trips.schrull.us

It has been a busy few days and (and Bill has been using this PC when I’ve been awake) so apologies for not posting.  A quick post on Friday’s activities:

Friday was our first full day in Kasulu and we were eager to get down to the Bible College and get started on the new server and other equipment installs.  Bill had hoped to start loading the operating system on the server while we were still in Dar, but because of the late arrival of the equipment the new sever was still in it’s sealed shipping carton when we arrived.  So lots of technical activities planned.

This of course meant that just as soon as we finished breakfast and were going to head down to the Bible College the power went out.  All over the Kasulu area.  As power is new to Kasulu, there were several backup sources of power at KBC.  The best would have been solar, but unfortunately the batteries were stolen during some construction in the library/internet room building.  There was however, still the gasoline generator that Bill had purchased as part of the original computer installation. 

In short order the generator was carried outside.  First attempts to start it failed as it was dry as a bone.  Gasoline was procured and an overly enthusiastic pull of the starter cord caught on some of the wiring and ripped it off the generator.  Bill and Alysha, who manages the technology at KBC moved on to other projects (repeating routers that will provide internet coverage for the entire KBC compound, hooking up some of the small separate computers we brought to replace to large standard computer).  In an hour or so the generator was repaired and purring away.  We turned it off for lunch and by the time we returned to KBC from our afternoon rests the power grid was back up and running.  The operating system software was successfully loaded.

 

While on the subject of the Bible College Internet Room (as it is officially called), I am happy to report that thanks to a gift form the parish of some other missionaries here at DWT (Helen and Alistair Sammons) a tile floor has been installed and new curtains made.  With the addition of some thin linoleum on the desk tops, the café looks REALLY great.

Finally, a post from Cathy.  You may have wondered if I was really along on this trip…

Yesterday morning started really early.  Too early considering our still jet-lagged state.  We had a 7:00 am flight to Kigoma and a mound of luggage to transport to the airport and check in.  There was a minor concern that the airline would even let us check in a total of three large duffels, a guitar case that bears a resemblance to a small coffin, a server box, three boxes containing flat-screen monitors and Shaw’s not-insignificant suitcase.

The hotel procured two taxis for us.  The luggage fit best if we put the computer boxes in the back on one taxi (in which all three of us would also ride) and all of the duffels, Shaw’s suitcase and the guitar case in the other taxi – with none of us riding in it.  Then came confusion.

Bill and I were pretty sure that we needed to go to the same terminal that we had come in to on Tuesday.  We didn’t even know that a “domestic” as opposed to “international” terminal existed.  But the driver asked “domestic or international” and we thought, okay things could have changed,  Kigoma is a domestic flight.  We answered domestic.  And proceeded to loose the cab with our duffels, suitcase and guitar, which wanted to drive much slower than our driver.  We got to the domestic terminal.  No second cab.  Drove back to the international terminal, found the second cab, drove back the domestic terminal and proceeded to unload the cabs.

It must have resembled one of those clown cars at the circus.  The expressions on the faces of the security guards at the entrance to the terminal  as we unloaded were something to behold.  They politely asked us what airline we were flying on.  Turns out that the flights out of the domestic terminal are all the smaller safari type airlines.  Air Tanzania flies out of the international terminal.

We reloaded the cabs, proceeded back to the international terminal, did the clown car thing again, this time into three luggage carts in the parking lot and proceeded thru initial security, where my watch and the large bottle of antacid tablets in my backpack raised eyebrows.

Needless to say, we were seriously overweight.  Bill had had the three monitor boxes shrink-wrapped together so we had only increased out total luggage load by two packages.  The Tanzanian airlines really only want you to fly with one piece of luggage when you fly domestically, but two pieces is not unusual, you just have to pay.  As the pile of luggage grew on the scale we could see objections starting to form.  We pointed to Shaw (who was wearing his clerical collar – they RESPECT priests in Tanzania), said we were all together, and the seven pieces of luggage for three people (as opposed to six pieces for two folks) seemed a little more reasonable.  275,000 Tanzanian Shillings ($170.00 USD) later, and we were checked in.  And turned around to find Bishop Mpango’s wife, Margaret (aka Mama Rose) checking in behind us.

Margaret is a good friend and we were actually scheduled to have lunch at her house that day.  She had originally been scheduled to come back to Kigoma on Friday, but moved her flight up when she learned that we would be visiting.  We went upstairs for some coffee and samosas (little meat or vegetable filled pastries while we waited in a relaxed fashion for our flight to board.

