Never knowingly taking the shorter route

So, no joy on the visa front.  The possibilities that I had haven’t worked out and, while I could scrape around for something to do somewhere or go travelling again or something I don’t really feel like it now, so I’m going to come back to England and then re-assess.  I’ll be getting back on 28th March and working things out from there.  I’m not aiming to rush back into work, especially as I really don’t know what I want to do, so I’ll probably just bum around staying on friends floors and at my parents and stuff for a month or so (consider this notice).

So, has this all been a waste of time?  Has it been a mistake?  Hmm, I’d say no.  I had a really good time travelling, met loads of nice people, had lots of interesting experiences, and since I got here I’ve met nice people and seen a side of Africa few people get to see, so I’d say its been a good experience.  There have, obviously, been negatives, though.  I’ve not been able to do the work I was promised, and that’s really got me down.  I think I’ve learned a lot.  I am more suspicious of development work now, I wonder if it can ever be sustainable and I have learned that there needs to me a lot of organisation behind work such as this.  I have a big bunch of questions in my head that I will ask if I do this again.  And will I do it again?  Maybe.  I am not decided.  I think if I did I would do it with a bigger organisation and with a better idea of what sort of support I might get and a more concrete job description - but I’m certainly not put off totally by things.

What’s the future hold, then?  As I say I’ll be thinking about this from now on and I’ll try not to rush into anything in England.  Maybe I’ll try and get a job I really enjoy in England (what, I cannot say).  And if not one that pays a lot in London, then use that money to do something nicer that pays less at some later date.  Maybe I’ll do neither of these, I really don’t know.  Suggestions welcome.

So I went to Zanzibar. I spent a few days in Nungwi, diving, then a few days in Stone town at a music festival. The fastival included a 95 year old woman who looked like a turtle, several versions of traditional african drag, lots of crazy instruments you’ll never see anywhere else and really bad rap music. All in all I had a good time.

After that we spent half a day in Dar while we waited for a couple of other volunteers to turn up. We went to a place called Sea Cliff, which is where the NGOs and embassies are. Its a crazy Mzungu (white person) world! There is a supermarket called “Village Supermarket” that has western brands (I bought some Newcastle Brown Ale and some pork scratchings), and a food court full of western food. Its like some alternative world for rich white people. The only Tanzanians were working there. Its pretty much what I imagine a modern collonialism to be like. I must say I felt pretty uncomfortable there, though, I mean its just a place to go to pretend your not in one of the worlds porest countries. I can imagine people coming to visit there relatives who work there and thinking that Tanzania’s all like that. I got to see a white person making a black person go round with the trolly and get the things off the shelf for them.

So after that we left for Dar, via Morrogoro. Eventually got here (the rains have not been kind to the roads). Back to being one of 6 white people in town. Back to people staring and pointing and shouting “Mzungu” at me (makes me wonder what would happen if I shouted “black person” at a black person in England. I suspect they wouldn’t be too happy).

Also this week we went to the Massai market again and ate some meat. Had my hand shook by lots of people. We also went to a Massai village and to the church there and saw pleanty of singing and dancing from the choir and watched a Massai child being baptised by a white peson while being scared out of their whits and fighting to get away (many think we have no skin, apparently).

So, having a good time. Work wise there’s still not that much going on, though I have been convinced that the database I’m doing is not going to be a total waste of time. Visa wise, still not looking good. Probably be back in Blighty by the end of March.