Feeling home sick?
left Dar-es-Salaam, island of raha (happiness),
To emigrate to Canada , land of opportunity.
Forsook the tropical sun
For cold frigid weather.
Left behind the Oysterbays warm ocean breeze
For the windchill of winter.
Abandoned white pristine beaches
For brown muddy shores.
Turned away from a turquoise ocean
For polluted lakes.
Gave up mangoes, papaya, mabuyu, achari and sunflower
For processed apples, pears, peaches and cherries.
Gave up white snapper and king fish
For boxed cod and sole.
Gave up mishkaki, nyama choma and bharazi
For cereal, bagels, cheese, and salads
Gave up drinking coconut water straight from the coconut
And settled for bottled water..
Left behind the street coffee seller (Kahava)
For the office coffee pot..
Left behind the exotic fragrance of phapa and langi langi
For the pungent smell of sulfuric emissions.
Deprived of hearing the call to prayer
For the sound of police and fire sirens.
Deprived of seeing women clad in mysterious black buibui
For women dressed in jeans and miniskirts.
Deserted a slow relaxed pace of life
For the fast lane.
Gave up afternoon naps
For gym workouts.
Gave up riding a bicycle through the narrow streets
For driving a car on the highways.
Discontinued a course on the coral marine life
For a course in stress management.
Discarded mud and thatched dwellings
For concrete and steel.
Left behind a community-based life
For a human zoo.
It makes me wonder
If I have also left my soul behind in my Beautiful Dar es Salaam
I Love you Dar…
Mdau Ladak
Wow, This is Beautiful Ladak. I Miss my home, I miss bandari ya Salama.
ReplyDeleteMdau yote maisha.
ReplyDeleteNingekushauri uwahi haraka kubadilisha perspective yako ya your current living environment in order to benefit from it rather than using it as an obstacle to the open opportunities for better life open for you now.
Na hii hasa ndio inaitwa sacrifying of what seem to better life back in Dar to a new less attractive setting down there in Canada.
However for sure there was big motive which made you to take such decision in the first place i.e leaving Dar. In case you were bulldozed to reach the decision then Canada is not place for you; find your way out before your grey matter objecting to support you any more in your current indecisive mental setting.
It gives me another reason to cry loud..kwikwi.
ReplyDeleteNot only for Dar, but also Serengeti, Kilimanjaro, Zanzibar and the shores of Shirati.
For Uji Mtama and Makande, Ugali and mlenda; mbilimbili and mbaazi to Ubwabwa wa nazi in the sinia shared by all family members.
Well alot left out to be said,but mdau your poem stand alone to remind us of our beutiful land and life.
Maina Ang'iela Owino-UK
Aisee asante sana, umenisababisha nidondoshe machozi! home sweet home hata kama pana mgao wa umeme nyumbani pana raha zake jamani, namiss marafiki, namiss kujadili news kwenye daladala, only best friend huku ni Net. Asante sana. Mdau Sverige
ReplyDeletemdau Ladak, umesahau kusema kuwa hii poem sio yako! (mbali ya pale ulipobadili na kusema dar) mpe credit mwenyewe aloandika poem hii.
ReplyDeletePoem hii imekuwa inazagaa kwa kasi katika ulimwengu huu wa internet jambo ambalo sio baya, kinachonisikitisha ni kuwa watu kumeguwa credit ya mtumzi na matokeo yake kuwapa watu impression kuwa wao ndio watunzi.
Mdau Ladak
ReplyDeleteNi kweli nyumbabi ni nyumbani. Sio weye pekee unaeumia kwa kuondoka na kwenda ughaibuni kutafuta 'maisha bora'.
Maana maisha bora ni pamoja na 'raha ku-moyo'.
Mdau
Lima, Peru.
You sure left your soul ... until you have it back maisha ya ughaibuni will be a total nightmare!!
ReplyDeleteLook for what u wanted, but go back before your soul is lost...
Umetusemea wengi. Ni mpaka ukae mwaka mzima bila kula mbuzi choma ndio utaelewa shairi linazungumzia nini.
ReplyDeletesiku zote nawaambiwa watu walioko bongo kwamba bongo ni maisha mema zaidi ya ulaya hawanielewi. Lazima tuache mawazo ya kikoloni na kuangalia nini mungu ametubariki nacho. Nina mifano ya watu wengi ambao walianza biashara bongo na shilingi 50,000 na sasa ni matajiri kishenzi. Ukweli siku zote kuna oportunity nyingi kwenye nchi zinazoendela kuliko nchi zilizoendelea. kukufafanulia zaidi ukiwa canada na wewe ni engineer utalipwa dolar 60,000 kwa mwaka. kama una nyumbaa utalipa mortgage 16,000 kwa mwaka. na gari kama ulichukua mkopo utalipa 5000 kwa mwaka. Kodi yako ya mapato ni asilimia 29 ambayo ni sawa na 17,400 gharama za utility (umeme maji simu)9600 kwa mwaka. umebakiza 12000 bado hujawake mafuta ya gari(2400) chakula (1500)repair za nyumba(1500) kodi ya nyumba(2900) .Imebaki 37000.Tanzania watu wanajenga nyumba bila mikopo. ulaya utalipa benk mkopo miaka 25 na utalipia mara tatu ya bei uliyonunua mwanzo. tanzania kila mtu anaweza miliki ardhi akitaka mradi akubali kuishi kijijini. Canada hakuna sehemu mtu hamiliki ukitaka kununua lazima uwe tayari mfukoni. Alafu kuna swala la uhusiano na watu.ulaya kila mtu yuko bize na unahitaji appointment kumuona rafiki yako bongo unagonga mlango na utakaribishwa. Did i mention you will always be a second class citizen when abroad. i.e your nothing more than an intelegent man from the jungle and the rest of your family probably leaves in trees!!!!
