Christmas is coming...

But you would not have known it on Pemba!! Santa does not visit as the poplation is 99.9% Muslim!

Currently in Dar, preparing to travel to Mwanza, on the shores of Lake Victoria to meet Liz and her friend.

Earlier this week we had the AVC (annual volunteer conference) and the last 48 hours I was suffering from a stomach bug.

All OK now and have bought my bus ticket for my 16 hour bus ride from Dar to Mwanza which leaves on the 23rd.

A proper update will follow...

Take care and have a fantastic Christmas and New Year.

Miss you all! Especially the family, you are never far from my thoughts.

Last lesson of the year and hot hot nights...

So today is my last lesson of the year!

Here is the last weeks actions...

Thursday 3rd December

No power but the generator was switched on for my outsider class, they do enjoy the ICT lessons and I give them an hour and a half rather than just a hour.

Friday 4th December

We went to Chake in the morning to visit the bank and I used the internet as in Wete power has been so bad recently. I recieved an email from Claire, my replacement in Mpwapwa. She had been bitten by the dogs that used to hang around near my house!! She is ok though and I will see her again at AVC.

We got lunch in the New Alfay restaurant and then got the dala back, we sat in the front which is a nice change from the cramped back of the dala where over 20 normally squeeze in…

In the evening we went down to see Juanito and watch the sunset. Then we went to the mess for beers, chips and mishkaki.

Saturday 5th December

We were woken up by Liz’s phone early in the morning; it was her family calling from Australia so I forgave the interruption. There was no power and it was very hot, the heat seems to sap your energy especially when there is no breeze!

In the afternoon Mr Daudi came over (a caretaker) and asked if he could burrow a romance movie to watch (the way he said he would watch it alone made us think it was not quite romance he was after!) We gave him the Italian Job for a joke and he left.

Sunday 6th December

In the morning there was no power but I made banoffee pie anyway. Daudi came back disappointed with the movie but then it is a bit cheeky to come over and ask us for ‘romance’ movies!

Juanito came over for dinner and I cooked veggie spaghetti. We played some monopoly cards and later in the evening power came back so we both had some nerd time on our laptops.

Monday 7th December

Hot again, must make sure I drink enough water. I took my laptop to work today to get updates for it.

The staff at the college told us there is going to be a free education display next week and told us we needed to help with it. So we got some posters and made some new ones as the rest of the staff sat in the office and slept…

The students are sitting exams this week and we had a look at one of the question papers, it was written badly and had many mistakes, it is worrying that no one checks the papers before printing!

In the evening I made some Christmas cards on the computer so I can email to some people.

Tuesday 8th December

Once again we were told we had to make some more posters and shown some to copy from a book. It is not like copying is even hard work but some of the staff were obviously too busy catching up on sleep to help (more than happy to tell us what to do though…) Made us both a little grumpy…

The power was switched on so I could teach my ICT lesson for the paying outsiders, this time it was 8 with 4 computers, if it gets anymore I might have to use both rooms! They are very keen though and I am able to teach them despite my bad Kiswahili.

In the evening we went to the mess as Wednesday was going to be a public holiday (Nyere day – after the first president). We could not get food though as it was mid week but still got through a few beers and staggered home.

Wednesday 9th December

We had a nice lie in and Liz cooked ommlette and Chapattis for breakfast. There was no power all morning. My phone battery was dying so I plugged it into my solar battery charger and it charged up – solar power is awesome!

Liz packed her stuff as tomorrow she was going to Dar and I cooked beans and cous cous with some potato wedges for dinner. It was nice to have power and we used our laptops before going to bed with the fan on!

Thursday 10th December

Liz left today to catch her flight to Dar. I went to the college and taught my lesson to the outsiders. There was some sort of event going on in the main hall so the college was very busy.

I am alone until Saturday when I get the boat to go and see Matayo in Dar. Then I will see Liz on Monday and we go to the AVC Tuesday!!

