A month in and we’re still enjoying life here, which is always a good sign. I’m getting used to driving around- in fact I’m slightly worried that my driving has actually got worse in order to fit in with the unwritten rules of the road here! In fact on almost all fronts- kids’ nursery, my work, Soma’s social life- we’ve made great progress. Only two major issues have hung over us- getting a place to live and sorting a work permit. The latter is not going to be covered on this blog- apart from the fact that it is a very tedious and boring subject, I’ve delegated the whole process to someone else and therefore have no clue what is going on!
I have to confess that the housing situation was becoming a cause for concern. We knew that the house market was fairly cut-throat here but thought, naively, that we’d cracked it only a week after arriving. We’d found a house that we liked and made an offer which was accepted. After a few attempts at a contract, we were ready to sign at the start of this month. We might have been ready, but the Landlord apparently was not. He maintained a solid radio silence which seemed to indicate that he had another offer but didn’t want to tell us. It was back to the drawing board for us- hope his house gets subsidence though!
Looking for a new place was not as easy as in Cairo, but, unsurprisingly, not as tough as the agents were making out. Although the market is heated, there were properties there- each time a property fell through or we got gazumped, Soma turned another one up within a day. We came agonisingly close on several occasions- we were seconds from signing on one place when the rather portly landlord (Bob Geldof and Bono need not worry themselves unduly over this particular chap) decided that he wanted us to pay his taxes on top of his rent! After a couple of weeks in which we saw the worst of the local landlord community, we finally stumbled upon a very nice place. It looks like a semi-detached Swiss chalet, and is new build. It’s a big place –definitely enough space for visits- in a compound with a shared pool (always good, as you get to swim in it but don’t have to maintain it!) Incredibly, after a lightening quick negotiation, both parties put pen to paper yesterday- we finally have a home! We’ll move into it in the New Year; we just need a work permit now so our possessions can move from Dar es salaam’s dockside, through customs and into this lovely new place!
With immediate needs now more or less sorted out, we can turn our attention to Christmas. Now why is it that I really cannot believe it’s less than two weeks away? Perhaps we’ve just been preoccupied with other things; perhaps it’s because none of the local radio stations seem to play the usual offerings of Slade and Wizzard. No- let’s be honest, while also rubbing it in shamelessly to those working their way through a cold and dark British winter. We had lunch today outside, in thirty degree heat, under bright red flame trees in a very nice seaside restaurant. We then went on to a garden party at the French school before coming home for a late afternoon swim. Being the southern hemisphere, it is the height of summer here. Being Africa, this means it’s very hot and sunny and not at all Christmassy!
December in Dar! A couple of pictures from today. Rohan waiting for lunch at Slipway. Kieran standing just a few metres further on, along the harbour. The island behind him is Bongoyo- I managed to get the world's worst sunburn there a few weeks ago!
Getting back to organising Christmas, Soma, typically has been well on the case. This is partly a matter of self interest, however, given that the boys are now on holiday for three weeks and she needs something to keep them occupied. Regardless of motive, the girl has come up trumps.
At the end of this week, we’ll be heading a few hours southwest of here to the Mikumi national park for a long weekend of safari. I understand that antelopes, zebra and hyena are pretty much everywhere here, but we’re really hoping to see some of the big animals- the elephants, lions and leopards that I’ve been promising Kieran for months. We’ll be back here for Christmas itself (Christmas dinner booked at a local pub run by a couple from Grimsby) and for New Year, before we head off for another few days, this time Zanzibar. Having so many places so close by (Zanzibar is a 20 minute flight) is a real bonus. Soma and I have learned our lesson from Cairo. This assignment could end tomorrow. I hope we’ll be here for years but we should get out and see the place as if it were our last couple of months.
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