Money, money, money...

As I believe I have mentioned before, I am having some 'fun' at work with the impact of the new Tanzanian Banking & Financial Institutions Act. This has already meant that we can no longer hold funds for any of our customers, and we can't transfer donations for people from the UK to Tanzanian (which is fairly annoying).

The other likely impact (although research is still underway) is that MAF will no longer be able to act as 'Bank' for MAF Staff. At the moment, what happens is that staff transfer money to MAF in the UK, and then we can withdraw it from the MAF office as and when we need it. This has worked well for the last 25 years or so.

Anyway, in the interests of research [and also because we had no money and no lunch] into what might happen in the future (i.e. all having to open our own bank accounts), we set off today to try and withdraw money with our plastic card. The rumour was that there are three ATMs in Dodoma, although we only knew where one was (and I've never seen it working).

The first one we tried was the one we knew about at NBC Bank, which was (surprise, surprise) 'Temporarily out of service'. Strike one.

We then headed up onto the Dar road where we thought there was another one. Which there was. This one had a Windows desktop displayed on it, with various error messages - the important one saying that it couldn't connect to the service provider. Strike two.

I went back to the car and gave them the bad news. Libby then pointed out that there was another one on the other side of the BP garage. So, off I toddled.

This one actually accepted my card and my PIN number. It even asked me how much cash I would like! [maximum 100,000Tsh, c. £50]. Unfortunately, when I told it, I got a nice little printed receipt saying 'No Canisters' (which I assume was a roundabout way of saying 'No money'). Strike three.

So, we figured that we wouldn't go to the Dodoma Hotel like we'd planned - as we only had 20,000Tsh between us (£10) - which wouldn't buy us a meal. We decided instead to try Rose's Cafe (somewhat less salubrious, but considerably cheaper!)

Unfortunately, this was closed. So, as a final resort we went to the 'supermarket', and brought some odds ends to try and knock up a meal with.

On the way home, of course, we noticed a queue of people outside CRDB bank - and it being a Sunday we thought this might be worth investigating. We discovered (contrary to what I'd been told) that CRDB did have it's own cash machine!

So we parked outside and I joined the queue. I had my latest Weekly Telegraph with me, so the wait wasn’t too bad for me (and it was in the shade). I don't know what people were doing in there (all the ATMs are inside little darkened booths) but they sure took their time! There must have been about ten people in front of me, and I was probably queuing between 20 and 25 minutes (I guess that's only 2 minutes each I suppose). Anyway, I made it eventually, and managed to get 200,000Tsh from the machine using Libby's credit card. (The machines only take VISA, and I can't find the PIN number for mine!) It was a tremendous sense of achievement! Libby and Rachel and the kids were no so pleased as they'd been sitting in the car in 30 degrees for half an hour!

Anyway, this all goes to show why MAF staff have been using MAF as a bank for the last 25 years!

At least we got some lunch in the end J

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I would welcome your prayers tomorrow morning, as I am going to get court to defend myself (in lieu of my predecessor) on charges of 'failing to provide such-and-such information to the Municipal council by so-and-so date without lawful excuse'. The charges are fairly unreasonable, and shouldn't be too difficult to dismiss, but I'm still not particularly looking forward to it, as it will be my first time in court (anywhere for any reason).

Blood and coffee

I've spent the last hour trying to down loads photos, but to no avail. You'll just have to make do with text for now. Quite a tiring week. Bethany had an ear infection, or so I think. I took her to the doctor who agreed it was probably an infection but had no medical instruments so was unable to look in her ear. Not sure whether I prefer the NHS where you have doctors who have medical equipment or the doctor here who has nothing, but you can walk in straight away, no appointment necessary!!

The next day the lady who I've been helping sell paraffin and matches came to tell me her house has fallen down. I was so at the end of my emotional energy that I told her to come back next week after I'd discussed it with my husband. So many people's houses and outside toilets have fallen down because of all the rain, but there's not much point re-building until the rain stops. It makes you feel awful living in your own nice, fairly leak proof house when so many other people are suffering. If you think about it too hard it makes you go mad.

We drove down to Dar on Thursday in order to pick up Rachel Marks from the airport. We played a DVD for the children in the car and that made the journey go more quickly and they enjoyed the treat of eating pizza in a restaurant in Dar.

Unfortunately Rachel's plane was two hours late, but she arrived eventually and we drove straight back here. That evening Bethany had a really bad nose bleed, probably due to the pressure change between here and Dar. This freaked her neurotic mother out no end, but it was nice to have Rachel here for emotional and practical support.

