English is quite widely spoken, but the main language in Tanzania is Swahili or Kiswahili; which is part of the Bantu group of African languages. As most of the patients I will encounter will know little English, I've got to get my head down and learn some general words and phrases before I go - But more on that later!
The general religions are Muslim and Christian, so although having four weeks of sun will be nice, covering up will be a must to avoid unwanted attention from the local men and unwanted looks and remarks from the local women.
To travel to the Radiotherapy department; Ocean Road Cancer Institute, I will have to use the local form of travel - the 'daladala', there version of a mini-bus, which can get very crowded and with maniac drivers and no air conditioning I've heard that the experience is definitely something very different!
As well as work, I also intend to experience as much culture and do and see as many different things as I can!
I've heard very good reports of the variety of foods in Dar and the prices for food and drink are very, very cheap! The local dish of Ugali (a dish of maize flour served with a meat or vegetable stew) is just £1, a beer is 75p and a soft drink just 25p. Konyagi is there local spirit which is 35% and this is cheaper still!
Kariakoo is a district in Dar es Salaam that is most famous for it's extensive market which offers a thrilling, authentic shopping experience! It offers cheap souvenirs including jewlery and African drums. However, being a muzungu (foreigner) means that traders try to charge way over the actual price, so haggling is a must and it's recommended to take someone who knows the market and how it runs if you're a bit unsure.
Kilamanjaro National Park is located in the North of Tanzania, but I'm afraid I do not have the stamina to climb Kilamanjaro - as much as I would love to! As well as this park, there are also a lot of others - some of which I will be visiting. They include:
- Mikumi National Park; which is famous for it's tree climbing lions!
- Ngorongoro Conservation Area; a large volcanic crater, which is a UNESCO world heritage site
- Lake Victoria
- Selous Game Reserve; one of the largest faunal reserves in the world
- Serengeti; extends into Kenya and is well renowned for hosting the worlds largest terrestrial animal migration in the world - one of the 7 natural wonders of Africa.
The Big Migration!
Zanzibar is another must, just a two hour boat ride away! t's a semi-autonomous part of Tanzania which consists of numerous small islands and two larger one; known as the 'spice islands'. It's capital, 'Zanzibar city' is located on Unguja island and is known as the 'Stone town', a UNESCO world heritage site. It is one of the only places where saffron is grown, along with many other Middle Eastern spices. There are beautiful beaches to explore, the possibility to swim with doplphins, open air markets in the Stone town and a seaweed centre; where soaps, etc are all made using seaweed an natural products.
Another beautiful area, just a boat ride away from Dar, is the Bongoyo Marine Reserve, a secluded area where you can picnic, swim or snorkel amongst the diverse marine life amid the coral!
This touches on only a few of the many opportunities available whilst in Dar es Salaam, so as you can see I will definitely not be getting bored on my weekends off and intend to take full advantage of the beautiful country whilst out there. This includes a cheeky 12 day overland safari post placement, for which my boyfriend is flying over to meet me.. Details of this will follow shortly!
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