I often describe Dar es Salaam, Tanzania as a place that doesn't exactly jump out at you and say "love me." It is a long process of engagement that has bumps along the way... on and off the potholed roads. I thought it would be fun to compile a list of the 10 things I'll miss most about living here.
1. My colleagues. Hands down, this is number 1. I have the best colleagues one could ask for. They are smart, dedicated and simultaneously full of laughter and joy. It makes working such a pleasure.
2. My morning walk to the office. It is an adventure, starting with my quick morning Swahili lesson with the guard at the gate to the house, exchanging "habari za asabuhi" and "mzuri" with people along the road, the daily waves, smiles and greetings from my favorite taxi driver (a delightful elderly man), the fruit vendors, my walk through the hospital campus and seeing the daily life there of people in outdoor waiting rooms, the colorful assemblage of people I walk alongside, women sweeping the dirt alongside roads and pathways clean of leaves and bits of rubbish, walking past the hospital mosque and church next to one another, men sweeping the road creating a sandy dust storm, the amazing, crowded, vibrant life at the traffic circle/daladala and taxi stands (it really needs to be experienced to get the feel of the organized chaos), the gate/outdoor waiting area at the entrance to the hospital campus that is usually packed, men selling fried bread, and the ever-present strong sun that gives such a different quality of light than I normally see at home.
3. South Beach. Within about 30-40 minutes there are some of the most incredibly beautiful beaches south of the city. Getting there involves a taxi ride to the harbor, taking the ferry across the harbor (Tsh 100, or about 7 cents), and a bajaji (tuk-tuk) to the beach. This makes for a fabulous Saturday afternoon.
4. Home. It is a lovely house and I'm grateful to be able to live there. I'll miss our housekeeper Miriam, Swahili soap operas, and everything-tastes-good-with-Masala-spices. I might even miss the night-shift rooster. Or not...
5. Epi d'Or. A restaurant on Haile Selassie Road near the tip of the Msasani peninsula that serves great hummous and baba ghanouj when nothing else will do and I can't eat another Indian meal. It can be a treasure and worth the taxi ride. And also the South African grocery stores on the expat-packed peninsula, Shrijee's and Shopper's, when familiar is comforting.
6. Kariakoo. I have never experienced any place so alive and vibrant. It is a phenomenon.
7. The crafts markets at Mwenge and The Slipway. It does start to all look the same after 30 or 40 stalls, but there are amazing treasures. Masai beadwork, ebony wood carvings, and fabrics/batiks top the list. And they all offer the 'best price' which I am happy to know is still a fair price post-haggling.
8. Tea time. Everything stops for morning and afternoon tea breaks. I like that.
9. The mix of cultures. Tanzania is a very stable country and an array of people live in close proximity. There isn't a sense of inter-anything strife. A walk will include a mixture of women in colorful headscarves, face coverings and burkas, or simply khangas (colorful fabric wraps), all enjoying one another in spirited conversation, kids in their crisp school uniforms, men usually conservatively dressed. The huge Indian community and how Indian cooking permeates the food scene. I've gained a perspective on Islam that is far removed from what one sees in the US media. Religions living comfortably alongside one another.
10. The challenge of living here. It isn't an easy place to live if one has expectations that life happens in a certain way. I find myself challenged in unexpected ways, butting up against beliefs or 'shoulds' that I am grateful to have exposed. I find myself laughing at myself. I learn from people around me and especially how few things are really worth getting upset about (electricity? - it'll come back... water? - it'll come back... ever-present super-fast internet? - seriously?... time? - there is tomorrow).
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