Take care

1 month in (new placement) and Eid-Al-Hajj

A month has nearly past now since the new placement, here is the latest update.

Thursday 26th November

Today I had an ICT lesson with none students who pay to come to the college and learn how to use ICT. John used to do this when he was here and was not so keen on it as the people do not speak much English.

The class came and they were all women, there were 4 of them which was nice as there are 4 computers. We spent the hour session typing and getting used to the mouse.

I did not have my 11am class because this weekend it is Eid-Al-Hajj (a bit like Christmas) and the college wanted to close early, lessons for Friday were also cancelled.

On the way home we checked for mail and found that Mum had sent me 2 small packages (Thanks Mum!) So I had some chocolate and now have a nice Santa hat to wear wherever we end up for Christmas.

In the evening Liz and I decided to celebrate Eid-Al-Hajj in our own special and we went to the mess. We figured they would not serve food as it was mid week so we grabbed a chipsi mayai and fish cake on the way down to the mess. The streets were very busy with people out shopping before the shops close for the long weekend.

Down at the mess we had lots of beers and had some card games (this time Liz actually won a few!!), before staggering back and having some deep drunken chats. Went to bed happy knowing there was a day off on Friday!

Friday 27th November

Had a nice long sleep in, it was nice not having to get up at 6.40am! Mid morning we had egg and beans for breakfast (there is no way we can bacon here…)

We were lucky enough to have power so we had a bit of a DVD session and finished ‘flight of the conchords’ watch some ‘Kath and Kim’ and started watching David Lynch’s ‘Twin Peaks’ which I am really getting into.

Saturday 28th November

Went over Mr Daudi’s house for lunch, he invited us as it was Eid-Al-Hajj and we ate some lovely food his family cooked up for us. The goat in sauce was scrummy and they even had some custard for desert – can’t remember the last time I ate custard.

Made some Christmas cards during the day, do need to make some more and must post them soon.

In the evening we went out to meet Juanito at the clock tower. There were more people out on the streets than I have ever seen before and they were dressed in their best clothes – it was a really nice sight. There were many, many children and they were all so smart and it was odd seeing people wearing make up again.

There was no power in the evening and we went back home to play some scrabble after getting some street food. Juanito was really good at scrabble and beat us both easily – we defiantly need a rematch!

Sunday 29th November

Planted some more veg today as the stuff in the garden is safe and growing well (rain helps!!). Also did some weights and exercise with Liz which felt good as we had been lazy the last few days.

We went for a 2 hour walk along the Kizimbani road in the afternoon, the roads were busy due to Eid-Al-Hajj and the people found it amusing that we were taking exercise.

In the evening I cooked cous cous and we finished watching the first season of ‘Twin Peaks’ it ends of a great cliff hanger but it was time for bed at the end of the last show – will start season 2 tomorrow!

A spooky event happened at around 9.30pm so guy knock on the door and wanted to come in but would not tell us who he was or what he wanted so we ignored him and continued watching the DVD – fitted perfectly with the strange goings on in ‘Twin Peaks’…

Monday 30th November

Had power at work today which was nice and I showed my two classes how to insert tables, pictures, clip art and word art into word documents. We had lunch near the college and then were sent home early as it is still Eid-Al-Hajj.

Surprise surprise my wages were late again (same old Tanzania – new placement, same issues)

There was no power at home which was disappointing. We played some monopoly cards and I kicked Liz’s butt!

Juanito came over to burrow some money from Liz as he needs VSO to give him back his expenses for traveling to Pemba and he was also not paid this month like me. Poor Juanito has had a fair few problems since coming to Pemba but Liz and I are trying to help him and support him – VSO need to do more…

We took a few pictures with our Santa hats on and despite there being no adverts or songs or any sign of Christmas and I starting to feel a tiny bit festive!

