does eat oats and little lambs eat ivy

When we got here there was the cutest little baby goat (I actually had to look up on the internet what a baby goat was called - I used to know things - I did). So, this kid, of which I don't have a picture because he was so little I thought he'd be around until the fall (until the Muslim holiday Eid, in fact), was just wandering around the compound (about two acres of high walls, beautiful gardens, kitty cats, guard dog, African Grey parrot, tortoises, quarters for workers, high shady trees, and small courtyard where I write blog posts from). Apparently, this was driving our Tanzanian mama and host, N, to distraction. Apparently, he doesn't just cut the grass but he also eats the flowers and vegetables.

The other day I wanted to head out and nobody could open the gate for me for a few minutes because they were dealing with the goat. eek! dealing with the goat! then the goat was carried out to a 4x4 by the legs with his head lolling back. I couldn't see blood though - because he was fine. He was going to N's aunt's farm! He'll be fine ... until Eid.

By the way, not unusual for random goats and chickens (even seen a cow but it was tied up) to be on the road side or in vacant lots. I don't know how everyone keeps track of whose is what but I guess they do.

ok, then

I just walked outside and the foreman guy was holding a slingshot and said, "I am hunting for the monkey".

That is all.

mud flaps

I'm creating a list of writing/mottos that I've seen on the mudflaps of dalla-dallas (buses).

• You'll Never Walk Alone
• Heil Hitler (pre and post-pended with requisite swastikas)

ok, it's not a big list yet. The Hitler one is obviously fascinating. I've seen it and its like a few times. I didn't get it at all. Thought maybe it was a anti-Semitic thing but have heard a better theory. Born from nihilism, it's been determined that it is the most likely to get a freak the hell out reaction from the white-folks. Which is entertaining.

charobaro

We took off from Canada at five to midnight on Monday and arrived in Dar at 2:35am on Wednesday morning. 9:30 from Toronto to Istanbul. 7:00 from Istanbul to Dar.

Wednesday night we went out for Brazilian barbecue close to the house. Thursday night we had sushi at Slipway after just missing the sunset and then went to Caribou Court to have drinks with Canadian CIDA and DFAIT workers. Friday night we met our lovely Acadian friends (again) and a Montrealer for a quiet night at Trinity (I didn't know they were having double g&t's so really it wasn't that quiet a night). Tonight is going to be a quiet night.

what I've learned:
- Brazilian barbecue has a great buffet and you get what looks like a coaster with green on one side and red on the other. Green means go and you get various kinds of meat (beef, lamb, shrimp, fish), which arrives on swords, until you turn your coaster over to the red side.
- a friend had two house guests arrive who had bicycled from Switzerland. They left in October and averaged 50km a day. And Tanzania had by the worst road safety, they had to pitch themselves off their bike to avoid being killed five or six times.
- there has been actual talk of putting a paved road through the Serengeti. Upon being warned that this would disrupt the migration, this was seen as a positive if it would prevent the migration from going to Kenya. sigh. (also, hey, what 5% of the roads in your biggest city are paved?)
- J has been researching places I can get my hair cut. Oyster Bay is the leading contender. They also have wifi and a new (air conditioned) gym.
- charobaro is a street term that pretty much means douchebag.
- jet lag is kicking my butt.  I'm sure it's that and not keggers with Canadians.
- my words are coming back. But I didn't have anything there when our Massai guard asked me how my trip was. (blahblah blah safiri?)

now the story can be told

I wasn't really allowed to post this until we got home because my lady-friend didn't want her mother to worry. Car accidents are crazay! (many times J had to go 55km up the highway to her project and there was not a day that she didn't see at best a truck with a broken axle and at worst a demolished bus).

In Tanzania theft is quite rare. If a thief is caught it is mob rules and they may very well be killed. If they are not killed, they might be killed by the police. If they are not killed by the police then they will be held in  Africa's third worst prison system. So, that's the context for this next bit.

When you are in a car accident, all bets are off. A crowd will gather (the streets are always busy - people are not home watching tv or playing nintendo, the street is where the entertainment is. After the accident, people will take whatever they feel like from the car. Tires, luggage, anything. This seems quite contradictory given the outlook on theft yet it seems consistent with the mob rules antics.

Years ago my friend G got in an accident on Old Bagomoyo Road. Luckily he had a security contract at that time and called them right away. Within five minutes this company had arrived with men and cordoned off the area. They then had G fake an injury so he could be taken away in the ambulance and not have to deal with the popo (Mom - police).

While we were in Tanzania, our friend was in a taxi on the way to the airport when they got in an accident. When they started to gather their wits and the crowd started to gather theirs, they realized they might be in a very bad place (and miss their flight) so they kicked out a window, grabbed their luggage, and ran for another cab. I actually found out about this a couple of months after it happened because she didn't want her mother to find out via the blogs of her friends (just to be clear, it was not my lovely J that was in the accident).

what he said

I love this list that my friend put together.

opening ceremony

well, this is our last day in Tanzania for a while. The coffee is perked, the bags are out, my actions are being heavily supervised (scrutinized). I kid, I kid, I need direction. We have most of the day to pack before we meet our friends for Tuesday Frisbee, pool swimming at C&S's, and then a send-off dinner.

I'm also downloading the videos that were shot at the grand opening of J's project on Friday. We drove out there (about an hour from Dar) to find dozens of students, medical staff (including the happiest doctor I've ever seen), teachers, and local government officials.

The project, carried out by a local entrepreneur in a partnership with e4e, provided solar panels to the local school, teacher's homes, and hospital. Oh, I know it sounds weird that teacher's homes would have power but it actually is a big deal. Without it there is no place to charge their phones (there aren't land lines) or plug in a radio. Therefore, many teachers will opt to choose many miles away so they can be on the grid. This really impacts teacher absenteeism.

The schools can now run a computer (for print-outs) and a photocopier (once they get the money for one). The hospital now has a fridge so they can do something as simple as run fans and provide cold water to patients. They can also run a centrifuge and some other instruments with long names.

The opening ceremony was late (we are on Tanzanian time, after all) but not terribly long. There was a dj and kids dancing while they waited for the adults to get their stuff together. There were speeches by many different stakeholders, even the kids. J also spoke and, with help from GM, managed to put together her speech in Swahili. It was well received and, I got the sense, a  bit of a rarity for a mzungu to go out on a limb and speak in Swahili. The kids also put a skit together to emphasize how much their lives would be changing with the addition of a few solar panels. But, as J wanted to say in her speech but was assured the humour would be lost in the translation: the foundation provides the power, the children provide the energy.