a love hate relationship

this is the shopping site for any western brands.  everyone has a love hate relationship [mostly hate] with them because it's the only place in Moshi to get things that a westerner might want or need.  every trip is painful and avoided for as long as possible.  usually in the US if i go to make a purchase i have a simple process.  i know what i need, i go directly to the place in the store where they stock that product, i proceed to the checkout to pay and leave.  

that is not possible here.  in the US we complain when the shops are out of eggs or milk because of a snowstorm and it might take a day or two to get the supply chain back on schedule.  i laugh at that now.  at this store the supply chain is so terrible you never know what products will be in stock.  every trip requires a scanning of every shelf to see what products are there.  everything is expensive as it is mostly imported items.  once, i a moment of weakness i paid $4USD for a can of Campbell soup.

one week they might have white girl shampoo and then next week none.  yes, that is what we call it.  Africans do not use the same hair care products so there is a very limited supply of shampoos and conditioners that westerners would use on their hair.  lack of these products lead to a look that i refer to the  as the 'aid worker without a shower in a week'.  i digress to only explain why it is necessary to shop here.

after scanning each shelf with the focus of a scientist on the edge of a new discovery you fill your basket with the stuff you hoard in case you might not see it for another three months.  i was buying some liquid hand soap and this actually happened.

him:  can we please buy the good smelling soap?

her:  no, you have to have the antibacterial soap.

him:  cringes as i grab the last coconut soap on the shelf.

me:  moves quickly on as i smile smugly knowing i have the last bottle.

oh, bonus, on the way out they check your receipt against what is in your bag, treating everyone like the shoplifter they aren't.

i've dealt with them as a vendor as since we've tried to get them to stock product for years.  it's a nightmare company to deal with.

there's one alternative.  a small shop called Aleems where they consistently stock product and even take delivery of special items from the bakery i like in Usa River.  Aleems deserves it's own post as every trip is like a pilgrimage.  otherwise, it's a 1.5 hour drive to the next closest 'supermarket'

so, next time you casually throw your favorite brand of soap or pasta sauce into your shopping basket think of me and the painful process of shopping here and understand that's what makes america great.  

off to nairobi

the managing director who is also the cofounder, and chairman of the board has been asking me to get up to Nairobi to visit [where he works].  so off i go to Nairobi.  on the flight from Jaro [Kilimanjaro Airport] to Nairobi the pilot did a 360 around kili so that would be the highlight of my day, perhaps even my trip so far. it was awesome. seeing it from above makes it feel like a huge accomplishment. we climbed that bitch!

white around the crater is remaining glaciers - the other white stuff is clouds!

security is massive everywhere in Nairobi.  to get into any shopping center or high end hotel, the car, including the trunk and glove compartment are searched and sometimes you are required to get out of the car as well.  this is the response to the horrific shooting at the mall in 2013.  i chatted with a security analyst at an American Chamber of Commerce event today who said the terrorist threat has been nullified here.  haha.  met the U.S. embassy guys.  the Kenyan Minister of Tourism spoke and accused America of destroying Kenya's tourism trade with irresponsible travel advisories. ballsy I thought when addressing an American group.  There are ongoing attacks against white westerners and christians [mostly in the north away from the wildlife parks] so yeah, i'd keep the advisories in place.

i meet with the Kenyan agent who quit about a week after i arrived Tanzania and listened to 'ways the company could improve' it's products and agent relationships.  all of which were valid points and just outlines the amount of work that needs to be done.

i never get tired of seeing 'her'

the rainy season is ending and the clouds are parting to reveal mount kilimanjaro more and more often.  it's an awesome and breath taking moment when you happen to look up and see this magnificent mountain above Moshi.

where are you?

so what exactly am i doing in Tanzania?  why would i move across the world to join this company?  sure i'd been sent the full investor presentation on the company.  i remember sitting on the beach in Naples with my sister [the accountant] reviewing the projections for growth and being more than skeptical that such exponential growth would be possible.  i'd been talking to organizations in central america so that's where i thought i would end up but then this company came up on my radar because of my past association with the Unreasonable Institute in Boulder, Colorado.  