We had homemade chapattis and ommlette for dinner and we used the UPS and my laptop battery and were able to watch the first episode of series 2 of ‘Twin Peaks’ there were only 7 episodes in series 1 but there are 22 in series – lots to keep me busy when we have power!

Tuesday 1st December

Had my class for the general public again today but there was no power… The college switched on the generator for me and I was able to teach them how to type a letter and some basic formatting. I am not sure how much they pay for the lessons but the college enjoy them coming in because it is extra, undisclosed income on the side. The problem was that this time there was 5 of them but luckily two of the women were friends and they did not mind sharing. There were 2 new guys and I got them using the mice to draw first as their co-ordination with a mouse needed work.

After getting snacks I returned to the college for my lesson with the students. But the generator was switched off! That was frustrating to see the college only want the generator on for the lessons where they are getting the extra cash – the students pay fees too, they should have the generator on!

On the way home I posted some Christmas cards and got a package from Thad – he sent me Ubuntu which I can install on the computers if the threat of viruses becomes too much!

Liz went for a walk in the afternoon and in the evening I cooked us a veg curry and she made some more chapattis (its funny she says she does not like cooking but I think deep down she does…)

Wednesday 2nd December

Had my lesson first and to consolidate what we have been learning about word processing they typed out a job application letter.

Juanito came down to the college to use the internet and my second class did not turn up…

There are exams next week and then it is the annual volunteer conference – good times are coming!!

Take care

A wet few days in Wete

Currently no internet at the college so doing this post from home...

Monday 16th November

Had my 2 lessons today and taught the classes their first ever word processing lesson using Microsoft word. They are enthusiastic and it is very nice having such small classes. Things take a long time and I use my mix of Kiswahili and English to get my message across. They are very good at saving their work which is always a bonus (especially when power fails so often!)

Tuesday 17th November

Had one class and as it was our first lesson we made folders to save work in and then drew pictures using paint to get them used to using a mouse. So many ICT skills taken for granted back home but these are picking it up fast.

On the way home we bought some card and other materials so we can make cards and resources for lessons.

In the evening I cooked and we watched ‘Raiders of the lost Ark’ which was great as I have not seen for a while.

Wednesday 18th November

I had 2 more word processing lessons as we still had power. There was a technician in today and he had with him some XP cds and serials so he was able to reformat the 2 dodgy PCs in the internet room. He also fixed the one with missing parts in my class so I am now up to 4 PCs in my room (33% increase!) It was good to have them all working but not sure how long it will last…

In the afternoon Liz cooked banana bread which was really nice and as we have an oven it is inspiring us to try some more things (obviously depending on power…)

We went over to Juanito’s for dinner who cooked for us a lovely feast (reinforcing my stereotypes that all the Filipinos I have met are great cooks!). His askari came to work and bought a big mean looking crab with him – very bizarre!

Thursday 19th November

There was no power in the morning for about half an hour but then it came back so my class was on. We had our first lesson and we did the drawing practice the with the mouse

There was no internet in the staff room and they were fiddling with all the kit. I explained that the router was fine and that the problem is with the provider. They ignored and kept fiddling, swapping wires and unplugging everything – in the end I just left them to it…


Friday 20th November

No lessons on Friday and it is a half at the college. There was no power so I had a look in the library which is next to my ICT room.

In the afternoon Liz went to Chake and I stayed at home and organized my music on my laptop and external hard drive. Home and work are on two separate power lines which alternate so when there is power at home there is none at work and vice versa.

In the evening we went down to the mess for dinner and a few beers. There are always people there but they are quiet and pretending not to be there. We played some cards and I lost badly so we switched to some star gazing. Getting pretty good at it now, I can find several major constellations without any help from the starcharts! (I can find Orion, Cassiopea, Pegasus, Sagittarius, Taurus, Canis Major, Southern Cross and more!)

Saturday 21st November

Today was a cleaning day and we tidied up the house. Liz also did her washing. In the evening I cooked curry and we watched ‘The importance of being earnest’ which was funny and has tempted me to try and read some Oscar Wilde.

