Great Expectations

150 years ago Dickens wrote about the great expectations that determine life. Of course even I had great expectations for this trip to Africa but like in Dicken´s novel there are always bigger powers which intervene. I will start at the beginning.

On Wednesday I finally had my introduction work shop. Although I had not slept well because we had an electricity cut and there was no fan I went to the town centre early. The office of the organisation is located in an area where there are roads, skyscrapers and even western fastfood restaurants rather than little sheds, dirty ditches and bumpy paths. At the workshop I was first told about the history of Dar es Salaam and Tansania. The guy who told me all these things was really nice and he did a good job but to be truthfull I was too tired to take in all the information. After two hours of history we went out for a guided tour of Dar es Salaam. At 33°C we marched through the city in the boiling sun for 4 hours and afterwards I was totally exhausted.

In the evening we all went out to the beach and had some fun at the Coco Beach Bar because oft he karaoke night.

On Thursday I was meant to move to the zoo. This meant for me to do some washing and pack my suitcases. Unfortunately, I left the bag of dirty clothes on the floor and I found little bugs who felt at home in amongst my knickers. After I solved that problem I tried to stuff everything back into my suitcases. After being an hour late my guide came… ….just to tell me I could not go tot he zoo. They did not have running water and so I had to stay at the student house. On Friday my guides dropped me at the zoo. Because distances have a different meaning in Africa it took us 1,5 hours to get there. The zoo is at the other side of Dar es Salaam and you have to cross via ferry.

As we arrived weh ad to wait for another hour until a zookeeper picked me up. He showed me the zoo and I was allowed to feed the ostrichs and to stroke a monkey. After two hours I was finished and brought to a house to rest which was obviously taken over by cockroaches. I phoned my guide to tell him I was ready and he said he would come at about four o´ clock. At half past five he phoned to tell me he needed another hour. So I waited and waited and it grew dark (as it gets dark at half past 6) and still nobody came. All of a sudden a Tuk Tuk appeared and my guide phoned to say he was still held up by traffic and I should go with the Tuk Tuk. After miles on bumpy roads in the middle of nowhere there was eventually a tarmaced road. A little while later my guide arrived to pick me up. After 7 hours of waiting I was knackered and dying for a shower and bed.

On Saturday I had a meeting with the head oft he organisation. Because I heard of three guys who also booked the wildlife project like me and who were having problems going to the Mikumi National Park I wanted to ask the guide about it. Sadly he had bad news for me. Although the organisation in Germany told me that the project was comparatively cheap because it was managed by the government this is not the case. To go to Mikumi National Park and work there I would have to pay an entrance fee and the lodge which would cost over 120 dollar every day. Bugger! Of course I also thought about it when I heard about the boys not being able to go to the Mikumi Park but when the manager told me that the project would not take place as it was promised I was quite shocked. I spent sooooo much time preparing for this trip and worked hard to get the money together to be able to pay for it all and than something like this happens! Of course I will phone my organisation in Germany at the beginning oft he week but apart from that there is not a lot I can do at the moment. And I thought this trip was something very special…