More Dar, and our visit to Peace Corps HQ

 One of our outings in Dar was to the Peace Corps Tanzania headquarters, which was very nice and reminded me a lot of Laredo (lots of white wash, broad leaf Bermuda grass, cool verandas,  woven chairs and ornamental cactus.)   It was nice and many offices we visited, where the acronyms have their work, were air conditioned.  It was interesting to note that the offices of the Wamarekani (Americans) were very cool or cold, and the offices of the Watanzanians were a lot warmer. On the whole it was a peaceful, cheerful place. When we left there we deposited, at least in my case, exactly one half of our luggage.  This is so when we go on our Home Stays on Tuesday we don’t appear to be so rich.   I may never go back to pick mine up.

In Dar we stayed in the Center when not escorted out.  There we had language lessons, cultural transition lessons, lots of ‘Be Safe’  shots (typhoid,  meningococcal, Hep A-R, rabies.  EEK!).  Somehow the Bank and the phones/internet modems never worked even though we paid the equivalent of 2 months’ salary for the communication devices, and the Bank has floated another month’s salary for over a week.   Tanzanians say, It’s Tanzania!, and laugh delightfully.  I think they need a Kiswahili word for SNAFU.  (Another acronym).   This has had the effect of making me care more about $53 than I have for a long time.

Dar es Salaam is super-hot (and it’s winter!), pretty ugly except for  where the PCH is, at least from where I saw, crime-ridden, and crowded.  If the rest of my duty were to be assigned there, I would seriously consider resigning.  However, the Peace Corps has not survived for 50 years for nothing, and we will soon be departing Dar for the cooler highlands and our Home Stay.