I got a message from Mr Suleiman at the ministry saying that my passport and work permit were ready and will be with ‘The Director’ in Chake tomorrow. Not sure what ‘The Director’ directs but I said no worries and that I would meet him in the morning.

Sunday 22nd November

I caught the dala and 6.45 in the morning (so much for a nice Sunday lay in!) I had lunch, met the director to get the documents and then returned to Wete. During the dala ride I was thinking all the different sounds that I associate with different places in Tanzania; for example Dar will always be the street hawkers with their flip flops, the money they jingle and the calls of ’Maji, Maji baridi’ or them making kiss noises to get attention or the crows outside econolodge and YMCA. The sounds of Wete are the call to prayer mixed in with goats bleating…

The weather turned bad and it rained all afternoon, there was also no power which was a little frustrating. I read lots and we had chipsi mayai for dinner from just down the road.

The played scrabble and I lost, we are both getting pretty good now! It rained all night…


Monday 23rd November

It was a very hot night but managed to sleep ok. It was just dry enough to walk to work. Power went halfway through my lesson and the students wanted to go and study for other lessons. I went over to see Juanito at his work so I could give him his passport and work permit.

Liz was making board games with math themes and I helped her in between my classes. I also found a nice book on African poetry which I am reading.

It rained on the way and I got very wet – luckily I used the umbrella to shelter my bag as it had my camera in it. Going up the hill on the way home was like walking up a river – the roads flood really bad when the rain is heavy and it is a pretty messy sight what with all the crap from the cow are carts around…

In the evening Liz cooked and Juanito came over to eat with us. He was happy to see us and we enjoyed some yummy pasta. He did not stay long but then I don’t blame him, I would not fancy walking home in the dark if it was raining heavily.

Tuesday 24th November

There was no power at college and the internet is still not working. The staff were starting to understand that all their fiddling with the router, wires and power is not going to make it work… My class was cancelled as no power so I spend some time in the library looking at the book selection.

It rained until midday which made me happy as I needed to wash some clothes and that was not really practical in the rain! Liz went to Chake to the bank while I was washing.

Due to the rain there are even more mosquitoes than usual and they were particularly pesky in the evening. We had leftovers, played scrabble and watched some ‘Flight of the Conchords’ before retreating to the relative safety of the mosquito net on the bed.

Wednesday 25th November

Had 2 lessons today (periods 1, 2, 5 and 6). We are moving on to adding tables into Microsoft Word so we can write simple reports and make organized lists. The vice principle has asked me to run some ICT classes for people outside the college so will be doing 2 hours a week of that with fees going to the college. After agreeing to that I had two members of staff asking for tuition and as they are support staff I told them to come to the lessons (killing two birds with one stone!)

Going to Juanito’s again tonight for dinner so excited about that!

Take care

First week in pemba

So I have been in Wete for over a week now and here is what I have been up to…

Thursday 5th November

Juanito and I got up early this morning and caught a cab down to the port to catch our ferry to Pemba. Immigration was nice and smooth again, I felt much better only having 2 bags to look after, my big bag went into the hold and the other bag with my laptop in stayed with me. I sat in first class with Juanito and there was the latest Rambo film on the TV, it had no sound and the subtitles were wrong but it did not matter as it was Rambo – who cares about the dialogue! It was pretty violent and the kids on the boat did not seem to mind…

Boat trip got a little rough mid way between Zanzibar and Pemba and hearing people be sick is never much fun. I put my Mp3 player on to drown out the sounds. We saw some flying fish which was a treat but no dolphins.

Liz met us at the port and we were able to get our bags, after paying the porters (and prob getting ripped off) we caught the dala from Mkoani to Wete. Dala as usual was packed and our bags were stashed on the top.

