Volunteers, celebrations and doing development differently

Can you spot me amongst the volunteers?

It’s been a busy time of late, apologies for the blog silence.  The week before last was VSO’s annual volunteer conference.  A chance for all the volunteers based in Tanzania (about 80 of us) to meet up, share what we’re doing in our placements, discuss VSO’s strategy and priorities globally and more specifically in Tanzania and let our hair down a bit…

This year the conference took place at an Episcopal training centre close to the commercial docks in Dar es Salaam – rather basic accommodation and a bit remote from anywhere but we made the most of the opportunity.

The 'girls' on the dancefloor

It was fascinating finding out more about the health, education and secure livelihoods programmes (I’m in the latter which is all about opportunities for wealth creation) and some specific additional projects that volunteers have taken on in their communities.

On our second night we had a DJ after dinner so got sweaty on the dance floor to some great local tunes.

Also, alongside the Tanzanian mainland celebrating 50 years of Independence (it then officially joined with Zanzibar in 1964 to become Tanzania); VSO was also celebrating working there for 50 years.  Quite an achievement and I pay tribute to the more than 2000 volunteers many of whom worked on the front line – teaching in schools and working in hospitals.  One of my colleagues fondly remembered being taught by VSO volunteers when she was young!

Aboard our very own volunteers' daladala

As part of those celebrations, we were invited to an evening reception at the residence of the Canadian High Commissioner.  He lives in a very modern house on the posh ‘Peninsula’ and made sure our glasses were refilled often.  However, getting there was rather an adventure.  We’d hired two buses that got stuck in heavy traffic so one overheated and broke down.  We were left standing by the side of the road waiting for the other one to come and collect us.  Two buses crammed into one - my morning’s travel to work isn’t that crowded!  There was relief all round when we eventually arrived and the first glass of chilled white wine was very welcome.  That evening was also the official unveiling of a DVD done by one of the Canadian volunteers (who is a TV Producer).  Great job Robert.

VSO volunteers near and far (Kenya, Uganda and the Philippines)

The following morning, VSO had organised a seminar, entitled ‘Doing Development Differently’ which was looking back at how development has been done over the past 50 years and ideas for the future.

There were government ministers (Tanzania, UK and Canada), High Commissioners and invited people from civil society all present.  One of the most radical comments came from the Country Director of UNICEF who said she wanted Tanzania to be like South Korea and make the shift from being a major recipient of aid to becoming a donor to other countries – very interesting as a recent piece in the Citizen highlighted just how much aid Tanzania receives (they call it a ‘beggar’ and say it’s just behind Iraq and Afghanistan…) Our Tanzanian facilitator said that his fellow countrymen needed to stop expecting someone else to sort out their lives.  Tanzania was a very resource rich country and could sustain its self. The event got a lot of press coverage which is great for VSO’s profile.  Here’s what the Guardian said (the Tanzanian version).

Lunch at the British High Commission

Then it was on for lunch at the British High Commission – a few speeches and some very English lasagne followed by tiramisu and fruit salad!

I could get used to being wined and dined…

 

Fancy Do’s and Impromptu Barbecues

The buzzing marquee

This week brought home some of the contrasts of life in Dar.  On Wednesday night, courtesy of my brother (as a ticket cost nearly three days allowance), I went to the five star Movenpick Hotel in downtown Dar es Salaam for Beaujolais Nouveau night.  It was easy to tell that this was a major event from the queues of fancy 4X4s and slick saloons queuing up to get into the car park.

Walking past the swimming pool we were greeted by the sight of a large marquee in the grounds with tables & chairs set out around it.  Sponsored by a number of local firms and organised by the Alliance Francais this is a big social event.  With around 500 people (mostly ex-pats and upwardly mobile Tanzanians) the party was soon buzzing.  We found a table inside the marquee and enjoyed our first glass of ‘Nouveau’ – a good vintage I’m reliably informed.

Queues started forming pretty quickly for the several food stations and as there was a large fan at the end of one, we joined it.  It’s just starting to get into the hot season here, so it doesn’t cool down much in the evenings. The high humidity means that it’s easy to spend the whole day in various stages of stickiness to downright pouring with sweat.  Not very pleasant but cheaper than paying to use a steam bath!

Heaven on a plate...

