An Introduction to Mortality

The African dust stirred up by my hop across the ocean is beginning to settle. What was once so unfamiliar is swiftly becoming the familiar. Yesterday I noticed that my office was finally air conditioned to a habitable temperature. Walking over to the thermostat, I was surprised to find that the office was still being cooled to 28°C as it always was…and then I realized that it was me, I was finally acclimatizing to the heat. I feel only vaguely aware of a metamorphosis I'm going through. It’s becoming more difficult to pinpoint the things which once seemed so foreign, now they are camouflaged in the normal activities of life. Only the major differences continue to be noticeable and the sore thumb is security - the continuous attention and caution demanded from me when I travel around the city. A once-peaceful Dar is currently being plagued with a wave of drive-by muggings. Masaki, where my office is located, is being targeted. I remember reading an online article, similar to the one above, a few weeks before leaving Canada.  It seemed so distant then.  On my first day of work last month, a lady was robbed right in front of my office.  Even some of my new expat friends have been the victims of violent robberies. It’s a strange feeling, that these stories are now so close. It’s strange that the danger is real. Strange to be afraid on the streets. Are those the innocent looks of curiosity…or the glares of a predator? Strange thoughts. I don’t like them. My fears often involve the unknown…so I try to shed some light on this monster.  I deconstruct and analyze. The first peculiar thing I realize is that other pertinent dangers rarely enter my thoughts. A serious traffic accident seems a likely candidate…or what about contracting Malaria…or some other disease. So why do only the muggings cloud my mental space? Somehow an intentional human attacker seems much more hideous to me than an accident or a parasite. Perhaps because of the value I place in being able to trust people? Perhaps I’m experiencing a tragic reaction to the theft of that comfort. I have, after all, been grieving the loss of the cozy feeling of safety. But grieving is different from fearing. Why the fear? Ironically, what has helped ease my anxiety is to recognize that muggings, like the other dangers, are largely outside of my control (of course there are some preventative measures that can and should be taken). Some people might think that this realization would make things worse. But there are countless events in life outside of my control. Apparently, I am a mere mortal. The only way forward in these circumstances is to accept that "if it’s gonna happen…then it’s gonna happen." It doesn't sound very insightful, but it illuminates the fact that worrying doesn't actually affect the outcome. And so I remind myself, "if it's gonna happen, it's gonna happen...worrying is counter productive." And I repeat the phrase until I accept my place in the world.  Until I accept that I actually don't have control. And it's refreshing to be relieved of the responsibility of worrying.

Flood Warnings

Check out the email which greeted me this morning:

Please be informed that  the Tanzania Meteorological Agency  has issued a warning of heavy rainfall with strong winds from Monday 8^th October 2012 until Thursday 11^th October 2012 within Dar es Salaam, Morogoro, and Pwani (Northern Coast) Isles of Unguja and Pemba and Southern areas (please see attachment). This is the same level of rainfall as experienced in December 2011;  where we had severe flooding.

Please avoid going near the Indian Ocean shores and beaches and take all precautions against flooding and strong winds. We shall continue to update you as we get more information.

Pay As You Go

Tanzania has a cash economy.  Everything is purchased with cash, never with cards.  There’s something fun about always dealing in hard cash. Drawbacks do exist, though.  Bank machines dispense bills of 10000 shillings ($6 CAD), but somehow my purchases just never seem to be a nice multiple of 10000.  And it would seem that the entire city is short on smaller denomination bills because shopkeepers are always making me work hard to get my change back.  You might also find it interesting to know that most services in Tanzania are pay as you go.  Currently, Marie and I are having a harsh introduction to this fact.  Our luku (electricity credit) has run out and it’s too late to go to the duka and purchase more.  So I’m writing this entry by candlelight.  All cellphone and internet plans are also pay as you go (by the way, cellphone plans are actually reasonable here).   Gas, electricity, garbage collection...pay as you go. Health care...pay as you go.  Clean water (bottled)...pay as you go!

Coconunt Crab

Please meet my friend the coconut crab. Locals tell me that his kind are the largest crabs in the entire world.  The name is appropriate because this guy loves climbing palm trees to feast on coconuts, which he can open with his bare claws.  Being a hermit crab, he probably used a coconut for his protective shell when he was younger… and he will sometimes even mimic being a coconut.  If he tries to take my finger, or grabs a hold of anything else he shouldn't, the locals have a secret way of rubbing his tummy to loosen his grip.

Intersections

Dar es Salaam can be translated from Arabic as “haven of peace”, although when you travel through its streets you might find the name slightly misleading.  The trick to being a good driver here is to have the bigger vehicle - it’s a constant game of chicken.  There are no speed limits and no traffic enforcement…in fact, I have not yet been able to deduce any rules beyond the suggestion that you should try to drive on the right (as in “not left”) side of the road.  And although Dar is Tanzania’s largest city, there are only a couple traffic lights.  And so, it is standard procedure when approaching an intersection to just inch into the cross traffic, get the timing, and then make a move to squeeze through – it’s like playing a high stakes version of skip rope. 

First week impressions

Dar es Salaam, like any city, is a maze of streets packed with buildings and people.  It’s just that the packing is a little tighter than Canadian cities and there aren’t any parks to escape to. None of the roads have signs, and only the main roads have referable names.  Also, it’s only the major roads which are paved.  The rest of the dirt roads constantly kick dust up into the air making things…well…dusty.  Poorer quality side roads frequently instigate meetings between you and your vehicle’s ceiling. While particularly deep holes in the road are usually repaired with a couple bricks and some dirt, in desperate situations they are just filled with garbage...and sometimes a metal pipe is implanted across the chasm for support. Some side streets are peppered with chickens, others with cats and dogs, and still others with goats.  But every street, no matter how remote or at what time of day, will have people on it.  People walking to work or school, people carrying outrageously large amounts of materials on their head, people yelling about the football match, people playing checkers, people sweeping the front of their shop, people buying food, people selling food.  If you are stopped on Bogamoyo road, people will run up to your car and try to sell you a coat rack. Yes, an entire coat rack.  Or a skipping rope, or hangers, or sunglasses, or any one of a hundred other trinkets.  And if you are one of these pedestrians on the Dar streets, you better watch out - motors always, always have the right of way!  I’m not sure if all these people filling the streets have a permanent residence.  It doesn’t always seem that there are enough houses to fit everybody.  And yet, people are constantly stepping in and out of the small huts and shops.  These buildings are moderate and simple…built from cement…or sometimes from sticks, mud, and bricks…and topped off with a roof of sheet metal or clay tile, but I’ve also seen roofs made from palm branches.  I’m eager to explore some places further outside the city...and maybe spend some time on the coast.  I wonder what the islands are like! And where do I find some mountains?!

Master Facility List

The end of my first week at work has been extremely exciting.  After a tour of the office on Monday morning (followed by some jet lag naps at my desk), MEDA asked me to attend a 3 day conference put on by the Tanzania Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.  The goal of the conference was to outline the technical requirements in developing an online registry of all the health facilities in the country.  A number of stakeholders were contacted and about 25 people attended to give their input on what was required from the "Master Facility List".  I felt very privileged having a front row seat to watch the beginning stages of what I feel is a very significant project.  It would be so useful for Tanzania to have a centralized and reliable list of hospitals with their provided services. And to make the information available to other health projects and to the general public, well that would just be a great thing.  Mostly I sat back and enjoyed the experience, letting the more experienced members discuss what shape the project should take.  However I did get a chance to chip in when I noticed some flaws in the chosen database constraints.  And boy was my heart pounding when I said my piece.  After being understood, I promptly sat down and returned to my more comfortable role of observing.