The final stretch

Yes, this is probably my last post from Tanzania. I might be able to squeeze one in in the coming week, but that’s not very probable. By this time a week from now I’ll be on my way home.



The last week has been rather exhausting, I think mainly because I became ill again. It was the same sort of thing as that other time, but not as bad because I didn’t take medicine this time... I’m not sure how I got it, but I think the heat as well as eating a whole loaf of YWAM bread may have something to do with it. The latter is known for its ability to stop things from going.



But we also actually went to Arusha, we being Asheri and me. It was a ten hour trip, so Wednesday and Saturday were spent mostly on lazying in the bus and staring out the window. Which was nice in a way – I got to see a lot of Tanzania which I otherwise wouldn’t have at all. There were some very, very beautiful sight there, it looked really nice. Lush green planes and hills all the way to the horizon... But I admit I slept for quite a while too.



The place that we stayed at itself was (as I may have mentioned) another YWAM base. It’s about the size of the one I’m at, but is much more densely built and populated. I actually quite like it, there’s always people about here and there, it feels very nice. It has more stuff in general actually – more cars, more refrigerators, wireless internet, showerheads, and that most wonderful of blessings: toilets you can actually sit on. But, for some strange reason, they don’t have plates.



On Thursday we got to see the computer school, which was very good. We got a lot of questions answered and our idea regarding it has become quite a bit more clear. One of the teachers there, who was also the one that kept us company and showed us around the Arusha base, was actually a guy from the US. He name is Nick, I think he was about my age. He was really quite a blessing to us. He had only ten students, in a pretty large classroom. In fact, here we’ll try stuffing sixteen in one that’s about three times smaller. Wonder how that’ll be... But anyway, we joined their class, interviewed Nick, had lunch, interviewed him some more... It was our “data gathering” day.



Friday though, we were free. This was the time I would have liked to climb the Kilimanjaro... But we heard that for that, we would need to hire one guy to be our guide, another one to carry our stuff and then yet another one for an equally stupid reason as the other two, which I can’t even remember. And then there’s park fees and the like, all adding up to about a thousand dollars if you want to reach the top. “Commercialised” doesn’t quite cover it. So just having a stroll on the foot of the mountain wouldn’t really be as nice as it had seemed.



Instead, we just went to visit Arusha town, which I think was what Asheri preferred anyway. What I noticed really early was that the people were a fair bit more rude there. They weren’t afraid to come crowding around you, desperately calling you to enter their taxi or to buy their stuff, even if you just want to pass. You don’t see that a lot in Morogoro, which is quite a blessing. But besides about a billion salesmen we also met with Joshua, which was of course great. He’s now well and truly studying. In case I didn’t mention, he studies English for major and Swahili for his minor. He seems to do well, especially at the speaking part. So we had a nice stroll around town, saw a few places, talked a lot while having some sodas etc. Just a very nice, though tiring time. We also had lunch, but I think that’s what made me (more) ill later.



The following day we had to get up very early to go back again, which was good since it meant we’d arrive in Morogoro “early” too. While in the buss we saw even more salesmen, though it wasn’t as bad as on Wednesday. Back then, at some point, there were about twenty people all wanting to sell nets of oranges to the passengers of our bus. Twenty people with oranges, and they all seemed to be rather desperate. The saddest thing was when one lady actually wanted to buy a net, and a guy had handed it over through the window, the bus left before any money could be exchanged. When the lady dropped the fruit to give it back, I think it got under a wheel... You’d say there has to be some better way for these guys to make a living, surely they see that markets can be oversaturated too.



So now we’re safe at home once again. Tomorrow I’ll be heading to Dar Es Salaam, and on Saturday to that other, somewhat more real home. Of course I’ll still tell you how that was here, but by that time many of you will be able to just come and ask about it yourself as well.



As for that last “adventure”, I had some concern regarding my suitcase. You see, in Dar Es Salaam the thievery is apparently so bad your mobile phone isn’t even safe when you’re holding it in your hand. And then I’d be there, shining white and with a huge, 30 kg suitcase... So to avoid the otherwise inevitable we made a dastardly plan: Niwaely, my fellow teacher who now studies in Dar Es Salaam, actually went there with my suitcase yesterday. She is of course black, which helps tonnes, and has a place nearby the bus terminal to store my suitcase safely. The only thing is that Niwa was in a bit more danger... But I just heard that she arrived safely. Thank God for His protection there! A second, less pressing issue was that I had to toil the suitcase through all the way to Niwa’s house, under the African, dry season, midday sun. My right arm was absolutely useless for a while after that. But tomorrow I’ll only have to go with a backpack mostly filled with t-shirts and underwear – and if they steal that it’s not too bad. That’s quite a blessing, too.