The first glance

Houston we have landed. After a smooth and long flight we have installed ourselves in a house along the main road just 2km away from the city center. The first thought of the city: green. It's mild warm weather allows vegetation to pop out in between hills and rocks. It doesn't end.

Welcoming to the city of Mwanza

Aside from the landscape, the city is also a very welcoming place. Their citizens are caring hosts that look out for their visitors. As an example of this,  today we had a meeting with the City Director and the Urban Planning team who greeted us to their city. We were glad to hear that the Mwanza team is very excited about the project and very eager to see the how the city will develop during the next 20 years. Tough work indeed. Nonetheless, we are also very interested in all the peculiarities that this lively city of Tanzania has to offer to the citizens of Tampere.

Mwanza and Tampere team with the Director of the City

Another side of Mwanza is the life. It is everywhere. With little agility we manage to sneak among traffic, horns honking, a guy carrying a sack of potatoes over his head, someone pushing you on the left side and ambitious sellers; we are finally in the market area. The smell of ginger, chilly, lemon, mango and fish cover the atmosphere. The market doesn't stop for no one. Exciting, appealing, precarious. Just fascinating.

Radio Station Show

Away from the crowd and back to the offices of our host we end up, in an uncanny way, in a radio station studio. Everybody welcomes us and we stare in amusement into the sound cabin. When the radio host starts he glances at us and waves at us: "So Tampere team, say something to the city of Mwanza and the city development project". With disbelief we manage to explain the project and encourage citizens to engage in the project by challenging the team. I think the team thought it was a very good improvised show.

Once the working day has passed and we are ready to have dinner, we decided to go shopping for some vegetables and fruits. Accompanied by a local kid we decided to engage on the adventure of bargaining in swahili. After pointing at mangos, avocados and pineapples we were ready to make our offer. We just took the money we had in our pockets and offered it to the vendor. Thanks to our little friend the vendor agreed however, as we saw a bitter look on the vendor, we wondered how that would have turned with out help.

By: Natalia Rincon