I came to Germany last September, so up until now it's almost five months. Within these five months, I have experienced a quite a bit of German lifestyle. I would love to speak about this topic and compare a little bit with Tanzania – based on my own experiences.

Fried fish, salad, and kitumbua Fried fish, salad, and kitumbua [Foto von Fatma Wambura, Fatma Wambura]

TRANSPORT & COMMUNICATION

I really enjoy the public transport especially the trains here in German. I live in Dar es Salaam where some places we have buses, which we call “Dala dala”. Oftentimes they are very full. Sometimes we use motorcycles “Boda boda”, Uber or Bolt to escape the fighting for seat in the bus and sometimes to skip the jam on the road. In Dar es Salaam the transport is always dynamic depending on where you live, we also have fast lane buses we call them “Mwendo kasi” and they are always building new routes. Also, we have local trains in Dar es Salaam which are cheap, and most people can afford the fee. You might not find these transport problems in other regions of Tanzania like Dodoma or Mbeya because they have small population compared to Dar es Salaam, which has 7 million people.

SPORTS

In Germany, I saw people of all ages who are serious about sports like walking, riding bicycles, running, and hiking. Every day, I see little kids with bikes and their parents guiding them, which is so nice to see. One day, I tried riding a bicycle here, and I was breathing like I was about to die, and I couldn't find water. I learned a lesson that day: "don't copy everything." I can’t speak for all Tanzanians, but at least in Dar es Salaam, it is normal to see people doing some running workouts in groups or alone. In a small town like Kahama, where I was raised, working out is not something you see every day. You might see men and boys playing football, which I think is normal in many countries around the world.

FOOD

When it comes to food, I am not so picky, so it is not easy for me to choose which food is the best, but I love that here I get a lot of bread options. I also love the Döner Kebab and pasta, which my host family makes it most of the time. It is also more common here to have dessert after lunch or dinner and I love it. I was not a fan of coffee before, but now I am getting a coffee addiction. The difference is most of Tanzanian families prefer to drink tea, but here in German it is both coffee and tea and that there are various kinds of tea. My favorite tea right now is Waldbeere Früchtetee.

SOCIAL INTERACTIONS and LANGUAGE

Communication in Germany is mostly done in German language, but some people can communicate with you in English. Like in Tanzania, once you learn Swahili, you get to interact more with local people, and you can make more friends, too. German also loves to drink beer or wine in most of the events, and it is normalized. Some Tanzanians love beer/wine too. In Tanzania, it is normal to have small talk with anyone in the bus or train; I am not so sure about that here in German. I do see people who know each other having some small talk, but it seems not as normal when you do not know the person.

In Tanzania, most people speak Swahili and some English too, but also every region has their local language that they speak like Sukuma in Shinyanga and Mwanza, Chaga in Arusha, Haya in Bukoba, Masai in Kilimanjaro, Nyakyusa in Mbeya and many other languages. In any country learning the local language of that area can help you to connect with many people and have more friends.

Social lifestyle can always have some similarities and differences depending on and the country which makes it more interesting for people to visit different countries and experience new things like food, language, new friends and connections, new way of life, music, fashion. If all countries in the world had the same lifestyle there would be no point of travelling or touring because you will get the same experience everywhere. So, I love the similarities and the differences we have which make every country more interesting, special, and unique.

Pilau (spice rice) rosted chicken and pepper Pilau (spice rice) rosted chicken and pepper [Foto von Fatma Wambura, Fatma Wambura]

Chapati (made from wheat flour) with potato soup and cow meat Chapati (made from wheat flour) with potato soup and cow meat [Foto von Fatma Wambura, Fatma Wambura]

Banana soup and fish, (most common in Bukoba region) Banana soup and fish, (most common in Bukoba region) [Foto von Fatma Wambura, Fatma Wambura]

Urojo Urojo. It is common food in Zanzibar and you can also get it in Dar es salaam. It is a mixtures of many things like potato, egg, pepper, carrot, bagia (made from lentil flour), cow meat and different vegetables [Foto von Fatma Wambura, Fatma Wambura]

Mixes Swahili Food Pilau (rice), fried chicken, kitumbua (made from rice flour), pasta, banana, sambusa ( made with wheat flour, potatoes, cow meat and onions), and beans [Foto von Fatma Wambura, Fatma Wambura]