Je ne parle pas anglais.... (30th August- 7th September)

Here I am in Dar on my last evening before I head back to the UK early tomorrow morning.

I've spent nearly a week, milling about, not doing much after we finished distributing books in Kilwa on 1st September. Kilwa was very pretty and the guest house we were staying in overlooked a beach but the schools we visited were very remote. The last school we went to took two hours to get there in a jeep going up and down the bumpiest path known to man through a forest with us having to stop frequently so that the driver could move tree trunks out of the road and cut away low hanging branches with the meat cleaver he kept under his seat.

 Early the next morning, I took a coach up to Dar on my own. It was more pleasant than the journey down, possibly because it was shorter; Kilwa is further north than Lindi town, and because the bus was smaller so it seemed to be less bumpy on the uneven road. I even saw the sunrise and at least a dozen monkeys running about near the road. When I got to Dar, I arrived at the oddest bus station on the outskirts of the city where I had to wait to be picked up by Stella and one of the locals thought it would be hilarious to shout vampire at me from across the bus stand.

Considering he didn't speak anymore English it was an odd word for him to know. Someone has being watching too much Twilight methinks.

Anyway, I've spent the past few days at the YMCA without incident, I met a few of the READ volunteers from the Oxford/Cumbria group who told me that they were given a live chicken by the schools they visted as a thank you. Twice.

I have also been approached by nearly every street artist in Dar Es Salaam more than once but as a western girl on my own I am clearly an easier target. They tend to follow me down the street and try to catch my eye so they can try to introduce themselves and pretend like I actually want to talk to them. They ask where I'm from, where I'm going, tell me I should stop for five minutes and look at their artwork not understanding I won't stop because I don't want to and I have no intention of buying anything so they are wasting their time pretending to be my friend. I have also had a bit of the same with taxi drivers who do not seem to understand I don't need a taxi to go 10ft down the road.

As a result, because if you engage them, the grab your hand and you can't escape I've developed an alter ego; I am now Rebecca from Montreal who didn't learn English in school and unfortunately most of the street artists don't speak French. What a shame.

I went back up to Mwenge market on Saturday although I nearly didn't get there as the taxi I got into broken down half way there. He then negotiated for another taxi driver to take me the rest of the way; to the wrong destination. Instead of the market, he took me to a weird outlet mall which was like stepping into a piece of California in the heart of Africa. I would have been annoyed but I actually found it quite funny. I was also intrigued by this strange mall and had to go investigate. There wasn't much there; a few phone stores, some clothing, a few shops selling the usual 'authentic African' souvenirs that you can get at the market down the road for a third of the price and some African kids following me around when they should really be in school. I did however find a bookshop and bought some books to feed my reading habit over the next few days and I got to the actual market down the road in about five minutes by walking down. I got some good presents for the people back home and I managed to get a daladala back to the right place.

After that, I didn't really go that far, I spent most of my days at the fancy hotel around the corner using the pool, which was lovely and for the most part deserted, as was the included use of the sauna and hot showers. I have had an extremely relaxing few days in all, and have even got a bit of a tan but I am looking forward going back to the UK and back to Birmingham even. I even miss the rain, we got a bit in the Dar the after I got it here and I was oddly excited by it.

Next I update will be back on the Pretty Vacant blog so I guess here is goodbye to my summer in Tanzania and on to whatever is next! Till tomorrow!