Our Car

We have a car.....Introducing our 1997 Suzuki Escudo / Vitara (which doesn't have a name yet)

It became clear shortly after moving here that we needed to get hold of a vehicle to get around both in Mwanza and the surrounding area.  Buying a car here is an interesting experience.
First you find the car.  Then test drive it Mwanza style.  This involves taking the car to the bumpiest road you can find and driving it flat out to see if the suspension actually works and if anything falls off the car.  If it still works after this test drive (and there isn't oil all over the engine at this stage), the next step is to have a long discussion about the possible price.

Finally once a price has been agreed you take the cash out of your pockets (where you've been hiding it all along), buy the car and remove it from the garage immediately before anyone has an opportunity to remove the good parts on your car to switch to the next car that they want to sell, and replace them with old worn parts.

Charles, one of our co workers at Bridge2Aid helped us find a suitable vehicle, checked it over and haggled to get us a good price.  We couldn't have done it without you, Charles!  Asante kushukuru!!

Isaac and Hannah

We're really pleased that the kids have settled in so well to life in Tanzania.  Isaac and Hannah are already making friends and getting to know other children in Mwanza.  Isaac goes to a children's bible club every wednesday run by one of the missionaries here.  We're really blessed to have two wonderful children who have been so adaptable to the changes and challenges they've faced over the last couple of months.

Brinds2Tanzania Logo

Beth has been having fun with ImageChef.com creating a logo. Which one is best? Any opinions out there?

Power problems

One of the challenges of living in Tanzania is dealing with regular power issues.  It's one of the main topics of conversation here - around town and even in the Tanzanian parliament!  Conversation centres around when the power has been on and off, which areas of town have been worst hit by power cuts, who's fridge has completely defrosted etc.  It's a bit like the way the British talk about the weather.

We happen to live in a pretty good part of town, so are only getting about 4-5 power cuts per week.  Incredibly I think the power has been on for the last 48 hours without a break - a first since we arrived here.
A couple of weeks ago we had an evening power cut (as usual) and thought nothing of it.  Waking the next morning, we found the pole holding an electricity line had been knocked over just outside our house.  The electric cables were hanging about 3 feet from the ground.

Imrpessively, Tanesco (Tanzania's electricity company arrived within a couple of days to dig a hole and erect a new post).  One willing volunteer helped dig the hole - probably keep to make the area a little safer as soon as possible.

The pictures tell the story far better than words.  Enjoy.