Me and my two left legs!

Hi everyone

I hope you are all well back home and enjoying the long weekend :)

So all is good here in Kigamboni.  I'll start with a quick update from work.

Work continues at TAWLA and Immigration woes appear to be near an end

Last week my immigration battles continued and missed a full day's work while I continue to progress with my residence permit...Let's just say that after a bit of a mad dash around town last Thursday, to secure the necessary dollars from the bureau de change (shillings would not do) I have been assured that my residence permit will be ready for collection on Thursday (fingers crossed!).  In the meantime I have gotten a certified staff of my receipt from none other than the Attorney General's office so at least if I am stopped my an immigration official I will have that comfort...In any event my tourist visa doesn't expire for another month or so..so at least I shouldn't be shown the door any time soon! It is a little frustrating though as it is not possible currently to process any of this documentation in advance of coming!

Last week was a hive of activity in the office...TAWLA was holding interviews for a number of new positions so there were lots of people in interviewing.  However, it did mean that "normal" work was somewhat interrupted.  However, I decided to leave the office early a couple of the days and work from home on the manuals that I mentioned in my earlier blog.  Tanzanian legislation is incredibly similar to our legislation back home.  I guess this is not surprising considering our two countries are former British colonies.  It also makes the tasks that much easier for me to complete!

In addition to progressing this work I have also drafted a report for SIDA who are sponsoring the various posts which we are currently recruiting for. The report brought home to me the importance of accountability and how it is important that NGO's can demonstrate to donors that they have fair and transparent processes in place when recruiting staff using donor funding.  I say this despite the fact that the reporting obligations are at times onerous and generally tedious!

First Office Party - Dancing with my two left legs!


Last Saturday two of my colleagues Miriam and Julienne who are on secondment from FIDA Kenya invited the entire office over to their house for a party.  It was great fun! The girls put on an amazing spread and the food and drink was flowing! Of course then the dancing started! Not one to sit in the corner I of course joined in with full enthusiasm.  I was christened "Two left legs" by Julienne despite my genuine efforts at being co-ordinated!  I was told to shake what my mama gave me! Of course I did but I think I probably will just have to accept that I lack a certain sense of rythym.  I had a great time none the less! Perhaps though I am not quite ready to enter into any local dance competitions!

I want to ride my bicycle.....................


So after a couple of weeks of procrastination...I finally took on the Tanzanian roads on my bicycle! It was fantastic...Ah you all know I used to cycle to work every day when I was in MOP and I forgot how much I missed my bike! I cycled from our house to the ferry (about five km).  Of course as it's been some time since I was on a bike I was a little saddle sore but I consoled myself with some chai and chapati at a little coffee shop near the ferry.  It was a great experience and spurned me on to further adventures so took the bike out again to one of our locals beaches...Hopefully by the time of my next blog update I will have ventured onto the mainland and taken the bike across on the ferry...It would be nice to chalk that one down before my housemate Elaine comes back from holidays in Ireland...She is a complete pro at cycling around Dar! I will take it one road at a time and for now I am comfortable with the quite roads of Kigamboni...this is of course a relative term...lets just say the quays in Dublin were a doddle in comparison to cycling here!  I think in part I was inspired by a book called "Around Africa on my Bike" by a South African Rian Maanser..it's a must for any cycling enthusiast.  The author circumnavigated the entire continent of Africa on his bicycle...It took him over two years through some of Africa's toughest countries Liberia to mention just one!  It's a pretty impressive read, although I don't think I will be following his pedal steps any time soon!

Anyway, will finish off this blog as the mossies are really starting to tuck into me!

Until next time,

Eithne xxx