Searching for Woman Stores... and Friends

   I've talked mostly about work so far, but I can't say that I've spent the whole time working. Last weekend, Veronica and I went to Arusha to do some shopping, specifically for gifts for family and friends. Although we had a really fun day, I have to say, it was a little overwhelming. While I had previously made comments about the terrible driving, this was a completely different ballgame. Really, a different sport. All of the roads are packed with cars, and traffic flow is a complete free-for-all. To put things in perspective- it's about the size of Raleigh, but there are no large roads (they all have a single lane in each direction)... and only three stoplights... yes, three. And to be clear, when I say this, I should also mention that they do not have any other type of road signs to direct traffic either, including stop, yield, or any other right of way directions. The person who gets the right of way is the person who is able to push ahead without getting in an accident. In hindsight, I should've taken some traffic pictures, but I was too busy wondering if I was going to die.
   The first place we went to in Arusha is The Shanga Riverhouse. It's a small artisan workshop that employs Tanzanians with physical disabilities (many are deaf or mute). It's set in a little garden next to a large coffee plantation and it has a little restaurant and shop on the property. They had someone giving tours the day that we went, and we were able to watch them blow glass, weave, do beadwork, etc. They even offered to let us try glassblowing, but we were both a little worried that we would a) screw up something nice or b) burn the crap out of ourselves or someone else. While I recognize that this is clearly a destination intended for tourists, and the items they sell are more expensive than souvenirs we'd find elsewhere, I still enjoyed going. It's a really relaxed and picturesque, and frankly, I feel a little guilty sometimes haggling over a few dollars for souvenirs on the street, even though I know this is the custom and they quote me inflated prices. We had planned to have brunch there, but they didn't open till 11 or 12, and we were too hungry to wait around. She had heard the food was good, but it's also $22/ person, which is pretty pricey for Tanzania.

(From top to bottom) The entrance and courtyard near the workshop, an artisan blowing glass and the store.

   After we left Shanga, we went to a craft market, which was a little crazy. For whatever reason, it wasn't very crowded when we went, and since we were clearly foreigners, every person we passed tried to convince us to look at their shop. I was interested in looking around a little more to see what was there, but we didn't end up spending a lot of time there, because Veronica was feeling a little overwhelmed. I don't know the exact address, but it's on School Rd and it hard to miss. I didn't take any pictures, but I found some on this site. After that, we went in search for woman stores.
   For those of you who aren't familiar with this term, this is what my boyfriend, Jon, calls stores that sell crafty items, pickled vegetables, cookbooks- you know the kind I'm referring to. Often they serve brunch? If you live in Durham, Parker and Otis is the quintessential woman store. In fact, I think that's where he coined the term. Ann Arborites, basically think of any store in Kerrytown. While, they have literally taken the US by storm, I wasn't expecting to find any in Tanzania. Well, I was wrong, savvy business owners here have figured out what tourists want, and they're cropping up here, too. We went to a new complex outside the city called the Sable Square Shopping Village. It had a variety of shops, but it's so new that most of the shops were still empty and some were even under construction. The first shop we went to was Tanzania Maasai Women Art, which is a company that decided to combine traditional Maasai beadwork with more modern designs. They work with an Italian designer who helps develop jewelry that's a bit more stylish and wearable than the traditional designs. There were several other shops in the plaza, including ones that sold art supplies, Tanzanite, books, and souvenirs of all types. They also had a couple cafe/ restaurants. Again, clearly a tourist destination, but we had some good finds.

The Green Room, the ultimate woman store

   Veronica left a couple days ago, and Peyton left last week so I'm now on my own when it comes to meeting new people and entertaining myself. While I'm generally pretty easily entertained and like having some alone time, it has been a little lonely. On the up-side, the residents and faculty in the department have been very friendly and welcoming. Last night, a couple of them actually invited out for a couple drinks last night. We went to a bar called the "Biker Bar," which I'm pretty sure is mostly locals- I seemed to be the only foreigner there last night. The place itself is a little looks like a snack shack at a resort, and all of the seating is out on the patio or under open air but covered. Throughout the bar, there are bike parts re purposed as railings, tables, etc. The group I went with were clearly regulars, and their pictures were even on the bar website. They had planned to go to a bar called Glacier to go dancing, but I ended calling it a night a little early to recover some from the week. But, we all had a good time till then.