KIVA: My Week With the Lisbon Group

Day 1

As the plane touched down in Tanzania, it felt wonderful to stretch my legs after the long, long flight. I had just landed in Julius Nyerere International Airport, in the rich town of Dar Es Salaam. Today I was planning to meet "The Lisbon Group", in particular Zainabu, along with her husband, Akida. (Made up a name, due to a name not given.) The airport was surprisingly clean, and there, a few steps away, stood Akida, along with Zainabu. Akida is tall, dressed in a white collared t-shirt, and he has a smile that you don't see every day. He greeted me with the "Salama", and we grabbed a taxi and headed to their humble home. It was late, the moon already high in the sky, so he offered me so water and I went to bed, wondering what will come tomorrow. 

Day 2

As the sun creeped over the horizon and rays of light shined through the window, and I could smell the scent of breakfast, taunting me, as if saying, "Get up, I know you're hungry. Get up." I crawled out of bed and rushed over to the kitchen to see Zainabu at the stove, warming up some chai tea. On the menu was andazi, half keki, chapati and some beef samosa. I spoke with Akida about the day and we decided to go see the city. We walked around the city, snacking on what the various stores had to offer. We ate lunch while walking, discussing life in Dar Es Salaam and we headed home. We had a quick dinner, consiting of some chai tea and beef. I said my goodbyes, as in the morning I would be leaving. After our long walk in the city, I had felt like part of their family and I am extremely thankful I was able to be with them and I would do it again.

Day 3

I woke up early, said my quick goodbyes, wished them good luck, and headed to Julius Nyerere International Airport. With sadness in my heart, I hopped on the plane and went to sleep. I was ready to go home.. but I will always remain in Tanzania.

KIVA: Meet the Lisbon Group

This is the Lisbon Group. In specific I am loaning to Zainabu, who is the woman on the right. She is in her early 50's, and has three kids. Two of her kids are in school and the other (pictured above) is not in school. She wanted to loan so she could buy hair products and cosmetics to sell.

I decided to give my loan to her because of all businesses you'd expect in a place like Tanzania is a place where they get hair products. Secondly, in her Kiva description it said, "She dreams of becoming successful in life." This is what really made me want to loan to her,  because she has three kids to take care of yet she still hopes to become successful herself, which I admire. I hope she is able to be successful and continue to care for her kids.

Wadjda: My Visit with Abdullah

Right now I am on the plane back from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia where I visited a young boy named Abdullah and his family. When I first arrived, it was really confusing as there was people running left and right, but what confused me most was the people who seemed to be wearing scarfs on their head. (Called a burqa.) Having no real prior knowledge of Saudi Arabia, I was quite confused and surprised when I found out that girls had to wear that and no show their face or hair. It was a bit scary, actually, not knowing who was behind the burqa. The second thing I noticed was that the men seemed to be respected mindlessly, and if a man were to tell a women to do something (within the law) she would do it. I felt an odd sense of authority, yet I wanted to know more. When I met Abdullah and his family, I asked him what this was about. He told me it was there tradition and it had been there for a long time. So, I let it go, and went to sleep. On the second day I met a very nice young girl named Wadjda on the way to school. I was heading over to the bike store to see what there was for sale, as I have an interest in bikes, and I found this really nice bike that would be great for Wadjda. It cost 800 riyals and I was sure she would have loved it. Just to make sure I wasn't breaking any rules or traditions, I asked Abdullah's father and I found out that girls typically didn't have bikes and it was frowned upon. For the rest of the day I wondered around the city, exploring the various shops and the mall. The next day,  I visited Abdullah at his school and I found it quite nice. I stayed there for a bit then wondered off to where the girls had school. I met the principal and she was quite harsh, and I immediately realized how tough it must be for the girls when it comes to education. Later that night, I found out that Wadjda was going to get the bike but sadly her money had been taken from her by the principal. So, I spoke to Wadjda's mother and I convinced her to get the bike for Wadjda as it was obviously something Wadjda really wanted. After I finally managed to get her mother to buy the bike, I went over the where a wedding was going on for Wadjda's father, who was getting married to another lady. (Believe it or not, men can get married to more than one woman!) After that, I woke up early, packed my bags, and well here I am.

