Getting Ready For Holidays

No matter where we seem to be, July always seems to have a bit of an odd feeling about it. Whether in Egypt or in Tanzania, in July, the international schools finish for the year and families head off to their countries of origin for a summer break. In Egypt, this made perfect sense- temperatures in Cairo averaged in the 40s Celsius and sometimes spiked above 50 in mid August. Cairo in July and August emptied itself not only of expatriates but also of Egyptians, all of whom seemed to decamp to the north coast for a couple of months to avoid the heat.

Here in Dar, the exodus seems a bit unfortunately timed. The rainy season, for what it was worth this year, has passed and we are now officially in mid winter. What this actually means is that we have daytime temperatures in the low to mid 20s Celsius and night time temperatures low enough that the AC can be switched off and a combination of open windows and a fan is enough for a good night’s sleep. Sadly, the schools are out, so this is really the only chance for a long trip overseas- the best weather of the year has to be left for the Tanzanians to enjoy largely alone.

Knowing that we’ll be leaving for a while fairly soon, the social side of life has picked up- a last chance to catch up with friends we won’t be seeing for a month or so. Last week, we managed a visit to the cinema, a barbecue, two birthday parties and a dinner party! Next week is going to be far quieter as we start the preparations for the trip home.

So, what are the worries about such a long trip home? Well my first worry is always about the house- will something terrible happen while we’re away? Will we return to a smouldering crater where a house once stood? While this may be a little over the top, these worries do have a certain foundation in experience. A couple of days after Rohan’s birth, we received a phone call in the early hours of the morning from our driver Mohammed. Wondering why he was calling at such an odd hour, I picked up the phone. Apparently, a pipe had burst and the whole apartment was under several inches of water. Fortunately, Mohammed had been called by the bawaab and had taken charge- by the time we got back, a slightly musty smell was all we noticed about the incident. Will we be so lucky next time? Fortunately on this occasion, we have some very good friends of ours staying for the duration we’re away. We need housesitters, they need a place to stay- the perfect marriage of convenience!

My other main worry is about driving. Our plan is to spend a couple of weeks in London, then to fly up to Edinburgh to stay with Soma’s brother a few days. We’ll then drive slowly down to Wolverhampton via the Lake District. Sounds marvellous and I’m sure it will be. The only worry I have about this whole scenario is that my driving experience for the past two years has been limited solely to Africa. While I think my standards of driving are way better than average here in Tanzania, I’ve had to adapt to the local conditions- a well behaved UK driver is not going to get far here! This general change (or perhaps more accurately “degeneration”) in my driving was confirmed by my brother on a recent visit, who compared my driving to that of a dodgy London cabby. I’m now desperately trying to remind myself of the stricter conditions in the UK. A red traffic light means “stop”. It doesn’t mean “slow down, look left and right and cut the light if the coast is clear”. It definitely means “stop”. If I get caught speeding in the UK, you definitely mustn’t give the policeman a sly look and ask him “can we be friends?” while waving a ten pound note out of the side window. Forcing a gap at a right turn junction by pulling out and blocking the other side of the road is likely to be very unpopular in the UK as is trying to get to the head of a queue by driving along the pavement (okay, I’ve never actually done that one- I promise!!- , though many people here do). I’ll do my best, but I’m still pretty sure I’m going to get less than a mile before the first points find their way onto my licence- maybe I’ll just hire a driver!

The one thing we’re not too worried about is Swine Flu. We’re hearing all sorts of stuff here about its spread in the UK. It does seem to be getting quite commonplace but equally it seems that very few people who don’t have an underlying condition are dying of it. The reported figures of 100,000 cases are also a little fishy. In the days after diagnosis passes from a qualified doctor to a website, the number of diagnoses goes through the roof. My favourite website, The Daily Mash, perhaps sums up my suspicions best- when the government launches an online method of getting a copper bottomed excuse for a fortnight’s sick leave, it’s not surprising that the number of “cases” has rocketed!

For sure, we’ll be taking precautions and, perhaps, will bring along a stock of Tamiflu just in case. However, we need to remember to keep the risks in perspective. We’re living our daily lives in a place where Malaria is endemic and other nasties such as Dengue Fever, Sleeping Sickness, Yellow Fever, Cholera and Typhoid are known to exist, and have survived just fine so far. We don’t spend our lives fretting about getting some nasty illness (though I did have a bad dream about Ebola once). We’ll take precautions for sure, but will not be losing much sleep over it.

Soma has just pointed out that having written the rather smug paragraph above, I guess I’ve now just pretty much guaranteed I’m going to get Swine Flu and, in fact most people reading this will now be hoping I do get it! If I do then, to quote one Facebook contributor, I’ll “get well soon or die trying”!