We stopped at Liz (and my) house and then got a cow and cart for Juanito so we could take his stuff down to his house (Mickey’s old house). We had a late lunch of beans and rice (tsh 1,000 a bargain!). In the evening Liz and I went for some beers at the mess (police mess, only place in Wete you can get beer!) and on the way home we went to check on Juanito as he was a little nervous about new place.

Friday 6th November

Although I officially was due to start on Monday I went down to the college to meet the staff and have a tour. It is a much smaller college – 100 students and maybe 10 staff. I met the principle – Mr Bosi – fantastic name! Liz then took me out for some dough balls and fresh juice (tsh 250 for 3 balls and a glass of juice – around 20p!). College closes at 11am on Friday which is the Sabbath so we went to see Juanito and met his boss, Mr Mmunga. He gave me his book to sign – that is 4 booked signed now – still need to do Mr Bosi’s guest book though. The signatures a Principle gets the more important he is!

We went home for lunch which was rolls (called buffalo) and I did some well needed washing after all my travelling from Mpwapwa to Pemba (via Dar and Zanzibar) there was no chance to wash clothes properly then. Late in the afternoon once it had cooled down a little Liz and I went for a walk on the Kisimbani road.

In the evening we went to get Juanito and met Whitey at the mess for some beers and dinner (chips and mishkaki – yum!). I was tired from the walking and the heat and was starting to fall asleep, I still need to acclimatise a little here but it wont take long (I hope!)

Saturday 7th November

Liz and I went down to the market and met Juanito. We caught a dala to Chake Chake so we could do some shopping and use the internet. Unfortunately there was no internet connection but we did get some nice things for the house. We went up to Pemba Island hotel and ordered our lunch (posh – well posh for Pemba…). We then went down to the hardware store to buy Juanito a gas stove. We had a soda and then met up for lunch – I had pilau kuku (chicken pilau) and it was gorgeous, twice the price of Hafun’s in Mpwapwa but well worth it.

We caught a dala back to Wete at around 3pm and for the rest of the afternoon relaxed at home. In the evening I cooked a potato curry which was yummy and Mr Daudi from the college popped over to chat with us. After Daudi left we watched ‘The Jackal’ and then some episodes of ‘Flight of the conchords’ a New Zealand comedy which is entertaining.

Sunday 8th November

Felt very hot today! I went out early to get breakfast of eggs and bread and we both tidied the house up a little. We played a game of scrabble and I lost. Had leftovers for lunch and late in the afternoon we went on a 2 hour walk.

We went down to see Juanito and to watch the sunset and giant bats which leave their roost as the sun goes down – it is beautiful, I must try and get a photo.

For dinner we had chips, eggs and chapattis and as there was no power I had an early night.

Monday 9th November

We walked down to work. I had 2 lessons today, both were doubles and the classes were of between 6 and 8. There are 3 computers in my classroom so the student would be working in pairs or threes. In the lessons we created folders for work and we made some pictures using paint. This is so that the students get more confident using the mouse (most have never used a computer before…) it takes them a little while to get used to holding it correctly and using the buttons. Both lessons went well and I was happy with the student’s enthusiasm and that we had power!

For lunch we went to get rice and beans again (sure I will get sick of them eventually… but then I have been in Tanzania over a year and it has not happened yet…) College closes at 2pm and the caretaker likes everyone out just after that so we left and called into some shops on the way home for supplies.

Power went off just after we got home and Liz went for walk as I relaxed at home. It feels hotter than Mpwapwa and it is def much more humid – I had heat rash on my thighs and stomach so need to make more effort to drink more.

In the evening Liz cooked and we were able to have some homemade garlic bread which is a nice treat but still needs perfecting! We watched the ‘Lion King’ and some more ‘Flight of the conchords’ topped off a pretty good day.

Tuesday 10th November

No power today and as a result no students. I had one lesson due but they do not turn up if no power. This is because they come to ICT from other lessons so when there is no power they can return to their lessons. I did wonder about asking them to come anyway and doing some theory with them but will need to check with their other teachers.