Good thing we had gotten that early start.  No sooner had we finished our light breakfast than our flight was called.  They had changed the schedule to take off at 6:30 – not the 7:00 am that the travel agency had given us.  The seating was “open” and we managed to sit with Margaret.  We told her that she had to get off of the plane first, because she had lunch to cook!

           All our luggage made it safely off the plane and even though we were early, our various forms of transportation arrived just as we had completed organizing ourselves.  We went directly to Bishop Mpango’s home, which is a lovely gated house overlooking Lake Tanganyika.  A breeze blowing off the lake kept the house delightfully cool.  After some boiled eggs and toast,  Mama Rose (Margaret), Shaw and I made a quick run to the market. Mama Rose was in search of fresh produce, Shaw wanted to see a local market and  I wanted to get a katanga, a length of printed cloth that is cut into smaller lengths and used in much the same ways as a kanga.  I had forgotten my pajama bottoms and the thin black sweater I thought that I had packed turned out to be a then black turtle neck shirt.  The cloth will serve as culturally appropriate replacements for both.

We rounded out the time before lunch with a trip with the Bishop to Ujiji to visit the Livingstone memorial and then a visit to small soap manufactory in Kigoma.  The soap is made from palm oil  and caustic soda (lye) with blue dye swirled in. The palm oil is rendered from the palm oil seeds after the the cooking palm oil has been extracted and is created by other business on the same site.  This soap was later given out to the poor who come to the Bishop’s home each Thursday afternoon for a short worship service and to receive small gifts that make their lives easier.

 

We at last headed off to Kasulu.  We went into some beautiful mountains traveling first on a paved road and the a quite bad road.  We have a new home this time, the house between the “German House” where we have stayed before and the Bishop’s house.  It is sparsely furnished, but we have been made welcome and all efforts made to see to our needs.  Dinner with the Bishop and then our first night’s sleep to get ready for the next day’s activities.

5:17 PM

Today we had a much more relaxing time than expected.    We had a list of things to do that normally would have taken us all over town to complete.   But as it turns out, two of the main things we had to do were all but taken care of for us.   First was getting our phone SIMM chips setup.   Were carrying three “unlocked” phones with us so that we can get SIMM chips to have local phone numbers to use while we are here.   In the past we had to go across town to a Airtel office to get the chips and register the phone numbers.    This time however, we found out from Karen, the head of hotel guest services that they could take care of that for us.   So we did not have make the trip on a hot, steamy day to the phone store.     Second was the equipment we are picking up from our computer equipment vendor.    Instead, since he was working outside of town today, he is just going to bring the equipment over to us at the hotel.     So all we had to do is go to the travel agency to get our flights confirmed and then stop by some stores and pick up sundry supplies including books that Shaw wanted to pick up while we were in town.   We also stopped by St. Alban’s Cathedral so we could find out where to get an Anglican Prayer Book in Kiswahili.   Shaw wanted to get one of those today as well.

 

Right now we are hanging out in our rooms at the hotel and writing this post and enjoying a cooler spot to be.   It was hot out there today!     I’m glad we are able to save our energy because we have a very early morning tomorrow where we head to the airport to catch our flight to Kigoma.   

 

One cool thing going on right now as I am writing to you is the choir practice that is going on next door in the parking lot outside the Lutheran Church.    It’s great to hear the singing in the background of the otherwise ubiquitous city noises.   I think that is one thing I have always loved about Tanzania.   It seems to be amongst many things a singing society.   People really enjoy and engage in music here; especially singing. —————-

Come back later.  I’ll be adding more to today’s post.

 

10:25 PM —

 

Yeah! Our computer equipment arrived. I came late, but it came. So now we have our new server, keyboards, mice, monitors along with an assortment of computer and equipment I brought with me. Now the only real challenge yet is getting it on the flight to Kigoma with no issues. It will cost a bit I’m sure, but hopefully it will all go in one passage.

It’s bee a great trip so far.  There is a mounting excitement about all this for sure.  And even though I’ve done this so many times before, I never take for granted how all of the details work out right in the end.     It’s  late now.   We’ve got a 4 AM wake up to get ready for.

 

Peace be with you all.  Until the next post.

 

Lala Salama