Bye Bye Computer, pictures and a weekend of accounting work.
I think most everyone knows now that my laptop was stolen from my hotel room during my recent trip to the village and to Nduguti for a crochet class. To get the full effect of how that day went check out The Yarn's Over blog to hear about the exciting travel from that trip and extremely long day prior to arriving at my hotel after dark on Saturday. I come in with all the normal we missed you from the hotel manager and walk into my room and I go "And now I am missing my computer very much."
The computer, the USB modem, the USB receiver for my mouse, the USB flash drive with my most recent back up, the charging cable and the special solar panel with 19 volt battery to recharge the laptop with were all gone. They had unplugged everything on the plug strip to look for other electronics as well.
Why did I leave my computer in the room while I was gone to the village? Well with our current travel method of mini vans, piki piki and hiking all I can take with me has to fit into the backpack and since I carry clothes, food, toiletries, receipt books, maintenance supplies, project supplies (in this case enough crochet materials for at least 17 people). Normally I have to leave some things behind and the cameras are to necessary to the job to leave so it was normally the laptop.
Why not secure it in the hotel safe like all the signs say? For those who pay attention to the things after you hand them over to be put in the "safe" will notice that means they are put on shelves or the floor in the receptionist area and since most receptionist are also maids here the area is normally left open for anyone who wanders in.
So I did the best I could in choosing a hotel that would be safe. Two layers of entry, an outside gate locked after dark with separate "guards" just for that area and then the building entry way. Like most Tanzanian hotels the "maids" and "receptionist" or "hotel managers" fill multiple roles and are often not in that area at the front of the hotel. The hotel I stayed at had a labyrinth to get back to guest rooms. All doors had RFID key card entry and not the very easy to pick skeleton type keys. In addition my door hangs as you open it and makes a very loud noise so they always know when I am leaving or getting back and should know when someone else enters the room. They only had 5 employees and only 3 of them had access to the master key card. The hotel manager, the actual maid and the night indoor guard.
What no one counted on was the hotel owner's sister. It appears everyone in our community and the polisi all know she was the one to take it. She seems to have a brand new Dell computer she got right after the theft. However the family protected her and tried to put the blame on others and eventually decided to pay for the computer so the polisi case would go away. Once they settle here it is over no more investigation.
So what was it like working through the polisi system for a Mzungu. As in most cases there are advantages and disadvantages to being an outsider in Tanzania. I am certain I got more attention to my case, but on several attempts by polisi to resolve the issue I was pressured to take a lot less money than my computer was worth basically because they knew I could afford it.
So at first the sister convinced the hotel manager not to report the theft to the police and that they could solve the issue internally. They met with all employees to question them. At this point is when I became dubious about her motives since most people looked more like individuals who had been told to stick with a story other than questioned about a theft. Since you have to report in person, I waited until the next day and told them they had until when I left to find the computer if it had "been moved for cleaning" After that time the sister keep pressuring the hotel manager not to cooperate with reporting to the polisi which unfortunately was the worst advice because I am afraid that put a lot of attention on the hotel manager.
So I went to the station to report the theft. First every officer had to get involved and ask me the same questions about did I misplace it, could I have left it on a bus or at a site. Then all the questions had to do with where did I come from, where did I stay in Arusha when I was there, where did I stay in Nairobi during my visits there. Most of them did not know where my hotel was located and were fascinated by the key card entry system.
After about 1.5 hours of this at the front desk, while watching various people not in police clothes go from the front of the desk to the back of the desk and back again, one guy bringing someone in tied with a rope which he made sure he got back. There was the occasional slap if a prisoner did not do what he was told but that was as far as any of that went.
Finally I got assigned someone I easily recognized as a government employee of some stature and he asked I sit out front for about 1/2 hour then I got into a car with him and two other individuals in plain clothes and we went to the hotel where they questioned the hotel manager then grabbed her and the sister and we all climbed into the car and went back to the polisi station.
While there I was separated to give my statement and then the police officer in charge came in and asked if I would accept money for the computer. After talking to William to make sure I was not crossing any acceptable lines culturally I agreed. That was when they tried to convince me that since I had been paying for a costly hotel for six months I should be able to reduce the amount that same hotel should pay me for the theft of the computer. Naturally I did not like this argument and refused. There were some arguments that would have worked but that was one that did not fly. I refused so strongly the polisi decided not to try again.
So we signed an agreement between the polisi, me and the hotel owner that they would pay on Thursday since I had to go back to the village on Wednesday. So we all go back to the hotel via our own methods and the police officer gets my phone number to call me if anything changes.
