The office is based in the same compound as the Regional Administration and is only a ten minute bike ride away from home. The team is welcoming and I go on a couple village visits in the first week. I notice people in Tanzania are very polite, something we have in common! I learn a lot about the details of STT’s work and about the impact it has on village communities. Lots of new words to learn in Swahili and other local languages and exotic fruit to taste, but especially new social graces to acquire. For instance, in the villages not finishing your soda is close to being rude for it’s a waste and a clear sign of indulgence.
I end my first week in Dodoma in style. We are invited by some friends of Amy’s to Fiorenzo’s vineyard. He is a wealthy Italian entrepreneur who is developing the Tanzanian wine industry and currently has a factory with a capacity of 900,000 litres. A night of mingling with interesting and extroverted foreigners and tasting (I’d like to say great but maybe I’ll think differently in a few months...) wine. We stay over at his villa and have delicious espresso the next morning before work on Saturday.
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