TULI A TULI WANDERINGS AROUND TANZANIA

A sunny continent with desert savannas, Tanzania is a place called the cradle of life, where a battle of life and death is fought daily. Dusty, hot by day and cold by night, where rush  alternates with peace, and love is expressed with endless hugs. This is Tanzania in Africa, a country that already smells of Slovak herbs.

...A FEW LINES ABOUT AFRICA

To write that to spend two weeks in the desert area of Dar es Salam in Tanzania was easy would be a lie. It was a lifetime experience with a sweet and sour flavor. If you decide to come and volunteer in Africa, nobody will prepare you for what comes next, until you try it on your own. However, in the end we tried, and furthermore, Africa tried a piece of Slovakia on its own skin.

We honestly thought that when we came here as volunteers to teach English at a local school, a tourist standard for us would be maintained. However, the opposite was true. Instead of a shower we used a bucket for a bath, stayed in a one-bed room with a non-functional mosquito net that smelled nonstop of repellent, and where we have no memory of ever having bought anything. Nevertheless, we write these lines with great enthusiasm.

People live here differently than we are used to. They do not have as many worries in life; they enjoy themselves more and smile more too. They do not worry about tax payments, retirement, or different insurance companies and they live fully from day to day.

Most food is harvested or provided by the cheapest means. But paradoxically, here in Africa, we did not feel hungry. Out of the products that they have here, such as flour, fish, potatoes or other kinds of vegetables and fruits, you can prepare incredibly tasty meals that fill you up for several hours. They love pepper and garlic, so expect it almost everywhere. Also, you won’t be able to avoid bananas prepared in all possible and impossible ways, as many varieties of banana grow in Tanzania and the most popular way to prepare them is frying.

In Africa, in non-touristy areas where only a few non-native inhabitants are to be found, one fundamental rule applies: "Food is never wasted!” Above gold there is water, and unfortunately, education is not offered to everyone.  Therefore, this chance is more appreciated when children actually get it.

TULI A TULI IN ACTION

Hard work deserves a reward, Europe knows it, and Africa knows it too. Both women and men have to work hard here to provide and feed their families, but if they have time for themselves, they won’t say no to different beautifying treatments. Women care about their looks and their hair is their dominant feature. Even the most remote villages have hair salons, or good neighbourly relationships, where instead of coffee you get your hair braided. African women also take care to smell good. They love to use coconut milk and homemade creams made from this ingredient, which they use all over their body and hair. However, they do not always have the time to manufacture or to invest in cosmetics, so they are very thankful if any cosmetic products are found in a volunteer’s suitcase. We took a few to Africa to make the Tanzanian school smell of our herbs. Even while unpacking our bags, the children could not sit still and had to stretch to see what we were hiding within.

After discovering what we were doing and after a brief explanation, they did not hesitate, and with enthusiasm known to children, to test everything on their chocolate skin.

However, pedagogical supervision came with a very striking question. No, she did not ask about the composition due to allergies or other parameters that we could possibly expect but, with a serious face, she asked whether her skin color would turn white after use!

After convincingly arguing that nothing like this is possible, a real treasure discovery of Slovak herbs began. The children very quickly substituted their math class for a session of applying Tuli a Tuli products!

However, in order to keep things educational, we managed to explain when and how to use these products in English, with the approval of the teacher too.

It did not last long as the teacher also surrendered to the childlike curiosity in her. She was fascinated by the Melissa and Chamomile facial creams and Herb garden lip balm. She didn’t hesitate a second by carefully stowing the balm on a shelf at an unseen moment.

A typical African inquiry followed after testing our products, about how much we have, because the sister, the neighbor across the street and the one on the left side of the house would also like to try some. Thus, Slovak herbs got a green light in Africa and had been welcomed with more than enthusiasm.

Tuli a Tuli have embarked on a daring adventure to help bring a piece of pure Slovakia to different corners and cultures. We have succeeded in Tanzania and what will be the next destination of the world where Ťuli and Ťuli will go, is in the stars ... :)