Nothing Much to Report...

Day 4: 20/12/09

I woke up this morning feeling quite down still from last night. I had mixed feelings about phoning home, in some ways it was fantastic talking to my mum, but on the flip side it made me realise how much I am missing the comfort of home. Today is a Sunday, and I was under the impression that the town would close down as a result of it. Tanzania is a very religious country, and it doesn’t do to be an atheist. Approximately 50 percent of the population are Muslim, and the other 50 percent tend to have Christian beliefs, whether that is Roman Catholic, Lutheran, or Latter Day Saints, etc.

Being the very out of practise Catholic that I am, I had planned to go to church, but the plans failed to materialise. I was feeling under the weather, exhausted and in need of some time for me to reflect on what I am doing here. I didn’t go to church. In fact I got out of bed and informed Audax that I was not feeling too good and I needed rest. I went back to sleep. And slept I did. Professor Maliyamkono soon knocked on my door, he said that he was going to his home village, about 30km away and would be back in the evening. I was told to be up to have lunch at 12:30. I managed this, only to find Audax still up. He had been told to stay around the house until I had had some food. I get the impression that they were worried that I wasn’t eating.

My morning was spent watching trashy American sitcoms on the laptop (thanks Dan!) and reading a trashy American novel. These provided me with a bit of comfort whilst I was mulling over how alone I am, and how I don’t know what I am doing with myself in Africa. The latter thought seems to be popping up more often that I would care to mention.

Today was steaming hot! Lots of glorious sunshine and beautiful views. I even took out my camera in the afternoon to see if I remembered how to use it. Turns out I can use it still. I spent a lot of time taking photos of Audax as he wanted the shots to show his family. I also spent much of the afternoon chasing lizards around the rocks in the garden. There are hundreds of these beautiful little creatures who happily pose...provided you are far enough away. My aim was to try and shoot (photographically of course) some of the birds that float around the sky. There are loads of birds of prey which look awesome, but they didn’t cooperate.

My evening has been spent inside mainly. The mosquitoes are out and they are looking for dinner. I played with the photos on the laptop and read the aforementioned book. Professor Maliyamkono arrived at my door inviting me to dinner. He must still be worried about my eating habits because he was telling me to be honest if I didn’t like the food. Charles (the houseboy...not a fitting title for someone in his 40s) is a fantastic cook and prepared a great meal of food that I don’t know what most of it was. He also made some mash potato which I loved because it was a food that is very close to home! Oh, I also forgot to mention that Charles made me a sandwich (something unheard of in Tanzania) which was lovely too. In fact the more I think about it the more I think they are concerned about how much I am eating. I have tried to explain that the temperature and the altitude, alongside the anti-malarial tablets, are impacting my appetite...this argument falls on deaf ears, or so it seems.

Professor Maliyamkono and I spoke over dinner about my working role in Tanzania. As it happens I will be staying in Bukoba for another two weeks before driving to Dar Es Salaam. In Bukoba I will be writing reports about how an outsider sees the distribution of small loans to local entrepreneurs, and to see if the money could be used more effectively. In Dar, when/if I get there I will have a series of smaller projects which I will be working on. Despite the warnings of the heat, I am looking forward to working in Dar. I feel as though I need to be more connected to the people back home, and I haven’t got the same access that I would like to have whilst I am in Bukoba.

I feel much more positive about what I’ll be doing here, when I actually start, which is what I need. I am still finding it quite tough, it is quite a lonely existence that I am living here. Need to find something to do to keep my mind off home still. Any suggestions?

Sorry that today’s post is a bit mundane, but I have done almost nothing, and I am not in a creative mood so I think you will have to like it or lump it.