be more like Jesus, I should be able to love the unlovable or even worse, my spouse when he is the last person I want to lay eyes on. If you think I am shady in how I see things, then re-evaluate your Christian life. Jesus loves you and listens to your prayers even if you just came from committing a sin. Now that's real love and forgiveness. If this is what it means to be brides of Christ, then He is the most amazing husband in the world.

Ommy Dimpoz - Ni Wewe (Official Music Video)

The world right now

Hey y'all,

So I recently had a meeting with lovely lady who opened my eyes to things that I would not have heard of from my everyday crowd. However, when it comes to politics, I choose to keep my mind pure and let the conspiracies be, and I say conspiracy because what I do not know to be true or false is as good as a conspiracy (sometimes). She went ahead and told me that in the State of California, children in kindergarten and elementary will be taught that there are 15 genders and not just 2. I thought she was joking (and mostly because I have not been reading the news lately). She then sent me a link of the story and I was speechless. When I was little and during Sunday school, the Catholic books that I read and was taught with mentioned two genders and two alone, the male gender and the female gender. I mean, isn't gender meant to be either one or the other? I do not speak of sexual preference here. I mean, there are men and there are women. People have opted to be of the opposite gender, but does that not mean they stop being either male, and choose to be identified as female, or vice versa. Is it possible for people to be identified as both genders even though they may have parts that identify to both genders? Do they not choose to be either one or the other based on who they believe they are meant to be? I am quite confused when they say there are multiple genders. I can understand teaching about people choosing to change their gender and having certain sexual preferences. But having an entire list of genders, I don't know what to think about that. 

Below is a link to the article, to feed your curiosity.

https://www.christianheadlines.com/contributors/michael-foust/california-may-teach-kindergarteners-there-are-15-genders.html