On the Other Hand

 

Many of you pointed out to me or have remarked that my outburst of negativity in January deserves a gut check.  If I hate it so much, why am I here?  Many have offered advice and comfort, good advice and real comfort.  I got 3 valentines, two very wonderful handwritten letters and a surprising care package from my sister Becky.  (Surprising not because she isn’t caring, thoughtful and generous, but because it came out of the blue.)  My latest bout of gastro-enteritis solved itself with Pepto-Bismol and BRAT (no antibiotic intervention required),  and, after a spate of truly horrible hot steamy days and nights, the weather is a bit cooler  now as we progress toward rainy season.  For these and other reasons I ‘m in an incredibly cheerful mood, and thought that it was time for On the Other Hand:  Ten Things about Tanzania that I Love. 

Not a complete list, and only so far.  But I don’t want to bore you, my faithful readers.

1.        Packeties.  You have to understand that booze is more sinful here in TZ than it is in the US.  There are many fundamentalist Christians and Muslims who practice abstinence, and women in general are not culturally ‘allowed’ to drink.  There are, of course, many alcoholics, and alcohol abuse is evident, especially in places where jobs and money are scarce. 

Ambivalence about liquor leads I think to a manner in which hard liquor is served in TZ that I find convenient and worthy of importation to America.  Packeties are plastic sachets (little packets) of TZ-made liquor.  The type equivalents are rough:  Konyagi is ‘gin’, Valeur is ‘brandy’, and Zed is, well, flavored ‘rum’, I guess.  The packets are 500ml, a ‘tot’ or shot.  Available in bars and by the box of twenty at liquor stores, for the Tanzanian it means that there is no ordering of ‘mixed drinks’ in a bar, or, as we used to say in Waco, liquor by the drink. The barmaid brings you a soft drink and a packetie.  As a service, she will cut it open for you, but she is not ‘serving’ liquor. For me there is the advantage of inventory and portion control. You count up how many empty packeties you have, and that’s how many drinks you’ve had.   Keeps me honest, especially when I ‘m trying to keep it to 1 at cocktail hour.

They are also cheaper to buy than a bottle of booze.  The general TZ Rule of Pricing applies:  if you have enough money to buy a lot, you can afford to pay more.  In other words, the reverse of volume discounting prevails.

The portability is especially appealing. No need to carry a glass bottle around, or transfer to a flask.  Going to a BYOB party?  Packeties can be tucked in pocket or purse, and they make excellent falsies.  By the time you are not false advertising, the guy who may be attracted by said false advertising is probably too drunk to care.  You certainly are.

Finally, they can be stored in any corner of the freezer, a boon when ice is at a premium and a cold libation a must.

The downsides are few.  The obvious one is that this is Tanzanian booze, not aged in the barrel or anywhere near that.  Kinda raw. So you need to mix with a soft drink, fruit juice, or tonic for a palatable highball.  My personal fav is Valeur with Coke and a squeeze of lime.

Also, and this harkens back to the ambivalent attitude about drinking that prevails, they are not sold in dukas or in grocery stores.  There are also not many liquor stores, although you can buy them to carry away at bars.  The advantage there is that they cost hardly any more by the piece in a bar than they do when you purchase a whole box (see:  Rule of Pricing, above).

Also, they are hard to open.  It almost takes more than teeth, and with a knife you are going to have some spillage.  The plastic is extremely durable, thick and tough, due to the corrosive nature of alcohol, I guess.  Rule of Thumb, your Leatherman or Swiss Army knife should be equipped with scissors.

 

Other things I love about Tanzania are:

 

2.       Fresh fruit and minimally processed raw nuts.  Mangoes, bananas, passion fruit, watermelon, grapes, even apples, and berries in season.  Almonds, cashews, peanuts, walnuts.   All widely available ripe and delicious.

3.       I love having clothes made to order from colorful cotton cloth.  Also purses, head wraps, and napery.

4.       Care packages from home.  Although, I think I have enough Q-Tips, thank you guys.  I have about 2 thousand.

5.       Almost all the native trees have flowers.  Jacaranda, cassia, kapok, jasmine, mlonge, flamboyant, bottle brush.  All colors, all shapes, all sizes. I’m sure you know in the abstract that Africa teems with life.  Usually, this means bugs, and maybe snakes.  But it also means plants.  They strive and compete for a place here, and for trees that means big, attractive flowers.  The accompanying birds are incredibly varied and fun to watch, too.

6.       Things really are cheap, and when you find the sweet spot between serviceable, durable and extremely affordable, that’s a good place to be.

7.       I love being part of the Peace Corps.  I thought I would, and I do.

8.       Tinga Tinga paintings.  They make me smile.

9.       I love living out in the country.  This is probably the only time I will ever do it unless I move back to the farm in Waco.  (Possible, but not likely.)  The stars and moon, the quiet, the big vistas, the rambles over trails and little country roads.  Getting up early, not watching TV, and country people all add to my pleasure.  I think a lot about the farm in Waco, and my grandparents’ life there.  All good, all extremely good things.

10.   The love I feel for my students makes my heart feel wonderful.  It may be healthy, even, but anyway, I love the love.

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