Once we got to the food I got very excited.  There were numerous wooden platters full of French cheeses of every variety.  Soft, blue, goat, pungent, oozing.  I’m sure I started to drool.  It is possible to buy cheese here but most is imported and it’s pretty expensive, so not within my normal budget.  In fact, the only cheese I’ve had here has been on a couple of pizzas.  So this array of fromage was very exciting.  Throw in some French bread, wholemeal rolls, parma ham and salami and I was in heaven!

Sam & Steph sampling the 'vintage'

The wine kept flowing and in between the formal speeches we had entertainment in the form of acrobats that formed human towers (except for the one who walked straight through a plate glass window when making his entrance and spent the rest of the evening in the hotel clinic having the nasty cuts to his leg bandaged up).  They were followed by two rather androgynous looking guys in skin tight leopard skin body suits.  They were contortionists and wove themselves into all kinds of weird and wonderful shapes including when one wrapped himself completely around the other’s waist like a belt.  Quite something…

I eventually got home around 11:30 which is very late for here.

Last night was a much more low key and informal event.  During the frequent power cuts we had a couple of weeks ago, I got to meet my neighbours properly.  Next door to me is Clarifel, another VSO volunteer from thePhilippines.  A couple of doors down from her lives Thomas, a Canadian long-term volunteer and a couple of doors from him is Carl, who is working for the NGO Solar Aid for six months and is living in the house of a former VSO volunteer.  We all got chatting and sat outside as it was much cooler than being in our respective houses with no fans.  We said that we must do a barbecue one night, so last night it happened.

One of the guys Carl works with went to buy the barbecue so he got charged local rather than ‘Musungu’ – foreigner prices. They sell these barbecues in various sizes by the side of the road just down from the US Embassy (about a mile and a half from where I live).

BBQ Tanzania style

I went down to my favourite fruit and veg man in the morning to buy the salad ingredients.  He has most of his produce hanging up in his little shop in clear plastic bags, then a few shelves with fruit, spices and onions/potatoes plus a counter with bowls of loose rice, kidney like beans and sometimes peas. I came away with two bags of tomatoes (nyanya – about 18 altogether), three thick stumpy cucumbers (tango), a bag of four green peppers (pili pili hoho), a few onions (kitunguu), a bag of eight or nine carrots (caroti) and a large mango (embe) all for less than £3!

Later in the afternoon (once it got cooler – Saturday was particularly hot and humid), Carl and I went with my colleague Mary (who lives nearby and speaks good Kiswahili as she’s Kenyan) to buy meat.

At the end of my road is a shopping area called Namanga.  It’s about a 10 minute walk. There are a variety of shops on the main road and plenty more bars, stalls and shops in a little maze of back streets.  These are narrow, winding, dirt tracks where it would be easy to get lost.  Mary’s butcher was a small shop in one of these lanes, consisting of three chest freezers, a small booth in one corner and a wooden table with a calculator on it.  Mary did the introductions and the guys opened the freezers/chiller cabinets to show their wares.

First on the list was beef, fresh in that morning.  We asked about the best cuts for the BBQ and they recommended the fillet.  So they took out a kilo which they trimmed the fat off and cut into reasonable sized chunks with a large scythe like knife.  All for less than a fiver!  We also came away with beautifully fresh red snapper (changu – cut into fillets) for the same price as the beef and two whole chickens all cut up.  Now I know where to go for my meat…

Carl in action

We ventured a little further and found a guy selling freshly made popcorn – an enormous bag for 40p – so we had one of those.

A little further up the alleyway was a doorway with a big open yard behind full of charcoal.  We had to buy the bags to put it in separately which the guy then filled up for us and the three of us trudged back up the street laden down with all our goodies.

Carl fired up the barbecue, I made the salad and pretty quickly we were ready to go.  Clarifel came back from work, Mary got changed and came over, Carl’s colleague Katie who is over from theUK joined us as did Thomas.  We set up a table in the little courtyard of our compound for the food and drinks, had a couple of chairs but mostly we sat on the ground.  A great way to get to know everyone.

The beef fillet was delicious.  Flavoursome and tender, it melted in the mouth.  The red snapper was fresh, delicate and flaky and the chicken was succulent.  But we bought way too much meat so we’ll need another BBQ tomorrow to use it up…

 

Escape to Bongoyo

On the pier at the Doubletree

Just off the coast of Dar are four islands that make up the Dar es Salaam Marine Reserve.  Of these Bongoyo and Mbudya are popular destinations at the weekends because they are great locations for snorkelling and sunbathing.