Natural Extracts Industries works with over 1200 smallholder farmers [usually less than 3 acres] in Tanzania to subsidize the planting, train on cultivation and harvesting of vanilla.  For five years they have patiently waited as the vines matured and the vanilla was ready for harvesting.  


now the factory has been opened to produce vanilla extract as well as extracts from other raw materials found in Tanzania.  the brand is called The Epicurious Hedgehog and currently we are producing vanilla, orange, cinnamon, cacao and coffee extracts.  

there's a ton of work to be done to increase our sales and bring more farmers on board to meet the global demand.  it is in some ways nice to once again have a company with a well received brand and demand higher than what you can produce but with that comes some additional problems.

my offices are not fancy.  there are four desks available and there are between 6 - 8 employees, volunteers and consultants that cycle through each day.  the internet works about 50% of the time.  we have solar backup if the electricity goes out but that only powers 25% of the office so there is a system of daisy chained extension cords that reach the rest of the factory.  i had to request a filtered water station so that i didn't have to carry drinking water to/from the office every day.  as to the toilets, let's just say i've developed amazing bladder control.  seriously, i can go a full work day without a visit to the 'facilities'.

the staff here is mostly very good.  there are few bad hires but usually they go away quickly.  unlike Myanmar, i find there are well educated, hard working, very capable people here so i feel confident of building a good preforming team in my time here.

still, if you don't know me well, you may be asking why i'm here.  after my time in Asia i had to make a decision.  return to the US and take a job working for a corporation that valued profit over people and make a bunch of money or i could find companies looking to provide sustainable business solutions in developing countries where i could transfer skills needed to build solid sales, marketing and distribution networks.  that is the decision i made at the beginning of this year and 30 days later i had accepted the position in Tanzania.

none of this has been easy but i do believe it is important.

game drive

with a crazy couple of weeks coming up and having had no breaks since i arrived i took a weekend to get out and enjoy the wildlife.  with a few other women went out to the Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Crater, they are right next to each other and are probably the highest rated wildlife viewing areas in East Africa [also on the top 5 most expensive parks in the world]. 

it's surreal and i've been lucky to do this once before.  the second time it is just as amazing to experience these animals as they live and roam.

we only had one day in each park but it seemed around every bend there was another group of animals and another story being played out. we watched water buffalo stare down and chase away lions.  we saw lions hunting and zebra herds that stretched for miles along a trail.  dawn is the most exciting time as the nocturnal animals settle down and the rest of the animals start to wake up and head to the watering hole.

just a poem someone stuck on the wall

Someone taped this to the wall of the office a long time ago.  It's a bit yellowed and I'm not sure if it is really something penned by Mother Teresa.  I do look at it every day as a reminder of how the world should be instead of how it is.

out of the indian compound

my time at the indian compound has come to an end.  i am moving to a new location that is just three kilometers from the office.  it's out of town and in a quiet, western populated, upscale area called ironically, Shanty Town.

the compound i am in now is called Tatu because that's the name of the NGO here and everyone knows who they are.  i'm living on the second floor with a spanish guy who is a kili guide and safari organizer.  on the first floor, in the same square footage there are 9 - 11 volunteers working and living in dorm style housing.  they are mostly in their twenties - just looking for some experience but it's great having them on the compound. 

there is rope stretched across one area and at first i thought it was for laundry but it's a volleyball court and it's nice to hear them outside after work or on the weekends hitting a ball around.  there is also a slackline - so i'll be giving that a try soon.  there is a huge terrace that faces kilimanjaro and farm fields so i put out my yoga mat and practice there is in the mornings when it is cool.

it's 100 times better than the last place i was and after the first week, in which there was no hot water, the urge to check on return flights to the US is starting to diminish.

a few days in dar

Dar el Salaam is the capital.  any charm it once had wasn't presenting itself on my visit there.  perhaps it is like Bangkok and as i come to know it i will start to love going there.

there are basically two parts of the city.  the peninsula and everything else.  the peninsula is the western habitat and they seem to rarely leave it.  it was also raining nonstop which makes the traffic which is already bad even worse.

I spent something like 15 hours in airports and airplanes and and taxis to and from the airport for 48 hours on the ground.  what a miserable trip.  there are good restaurants so i always wanted to stop somewhere good but i was with my boss who like to stick with the $7UD per diem for meals so enough said there.

yellow fever in africa

before i left the US i did a check of the cdc website and because Tanzania is low risk for yellow fever, i decided not to get this vaccination.  unfortunately all the countries surrounding Tanzania are problematic so getting back into the country if i cross a border would require some bullshitting.  

