I started the day at about 4am thinking about the things I don't like about Dar es Salaam as I had woken up incredibly hot, sweaty and grumpy - no air conditioning or even ceiling fans. All the power was off which could mean one of several things: a general power failure, a tripped switch, a blown fuse or failure to pay the power bill (it's a pay as you go system)!! Whatever, it didn't make for a happy little vegemite. By the time the natural light came it was obvious the generator must have no fuel either as Hamisi the groundsman, is normally very prompt at switching over. Sunday is the staff's day off and as Friday had been a public holiday it seemed we were destined for a long hot day without even the benefit of communication as the internet modem is reliant on power too.
Brownie/girl guide memories kicked in and I was able to make Hamisi tea and toast by virtue of the fact the the hotplate is gas. Also boiled myself a couple of eggs. The eggs here are novel. Despite the chickens being free range it is virtually impossible to distinguish between the yolk and white. That being said they taste fine - especially with vegemite toast. Vegemite the cure all for everything.
Tanzanian boiled eggs (ignore the vegemite)
Semmy arrived just after 9am to collect Narelle from the airport. Our usual transport - the Rav 4 has something mechanical wrong with it but luckily there is an ambuIance at the house that has not yet been passed on to its selected clinic. I decided to take advantage of the air conditioned vehicle ride to the airport to cool off.
On the way to the airport there were so many beggars especially amputees, older women and men, others with disabilities and children. There is no social security and I believe the GDP is about US$578 per capita per annum. If you don't have an income you dont eat. Children complete school after year 7 unless there is someone who can support ongoing education. Without education there is limited capacity for work. It is Muslim society (90%)albeit a tolerant one, but women on their own would find it much harder to find work as well. There is little option but to beg. It made me heart sore but one person is unable to change that status for everyone. We observed one youngish man smoking a joint on the side of the road. It's not legal but he made no effort to hide it. He looked so hopeless and you could see why. His left leg had been amputated above the knee.
This is why I feel blessed. Those inconsequential things I experienced today mean nothing in comparison to the hardship experienced by the people here. The power and airconditioning is back on, there is food in the fridge, Narelle is back safely and by this stage Orzanna will be home too. What more do we need?
Am loving following along with your experiences Trish and totally agree that Vegemite is the cure for everything!!
ReplyDeleteGreat stuff isn't it? Had my first taste when we lived in the UK and have never looked back lol
ReplyDeleteOOO! the eggs don't look too appetising lol so i would definitely go with the vegemite. How sad to have so many amputees and to note how it is such a struggle for them to survive :(
ReplyDeleteLife isn't easy here for many
ReplyDeletechickens in the West often have food colouring added to their feed to make the yolks orange...depends on what the chooks are fed on and as you say, doesn't affect the taste...just that we are conditioned to eating very yellow/orange yolks....When we were growing up in Zambia and Kafula used to scour the villages for eggs, they were often very pale yolked
ReplyDeleteOne of the midwives in the house is a farmers daughter. It depends on the feed. In the west we give the chooks supplementary feed that enriches the colour. These birds look very healthy but seem to peck around in the whitish looking dust all day
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