Folks, Since there seems to be some interest in the subject, here is my memory of E. Africa from the period just before I left Tanzania.
Weekly schedule: Monday - Leave home at 7.30am. Work from 8.00am to 12.00 noon. Drive home for lunch, take a nap, drive back to work, 2.00pm to 5.00pm Drive to the gymkhana grounds for hockey practice, 5.30 to 6.45 pm. Drive five minutes to the Institute for darts and beer. Tuesday - Drive to the Institute after work and park the car. Walk to a cinema and catch a movie. Walk back to the club and have dinner - fish cutlets and pattiesers. Try and join the lardis table. Wenesday - Hockey practice after work. Snooker challenge at the club. Thursday - Fewer people in the club, thus longer time on the lardis table. Friday - The weekend begins. Free beers for the better dart players. Tambola for all members. Saturday - Busiest day of the week. Work from 6.00 am to 1.00 pm. Make sure all contractors are paid. Head to the club. Make an attempt to catch up with the people who have been there since 12 noon. A good afternoon ends with a sing song, an excellent afternoon ends with a sing song and mishkaki and/or Rachead mackerels. Sunday - Go for an early Swahili mass Catch a shuttle to the nearest island Shoot a few lobsters Barter the lobsters Monthly schedule: 1) Raise funds for polio victims 2) Find enough people to hire a boat for an overnight fishing trip to a deserted island. Quarterly schedule: 1) At least one deep sea fishing expedition. 2) Raise funds for Catholic women at the local church. Neighbour Ben Mkapa, then Foreign Minister, later President of Tanzania, is Chairman of the fund raising group. Annual schedule: 1) Two sports trips, one each to Tanga and Arusha. 2) Two five day hunting trips where a convoy of five Land Rovers takes eight hours to travel the last 40 miles. 3) Win two out of four hockey tournaments 4) Free medical services for all 5) Free college education I left Tanzania for higher education in the USA. Others stayed put. What I have now in N. America, my friends in Tanzania do not. What my friends have in Tanzania, I do not. What I am grateful for is the adventure and experience of enjoying life in different cultures. ML08 2125EST
