In the Dam and waiting for Chris

Oh my god, the internet is so freaking fast here (probably any where). I am at the Amsterdam Airport waiting for Chris' plane to land in over an hour form now and got here two hours ago. Very wierd being here. I just got a Starbucks coffee and am eying up Burger King. I would never think of doing that any where in the States but have not had good food in such a long time that BK sounds good. Sooooooo bad.

So I am looking at some wooden clogs and tulip bulbs from my prech in the middle of the airport lobby. Everone has winter clothes on and I just left a hot box of humidity. I welcome the cold, for now of course. I still hear alot of Americans/Canadians everywhere I go. Tanzania and now the Dam.

So it was wierd yesterday when I left the jobsite and then the gang at the hotel. I missed everyone at the jobsite because they were on lunch and I wanted to get out of dodge. So I never got to say bye to some of my favorite people on the job. Some very nice and funny characters. The gang was like leaving your family for the first time (not really but is as close to describing it as you can). We've been hanging out for every day for the last two months or so. Good poeple and hope to stay in contact with them. Alright, I need more coffee as I couldn't sleep as well on the red-eye fas I would have hoped.

When I am at the Koffee shops, I'll make sure to write (don't laugh).

Cheers.
P

It has landed

(sorry, this was written over a week ago)

It has landed: the $650 million dollar, 15,000 Km, undersea fiber optic cable by SEACOM. It was a huge dog and pony show for 6 fibers, each smaller than a hair. It was anticlimactic seeing a cable the diameter smaller than a soda bottle too. But, if you were stack encyclopedias as high as the Empire State Bldg., this is how much information can travel per second through this cable. Very fast and with a large capacity. Depending who you listed too, the communication cost will be reduced by 50 – 90%. The system will not be operational until June of this year.

Well the light is at the end of the tunnel. I am here until Wednesday (5th) and heading to Amsterdam and Rotterdam for 7 nights. It will be a well deserved vacation for me. Sorry I haven’t written that much lately, mostly just sick of the internet here. It is just beyond slow here which is a good thing we are putting this cable in. Today is Sunday and we are working, well I am mostly watching people work. The group of people I have been hanging out with took a trip to the small island which I can see from the job, actually could swim if I was Mike Phelps. From what we have heard the little island is a nature preserve and is beautiful I am bummed I can’t not go but there actually might be progress on the job today (that was sarcasm). I’ve been told by one of the drivers that brings one of the locals here that there is two different times – African time and Mzungo (white people) time. In Tanzania, it is usually African Time. I feel it is more like “no rush, the job will get done” but the pressure is on to get the foundations completed and ready for the 10th of March for when the prefabricated buildings arrive. If things are not ready, it will cost a lot of money to have people and equipment sit around.

I haven’t really done too much here. I did go to the local market where they sell all the touristy wood carvings and almost everything else. They ask for an absurd price for something (which is actually is still cheap in US dollars) and then you bargain with them. I am not a good bargainer, I can get them down about half and then I just cave in because it is still so cheap. Too bad I have very little room in my suitcase. The market is pretty cool, just a bunch of sheet metal buildings that are small and I hit my head all the time trying to get in these things. Everyone is friendly and too friendly when they want you money. One guy wanted to trade for my crappy watch, I should have but I am addicted to time – nature of the work.

If I can in Amsterdam, I will upload as many photos as I can. The internet will be much better for that, it really does take for ever here.

Happy Valentines.

Well, as is well here. The light is at the end of the tunnel. I’ll be leaving in the beginning of March (actually March 2nd at 11:50pm) and hitting Amsterdam for 7 days. I can’t wait for the vacation time. I was thinking this week about this place and concluded I have a hate/love relationship with this place. I guess that would be right too for such extremes coming form America, the land of opportunity, to Dar, the land of hardship and struggle. It is definitely a learning experience for me and I do hope that I bring back something. Maybe minute, but something. I do like the people here, resourceful and nice when they get to know you. Work is still a struggle for me. Mostly just trying to get these guys to make up time they have lost. I think this is a good job for them and they are in no hurry to get it done, the American Cash Cow is here.

