Monday, March 23, 2009

Pole Sana

Before I get into my intended topic of this post, I would like to inform everyone of the light at the end of the tunnel. Sally is in school. She arrived on Tuesday and has attended everyday after that, including today. Also, the Witch Doctor has gone into hiding somewhere, because apparently the police have actually continued to look for him. We DID accomplish something. I DID make a difference.

Anyway, I will continue on with the new topic. Pole Sana (pronounced Pole-ay Saw-na) - if you have talked to me at any point during my stay here, you have likely heard me use this term. In Swahili, it is an expression of deep sympathy, yet, it is appropriately used at any possible time that one could say "sucks to be you." It has become a staple here at CCS Tanzania and is said probably more than anything else... similar to the phrase "don't worry about it, it's Cuba" frequented any conversation I was engaged in on our wonderous adventure to the Carribbean.

The best possible example I can give you of a 'pole sana' situation was one that happened to another volunteer that was at CCS. One thing you need to understand about Tanzania is TFT (Tanzania flex-time). Nothing is scheduled, and if it is, it will certainly not run on schedule. Things happen when they happen and when people can get to them.

So: the other volunteer travelled to Zanzibar for the weekend - for those of you who are completely geographically challanged, Zanzibar is an island off the east coast of Tanzania in the Indian Ocean; it is said to have some of the most amazing beaches in the world and is a very popular tourist area. Upon her return, she arrived at the airport at around 2 pm and handed her ticket to the airline receptionist. The receptionist then said, "Ah, 3 oclock flight left at 12, pole sana." That happens here. Yet, with a pole sana, any feeling of angst is simply supposed to evapourate. So, the volunteer, who had been here for a while just laughed, because really, that's all that you can do here. She proceeded to walk the 5 meters back across the hall to the ticket booth and exchange her ticket for a Precision Airline flight at 5 oclock. After that was worked out, she turned around, took the 5 steps to the other counter and, once again, handed in her ticket. "Oh, no Precision Airline flights today, pole sana." You would think that they would have communicated that across the hall to the ticket booth and stopped the sale of Precision tickets, but that just wouldn't be fitting. haha. T.I.A. (this is Africa).

So, please, start using it back home, because I know when I return its going to become a known saying. "Your computer crashed in the middle of your paper? Pole sana!" ... "Your classroom hampster gave birth to a little of babies, then over the weekend ate them all and died? Ah, pole sana!"

Get used to it! It is one thing that I'm sure I will bring back to Canada!

2 comments:

  1. I will start using Pole sana at work. Keep laughing and enjoy your work. Plant seeds of change and let the people grow the change. Love ya

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  2. I, too, will start using it. Right now, it's the perfect tool for making it until summer! "You need what? And when?? Pole Sana, baby! Hahahaha!"
    Glad to hear it's turnin' around for ya (spinning out of control?) Keep grounded, bud. Love ya!

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