Trouble in Paradise?

DSM, January 2007

Howdy. So, earlier this week the 14 American college students whom are the raison d'etre for Heather and my being here arrived in Dar. Ever since, we've been extra busy trying our best to orient them to life in Tanzania--this, despite the fact that we've only been in country for two weeks ourselves. Yesterday was a "day off" and we all went to this schmancy beach for R'n'R. All had a real nice time swimming in the Indian Ocean (very warm water like the Caribbean but saltier) and then returned to our neck of Dar.

I got dropped off by the daladala, these run-down minibuses crammed w/ 16 people or so (I will discuss them in another entry), a bit before campus so I could buy some fruit for a big brunch at our house the following day. Having been to this market before, I was able to navigate with little problem despite knowing just a few words of Swahili (most folks know a little English). I purchased delicious, just picked papaya, mangoes, bananas, pineapple, nuts, and greens for about $3.50. Then I hopped on another daladala, which ply the main roads with pleasing regularity (America could learn a lot from a society with a viable mass transit system), paid my 17 cents, and proceeded homeward. Got off the bus and started my, oh, 5 minute walk up this hill towards the house. As I passed the campus chapel, located on our street, I saw and heard a truly lovely choir group practicing on the lawn by the chapel. It was around 6:30, getting dark but not quite. Aside from the choir, quiet. I walked on, passing by some other folks on the road and then turned down the little hill to my place...

Immediately I was struck by the pack (clan? family?) of vervet monkeys who were lollygagging, eating, moseying right on our little stretch. 5, 10, 20, perhaps more. Males, females, kids, mothers with babies. In the trees, on the grass, on the road. Just minding their own business but very much watching me, as I watched them. I wanted to call out or get Heather but was afraid to disturb the scene, which was idyllic--or at least as we Northern Hemispheric folks imagine Africa.

A bit later I got my camera and soon will put up a few shots that don't begin to justice: www.flickr.com/photos/sawtooth


In case I'm giving the impression that all's perfect here, an hour later we got a call from one of the students; she had a lot of money stolen from her room at the hostel they're staying at for 10 days. Heather and I (really, Heather) still are dealing with this ugly mess. That's all for now...You folks in the States, please try to convince W. *NOT* to send 20,000 more US soldiers to Iraq, pretty please