Started to decorate the classroom with posters and keywords to make the place look nice and give the students things to look up on the walls. Did not make too many posters though as Liz told me there will be many non-power days and it is good to have things to keep you busy!

The classroom is hot without the a/c and fan on and I went with Liz for some dough balls and juice again. We went past the post office and I posted some postcards.

Did another walk and Liz cooked dinner again – this time fake meat and pasta – her speciality! We played scrabble and this time I kicked ass!

Wednesday 11th November

Power again today at the college and I was able to teach my two lessons. In the Internet room, where there are 4 computers, an American guy had visited and ‘donated’ as he quotes $6 million worth of ebooks – he also filled up the hard drives of 2 of the computers so they are slow and gave us over 100 viruses which have left the 2 computers crippled and not working… I was able to protect the other 2 computers by installing Avria anti-virus, firefox and creating restore points.

Went for lunch at usual place (must find the name) and had pilau beans. In the late afternoon did a walk again with Liz and we went along the Wete road for maybe 4 miles and then back. We had chips and baked beans for dinner with some yummy flat bread, it is a bit like a naan/pancake combo.

Scrabble again but this time I was beaten, we watched 2 episodes of ‘Flights of the conchords’. I am currently reading ‘Fatboy and the dancing ladies’ which is the sequel to ‘Last orders at Harrods’ both are by Michael Holman and are very entertaining. They are about a fictitious country in East Africa and how the locals, government and aid workers all interact – they are satirical and a good read!

Thursday 12th November

In the morning I got a copy of Windows XP so I could reformat the 2 computers. The only problem is there is no serial for it… Frustrating, I figured it would be safer for the computers in the internet room if I installed Ubuntu on them (less prone to viruses) but as I was downloading it power went… Grrrr more frustration but at least the computers in my classroom work and it is good that they are not connected to internet… A bit worried they will get burrowed and put into the internet room…

As there was no power for the rest of the day I decided to decorate the room a bit more and write some more postcards.

In the evening (still with no power) I tried making a potato and cabbage curry but did not cook the potatoes long enough – the rest of it tasted fine though.

Friday 13th November

No classes today so I took my laptop to work to keep it up to date. Was thinking about trying to clone the computers but power went before I had the chance to experiment or try downloading Ubuntu for them.

We had a relaxing afternoon, Matayo rang and it was nice to hear from him, we are trying to find a way for him to come and visit us on Pemba though it will be expensive for him – it might be better to meet him in Dar.

Juanito came over for dinner. Liz tried making some falafels but it was unsuccessful so we went to get chips and chapattis and cooked some veg so we could make wraps.

We had some beers and I was falling asleep as we watched ‘Mr and Mrs Smith’ I must be getting old if Angelina Jolie can’t keep me awake! Juanito stayed over as it’s a bit of a walk to his house and it was late.

Saturday 14th November

Went out and got eggs and bread for breakfast. Tidying day today and did my washing – it is much nicer washing clothes here as Liz has a 1,000 litre tank and running water most days all day! In Mpwapwa I would always be worried about running out of water.

Liz went for a walk and I stayed at home updating my blog so that I can update a bit quicker.

We went to the mess in the evening for beers and Chipsi Mayai. We played monopoly card game and Liz beat me 6 times in a row – just a little embaressing…

We got home and watched Shawshank but I fell asleep – I keep falling asleep! Wake up early too but getting used to life here and I am happy!

Sunday 15th November

Lazy morning, lots of reading and using the laptop as power. Had a sweet pineapple for breakfast and noodles for lunch.

In the afternoon we met Juanito and did a nice long walk along the Gando road (around 2 hours) saw lots of wild life and Juanito was enjoying the plantlife.

Got back and had egg fried rice for dinner, a few beers and watched some more TV shows.

Sure Monday will bring challenges with power and the dilapidated ICT equipment...

