A Fine Time in Tanzania

I just got back into Dar es Salaam after a week in "da bush" - staying in a village about 2 hours south from here along the coast. Not AT the beach, mind you, but near enough that the coconut palms all lean decidedly west. After a few days of finding WHERE i could eat and HOW to sleep comfortably under a mosquito net, i began to feel right at home in Mkuranga, but must come in town to tap into the internet and catch up on the news. Maybe that's a mistake, eh?

The photo here is from Thursday's HPI member meeting in Hoyoyo village, where they have imported dairy goata (mbuzi) , local chicken (kuku), and fish (samaki) farming projects. The ponds for fish farming dried up during the drought of the last two years but it has since been re-dug, filled and is awaiting a new supply of fingerlings, which the locals referred to as "seed".

The bad news was that a shipment had already been sent once, but was overturned on the local highway. No one was hurt, but thousands of li'l fishies roasted on the road. Or perhaps they survive still in the pond-sized potholes that dot the roads around the city.

The good news is that, unbeknownst to the community, another shipment is scheduled for this coming week! They will be SO happy! They are a very motivated group, and even have their own "cheer", which i can't exactly duplicate, but at the end it goes, "Hoy, Hoy, Hoy!", just like something heard at a soccer game! Cool. More pictures with the next post...