6 things to know about Tanzania!

Hey friends!

In 3 weeks time I will be home in England with my family. I’m really excited to see my family again, but a little sad that I will be leaving this beautiful country I’ve called my home for the past 9 months. Feature image -> Mount Meru Meru/Jo Law

So, a few people have been asking me: What is it like in Tanzania?  Well, I’ve thought about it and here are some dead hard facts about this country that everyone should know about! This is useful for you travellers out there.

1. Service is Tanzanian style- slow. Don’t be surprised if people are slow at getting some items for you at the deka or if your food takes over an hour to arrive, that’s standard. Tanzania’s most famous catchphrase is “pole pole”, or “slowly, slowly”. If you want something done fast, unfortunately Tanzania is not the best place to be!
2. There is no such thing as noise pollution. Trust me, for the past 5 months I have not slept for longer than 3-5 hours each night. How am I still alive? To that, I say I am mentally and physically too strong to let lack of sleep defeat me. Be in cicadas, the church, or turkeys, or clubs and resorts, there’s always some music going on somewhere, it is both a blessing and a curse at the same time!
3. Bugs are your best friend. Or bug spray. But there are a lot of bugs. You know ants? There are massive ones at least 1cm large in this country. And there are Jiggers. Don’t forget the Jiggers (google it o_o)
4. Choice? What choice? Due to imports being too expensive, choice in food is only reserved for us mzungus (white people) and even then, it’s rather limited. Locals sell seasonal vegetables such as avocados, onions, and carrots at a very cheap price and some fried local fish too, plus you can get some decent imported goods such as Nutella and Dairy Milk, but don’t expect gourmet foods such as salmon or a wide selection of cheeses. A lot of local Tanzanian foods use tomatoes, beans, and raw onions. Obviously there are touristy restaurants but they are more expensive.
5. Locals are really friendly and you can get by with minimal Swahili. If you say “Shikamoo” randomly to an old person, they are really happy to respond to you! Just knowing a tiny bit of the native language makes locals happy that you’re trying, even if it is a little of and they might point to what you want for reassurance. I’m the only person at my house who doesn’t take Swahili lessons, but I do know simple phrases such as “I would like….”. A lot of locals are good at English too so there’s no harm in asking what a specific word is in Swahili. This applies to most countries you visit!
6. Boda boda. Whilst crime rate in Tanzania is dropping, accidents are going up. Before the appearance of boda bodas (motorbikes), youth would steal and rob people to get money. Now, they use boda bodas as a taxi service. Most are unlicensed though so I wouldn’t recommend it, and amputees in Tanzania are sharply increasing due to the popularity of boda bodas. Dala dala, or local mini buses, are extremely cheap and a little bit safer so I would recommend that as a form of transport, or if you have the money then definitely get a taxi!

If there’s anything want to know about Tanzania, please shoot me some questions below! I’d be more than happy to answer as best as I can.