Last weekend fellow volunteer Sam, plus two friends Mette and James headed off to Bongoyo for the day.

We started off at Slipway which is where ex-pats and tourist hang out as it has little stalls selling things like jewellery, wood carvings and paintings, together with several shops and restaurants (including the Waterfront, which is a great place from which to watch the sun set).

Local fishermen sorting their nets

The ferry goes from the end of the pier and we were early so we watched the fisherman for a while cleaning their nets and descaling their fish.

After shopping for snacks in the local supermarket we went to the next door hotel, the posh Doubletree and sat in the banda at the end of their pier for a while.  It was interesting seeing the coast nearest to my house from a different perspective.

The ferry itself takes about half an hour but because it was low tide, we first had to wade out to a little motor boat and then transfer onto a bigger one.  The other passengers were mostly tourists, including a big Indian extended family who chattered excitedly, then became rather quiet as we hit open water and the swell increased.

Bongoyo Island

Our first sight of the island was of trees with a couple of small beaches dotted along. Then we saw a much bigger beach which was our landing point. Again we had to transfer to a smaller boat to come ashore. Unfortunately a couple of the Indian women misjudged the tide getting onto the beach and ended up going for a swim fully clothed!

The entire island (apart from the beaches) is covered in dense forest and has a few walking trails, but only few people venture there.

The beach is dotted with little huts (called bandas) which provide good shelter from the midday sun.  Also, there is a local restaurant (well a hut where they did the cooking) selling fish and seafood with rice or chips, so Mette and James ordered octopus and calamari for later.

Sam enjoying her beer

As it had been raining for most of the previous day the water was rather cloudy, so it wasn’t great for snorkelling. We went for a refreshing swim instead.  There was quite a strong current so we kept drifting towards a small boat anchored just off the beach.

We had a little rest (pumzika) after lunch (I tried some of James’ octopus which was delicious). Then Sam and I had another swim, leaving Mette & James asleep under the banda. We watched these three Chinese guys daring each other to dive off the rocks on one side of the beach.  They took ages to leap off and performed rather spectacular belly flops (ouch!) but were soon back for more.

All too soon it was almost time for the last boat to depart.  We waited on the beach whilst the boat guys ferried us from the little motor boat back onto the bigger one to head to Dar.  The rain that had been threatening all day came just as we got close to Dar.

Back to Dar

I really enjoyed chilling out and escaping from the hustle and bustle of Dar.  Also, it was lovely being in the sea rather than a swimming pool.  However, it costs two days allowance just to get there, so I’ll have to save up for my next trip.

Once I got home I noticed that I was glowing.  With it being overcast for most of the day I hadn’t realised how strong the sun was.  Ouch!  My sunburn took a few days to calm down…

 

So what am I doing here?

Having now been at work for the past three weeks, you might be asking, “what am I doing here?”.

The organisation I work for, BEST-AC helps strengthen the private sector through enabling trade associations and membership organisations to lobby government for change on regulations, taxes and levies.

Tanzania's flag

In order to understand why this is necessary, here’s a little history lesson to set it into context. Tanganika gained independence in 1961 (so it’s celebrating its Golden Jubilee this year) and became Tanzania in 1964 when it formed a union with Zanzibar. Its first president, Julius Nyerere (affectionately known as Mwalimu or ‘teacher’, his previous profession) introduced a concept called Ujamaa (oo-JAH-mah) which was the basis of all social and development policies.  Ujamaa is a Kiswahili word for extended family and essentially means that a person finds themselves through their community.

In practice Ujamaa meant nationalisation of the main industries; people working through co-operatives or collectives (such as farmers); the Government being the main employer; fostering self-reliance through the individual and community, plus the introduction of free and compulsory education. In effect it was African socialism.

In terms of bringing the country together as a cohesive unit, with a national language (Kiswahili), reducing infant mortality, raising life expectancy and the adult literacy rate, Ujamaa was a great success.  Tanzania is one of the most stable African countries, even now, with none of the horrific ethnic massacres of neighbouring Rwanda or Kenya.

