I arrive in dusty Dodoma and Amy, whom I’ll soon be replacing, picks me up in STT’s Toyota Land Cruiser. She has mastered the old beast and knows the roads well. If I don’t learn to drive here, where I’ll most need to, I don’t know when I will! We arrive at the house. It is a sweet three bedroom bungalow with a basic (repeat basic) bathroom and a kitchen. As I’ll be living on my own here, I’m staying in the master bedroom which has a wardrobe and a bigger bathroom with hand sink and a squat – but flush – toilet. There are locks galore everywhere and at night I feel exposed as the curtains don’t actually cover the windows! However Tumaini is a trusted night guard and there’s no way the furless cat (who I suspect also has rabies) can get in.
Unfortunately my toilet is currently an aquarium of tadpoles and unknown swimming organisms. Three plumbers come the next day to fix the pipes. As days go by I feel more secure and realize that concerns of danger I might have had are easily tamed as you grow familiar with the area. Sadly, Amy is sick with Malaria and though she makes some effort to show me around and introduce me to a few people, her condition deteriorates and has to stay in bed. I am thus left to my own devices to find things out. After bartering at the market and buying fresh naan bread from the Indian shop, I cook her a bean meal. When I rinse the beans and leave them to soak I notice some of them move...yes beans and beetles come in the same bag! The avocados taste AMAZING!!! And this is no small statement coming from someone who grew up with “agaucates colombianos”.
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