ReplyDeleteHii ndio Wanazuoni wanaiita Internet plagiarism!! Mpeni credit mtunzi. Good poem though; nakumbuka mandazi, vitumbua, sambusa na kebab za kisutu, chevro na mix za zanaki, nihogo ya kukaanga kwa pilipili, mbaazi za nazi kwa wali mmmhh mmmhh mmhhhh
ReplyDeletePamoja kuwa ninaishi katika first world, lakkini maisha si matamu kama yale ambayo niliyoyazoea kila siku tangu nikiwa mdogo, nyumbani ni nyumbani, leo hii ninajiona tofauti katika kukabiliana na masiha just because of home
ReplyDeleteEven though aliyepost poem siyo mwandishi,imenigusa. Na naongeza:
ReplyDeleteYou give up saying Habari,Mambo?to a fellow because everyone in the street has ear phones and staring on a book!
Hapo kwenye opting for cereals,cheese and salads,ongeza mushrooms!! teh teh
Koku
Nimeipenda hii! Safi kabisa.Anonymous 5:09 PM you are right on point.
ReplyDeleteMen you made my day its like you where on my mind Toronto Toronto Toronto ,this is life kweli tunakuja kwenye nchi za watu ofcourse expecting to make our livesbetter but in adapting to these new environments we definately live our souls behind i believe i left mine in Dar ingawa najaribu ku reclaim my soul back ,ITs not an easy way
ReplyDeleteToronto,native
Kwa Kweli tangu nianze kusoma blog hii, hii poem imenifurahsha pamoja comments zote. imegusa moyo wangu. wachangiaji wamegusa maisha halisi ya ulaya na Marekani. You earn a lot and spending a lot!!!
ReplyDeletenimezoea kuona unafiki, watu wanajifanya wanaenjoy huku kumbe wanateseka, na bahati mbaya hawakubali ukweli, maisha ya huku ni magumu. asante asanteni wadau. namiss mlenda na ikubhi lya sillyi la ikungulipu, bariadi Shinyanga.
Mdau New York
Mh, poleni sana ndugu zetu, kumbe sitawaonea donge tena mnaoishi majuu! Lakini maisha ni maisha, angalieni labda on the positive side pia ili muweze kukabiliana nayo huko kwenye grey forests, huku kwetu bado zipo green forests. Endeleeni kukumbuka hayo mnayomiss hukuili mpate nguvu ya kuendelea! Kila la heri
ReplyDeleteWachumi mtanisahihisha kama nimekosea.
ReplyDeleteHii si ndio inaitwa 'OPPORTUNITY COST'?
jamani wenzetu mlio huko msijisikie vibaya kiasi hicho, kumiss home ni kawaida, ila try to get a positive outlook, you are not in seach of a living there, you are living. Enjoy all the aspects of it.
Huku nyumbani pia kuna raha na karaha zake, hata sisi pia tumefanya 'opportunity cost' ndo tukabaki.
Yote maisha, as long we all have positive attitudes.
mmmh!poleni mimi hapa nipo kazini nafunga Kwaresima,muda wangu wa kula umefika,nipo najichana zangu chai na mihogo ya kuchemsha na kachumbari, anauza dada wa usafi,niice ina unga sana!!
ReplyDeleteMDAU LADAK KWENU NI MUMBAI BWANA. HUKO DAR UNAKOKULILIA BORA UKAE HUKO KANADA.
ReplyDeleteUMEME WA SHIDA.MAFURIKO MPAKA MDOMONI. WENYE EPA NDIYO WABABE. POLISI WAO NDIYO MAHAKIMU. MATRAFIKI NDIYO WANAOKUPA FINAL CHAJI KESI INAISIHIA BARABARANI HUTAKI GARI LINACHUKULIWA NA HULIPATI HADI UTOE KIDOGO. WABUNGE WEZI, MAPOLISI MAJAMBAZI, WAKUU WA WILAYA NA MIKOA VIDOKOZI, MAOFISA WA TRA,ARDHI, UMEME MUHIMBILI WAO NI VIBAKA HUNA HELA HUNA HAKI. KUDADEEEKI LEO UNALIA NA NCHI ILYOJAA RUSHWA. HATA UBALOZI WA UK UMEKIMBIA HUJUI KAMA NI BALAA HILO.
dah man i neva had a smile since i came in this country (uk kwa bibi)..i miss everything bout home....home is where ur feet can leave bt nt ur heart,...namaliza ii digrii then mbio nying kwetu karibu na bugurun kwa mnyamani,,....nice poem
ReplyDeleteMen I tell you, U know how to make a person feel sorry for being out of Dar and wonder what if?
ReplyDeleteHow I wish I was back in Dar, but unfortunately, I have to stay here due to the foolishness we have to endure in Canada, Specifically in Toronto Harsh miserable Winter.
TSK TSK, your poes sent me back to where life could have been better if it was not for the Greed.
Anyway those who live there please enjoy while you can.
Ladak, I really do not care whether you picked the poem from someone else or not. What I feel proud is of you thinking of what and where home is. Good luck with all that you are up to. And come home to visit to keep in touch.
ReplyDelete