Julius Nyerere on a 1000 Shilling note

However, economically Ujamaa did not work and due to high taxes and nationalisation, bribery and corruption became rife.  This was compounded by the oil crisis of the 1970s, a war with Uganda in the late 1970s and collapse of commodity prices (such as coffee and sisal).  In 1985, Nyerere stepped down as President.

Also, as a result of Ujamaa, there is not a culture of entrepreneurship and business, like in neighbouring Kenya.  So Tanzania is playing catch up and slowly trying to become more economically sustainable.  However, there are still plenty of barriers to doing business.

This is an annual survey on the ease of Doing Business across the world.  Tanzania comes 131 out of 158 (and has gone down over the last few years) http://www.doingbusiness.org/data/exploreeconomies/tanzania

Against a backdrop of multiple regulations, taxes and levies, BEST-AC, which is funded by the British, Dutch, Danish and Swedish governments, provides grants and funding to membership organisations, such as Chambers of Commerce and trade associations, such as the Agricultural Council of Tanzania.  These grants enable them to have effective dialogue with government to change policies, laws and regulations.

A couple of examples of where BEST-AC’s funding has made a difference:

JA Tesha, a coffee grower from Moshi near Kilimanjaro

The Association of Kilimanjaro Specialty Coffee Growers (KILICAFE) advocated for the removal of levies on farmer coffee produce and the deregulation of the coffee auction market. As a result, the government removed three percent of taxes and levies from coffee auction prices, increasing farmers’ revenues and allowing for more investment.

RULU Arts Promoters advocated for a change in music copyright laws and enforcement processes to stimulate growth in the Tanzanian  music industry. As a result, the government restructured its enforcement activities and gave support to a draft amendment to a legislative bill. In  addition, more artists have registered their work with the government, whilst royalties collected and distributed have increased.

My role will involve coaching and mentoring of staff that BEST-AC are either fully or partly funds in advocacy and communication roles; helping organisations to more effectively communicate internally and market themselves to increase their membership and working with the University of Dar es Salaam Enterprise Centre, which runs training for membership organisations.  Well, that’s the theory anyway – we’ll see how it evolves in practice…

 

Celebrating Tanzanian ex-pat style

Kwang's - a fabulous party venue

It was my birthday last weekend (the third one I have celebrated in Tanzania – as the previous two times I visited also happened to be in October).  This year, my lovely brother Phil organised a party for me at his friend Kwang’s house.

Kwang lives on the Peninsula (the posh part of town where the embassies, swanky hotels and lots of ex-pats are) in a rather large house with a swimming pool (as you can see from the photos). Phil had bought beef fillet, lamb ribs and sausages that he marinated overnight in a variety of herbs and spices and stocked the fridge with beer and wine.  He and I arrived earlier to set up as Kwang had taken his kids away for the weekend.

Lounging by & in the pool

Most people (friends of Phil – many of whom I’d already met last year) arrived at about 4pm and pretty quickly several of us were in the pool.  Having had the sun on it all day it was beautifully warm and refreshing. I stayed in for a couple of hours and only got out because my fingers had turned seriously prune-like!  Having started the party up on the back balcony, everyone else finally joined us.

Steve with the chicken that lives in the loo

One of the girls, Jane, who works for Oxfam over here, went off to get changed in the outhouse and came rushing out screaming.  She’d closed the door and discovered a chicken behind it that sleeps there!  I shooed it out for her and it strutted around the garden for a while and then back to its hidey hole until Steve, Phil’s Australian friend decided to give it a cuddle.

After a team effort to get the BBQ’s lit which involved chopping of wood as well as loading of charcoal, much discussion and rumination (by the men of course – what is it about men and barbies!), we enjoyed succulent meat, salad and fresh bread after the sun went down.

The girls get into the groove

Then the speakers came outside (so that Kwang’s kids could sleep) and the dancing started.  Around the pool made a great dance floor. With work the following morning, I bailed out when Phil’s girlfriend Shadya left, but understand the party went on until the wee hours. These ex-pats sure know how to let their hair down…

The 'wild' gang

It’s great to have a taster of this lifestyle now and again.  However the normal life of a VSO volunteer is very different as you’ll get to see in future posts. Will write about what I’m doing work wise soon as I’m still in research and induction mode.

 

Hanging out near The Mucky Shop

My local shop...

Part of the deal of being a VSO volunteer is that you get your accommodation provided.  Depending on where you are in the country and the organisation you have your placement with, this can vary from the very basic to the luxurious.