Apparently they decided not to pay the next day, but the message to me got lost and I did not know about that. This reopened the case and on Tuesday they raided the hotel. There were two plainclothes and three with uniforms, two males armed and one female. The female polisi officers never seem to have weapons other than a stick. One of the weapons was an AK-47, worn but servicable with a standard 15 round clip. The other weapon was a WWII mauser. You can imagine how not dainty this search was while carrying those weapons.
A new officer introduced himself as the investigating officer. It was during this search they found the brand new Dell computer in one of the rooms used by the family and staff.
So I leave early to head out to the village the next morning and return Thursday with William in tow because he wants to make sure the money is there. It of course is not and neither is the hotel manager who it turns out was detained with the sister and hotel owner on Tuesday for additional questions.
At this time we find out they plan to pay on Friday at 11 AM. So while we are waiting I pack up the room completely again in case I need to move quickly. Friday rolls around and no word at 11 AM so William wants to go "press buttons" and see the Regional Criminal Officer. He sends two investigators over to the hotel to check on things and then we go back to the police station where we are called to the police station chief's office. In the room are the head of the station, the two detectives that worked on the case, the two investigators from the regional criminal officer, me, william and the hotel owner. This is the part being an outsider pays off.
The first 15 minutes is spent with the head of the station chewing William out for going over his head to the Regional criminal officer without first coming to him. A legitimate concern that you would get in most places. As a student of body language and not actual Swahili that was spoken I think the station head got his point across.
The next 5 minutes were directed at the hotel owner about it should never have gone this far. Then it was my turn but all he basically said to me was that I should feel assured that my items would be safe at that hotel from now on.
The money was paid at that time and we all left. Unfortunately the hotel manager has not returned along with several of the nice young men who worked the outside gate or the indoor guard at night. The sister is now in charge of the hotel daily operations meaning she cleans all the areas and checks people in, but she does not have a master key and is only allowed to clean my room when someone else is around and I am present at the hotel.
Needless to say I am payed up to the end of the month and at that time I will most likely be moving.
I have searched for new laptops and in Singida all that is available are Windows 7 machines with 2 GB of Ram and 2.8 processors costing between $400 and $560 USD. My machine was a full size keyboard laptop with number pad, Windows 8, 6 GB of Ram and 5.8 processor for $450 with a $100 rebate. Machines showing up online in Arusha don't seem to be much better. I would have to go to Dar to get something with some real juice.
Fortunately I am headed home for visa renewal and holidays in December and I will most likely put off getting a new one until then. It is unfortunate that technology that is outdated in our terms costs more than many people can afford. It also makes clear why the internet cafe machines are windows 95 or xp and have keyboards missing or sticking keys.
The computer, the USB modem, the USB receiver for my mouse, the USB flash drive with my most recent back up, the charging cable and the special solar panel with 19 volt battery to recharge the laptop with were all gone. They had unplugged everything on the plug strip to look for other electronics as well.
Why did I leave my computer in the room while I was gone to the village? Well with our current travel method of mini vans, piki piki and hiking all I can take with me has to fit into the backpack and since I carry clothes, food, toiletries, receipt books, maintenance supplies, project supplies (in this case enough crochet materials for at least 17 people). Normally I have to leave some things behind and the cameras are to necessary to the job to leave so it was normally the laptop.
Why not secure it in the hotel safe like all the signs say? For those who pay attention to the things after you hand them over to be put in the "safe" will notice that means they are put on shelves or the floor in the receptionist area and since most receptionist are also maids here the area is normally left open for anyone who wanders in.
So I did the best I could in choosing a hotel that would be safe. Two layers of entry, an outside gate locked after dark with separate "guards" just for that area and then the building entry way. Like most Tanzanian hotels the "maids" and "receptionist" or "hotel managers" fill multiple roles and are often not in that area at the front of the hotel. The hotel I stayed at had a labyrinth to get back to guest rooms. All doors had RFID key card entry and not the very easy to pick skeleton type keys. In addition my door hangs as you open it and makes a very loud noise so they always know when I am leaving or getting back and should know when someone else enters the room. They only had 5 employees and only 3 of them had access to the master key card. The hotel manager, the actual maid and the night indoor guard.
What no one counted on was the hotel owner's sister. It appears everyone in our community and the polisi all know she was the one to take it. She seems to have a brand new Dell computer she got right after the theft. However the family protected her and tried to put the blame on others and eventually decided to pay for the computer so the polisi case would go away. Once they settle here it is over no more investigation.
So what was it like working through the polisi system for a Mzungu. As in most cases there are advantages and disadvantages to being an outsider in Tanzania. I am certain I got more attention to my case, but on several attempts by polisi to resolve the issue I was pressured to take a lot less money than my computer was worth basically because they knew I could afford it.