Take care

The journey to Pemba - at stop over on Zanzibar

So Internet is slow here and I cann't always get on - but we di have an old fashioned modem at home so I am updating today using that.

Here is the update for travelling from Dar to Zanzibar.

Saturday 31st October

Today Liz, Juanito, Elgen and I caught the boat to Zanzibar. VSO bought us the tickets and they only cost tsh 10,000 (flying horse) a bargain! We were meant to be seating in economy but as we boarded we were ushered into first class – got the mzungu treatment! The trip was fine and there was a tacky badly dubbed Spanish TV show called ‘Second Chance’ – it was really really bad but helped to pass some of the time on the journey…

Got through immigration fine at Zanzibar, showed them my residents permit for the mainland and we then got a cab to The Shangani and nice hotel in the heart of Stonetown. I had my backpack, blue case, laptop and small day bag and it all travelled with me from Mpwapwa and managed to stay in one piece! The Shangani wanted $47 per night but I showed them my residents permit and the price was lowered to tsh 36,000 much more like it! After settling down and leaving bags Liz tried to get herself a ticket to Pemba but was unable so she would be staying with me that night.

We went to Al-Johari to meet Liz (Rose, another volunteer on Zanzibar) Marius and 2 of his friends. Al-Johari is a great place, it is a roof top bar which has happy ‘hour’ from 3pm to 8pm and drinks are tsh 1,600 – a good price for Zanzibar! We played some Monopoly (South African version) and smoked some Banana flavoured Sheesha which was actually pretty good. The monopoly ended with Marius and I vs the 2 Lizzes but we were defeated…

We were hungry so we went to Forodhani food gardens which had just reopened down by the house of wonders and old fort. It was great to be able to enjoy tasty, fresh fish kebabs and sweet potatoes! There were the usual guys selling Zanzibari pizza, sugar cane juice and other treats.

After eating we had a post dinner beer at Sunrise bar before heading back to the Shangani for a well earned sleep! I was getting closer to my new destination and did not mind the stop over on Zanzibar.

Sunday 1st November

Got up around 9am, had breakfast up on the roof top restaurant at Shangani and then went with Liz to buy her boat ticket down at the port. It was much quieter at the port compared to Easter and Christmas, the last times I was there. We were only hassled by a few touts rather than the usual crowd.

After getting the ticket we went to meet Marius at the dala dala stand near the market. We went out to Dungu in the middle of the island where Marius works at a teachers college. It was pretty rural and reminded me a little of Mpwapwa (just the rural feel not the vegetation!) It was quite surreal getting water from a old well.

For lunch Marius cooked us some daal which was gorgeous and we ate it with rice and chapattis. As he cooked he put on some BBC radio comedies and listening to QI made me think of Dad.

In the afternoon we went to the Army mess for some beers which was nice and good to see Marius’ local. He was infatuated with one of the barmaids which was funny. After 3 beers Liz and I caught a dala back to Stonetown.

In the evening Liz and I had a date and went for dinner at the ‘Silk Route’ a very nice Indian in Stonetown, we had cocktails with our curry and it was nice to have a little treat while on Zanzibar.

Monday 2nd November

Liz was going back to Pemba this morning and she took my blue case for me and also swapped her back pack for my day bag and laptop so I could double up my stuff and then only have 2 bags to take on the boat on my trip to Pemba later in the week. We took Liz to the port and then went to pick up Liz Rose who was coming with Juanito and I to the NTRC (national teacher resource centre) where would meet Mr Shabaan and Mr Siad from the ministry. It was nice to meet them and they were very enthusiastic, Mr Shabaan gave me his visitors book to sign. After exchanging pleasantries we then took the cab to the ministry building out near where Martin and Yasmin live so we could meet Mr Sulieman who would process our new work permits, VISAs and residents permits. Unfortunately I did not have any passport photos so I popped back into Stonetown to get some done – lots of chasing around but a successful morning (I even got to watch some old Tom and Jerry cartoons while waiting for photos to be printed!). Juanito and I got lunch near the Shangani, we had falafels which were very tasty.

