The Blog Has Landed

This post is kind of late, I had internet issues but we're good now so I'm just going to post what I wrote earlier. Welcome to my blog! My intention is for it to be part travelogue, part reflection on the academic and research questions I’m pursuing here. As I just landed today in Dar es Salaam, this post will definitely be on the travelogue side.

                My flight was three hours late (there was a problem with the plane we were supposed to have), and I stupidly lost my notebook in Heathrow, but we touched down 10am this morning no problem. Moving from the new Heathrow Terminal 5  to Dar es Salaam is a stark transition from privilege to poverty. Kai picked me up from the airport and drove me in to her family’s compound, where they have built guest houses. There was a lot of construction on the road, and most of it was nicely tarmaced. My room has a bed, couch, table, desk and chairs, as well as a microwave, mini-oven and electric stove. No running water though, only a bucket which I can fill with water from a water tank nearby. I realize that this is how most people utilize water in rural Africa, but I have no idea how! I went to the store and bought a package of cups so I could pour water over my hands with them and wash things separately. There’s a small trickle of running water now though and apparently it should be fixed shortly. But I’ll learn how to get by with the bucket in the mean time!

                My current place is next to a new shopping centre which is extremely convenient, just a 10 min walk. It’s got a grocery store and two other stores which might be equivalent to Hart and Giant Tiger, with a lot of clothes and other essentials. There’s also some cafes, specialty shops, a book store, and an internet café though I haven’t found it yet (though obviously I will have by the time this is posted). I picked up a cheap cellphone, I’ll give my number to anyone who wants it, just message me. I’m being tempted to buy a cellular modem for my laptop, which has quite good speed internet mobile access (note to mom: that means I could connect with my laptop from anywhere I could use a cellphone). They’re way ahead of Canada here with that stuff!

                I was pleasantly surprised that nobody yelled ‘mzungu’ at me while I walked through the neighborhood today, or even conspicuously ogled me! This was very common in Kakamega, Kenya, last year, though it wasn’t something that bothered me so much. Maybe I’m going to miss the attention!

                I’m munching on a bowl of beef/plantain stew right now, it’s pretty good. Bananas are cooked before they’re yellowed, and they have a consistency and taste much like potatoes. Kai brought me over a bowl of it. Once the stove (and water) is working I’ll be able to cook more for myself. I don’t think I’ll have any trouble doing this. I already picked up some garlic and onions, beef stock, oil and vinegar, and soup mix. Once I have a fridge I’ll get more veggies and meat and be able to do all kinds of culinary magic.

                It’s a little intimidating being here. I’m a little nobody in a big city. I’ll admit to a couple ‘oh jeez, what have I gotten myself into?’ moments, but I’m pretty confident overall. It will be very interesting once Arja is here and she introduces me to some different sectors of the society. Until then I’ve got some reading and exploring to do, and some Swahili to practice.

                I may as well keep my blog posts short or else no one will read them! More later. Goodnight world.

Neil