Punguza Bei

All of our fruit, vegetables, beans, rice, and flour are purchased in the local "sokoni" (market). Year round staples include a variety of beans, carrots, cabbage, potatoes, onions, cucumbers, tomatoes, and bell pepper. The availability of fruit will vary with the season, but allows great choices of mango, papaya, banana, oranges, and pineapple.

PUNGUZA BEI means "lower the price". In Tanzania, we have the custom of negotiating prices. I have found you always negotiate the price and then ask for a "discounti", which consists of extra of whatever you are buying. Pricing, however, is discriminatory depending on if you are "wazungu" or Tanzanian. The wazungu price is always higher, but still cannot compare with the prices we pay in the States. I am still shocked when I see what I can buy for $5.

 

One item I have a difficult time asking for a lower price is the price of avocados. The avocados here are huge and flavorful.....and only cost about 30 cents each. Such a treat............

 

One Stop Shop

The community water well, provides women a chance to catch up on local news. Retrieving water could take several hours depending on how many are in line before you.

This lady is ready to go home, after getting her water. This is an amazing fete of balance. Can you image walking, with this on your head?

 

Other ladies make use of the long wait for water by doing laundry while waiting.

 

Sweet Memories

Sometime in the mid-1980's we bought a kid's cookbook. We tried several recipes out of it, but always came back to the Snickerdoodles. I've heard tales about Jamie and Gail trying to make these tasty treats when I wasn't home. I think Gail used 1/2 cup salt rather than 1/2 teaspoon salt....or something like that.

Anyway, making Snickerdoodles this weekend made me smile.

 

Here's Yer Sign #1

OK........I'm still trying to figure this one out.....

Back to Basics

In the repair and replace pump business, pumps are always breaking down and then there's the problem of getting parts from wherever it is you get parts. Not only that but Ed has encountered about 5 different brands of pumps all engineered differently and requiring a unique variety of parts.

We recently had the opportunity to view a hand made pump called a "rope and washer" pump. With electronic junkies, it's the latest gadget.....with Ed....it's the simplest thing that will get the job done. This really got him excited.

This pump is made with a rope, an axle made of re-bar or other suitable metal, and a pully made from 2 tire rings nailed together. Washers made from a old tire are strung on the rope at 1 meter intervals and then pulled through a PVC pipe the same size as the washers. This lifts the water.

Ed would have to explain the mechanics of how this works, but it definitely works.

This type of pump is not for all wells, but Ed is already making plans for his first installation.

Traditional Water Sources

Since moving to Dodoma in April, a great deal of our time has been spent traveling to area villages to look at broken water pumps to determine what can be done to repair or replace them. The rainy season came to an end in May, so the water tables are at a good level in many of the areas, however, by November the situation will be difficult for many villages.

Pumps, whether they are electric or manual provide clean water to communities. When pumps break down, people revert to the older traditional methods of retrieving water.

Digging by hand can sometimes yield small amounts of water which accumulate slowly. Cups are used to dip the water into buckets to be carried back for home use. Often animals are brought to drink directly from this small accumulation.

Water seepage in a river bed

Water seepage near a field

Water seepage from a rock bed beside a road

Driving....Here and There

It's amazing how many of our driving habits are still in effect....even in Tanzania.

We avoid dangerous intersections

 

We avoid the morning rush hour

 

And try not to get lost on side streets