In the evening we went over to Martin and Yasmins house so Juantio could meet them and we had a beer down by the sea and saw possibly the most stunning sunset so far. It was nice catching up with Martin and Yasmin and having a good old chat. They cooked us pasta and after dinner I tried to teach them some constellations but the sky was too cloudy so I drew them out some charts to try and use when it is clearer.

Tuesday 3rd November

In the morning Juanito and I tried to buy boat tickets for Wednesday but were told there was no boat leaving Wednesday – it is a little bit frustrating that the boat companies seem to change their schedules for Pemban boats every week. The guy in the ticket office told us to come back tomorrow. We took the scenic route back to the hotel (basically I tried to take us through the streets rather than main road and got us a little lost…)

For the rest of the morning I went to Livingstones to chill and have a nice fresh juice. I was reading a book called ‘who hates whom’ about conflicts and issues between countries towards the end of the 20th century – very interesting! There was an old landing craft (called LCT happy) on the beach which was being painted and was so old I would not be surprised it made a landing during D-Day!! It was due to travel back to Dar at some point – I hope it would make it one piece…

I went and had lunch at Archipelago which as usual was fantastic (both taste and value for money!) and in the afternoon went back to Al-Johari for some free internet and a few happy hour beers. There was a divorced South African women propping up the bar complaining about everything - especially the internet users but she must have been a bit envious as she went and got her laptop too in the end…

In the evening Juanito and I went to meet Lisenka and we had dinner at Forodhani and then went to watch some African drumming and dancing in the old fort. The drumming was great and the dancing very suggestive, the mamas sure can move! After the entertainment we went to Migambani for a beer before retiring.

Wednesday 4th November

Went to the port again to get tickets, queuing for tickets is an interesting experience – it seems completely ok for people to push in front of you and for others to ask you to buy them their tickets for them. We managed to buy our tickets and Juantio was unlucky as without his resident he had to spend tsh 60,000 on a first class ticket whereas I was able to get mine for a trim tsh 16,000 but it was economy (meaning sitting down below deck as everyone is sick…).

After buying tickets I did some shopping around Stonetown, berating the shop keepers for selling their goods at seven times the price as the markets in Dar – crazy, who did they think they were trying to kid? I got back and relaxed for a bit as the weather was hot and humid. I went for lunch at the dolphin restaurant where I had Pilau Kuku and was entertained by an African Grey parrot who greeted me in both English and Kiswahili! He had a nice big cage and had beautiful feathers so I did not worry too much about his health.

Late in the afternoon I met Martin and Yasmin at Al-Johari where we had a few beers and played some more monopoly – It was me against Yasmin and Matty, I had such a lucky game and really did well. The South African women was still there complaining so I guess she has had no luck on her question for holiday romance…

I grabbed dinner at the Archipelago and then headed back to the room to get a good nights sleep before the final leg of my journey to my new placement. There was a TV in the room so I decided to watch something, they were showing ‘Reservior dogs’ on an Asian TV channel and it was funny because it was edited for language (strangely not for violence…) There was hardly a sentence said with it being edited, it even went so far as to bleep out the ‘but’ in sentences!!

Next chapter – Pemba!

Take care!

Pemba!! Kev is still in Tanzania!!

Just a quick update - had first day at work and all is good. Taught 2 small classes (6 and 7 students on 3 computers!) Very different to Mpwapwa and back home but rewarding as able to give students much more attention.

Power is still on which is good and am doing some techy bits with logins and trying to make sure the computers are protected from power surges - will see how that goes... BIG problem with viruses here...

The move to Pemba was fine and will update blog fully soon!

So my new placement is until May 2010 and my new address is:

Walimu Kevin Brown
Benjamin Mkapa TTC
PO Box 261
Wete
Pemba
Zanzibar
Tanzania

Postcards coming to your homes soon!!

Take care