The fishermen heading out in the evening...
Greetings and welcome to our first blog from Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, the new home of the Clendinen Family Adventure!
The trip to Tanzania was great and we enjoyed our 12 hour lay-over in London. We ran through the city and visited as many of the sites as we could in the short time we were there. Then, we were off again! Thankfully, all 16 pieces of luggage arrived in Tanzania, and we had no problems with customs
Dar Es Salaam is a city of nearly four million people and is the largest city in Tanzania. Soon after arriving in Dar, we quickly learned that a major part of our transition experience would include rolling power blackouts that last anywhere from 10 to 12 hours a day! Just imagine how you would run your life in a major city when nearly half the time the power is out! Cooking and eating dinners, hanging laundry, and other normal tasks become quite an experience when being done by candlelight.
We spent four days in Dar before we headed to Kenya for the organization's annual conference. It was at a beautiful hotel on the beach. We were so thankful that we were able to attend, as it allowed us to meet many of the people working throughout Tanzania and Uganda. It was exciting to hear about all of the language projects that are being initiated and the translations that are being completed.
After 8 days in Keyna, we headed back to Dar, where we have been learning a bit about what life will look like living here. Everything is so new and different. We are learning that you don't buy a contract or minutes for your cell phone, you buy megabytes. For electricity, you have a Luku meter that you purchase a code for, which allows you to use a certain amount of power. Also, at one of the larger shopping markets in the area, you must closely check prices. Imported items (especially from the US) will be significantly much more expensive, such as the $4 can of refried beans, or the $8 bottle of shampoo.
For a much more intensive learning experience, we will begin three weeks of orientation on the 25th of July and after that head to another part of Tanzania for two weeks of language school . We'll cover topics like driving, health issues, and a bit of beginning Swahilli.
What have we learned so far: Life may not always be easy, but God is always good. Your prayers have already had an impact and we see His hand in everything. God always goes before us!