New peps on site now - the Greeks. They are the divers for the landing of the fiber optic sea cable. Their job is to dive and place the cable in 6 meters (20 feet for the US peps) of water or less, from what I gather. Great group of guys. But now I have the Swahili and Greek accents to deal with. Plus we got the Brits too. The big joke is we are going to get into an international crisis with all of us here. The Greeks being here means they are going to land the sea cable on shore this Monday. I will take as many pics as possible to show you this. I hope to go out onto the landing ship, but we will see if I have the time. From what I have been told, this is pretty cool sight to see – if you’re into this type of thing – which I am. I’m a geek.

What else….. oh man, it was weird. Thursday morning I was watching CNN International and the Buffalo News was on about the plane crash. It was surreal – in Africa watching the news channel I literally used to watch when living in Buffalo. It really sucks about the plane crash; I really don’t know what else to say – 50 people gone, just gone. It happened just one block away from our friend’s house, which is crazy too. CNN had a huge broadcast about the plane crash, which was what was weird too. I think they cater to the America crowd a little. They would go back and forth with the Buffalo news station and then their commentary. I hope no knows anyone on that plane.

Till next time.
Cheers

Just another day!

We ended work late the other night, they poured concrete until we could not see anymore. It is wierd, they take forever to get shit done but once they set their minds to getting something done. They do it, in crazy ways too. The people here don't have all the nice tools and equipment here. If they do, most don't know how to us them properly. Electric drills - uhm, more like hand drills. Want to make a hole in a piece of plywood - drill a hole and use a hach saw blade to make the hole. Digging, they take as much off with the loader and then the rest by hand. Like I said they don't know how to work equipment. It takes time and effort, but it gets done. I am trying to let my NY pace not get the best of me. I would have thought Colorado would have slowed me down a little. Or wait maybe it's my Colorado pace is too fast. Either or, I am trying.

So, alot of crap has been going down from the other jub sites about the health and safety. So I had to push it here. We are trying to get them to wear safety boot (steel toe) and hard hats. Well, that would be over a weeks pay for these guys who are living below poverty here. The contractor wont buy for a lot of them, so he laid off like close to 20 temp. guys. I didn't think of that happening at all. I was just worried about the job. Sucks, because that was money they needed. I mean really needed. The people who work here have to support them thier family and then there whole family (mother, father, sisters, brother, aunts, and uncles). So the money goes along way. I found this our from a really nice gentleman that works at the job site. The regulars are pretty much nice to me. They call Mr. Patrick, besides some other names I am sure, but that is work. Well, at least no one got hurt because they couldn't afford health care (the only way I can look at it).

So back to leaving late after work. So I drive (well Mr. James drives) down the usual route and it is dark out. Now during the day, there is all kinds of people and delivery trucks doing the usual daily business. People walking to and form, school childern walk to/from school in their lime greenish uniforms - they don't look that bad, but close. Workers putting in a sewer or water line under a road by hand and machine - this took close to over four weeks. Get the picture. At night, even more people and the place is a live like I would have never thought. I drove past and was like "I want to get out and walk around and be a part of this". The bars, which I never seen during the day, were lit up and people playing pool and having fun. People walking around ready to get into the action. Little roadside food stand and I mean roadside. A lady, they are usually women, bring some sort of table and a grill and cook on the side of the road. Fires blazing and all. Little stands selling all kinds of stuff. It was pretty cool. A totally different look of the same old crappy road I go down twice a day.

Well, the rumor is that I am stuck here for an extra week. I hope to leave March 1st now and then hit Amsterdam for a week with my buddy. Then home, home sweet home to see my girls and Ro.

