And my contract ends today, which means that I'm leaving my house in Dar es Salaam tomorrow.
A fantastic house. Mainly due to the people filling it up.
I want to say thanks to the ones who came from everywhere and filled up the beds; the overlanders from Zimbabwe and their mother-in-law from Skjern; the coordinator who missed her train to Zambia (though the TAZARA appears to be the most set inetiary in this country since the 70ties); the easy-going Swedish director working with forests at Lake Victoria; the married couple who had a life-altering fight in my guest room; a couple of students trying to define essences of this country, colleagues in transition, fellow NGO workers from Congo, Sudan and Uganda; two PhD candidates (and maybe some future ones), family and friends; the ones who stuffed the fridge with wine; turned up the volume; never complained that there's no air condition; sat on my veranda till the sun got up; complimented me for being the coolest non-smoker; the ones who tried (in vain) to figure out the logic of my next-door container bar; interviewed my askaris; took me home (in spite I refused to leave Garden Bistro); for Dr. Wang's magic acupuncture every Thursday; the Msasani Beach Club Annex 2 (which cemented my love for linghala as a loud backdrop on weekends); lazy Saturdays in kikois under the fans on the couches in the lounge; not to forget my Icelandic nephew who turned the front yard into a play ground making five adults laugh till their bellies hurt.
It takes a lot to beat the vibe of this house.
I'm checking out of Dar es Salaam pole pole. I leave my house tomorrow and go to stay on the Southern Beaches in Kigamboni at a friend's house till March 19, where I fly home(ish).