I think I was probably always fairly neurotic, but Daniel thinks maybe I should stop the Larium (antimalarial tablets) Anyway you could pray for peace for me and release from the fear that I seem to be currently consumed by and for Bethany, that she'll be fine.

On a lighter note I came close to actually having a Cappuccino on the way back from Dar. 'Cockroach Cafe' (my name for it) where we stop at the roughly halfway point between here and Dar is under new management and has installed a huge cappuccino machine. It is now on the menu for 25p a cup. Very excited about this I ordered one. No problem until the guy realised he had no coffee and the shop where he normally bought it was shut for the next hour. I just happened to have bought a packet of coffee that morning in Dar (actually a present for Margaret Becket!!) so offered this to the man so he could make me a cappuccino. Watching him out of the corner of my eye, thinking I was unlikely to get any chocolate sprinkles on the top, that would just be too much, I was pretty sure he didn't know how to use the machine. I was right because the result was a cup of black coffee and later on when I asked for it a cup of milk to accompany it. At least they didn't charge me for it, but I think they should take it off the menu (at least until they learn how to make it!!)

Missing children

This the picture that should have come out and didn't in the post entitled "It's raining, it's pouring"!

Rift Valley Fever

It was Caleb's birthday this week - he is now two. Here is a picture of him in the wheelbarrow being pushed around by the guard (we have a new guard who is good friends with Caleb, and Caleb spends a lot of time being pushed around in the wheel barrow. On this occasion he fell asleep); and him reading a book next to Joshua.

Joshua and Bethany are not very well at the moment, I think they have colds. At least I hope that's what it is. Here if your children get sick you first have to eliminate Malaria, Typhoid and we now have a cholera outbreak in Dodoma. I'm not sure about you, but the word cholera makes my stomach turn. It's one of the many pleasant google searches I have done since being here. Others include fleas, malaria, ebola, typhoid, legionnaires disease and various types of worms!! Maybe I have cyberphobia!! Anyway I spent Thurday evening reading about cholera. Having reasured myself that only 1% of people will die from it if it is treated quickly (don't e-mail if you know otherwise, I am quite happy in my ignorance - just pray!!) Daniel returned from the prayer meeting to inform me about Rift Valley Fever, which has spread from Kenya and has reached Arusha. (about 9 hours north of here). This apparently is like ebola. Have now researched both Ebola and Rift Valley Fever and although both are fairly nasty, I don't think they're as bad as I imagined (bearing in mind that my knowledge of these things comes from films like 'Outbreak').

Although there are lots of nasty diseases here I think the fear of these things can be much worse than the actual risk. Ultimately though, I guess if you are where God wants you to be, you are in the safest place in the world.

A model child...(?)

"It's raining, it's pouring..."

The rain, keeps coming, never has Dodoma been so green. Here is a picture of Caleb and his friend Reuben Verboom watching the water in our back garden. Fortunately the rain stopped before it came in the house, but it was close. The humid conditions also mean there is a lot of sickness about, perfect breeding ground for bugs. Lots of people have malaria and the cholera hospital has re-opened. Bethany often plays games where her dolls are sick with malaria. It's quite strange to hear your children happily talking about malaria and mosquitoes and being very responsible reminding me to spray them with insect repellent if we go out in the evening.

The children have been back at school a week now. Bethany insists on going everyday (she was going 4 days) and Joshua seems very happy to be back in his routine. They both finish at 12 noon, so there is still plenty of time to play and swim in the afternoon. Joshua and Bethany are both very excited to be now sharing a bunk bed because I finally got a mosquito net made big enough to cover it.

It's a funny place, Dodoma. I oscillate between loving and hating it. Sometimes I love the fact there is nothing really to do here except swim and am relieved I don't have to spend weekends at B&Q and Argos, other times I hate the fact there is nothing to do. Sometimes I love having house ladies, other days I just can't wait for them to leave so I can have the house to myself. Sometimes I love the fact that I have this opportunity to live here and help people and other times I want to run back to Europe and just forget about the poverty and suffering. Sometimes living here is an adventure, sometimes it's a nightmare and I just ask myself, what made me think I could live in Africa. Living here is a bit like having children. Most days you just get on with it and other days the enormity of it all just overwhelms you and you feel you can't cope and it's all too much. In the end it doesn't quite overwhelm you because the next thing to do comes along and for while you forget about it and get on with it. I guess life is like that wherever you live, just when you already live at 'home', there's nowhere to run back to.