Hey all. Life is normal here. Just alot of work and more gray hairs. I went out into town last night with my new British friends and Mr. James. A good time for sure but got my cheap work cell phone picked out of my pocket (carpenter jeans - the little side pocket). They will be a little pissed, I have no minutes on it. Haha. Oh well.

I took this pic a couple of weeks ago to show how they fix cars and taxis - any way you can pretty much. Then I really looked into the pic and saw more stories. If you look to the left you'll see the pool tables. This is on the way to/from the job site and hotel. These little pubs are all over the place and every one has at least one pool table and they are all out doors. Pretty crazy coming from NY and CO - where everything is inside.

The pub last night, Q-bar, was the same way, all out doors, with half of it covered. TV's everywhere with Engilsh Football and the Rugby Six Nations (Ireland vs. France) games on last night. Ireland killed the French last night by the way. Some of these bars look real dodgey, but everyone is really nice and ya never have an issue. Once they find out your from America the first thing they ask is about Obama and then some ask how they can move there. America is still a dream land and everyone thinks it is like jobs and money grow on trees kind of way.

Back to the pic. As you can see in the grass, everyone burns there garbage and brush. With the pollution form the burning garbage and all the cars, buses, and tic tic's (the small taxis in the pic), third world countries should be cleaned up too along with us.

In short, these are the little road side shops and stands that are located everywhere out side the city. As you get closer to the city, the get cleaner and bigger.

Hope all is well with everyone. Take care.

Patrick

I am everywhere - hahaha

Hey all

Life is normal here, just busy with work. Haven’t been able to go out and get in trouble. I hope to this weekend (Jen don’t worry). My client and his consultant have two British bodyguards, well one is Scottish living in Wales, who are pretty cool. The plan is to go into the Oyster Bay area (me and the two Brit’s), where the expats from Germany and Britain hang out. We’ll see how that goes – Brit’s and German’s in the same bar with a “mic” in the middle. (mic = Irish, i.e. McCarthy)

The job site is driving me crazy. Health and Safety is not even a thought to anyone out here. Actually, no one really knows about it. The skilled laborers wear the hard hat and safety boots but the “unskilled” they actually take there shoes off when the work. (Travis, don’t tell Bart, he’ll kill me) When the move concrete, they actually have a mixer on site and make it all by hand, the unskilled laborers put it on their heads and walk around with it. Man, I have to give it to these guys, some young and old, that is not an easy job at all. A funny thing happened the other day, they went on strike. I guess the contractor was paying them 6,000 shillings ($4 US) for pretty much 6 hours of hard work. They guys would not start work until they got 8,000 shillings. I think the contractor got them to accept 7,500 shillings.

There is still a language barrier with the workers and I, but am learning to improvise. An abbreviated short story – The workers were placing rebar for the foundation. The rebar was to close to the formwork, so when the pour the concrete the rebar would be at the surface – not good at all. I say “happna safi” meaning no good. Point at the rebar I am leaning on and gap between my fingers. Then I point at the tape measure of the required gap and then point at the location I don’t like. Then I point at the wood and a saw I just handed him then I make a sawing motion for him to cut the form or wood. He laughs and understands. I then follow with “asante” meaning thank you with a thumbs up. Another guys was laughing at us the whole time too.

I started scuba on Sundays, but got a cold (so many other good illnesses to get but I get a cold) so I have to wait till this is gone. Went to the drug store to day and almost got sinus meds with codeine. That would be great for the job site – “yeah don’t worry about it, I look at it later when I am awake”. Hahaha

Alright, I better look busy, I am writing this up at work. “Poli sana leo” = very slow today, or that’s how I think you say it. I still suck at learning languages, still learning English as I go. Hahaha

Later
Patrick

Hope = Obama

Hey all. Things are good. Hot and muggy - sorry for all of you freezing your asses off. The pic is for my Dad, St. Joesph Church (didn't go in though..........)