Home Sweet Home - Dar style

Mine is in a little complex of eight small houses down an alleyway off a busy main street full of shops and businesses. It’s a main route for the buses (daladalas) from the rest of Dar es Salaam onto the Peninsula, which is where many of the foreign embassies or High Commissions are, together with a lot of ex-patriates.

My house has a sitting room, bedroom, bathroom and kitchenette.  It has been upgraded in comparison to the rest in my compound so I have tiles on the floor (rather than just painted concrete), air conditioning units, a fridge and a kettle (the last three are not provided routinely), along with ceiling fans, a bed, a sofa and chairs, built in wardrobes, a small electric hob with oven and windows plus mosquito nets (the other houses just have mosquito screens).

I’ve been slowly getting myself unpacked and settled in.  I had to postpone my first attempt to cook the other night as the power went out for an hour (this happens regularly in Tanzania – and elsewhere across Africa – not enough capacity for the demand they say).

I have a series of shops nearby selling everything from bread & milk to cleaning products and vegetables, plus a few clothing ones.  Then there are the street sellers with their charcoal fires and huge woks deep frying chips, samosas or doughnuts (not usually together).  This is my local one  where the ladies are very friendly – I’m sure Mucky doesn’t mean dirty over here…

 

Barua pepe, elfu and pilipili hoho

At the watering hole with elephant (tembo)

Yes you did read the title correctly!  Before you get a taster of my week’s Kiswahili training - first an explanation – barua pepe is the Kiswahili for email – it literally means ‘letter of the wind’, elfu is 1,000 and pilipili hoho is a sweet capsicum pepper.

Morogoro
Our training took place in a town called Morogoro, a 3-4 hour bus ride from Dar es Salaam.  We (there were 15 of us) were on the luxury bus – definitely a step up from the daladala with curtains at the windows and five seats to a row.  I chilled out listening to my iPod as the countryside rushed by.  From the outskirts of Dar we headed into a big fruit-growing area so it was lovely to see mango, papaya and banana trees everywhere.  We also passed several huge plantations of sisal (a major export) and a variety of villages and towns.  Near the end of our journey one of the passengers stood up and started doing a sales pitch for shampoo, soap and body lotion.  I wonder what National Express would think if she tried it in the UK!  However, she did pretty good business.  Forgot to say that at various stops along the way guys with cardboard boxes full of soft drinks or packaged cashew nuts (or the even more delicious chilli spiced cassava crisps) would get on and sell their wares too.

View from the convent of the beautiful Morogoro countryside

Morogoro itself is set amongst the Uluguru mountains and has a population of around 250,000. It’s green, lush and several degrees cooler than Dar (which made a very pleasant change).  We were staying just outside town at the Amabilis Centre, run by the Mgolole nuns.  It was a lovely complex and I was particularly fond of Sister Fausta, who was one of two sisters serving our food (which was pretty tasty even if there was often double starch – eg chips and rice).  I nicknamed her the laughing sister as she always had a cheeky grin and a very infectious laugh.

Most mornings a few of us went walking (in my case) or running around 6:30.  It was a lovely temperature and besides the beautiful landscape with its ever changing clouds, we got to see kids walking to school; women cooking on charcoal fires in front of their house or washing clothes in a variety of brightly coloured plastic buckets; people on motorbikes or walking; mist rising and packed daladalas whizzing past on the main road. There are hardly any pavements over here, mostly just uneven and muddy edges to the roads so walking can be pretty precarious).

Learning Kiswahili
Our days in Morogoro consisted of lessons from 8am to around 3:30pm with a morning coffee (and snack) plus lunch break.  The lessons themselves were a good mix of learning and practice and our great teachers Benjy, Pepe and Asia worked hard to make it fun too.  A few days we were set challenges and walked into town where we were sent to practice our Kiswahili (it’s Ki as that refers to the language) in the market or with local traders.

Cooking 'chipsi' in the market over charcoal

Kiswahili itself is a real mixture of bantu (traditional East African language), arabic together with some Persian, German, Portuguese, English and French words.  It’s a relatively straightforward language with no articles and no masculine/feminine.  Also, most words are pronounced phoenetically. However, a little more tricky are the prefixes on the verbs depending on the noun classes – only a couple of which I’ve learned yet.  What it means is that verbs can take up the whole sentence.

