Life

Never know where its going to take you. On the one hand, you could be sitting where i was this morning. At my apartment, getting ready to go to work. As i contemplated the view out of my window, it occurred to me that the little canvas patchwork tent i see out there every day, all day, the one at the foot of the 400 year old baobab tree isn’t anything but someone’s house. Their place. Day in and day out. They are out there. They use the ocean as their shower, their bathroom, their dumping ground. They light their cooking fires, and buy bottled water from any of the shops within walking distance.They sit and watch the daily football matches, they endure as the ball invariably bounces through their tent several times a day. On Sunny days, they sit in the shade of the tree, and on rainy days as it so often is these days (the rainy season after all), they huddle inside their tent, around their fire. Watch live go by. Roll of the dice? Luck. God’s will? Call what you will. Regardless, how do you enact change? How do you get buy in for change if your whole outlook in live is sit on your beach, live off the fish you pull out of the ocean, no need for electricity, running water. sanitation. How do you go on seeing change and progress around you limited to those who came to your land? Getting a bit disjointed here.

The good, the bad… the beach

So i live on the beach. Literally. There are positive and negatives. Mostly positive.

Fact is, during the Tsunami watch two weeks ago, although nothing thankfully cam our way, rains did… and raised water lines. The high tide mark, usually 30yards off the wall (live in an 8-house complex, i’m on the corner closes to the water) was lapping at the wall that night. I’m not sure what would have happened if it had been a real alert for us. Traffic was at a standstill, and high ground? There is no high ground in Dar.  That’s a negative, but one that at least statistically speaking, shouldn’t be of significant concern.

On a positive note, there is living on the beach, watching wonderfully colorful sunsets, and of course, the sounds of the beach.. no, not just the surf, but the people.  How to describe the simple cacophony of noise of a Sunday afternoon, beautiful day, slight breeze, not too hot, whereas hundreds of people have decided to hit Msasani beach for the afternoon. Three football (soccer) games going on simultaneously, kids swimming, running around, ice cream vendors, groups of young men doing calisthenics, karate and even shadow boxing, bongo music, fishermen working on their crafts, and a jet ski.

I stood at my window, looking down at the sight, smelling the cooking food of the various grills and fires spread through the sand.  Listening to the laughter and the ever present call to prayer from the two mosques nearby reminded of just how far from loved ones i truly am as i admired the skill of the players on the sandy, uneven pitch, as families gathered at the top of the water line, to watch the sun descend into the land.  As the light went out (and it does so very quickly in these parts, dusk seemingly lasting just seconds), the noise died down. Clumps of people walked off towards their sunday nights, while i ventured into my kitchen to forage for a light dinner.  Big positive living on the beach.

Feliz Pascua… Happy Easter…

In 24 hours, I’ll be in Zanzibar.. got an opportunity I just couldn’t say no to, thus, i will spend my Easter Holiday weekend on the island 50km east of here. Should have some nice photos to share upon my return on monday.

Felicidades