Everyone here is crazy for Obama. The hopes and dreams that his presidency will help this country and others and make the world a better place are everywhere. They have been playing songs that were written for him. Very Cool. I don't know if they feel the struggle that African-Americans have endured but I get the feeling they are struggling to get of their own segregation of poverty here. My driver wants to come to America and go to school for business. He was quizzing the hell out of me today on cities in America that are good for work. I hated to say that we are struggling too, but I am a realist and that is what I said. I did tell him that in order to make it in America, or the easiest way, is to get an education.





I hope, along with everyone else, that Obama can change the way things are and that Countries like Tanzania will get out of the "Third World Country" label.





History is in the making. Lets enjoy.


Lovya all


Patrick

Science Geek

I am a geek.

Massonary block manufacuter. They do everything by hand and blocks are solid blocks.

Local gravel yard. Kind of like the "raodside garden center". They break the rock by hand to make gravel to sell. I think they get the rocks for free or "get" them to break up. These are all around too.

Mr. James hard at work. Hot and muggy days. AC only makes it harder to get out of the car and locals do not like AC. 55/4 AC - 55mph 4 windows down.

The Beach

The beach is full of garbage. This picture is at the job site. The beach at the hotel is a lot cleaner, they have crews clean everyday. All of this garbage was actually cleared away due to a high tide last week. But all the streams have garbage too.

Near the job site there is a stream that has garbage, but there is a public water well right next to the stream. And the streams run black and smell like a sewer. Everyone burns garbage here or they just dump it somewhere. Sorry for the ugly points about this place, but they are everywhere to be seen. And if you don't see them then you are not getting out and seeing what Tanzania is about. At first i was like "what the F*&%", but I am now used to it.

Tanzania, outside of what is stated above, is beautiful and I do love it for what it is. Oh, the smells, outside of the sewer smells near the streams, are of burnt wood and ocean. I would say the smells over all are good and will miss. The burnt wood is from everyone either clearing brush or something and making charcoal. Charcoal is a major fuel for the poor because it is cheaper than petro or gas or oil. I will take some pictures of a charcoal facility.

The People

Hello all. Hope all is well back in the Americas. Life is fine overhere. Been traveling through town alot, mostly to get a printer. What a mess trying to get one. Went to the local mall and tried to get a cheap one and they don't come with connection cords or printer ink. The store doesn't sell either. That is how it is over here, have to go to like five stores to get what you need and it will cost you alot of cash. They mostly only take cash here too. Credit cards are a new thing, mostly due to everyone being so poor that no one uses them.


The poor are poor and the rick are ricker. The above picture is of a local "garden center" as we would call it. It is just a road side garden center and there is alot of them around, big and small, nice and not nice at all. This is one way the poor make a living. I want to take more pictures to show you what they do here to make ends meet. They make charcoal, masonary blocks, taxi service (which consist of a bike with a seat on a rack, a tic tic (see below), a motor bike, and a car), selling African goods to tourist on the roadside, or working the tourist trade which is big.



Alot of stores are around too - real little "mom and pop" shops. It all looks real crappy and poor but that is the norm overhere. My driver stated that he (and most people) get paid once a month and get paid very little. I was also told by a friend that you are either labeled a peasant (poor) or a regular person (rich). It makes you wonder about life in general. These people live in small buildings that we would store our lawnmower in and the rich live in huge houses (2,5oo sq. ft. and bigger) with stone walls with brab or electric fences on top to keep the poor theives out. I have also seen glass stuck in cement on the top or spears with hooks on top of the stone walls.



Awh the thieves. This is a huge problem. Near the job site was an electrial transformer that was stripped of its oil and copper wire and what ever else they can get their hands on. The rumor/joke is that they steal the transformer's oil and use it for cooking oil, so the joke is becareful where you get your fries (chips as it is called here). At the job site, we have an armed guard during the day and two armed guards at night. They are building our contruction offices now, but it the theives could they would steal all the metal and wood, too. I will not leave anything overnight at the site. You can just kiss it goodbye if you do.


