The next morning I’m taken to the coach station by Bariki, a trusted taxi driver. It is now that I start regretting not having started to learn Swahili before coming. My ability to communicate is thus confined to the size of a pocket: my Lonely Planet phrasebook. But even to use that effectively, requires quick memory of page numbers and contents...so I sit back and decide to enjoy the last few minutes of luxury: air conditioning.
There is no way an unaided Muzungu can get on the right coach at that station. Luckily Bariki knows this too well and helps me find my bus. A battered bus but well organized, with seat numbers and not overcrowded. I smile at the discovery of my window seat. After a few hours I start conversation with a beautiful girl sitting next to me. An Economics student at the University of Dodoma, she is only a bit younger than me and her English is fluent. Jackie soon reveals her wise, friendly and intellectual personality. What luck! The road to Dodoma is not particularly scenic so we are both happy to chat most of the way there. She tells me about the vast influence China has on the development of Dodoma and the rapid growth of her university, a public institution, as the general elections approach later in the year.
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