It was a story to remember, and we are going to be landing soon, so I should stop writing and fasten my seatbelt!

Wadjda: Language & Currency

10 Useful Phrases:

Hello: مرحبا

What is your name?: ما هو اسمك؟

Goodbye: وداعا

It was nice meeting you: كان من الجميل اللقاء بك.

Do you know where the airport is?: هل تعرف كيفية الوصول إلى المطار؟

Do you know where I can get help?: هل تعرف أين يمكنني الحصول على المساعدة؟

Help me!: مساعدتي!

I love you: أنا أحبك

I need to go: ولست بحاجة للذهاب

Do you know where I can buy ____?: هل تعرف أين يمكنني شراء ____؟


My personal favorite:
Help me, my family was kidnapped by flying sea otters in the middle of the desert!: مساعدتي، اختطف عائلتي التي تحلق ثعالب البحر في وسط الصحراء!

Currency Exchange:

$1 = 3.75 Riyals
$5 = 18.75 Riyals
$10 = 37.50 Riyals
$20 = 75 Riyals
$100 = 375 Riyals

Wadja: Saudi Arabia

Wadjda: The Film

This is the trailer for the movie, Wadjda, about a girl who lives in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It shows how she struggles in her every day life due to gender related rules. She dreams to one day have a bike, however it is frowned upon by the community. She tries to earn cash threw selling items that are banned from her school, as well as joining a Koran club to compete in a competition for 1000 riyals. (Enough to get a bike) It showed her struggle against unfair rules and overcoming these challenges. It think it is an amazing film and I seriously recommend watching it.

Mobilize Me: My Week with Alex

Visit to Alex

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               Recently I visited Zambia to meet Alex. Alex is a mechanic as well as a farmer. He works hard to provide for his family and loves what he does. I really enjoyed the visit I with Alex. He lives close by to Ethel, who seems to be the "matriarch" of the village. When I first got there, I rested, had some traditional foods. After that, we went to bed, and woke up to the sun. By then, Ethel was off to school, and Alex was off farming.  On the three days following, I spent time playing soccer with the kids in the village. They were all nice, and extremely humble. They didn't ask for much and they just loved being there and playing with their friends. After that, I went to get some experience with Alex and helped fix bikes. We repaired around a total of 25 bikes, working hard in the beating sun. We even got to fix Ethel's bike! She was really nice and was very thankful.  Repairing those bikes took 2 days, as people lived in many different areas and it took time for them to come to us or us to go to them. On the last two days, Alex showed me the ropes of farming, and it was a really interesting hobby. When I get home off this plane, I plan to start my own farm with the same fruits and vegetables, just like him. I am really glad I got to go, and feel honored that he'd let me spend time with him.

If you're interested more about him, check this video out!

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Playing soccer

Alex showing me the tools

Alex showing me how to repair a wheel

Ethel riding her repaired bike

Mobilize Me: Zambia Language & Currency

The language is Bemba.

"Mwatandala shani?" = How is your day going?

“You are welcome” = Awe, cilifye, mukwai

“Follow me” = Nkonka

“I’m really tired so I’m going to rest.” = “Ninaka sana. Naya ntusheko.”

“Happy Birthday” = “Sefyeni ubushiku mwafyelwe”

Brother = Ndume

Sister = Nkashi

​Friend = Munandi

Grandfather = Shikul

Grandmother = Mama

Currency Converter from US dollars to Zambian Kwacha

$1 = 5.51 Kwacha
$5 = 27.51 Kwacha
$10 = 55.07 Kwacha
$20 = 110.13 Kwacha
$100 = 550.66 Kwacha

Mobilize Me: Meet Alex

Alex is a hard working farmer and field mechanic. He is proud of what he does and works hard to provide for his family. I want to go visit him because he is just so proud of his work which is really inspiring. He has a smile on his face all the time, and seems like an excellent man!

Mobilize Me: Chibombo

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Chibombo is a wonderful place which I really enjoyed being at and spending time with Alex there.