So with all the problems back home, I hope I have a new prespective on life when I get back. Life is hard, but not as hard as it is here where you are and see how the poor are seen as dirt by the rich. The locals look at me wierd too (I think besides sticking out as big redheaded white guy). Mostly, white means money and I am being driven everywhere. So it makes me uneasy to be thought of as rich where back home I we are not. There is just no middle class here - money or no money.

If you want pics of something or what to know about something, by all means ask. I need assignments (a couple of school teachers just rolled over in their graves) hahahaha.

Slante

Life at the Hotel. Local fishermen

during the early morning.

Life in Africa

Hey all. Life is good. Worked every day since I have been here, but don't mind (since that is why I am here). Hope to get SUCBA certified (PADDY) by the time i am out of here. Things are different that back home. Things go alot slower than Americans (probably everyone else) would like, but that is life here. You either join or fight fighting does not help. If you come for vacation, remember YOU are on vacation. There is alot of garbage laying around and what sticks out in mind is the streams and beaches. Garbage everywhere. This place is almost, to me at least, like America in the begining. Kind of like before we knew better - aka the 70's. The first night/day was an eye opener. I arrived at night and when we drove to my hotel I was wondering what I got myself into and if i was going to get out. The next day it was similar, but saw the scaryness drop and saw the poverty. That afternoon, I started to see the beauty of this place. Very simple life style. Hard but simple. I was told alot of people could own a car, but the expense is not worth it. Almost everyone knows English, but Kishahili is the national lingo.

Went to the fish market - well actually, just a small section of it due to time constrants. Very cool, i was on gruard the whole time and next time I will be more open minded. First time and was looking after our friends wife with her $$$ camera she had on her. It was cool but different for me. Everyone knows you're a tourist (beinging a tall white redhead) and wants you to buy from them. The couple I went with (S. African and Canadian) were awesome people. They taught me that you have to bargin hard there and i failed. everything is still cheap to us, but you have to remember you're not in America and can screw things up for future tourist. If they know you will pay, they will ask that. Being from a culture that does not bargin, we just pay. DON'T!!!!! (The picture is not of the fish market, but of the city streets of Dar)

I have a driver. Mr. James (no one goes by there surname) who used to be a guide for hunting. He has traveled through out Africa which, as I was told, is very rare. He is great. He has taught me some Kishahili and has taken me to a local joint to eat for lunch during work. I have eaten the African way, no silverware. The food is good. I think/know I keep screwing up what he has taught me, but am trying. I miss home, but this is worth it. You can never get into the heart of it within a tour bus. With that said, I would not want to try to drive around here. There is no rule, well there is, but everyone does what they can to get where they want to go. I am use to it now, so I think (think is the right word) I can get around. Oh, no street signs for street names, if there is it is like 1-2 meters past the road intersection. (get used to the metric system - I have too)

Cheers

Jambo (Hello)

Hello All.
I am doing good in Dar. The flight over was very long (approx. 20 hours), but am happy I was able to go business class over here (thanks to work). The hotel is awesome (www.hotelwhitesands.com). Actually looks like the website which is not common over here from what I found out.

I have been working since I got here which is why I am here. But I was able to go to the fish market today, but was not comfortable pulling out the work camera to take pictures. Got some cool ebony wood pieces. They had a boat load (no pun intented) of sea shells, starfish, shark fine, tails form rays, shark teeth and you name it. All of it was great quality and very cheap.

Monday is a national holiday - Zanzibar Revolution Day. Zanzibar is the famous spice island which I plan to visit if i get a day off. In mid Feb., they have a "free" music festival of all the different types of music from Africa, which is the time I want to go. Suince Monday is a holiday, I should have some time to post some pics. Am heading for some shut eye.

Take Care