So at first the sister convinced the hotel manager not to report the theft to the police and that they could solve the issue internally. They met with all employees to question them. At this point is when I became dubious about her motives since most people looked more like individuals who had been told to stick with a story other than questioned about a theft. Since you have to report in person, I waited until the next day and told them they had until when I left to find the computer if it had "been moved for cleaning" After that time the sister keep pressuring the hotel manager not to cooperate with reporting to the polisi which unfortunately was the worst advice because I am afraid that put a lot of attention on the hotel manager.
So I went to the station to report the theft. First every officer had to get involved and ask me the same questions about did I misplace it, could I have left it on a bus or at a site. Then all the questions had to do with where did I come from, where did I stay in Arusha when I was there, where did I stay in Nairobi during my visits there. Most of them did not know where my hotel was located and were fascinated by the key card entry system.
After about 1.5 hours of this at the front desk, while watching various people not in police clothes go from the front of the desk to the back of the desk and back again, one guy bringing someone in tied with a rope which he made sure he got back. There was the occasional slap if a prisoner did not do what he was told but that was as far as any of that went.
Finally I got assigned someone I easily recognized as a government employee of some stature and he asked I sit out front for about 1/2 hour then I got into a car with him and two other individuals in plain clothes and we went to the hotel where they questioned the hotel manager then grabbed her and the sister and we all climbed into the car and went back to the polisi station.
While there I was separated to give my statement and then the police officer in charge came in and asked if I would accept money for the computer. After talking to William to make sure I was not crossing any acceptable lines culturally I agreed. That was when they tried to convince me that since I had been paying for a costly hotel for six months I should be able to reduce the amount that same hotel should pay me for the theft of the computer. Naturally I did not like this argument and refused. There were some arguments that would have worked but that was one that did not fly. I refused so strongly the polisi decided not to try again.
So we signed an agreement between the polisi, me and the hotel owner that they would pay on Thursday since I had to go back to the village on Wednesday. So we all go back to the hotel via our own methods and the police officer gets my phone number to call me if anything changes.
Apparently they decided not to pay the next day, but the message to me got lost and I did not know about that. This reopened the case and on Tuesday they raided the hotel. There were two plainclothes and three with uniforms, two males armed and one female. The female polisi officers never seem to have weapons other than a stick. One of the weapons was an AK-47, worn but servicable with a standard 15 round clip. The other weapon was a WWII mauser. You can imagine how not dainty this search was while carrying those weapons.
A new officer introduced himself as the investigating officer. It was during this search they found the brand new Dell computer in one of the rooms used by the family and staff.
So I leave early to head out to the village the next morning and return Thursday with William in tow because he wants to make sure the money is there. It of course is not and neither is the hotel manager who it turns out was detained with the sister and hotel owner on Tuesday for additional questions.
At this time we find out they plan to pay on Friday at 11 AM. So while we are waiting I pack up the room completely again in case I need to move quickly. Friday rolls around and no word at 11 AM so William wants to go "press buttons" and see the Regional Criminal Officer. He sends two investigators over to the hotel to check on things and then we go back to the police station where we are called to the police station chief's office. In the room are the head of the station, the two detectives that worked on the case, the two investigators from the regional criminal officer, me, william and the hotel owner. This is the part being an outsider pays off.
The first 15 minutes is spent with the head of the station chewing William out for going over his head to the Regional criminal officer without first coming to him. A legitimate concern that you would get in most places. As a student of body language and not actual Swahili that was spoken I think the station head got his point across.
The next 5 minutes were directed at the hotel owner about it should never have gone this far. Then it was my turn but all he basically said to me was that I should feel assured that my items would be safe at that hotel from now on.
The money was paid at that time and we all left. Unfortunately the hotel manager has not returned along with several of the nice young men who worked the outside gate or the indoor guard at night. The sister is now in charge of the hotel daily operations meaning she cleans all the areas and checks people in, but she does not have a master key and is only allowed to clean my room when someone else is around and I am present at the hotel.
Needless to say I am payed up to the end of the month and at that time I will most likely be moving.
I have searched for new laptops and in Singida all that is available are Windows 7 machines with 2 GB of Ram and 2.8 processors costing between $400 and $560 USD. My machine was a full size keyboard laptop with number pad, Windows 8, 6 GB of Ram and 5.8 processor for $450 with a $100 rebate. Machines showing up online in Arusha don't seem to be much better. I would have to go to Dar to get something with some real juice.
Fortunately I am headed home for visa renewal and holidays in December and I will most likely put off getting a new one until then. It is unfortunate that technology that is outdated in our terms costs more than many people can afford. It also makes clear why the internet cafe machines are windows 95 or xp and have keyboards missing or sticking keys.
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