Troublesome

I had some meetings in the day, with transport aided by one of the drivers who’s from northern Tanzania. The Dar es Salaam climate is ‘troublesome’, he said. He is also the first driver I’ve travelled with in Tanzania who has used expletives behind the wheel. Usually decorum prevails in Tanzania, but swearing is of course necessary at times to express feelings. He is a kindred spirit.

I enjoyed the tidbits of information the driver conveyed to me during our journeys to and fro. Shauri Moyo (Heart Advisor) is one of the city’s district names, which is rather bizarre. I was also quizzed by the driver on my religious affiliation. Am I Islamic? Roman Catholic? Protestant?

One of my meetings was with a project collaborator as she waited between flights at the airport, so we sat in a café there so she could brief me on a recent activity.

The evening marked a shift in gear from my recent very hermit-like social existence. Through my Spanish friend Maria who works here in conservation, I was invited as her guest to a function at the residence of the Spanish Ambassador, held annually to mark that country’s National Day, which commemorates the Spanish legacy worldwide. I wouldn’t have thought this was something to broadcast in this day and age, but as Tanzania wasn’t directly colonised by Spain, it felt more appropriate.

The last time I attended an event such as this was at the British High Commissioner’s house in Maputo where some of us (including her) ended up performing a Backstreet Boys hit complete with dramatic standing-up-from-chairs moment (although I think this was more of a Westlife signature move). Much fun was had.

The Spanish are classier than the British so I assumed it would be a sophisticated affair, and it certainly was more grand and lavish than I had been expecting - which was a cluster of a dozen Spaniards nibbling on manchego cheese making awkward conversation. Then again, the Spanish are also less awkward than the British.

It was so humid that bustling home from work and changing into a suit left me looking like a pig who’d been rolling around in a shower. Not the definition of classy. Nor was the arrival of Maria and I in a tuk-tuk, whilst everyone else was chauffeured to the entryway in their Lexuses. Undeterred we plunged in and had a very enjoyable night eating ham, meeting eclectic folks from various countries, watching salsa, getting tiddly on free booze and enjoying the generous Spanish hospitality.