Also there are plenty of double words (like the pilipili hoho).  Others are polepole (slowly), katikati (in the middle of) and mboga mboga (vegetables).  Then there are the verbs that I’m having to learn like pumzika (rest), zungumza (talk with) and kwenda (go).  I’m using every opportunity to practice!

Safari in Mikumi

We had a day off at the end of the week so the majority of us opted for a safari at the nearby Mikumi National Park.  Fantastically organised by Venessa and Margaret (with the help of Sam) – thanks guys – we set off in two 4X4s with rooves that popped out at 5am.

Our animal spotting started before we’d even got through the gates of the park.  Venessa had seen a giraffe by the side of the road but wasn’t sure if it was real as it was so close!We did two game drives before and after lunch and saw huge numbers of cape buffalo, elephant, zebra and impala together with giraffe, antelope, warthog, hippos, baboons, wildebeest, guinea fowl, a lone crocodile and a colobus monkey. Oh and we got charged by a bull elephant – more about that here in Venessa’s blog, together with her monkey experience…It was fascinating to be in the park nearly a year later and to see the water holes nearly full (last year everywhere was nearly dry). Also, it was just as exciting this time around to see all the animals and in such quantities this time.For lunch we stopped at a lodge just beside the main gate which had its own watering hole and during the time we were there elephant, cape buffalo, zebra and impala that all took their turn.  Here’s a small selection of photos:

Hippos (kiboko) wallowing

Frisky zebra (pundamilia)

For another amusing account of our safari click here for Peter & Debra’s blog. And now I’m back in Dar ready to finish my first week at work and move into my new house.  More of that later…

 

Curry, daladalas and a city awakes

Fellow volunteer Venessa (from Canada) and I

Well I’ve reached the end of my first week in Tanzania.  It’s gone by in a flash.  I’ve been busy doing a week’s In Country Training (ICT) with VSO.  There are 17 of us (9 from Canada, 4 from the Netherlands, 2 from Switzerland and one other Brit).  We are a real mixture of ages and there are several couples amongst us too.

We’ve been  looked after brilliantly by two volunteers who came out three months ago, Robert from Canada and Claire from the UK.  They helped us with all the practical things like new SIM cards for our phones, equipment we might need in our placements (for those based far away from the luxuries of Dar) and certainly entertained us – I’ve not laughed so much for ages!

So much happened during that first week so here are a few highlights…

Dinner at the Badminton Club

The area that we stayed in downtown Dar es Salaam has a big Indian population, so after we’d finished our training, we would head off to a couple of different establishments.  The Badminton Club was our favourite.  It was a big open seating area serving delicious curries where you could also watch people playing badminton in the indoor courts (see photo). We went there about three times that week.  One night we were serenaded by a Tanzanian guy singing Hindi songs.  All of these were well known by the others in the restaurant (mostly groups of men) who took turns with the mike, or even acted out the words whilst their friends cheered on.  Quite an experience…

Dinner at the Badminton Club with a game going on behind the glass windows

Daladalas

These are the public buses that cost Tsh. 300 (about 12p) per journey.  Each has about 20-25 seats but as each fare is extra money they try to squeeze in as many people as possible.  So imagine you are standing at the door when the bus stops (no designated spot but a general location where they can find space) and suddenly there is a surge as everyone tries to get on at the same time.  (Some enterprising souls even jump in the back windows to ensure their seat!)  You manage to get in but now you are sandwiched between a guy with seriously bad BO and a woman with a child strapped to her back. If you’re lucky there is just enough headroom to stand up and a rail to hang onto. Or maybe not…Then, there are also three or four people hanging off from the door who didn’t manage to get inside.  At every stop more people try to get on, regardless of whether anyone gets off or not. If there are two buses on the same journey they will race each other to get to the next stop first so that they can get the passengers on their bus.  That makes for a rather hair raising time going round the corners. And this is something I’m going to have to do regularly! Or maybe I should invest in a bicycle.

The city awakes

One of the benefits of jet lag was getting to hear Dar es Salaamcome to life in the early mornings.  It usually started at 3am with the local rooster sounding his ‘cock a doodle doo’ (one of my fellow volunteers was seriously looking for a sling shot to silence him permanently…). Just before 5am would come the haunting sounds of the call to prayer at the nearby mosque (about a third of the population here is Muslim). As it started to get light several crows would fly past or hang out on nearby rooftops. Then as the sun rose, the sound of car horns, people greeting each other, taps being run or water whooshing away would rise up from the street below.  Rather different from my little Cotswold village.

