Christmas in November
Last week was a trip to the big city for a quick weekend to pay deposits for the 2017 mission team and to visit the Christmas Fair. It is a fun event that makes one think of similar events back home. It was much needed as I have been preparing end of year reports and that is a strange mix of getting a lot of useless data and fighting to get useful data.
I put up an offer for those wanting to go to the fair. Several PCVs wanted to go along, which is why I will be working hard not to mention the name of the big city since they don't have permission to go there and also the reason for it being such a short trip as some needed to get back to schools since they are teachers. I ended up with a truck full. The trip there was uneventful but the trip back was full of people puking and a lot of stops by police to only be waived on.
The fair features various crafts, professionals and other groups on display often selling something. There are food vendors from local restaurants. I had a great mushroom pizza. I bought some jewelry to put on display when I am back home and some for bday/Christmas gifts.
I ran into an animal rescue group that is starting a rabies vaccination and grabbed their information to share with our group in the states.
Most important for me was to visit my "home" church in Tanzania the Vineyard church in big city name and to eat some western food like hamburgers and pizza.
After the short trip to the big city I was back in Singida working and visiting the site to try and pry some of those useful data numbers from staff members. During my daily walks I had some company this week as schools are starting to wrap up the year. Our preschool is doing this as well. Everyday as I walked a young girl from the school and her brother like to meander during their walk home. Normally it would take them 1/2 hour to 45 minutes to get there but most days they take around 1 and 1/2 hours to make the trip. If I go for my walk in the early afternoon I run across them along my way and she always wants to hold my hand for the last little bit then they want pictures and then other kids who are home working the cattle or doing prep work for planting crops want their picture taken.
While in town I had the pleasure of my first FedEx package which was interesting. As we drove to the big city I got a call telling me I had a package waiting at the shop. They would not tell me what shop just that it was in Singida waiting on me. There are a lot of shops in Singida.
When I got to town I got text saying a FedEx package was at the Vodashop (cellular phone carrier). So I headed in to get the package. No one there knew anything about it. So after calls (yes plural) back and forth it was determined that the FedEx package was in the manager's office (he was the one I was talking to at the Vodashop). After they found it was simple to get it just a signature (compare that to the postal package in a second). It was some goodies from friends in Indianapolis and they were quickly devoured.
I also had a package of eyeglasses at the post office. The new procedure there is to get the paperwork from the post office on the package. Then walk to the other end of town and get the Tanzania Revenue Authority agent for customs package to go with you to the post office (again other end of town) where you open the package and he looks inside. Then you go back to the the TRA office (again other end of town) and he does about 45 minutes of computer typing (where I am going nuts wanting to help him enter things on the keyboard while he is still hunting and pecking). He then goes to another office to print a tax bill which I then take to the bank. The bank teller that handles these tax bills is always working a different window, which they don't mark at all so normally you wait an hour in line to be told where to go for another wait but today very few people are there so they are actually helpful. Now that you are at the right teller they have to go in the back for about 10 minutes to make a copy of the tax bill for their records. After you pay the tax bill you go back upstairs to the TRA office and he gives you your original postal paperwork and you go back to the post office (you guessed it that office is still on the other end of town) and get your package after you pay the postal tax. On a good day this takes 2 hours of your day. On a bad day it can take all day.
I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving and is gearing up for a great Christmas.
I put up an offer for those wanting to go to the fair. Several PCVs wanted to go along, which is why I will be working hard not to mention the name of the big city since they don't have permission to go there and also the reason for it being such a short trip as some needed to get back to schools since they are teachers. I ended up with a truck full. The trip there was uneventful but the trip back was full of people puking and a lot of stops by police to only be waived on.
The fair features various crafts, professionals and other groups on display often selling something. There are food vendors from local restaurants. I had a great mushroom pizza. I bought some jewelry to put on display when I am back home and some for bday/Christmas gifts.
 |
| all that white are tents with vendors |
I ran into an animal rescue group that is starting a rabies vaccination and grabbed their information to share with our group in the states.
Most important for me was to visit my "home" church in Tanzania the Vineyard church in big city name and to eat some western food like hamburgers and pizza.
When I got to town I got text saying a FedEx package was at the Vodashop (cellular phone carrier). So I headed in to get the package. No one there knew anything about it. So after calls (yes plural) back and forth it was determined that the FedEx package was in the manager's office (he was the one I was talking to at the Vodashop). After they found it was simple to get it just a signature (compare that to the postal package in a second). It was some goodies from friends in Indianapolis and they were quickly devoured.
I also had a package of eyeglasses at the post office. The new procedure there is to get the paperwork from the post office on the package. Then walk to the other end of town and get the Tanzania Revenue Authority agent for customs package to go with you to the post office (again other end of town) where you open the package and he looks inside. Then you go back to the the TRA office (again other end of town) and he does about 45 minutes of computer typing (where I am going nuts wanting to help him enter things on the keyboard while he is still hunting and pecking). He then goes to another office to print a tax bill which I then take to the bank. The bank teller that handles these tax bills is always working a different window, which they don't mark at all so normally you wait an hour in line to be told where to go for another wait but today very few people are there so they are actually helpful. Now that you are at the right teller they have to go in the back for about 10 minutes to make a copy of the tax bill for their records. After you pay the tax bill you go back upstairs to the TRA office and he gives you your original postal paperwork and you go back to the post office (you guessed it that office is still on the other end of town) and get your package after you pay the postal tax. On a good day this takes 2 hours of your day. On a bad day it can take all day.
I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving and is gearing up for a great Christmas.
Comments
Post a Comment