The BIG post

10/6/2007 6:14:25 AM

The equator is an interesting thing…. It is 6 AM and it is full daylight out. That is going to take a while to get used to.

Well, I arrived in Dar es Salaam last night at about 9:45 pm. I got my luggage (both pieces made it) and flew through immigration (my resident visa was waiting for me there). I walked out of customs and there was Sandy McCaan and there husband (the twoappointed missionaries from ECUSA posted at Msalato and two young American women who are also working at Msalato.

I went to a local ATM and got 200,000 Tanzanian Shillings (which is actually about $150 US…. But a lot of bills because 10,000 TSZ is the highest denomination bill. The McCaans dropped me off at my hotel, which is really quite lovely and I was checked in and in my room by 10:30 pm. I was able to get to sleep by a little after midnight. I hope to get to back to sleep soon. I just want to share some of my initial experiences.

10/6/2007 5:50:45 PM

So its been an interesting day. I haven’t done anything. I eventually got a shower and went down to the hotel’s complimentary breakfast – and it was definitely not continental. It was quite an elaborate spread. I was surprised by the number of Asian tourists who were at breakfast. At least half of the guests were Asian.

So, after breakfast I came back up to my room and I eventually fell asleep around 10:30 am. The phone rang at 3:30 pm and it was my father. He had called because I had not yet called him. I had intended to call around 1 or 2 pm, but was asleep. We chatted for a while, then fell asleep for another hour.

I don’t think that I will be doing much of anything this evening. The whole point of today was always to get the rest I knew I would need. I am certain I will be back in Dar several more times during the coming year. I have learned that I will be having dinner Sunday night at the home of one of the professors as Msalato. This professor, Given, was a student at VTS during my first two years there. It will be nice to see him again and to get acclimated to my new home.

10/8/2007 2:27:35 PM

Sorry that I have not yet been able to post to my site, but it has been an interesting experience. The Dar hotel’s internet access did not work for me and I have not yet had a chance to post my thoughts yet. I have been writing down my thoughts as I find the time and will upload once I get the chance.

So, I left Dar on Sunday. I rode on the “regular” class bus operated by Scandinavia Express. The bus left on time and was fully loaded. Funny thing… the bus cost 10,000 TSZ (about $7.50) and my taxi ride from the hotel to the bus stop cost 10,000 TSZ. In the future I figure I will go for the “Deluxe” bus which has air conditioning and maybe get two seats so I can get a bit more legroom. The bus ride was very long but uneventful.

I was met at the bus stop by Given who had been waiting for me for some time. We went to Msalato Theological College, my home for the next year. The college is quite large… lots of buildings. I am living in a duplex that has a kitchen, living room, two bedrooms, and an office. There is a pretty new fridge in the duplex that I can use for the coming year. I will likely buy a new stove for the duplex so that I can have baked goods. It will be expensive but I can leave it at the end of the year for the next missionary or professor that stays in the duplex.

Today, Monday I have started to get around the college and meet people. I had chai’ with the staff of the college earlier and got the chance to meet many of them. It is clear that there is a definite need for IT support here. One of the problems they have had is that all of the user accounts appear to have been deactivated (which as you can imagine is a big problem). I think believe that I will start work tomorrow. Today I am unpacking, settling in, and catching up on my rest (jetlag isn’t fun).

I got a cell phone and shopped for basic groceries earlier. I will have a housekeeper/cook for about six hours a day. She will only cost 2,500 TSZ ($2 US), which is actually really good pay for this area where a laborer will earn maybe $1 US a day. It will definitely take a while to get used to.

I have already taken some interesting pictures, which are posted on my site. They are pictures from my hotel room looking out at a golf course in Dar and pictures from around Msalato. Thank you again for all of your support, interest, and prayers.

10/9/2007 8:23:04 AM

Today is my first day of work. I slept poorly last night… still suffering a bit of jet lag. Anyway, I am really looking forward to tackling the IT problems at the college. I hope I can help. I should have a router installed in my duplex tonight so I should be able to email and update to my blog more often. Well, I shall be off to work now. Have a great day y’all.

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