Jambo everybody, welcome to Tanzania!! My name is Siena and I will be your guide through your online trip to Tanzania. Before we go anywhere, let me tell you a little bit about Tanzania. The first thing you need to know is that everyone here is black. Black, black, black. Not that that's a bad thing, it's just that it's a little uncomfortable not seeing hardly any white people, except for hotels. Than you see all white people.
The souvenirs here are not those corny snow globes or key chains, just get a wood carving! Tanzania (and other parts of Africa) are famous for their wood carvings, drums, artwork, dancing, and bead work.
Tanzania has no shortage of bananas. Here they have fruit bananas, cooking bananas and beer bananas (yes you can make beer out of bananas), and a lot more. Sometimes you will see trucks or bikes piled high with bananas. You may also see women or girls carrying baskets of bananas on their heads. They learn to do this at an early age. Other foods they eat here are ugali (a food made of corn powder that you eat with your hands and has the texture of a mashed potato), and rice. There is also a lot of Indian food here.
There are over 120 tribes that make up the citizens of Tanzania who co-exist in peace. Other tribes have chosen not to intermix but to stay separate. Each tribe has it's own language, and some of the words are still used today. We will use the Masai tribe for an example. The Masai are famous for their bead work necklaces and bracelets. Some Masai words are still used for other countries in Africa. Here are the countries.
Ethiopia - moon
Egypt - where are you going?
Kenya - end of the road
Well, before you go off and explore Tanzania all by yourself, let me give you a short Swahili lesson:
tembo - elephant
asante - thank you
sana - very much
bas - enough
jambo - hello
pole pole - go slow
rafiki - friends
simba - lion
mama - woman
hakuna matata - no worries
tiki tiki mto - watermelon
karibu - welcome
Asante Sana! We hope you come again.
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