of course, anything that involves a needle in a developing country is a HUGE flag for me.  i cringe 

at the thought of possibly getting HIV from a dirty needle.  i am however supposed to be in Nairobi next week so i decide i should do this.  i called the embassy but they were of no help on this issue.  after a little local investigation, i find out it's available right down the street at the shanty town dispensary.  

what happens is probably one of the best medical related experiences i've ever had in my life.  the clinic is clean and the staff are happy.  60,000TZS [$30US] and five minutes later i am out the door.

the needle and vaccine came out of the box in a bubble package so i relaxed about the dirty needle issues and let her prick me.  as you can see she quite enjoyed it.  the second nurse in the room wanted her picture taken too.

it's bizzare to me that it was so easy to get a shot and so hard to get a driver's license.

getting a driver's license

when i arrived, the general manager freaked out because i didn't have an international driver's license.  i wasn't expecting to be driving - and although my agreement included a car for business purposes... i'd assumed wrongly that would come with a driver.

a lot of time was wasted discussing what could be done about this as they insisted i must have a Tanzania license and this was not possible to get without a work permit, which was going to take months to get.

after about a week i tire of the discussion and the staff's ability to get anything done so take myself over to TRA [tanzania revenue authority] who issues driver's licenses.  what follows is the REAL STORY OF BRAVE AMERICAN GIRL IN TANZANIA.

as soon as i arrive TRA i am taken into a small room and sit across the desk from an older gentleman who appears to be in charge.  i chat with him for about 5 minutes, telling him what i want and asking respectfully how i can get it.  he says, ok.  i approve your license.  WOW I THOUGHT - that was really easy after listening for over a week to the staff about why it could not be done.  but wait....

so i fill out this form and take it to the police station.  the police, also very nice, seem to understand from the paper clutched in my hand what i need and they look me up in the computer and stamp their approval.  i go back out to the taxi and back to TRA.  my new friend, Charles, at the TRA takes my picture and fingerprints.  for a minute i hesitate because i really don't want to be in their database but then i remember they fingerprinted me at the airport for my visa and i'm already in the system.

so with the approval from the police and my information into the TRA system i get a payment voucher that has to be paid at the bank.  off to the bank i go to pay my 3000TZS [US$1.50].  it's the end of the day and the payment needs to post so i wait a day to go back to TRA.

i go back to the TRA the next day and instead of getting a license i get another payment voucher.  this one for 10000 TZS [yeah, i know a lot of zeros but still less than $5US].  so back to the bank.  

police that enter your information in computer

oh, i forgot to mention, the first time i went to the bank, i was given a number that was like 50 away from what the cashiers were actually serving.  being a muzinga [that's what a white person is called here] the bank doorman invited me to skip the line and go directly to the cashier.  i was okay with that but the cashier was not and as she chastized me first in swahili and then english and then chastized me for not understanding swahili, i just shrugged my shoulders as if i couldn't understand either.  her tone was clear enough so i knew my second time around i would not be moved to the front of the line.  instead, i took a number, left and went shopping for an hour, dropped some files at the printer next door and when i went back to the bank still had to wait 20 minutes before my number was called.

it was a few days before i went back to TRA and they just sent me along to the police station again for a second time.  i think the first was approval that i had no criminal background.  this the second time was for some different reason.  no one ever spoke english to me - i just showed them the paper work and they pointed where i needed to go...

then back to TRA to prove i'd been to the police station, one more payment voucher for the bank for 40,000 [$20US]. this time i can't be bothered to wait at the bank and i'm leaving for Dar so i send the finance girl to do it.

a week later with the final proof of payment in hand i go back to the TRA and my now friend Charles hands over my license.  i can't tell if he's happy i've jumped through all the hoops or if he's just happy to know i won't be coming back.

charles delivers my license to me

my best guess is that the process in the past has been so broken by corruption that the independent bank payment is required to insure the money goes to the government and not into the pockets of the TRA officials.  during my third trip to the TRA i was tired of the running to the bank and suggested that i just pay there for all the fees and quickly get my license but my attempt to bribe this low level official was rebuffed and i was sent to the 'purgatory' they call the bank.

ultimately, it doesn't matter what you hand the police when they pull you over.  before i had a tanzania license and was pulled over, i couldn't find my colorado drivers license.  instead i handed them my dive card - yeah - the card that says i'm a licensed scuba diver.  they didn't know the difference.

but now i'm legal.... 5 trips to the TRA, 3 trips to the bank and 2 trips to the police station.  i spent at least 15 hours taking care of this and that's the real crime as it takes away time from what i can contribute to the company.