My place in the city

I’ve yet to see and move into my house but I have been down the street it’s on which is long, busy and full of some great shots.  However, here’s my nearest beach…

Coco Beach - my local

All in all my first week was a great introduction to Tanzania, VSO and my fellow volunteers (a really lovely bunch).  I know I have to start working soon but for the next week I’ll be in Morogoro (about 4 hours drive from Dar es Salaam) learning Kiswahili.

 

I’ve arrived!

After a good flight through the night, I’ve arrived in Tanzania.  We flew over the Sahara, past Mount Kilimanjaro and hugged the coast before landing in Dar es Salaam at about 7:30am.  Met up with a group of fellow VSO volunteers, mostly from Canada and took a taxi to VSO’s offices to be in the cool for a while.  I’m rather tired as I find sleeping on planes pretty difficult.  However, looking forward to calling my brother shortly.  Will post again soon once I’ve got a bit of sleep.

 

Endings and farewells

It’s now just over a week until I leave for Tanzania and the time since my last post has just flown by in a haze of sorting, packing, decorating and celebrating.

In early September I enjoyed a few idyllic days down in Dartmouth with my sister and family and my parents.  They had rented a pretty little cottage overlooking the town for the week.  We had fantastic weather so were able to enjoy a real seaside holiday with a day on the beach, crabbing off the pier, meals outdoors with plenty of  delicious fresh fish.

I had my final training with VSO a week later with four days up at Harbourne Hall in Birmingham, trying out my facilitation skills, plotting out the stakeholders in my new placement, trying out my negotiation skills (need plenty more practice) and getting to meet & work with another great bunch of VSO volunteers headed for such places as Thailand, Tajikistan, Sri Lanka, Zambia, Mozambique and Ethiopia, together with another couple also going to Tanzania.

There’s also been time for a series of meals – such as a farewell and fundraiser for my Chippy Lippys networking group (with 21 of us in attendance), that raised a brilliant £165.00 towards my fundraising target for VSO.  I’m delighted to hand Chippy Lippys over to Sarah-Jane Menato who will add her own dynamism and flair to the group I set up in 2006.  It’s great to know it will continue to develop and flourish.  I look forward to hearing about more lively meetings.

I enjoyed a great meal with my fellow Cruse counsellors who generously all clubbed together to give me a £70 donation for VSO and some fun presents.

Then the night before I left the Cotswolds, I had a lovely meal at Wild Thyme (my favourite restaurant in Chipping Norton) with eight good friends.  We enjoyed gorgeous food, lively conversation and it was a fitting farewell.  Thanks everyone!

I’ve also had several meals/drinks with good friends – thanks Rachel, Sam, ‘M’, Gill, Colin, Tilly, Eddi, Carol, David & Celia and Wendy also.

In between all of that I’ve been busy sorting, packing and decorating ready for my lovely tenants who officially move in tomorrow.  It was a mammoth task which I only managed with the fantastic support of my parents who were brilliant (a million thanks for that mum and dad).  Now they have an attic full of my boxes and a garage of furniture for the next 2 years…

Walking through the empty house ready to leave, I was flooded with memories of the five years it took to renovate room by room; all the great friends that came to visit; games with the cats; starting my business from my little back bedroom; my three lovely lodgers – Zak, Ali and Rana; my great neighbours (especially David & Celia); walking into Chipping Norton in the snow and much more.  Over the past 15 years there have been plenty of happy occasions to remember.  Goodbye little house.  Be happy with a new family.

So now I’m getting ready for going away.  I’m finalising paperwork, making sure I’ve notified everyone about my change of address, having email conversations with volunteers already out in Dar es Salaam about what I need to bring and what my accommodation is likely to be like, getting to know my new boss via Skype, catching up with my brother and packing.

My cat Tinker has a lovely new owner and I’m going to settle her in to her new surroundings on Tuesday.  I’m sure I’ll find someone just as perfect for Liquorice whose potential new owner has health issues and can’t now take him.

I’ve got a few more goodbyes to fit in too before I head for the airport on 1st October to start a whole new adventure. Only when I’m on the plane will it feel real…