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