After two Weeks Back to Work

 

My latest three weeks since the Aussie visitors left

Having two weeks away from the office meant routines disrupted. While in Kigali I was able to head to the hotel gym each morning to use the treadmill but escorting the Australian visitors afforded no opportunity to exercise so it was good on the first day back (Saturday) to be out with the dogs at the new time of 5.45 am.

Simba and Tiger

I had a wedding to attend that day so off to the hairdresser where I sat next to the groom and his groomsman who I knew quite well. As these guys were getting facials I was impressed and had one too, together with a pedicure. I couldn’t believe how calm they were a few hours out from the wedding.

Weddings are a big community event and I wondered how the wedding I attended last year was such a lavish affair. A committee or committees are formed which organise everything. A minimum contribution is made by committee members which in this was was TZS 40,000 (AU$25). That also secures an seat at the table. Double that for a couple.

So venue hire, catering, decorations, food, drinks are all arranged by the committee in consultation with the couple. It is actually a pretty good way of ensuring couples are celebrated. This wedding had 400 catered and a committee of 200. Many who came to the reception were not at the church as they were busy at the venue getting it all set up.

First days back from Monday 1 May were busy, just catching up, sorting some of the computers that had arrived in my absence including laptops for distribution. It is amazing to think a 5-6 year old laptop here is considered new. An inventory by the IT guy listed all desktops at BBC and I was amazed to see Dell desktops as old as 2006. Something to be said about Dell quality.

On Thursday a group of 13 clergy from the Diocese of Central Tanganyika based in Dodoma 1,000kms away travelled to the region, ostensibly to see Lake Victoria and visit various churches while here. All 13 travelled in one 4WD Landrover with baggage on the roof. They were welcomed at the morning service.

I was scheduled to travel to Bunda and due to a mix up I ended up driving long distance for the first time in Tanzania with two staff also going to Bunda Girls School for the groundbreaking ceremony for the new staff accommodation. While there I was meeting with the builder and others to discuss future plans and to add one duplex to the two already approved.

So it was a walk around the grounds, meet the builder, visit the computer room to discuss IT needs and plans to provide additional computers for the school once some second hand small desktops (28 of them) that I had arranged to be brought across by the visitors were set up at the theological college which would provide their old desktops for basic PC literacy to the schools..

This parcel box from Australia Post contains 2 desktop boxes 18cm2 and 4cm height. 8gb of RAM and minimum 128 GB SSD. Being disposed of as laptops replaced these almost new computers after Covid. 23 will go to Bunda Bible College once screens obtained.

The grounbreaking ceremony

Maponde the site engineer, the local archdeacon, the builder Mrefu, Melina the Development Officer, Tipone the Principal and Misoji the Education Secretary

The drive back had a routine stop at Kiabakari which has fruit and vegetable markets. The photos tell the story of how desperate women are to make a sale.

On Friday night I was invited to dinner at Philibia’s parents home. Philibia is the young woman many generously supported last year to have a life saving heart operation. I saw her a few weeks earlier before the trip to Kigali when she came up to me after a wedding, wanted a selfie and I asked who she was. That is how much she had changed. Dinner was to say thanks and I also was presented with a live chicken.

Philibia, still thin but much healthier

With her parents

Having felt tired since the return from Kigali and the week with the visitors, runny nose and reports that three of them had returned home with COVID, I took a RAT test on the weekend and again Monday which were both negative. It was a slow start to week two and by Wednesday I was down at the Coptic Medical Centre concerned after aches and pains that I had once again made friends with the local mosquitos. No, said the blood slide and the doctor. You have a URTI. Antibiotics, anti-histamines and Vitamin B plus panadol. I hadn’t had a head cold like it for years. It was a slow few days, although Saturday was big with the first of six leadership workshops I was faciliatting. Getting details of numbers was difficult and by Friday afternoon, I was told somewhere between 25-30 had signed up!. Much more than the smaller group I had expected may take out Saturdays for six weeks to come in their own time. I will blog about this separately. My head, a week later is still processing what I learned. The topic for week one was How Culture Impacts Leadership.

Another Anglican Aid laptop finds a grateful new owner as Nickson, the Bunda accountant receives a formatted laptop from Nguti

My flu like symptoms were not improving. I met the bishop to discuss priorities for my remaining eight weeks here. The strategic plan is a must do. However he would like a draft after all the consultations from last year then gather a group to review it. We also discussed financial training which I will do with the Bunda accountant and an audit recently completed on an institution. Certainly bishops lead lonely lives and have difficult roles here in Africa.

Wednesday was my birthday and I let it pass unnoticed here after last year. At 1.30am Thursday morning I awoke unabe to sleep again and lay there for hours sweating, knowin I now have malaria.. I was slow getting up and called at 9.30 for a driver to take me to the hospital. They just call me Eddie now. I am a regular. Dr Peter saw me, ordered a Vitamin B drip and a blood test. I slept for a couple of hours as the drip fed through and learned at the end that yes, it is malaria and drugs prescribed and off I was home after five hours. The drip and the injection of the painkiller did their job, as I was feeling much better.

And so my week ended on Friday with sermon preparation for Sunday 21 May and a quiet weekend. The bishop left Friday night for a week in Dodoma.