Well the journey officially started at around 6:45 am Wednesday August 17, 2011 when my family and I left for CVG. We arrived around 7:30 and are 1 challenge arrived. 4/5 of our suitcases were overweight!! 2 of Shannon's and 2 of mine. Our joint suitcase was the only one at 50 pounds. Shannon had thankfully brought an extra suitcase so we put our extra weight into it. So in total we began our journey with 6- 50 pound suitcases, 2 very heavy carry-on uprights and 2 backpacks filled to the top! We had very little before boarding begun. We flew from CVG to Washington-Dulles and only had 50 minutes to get to our flight to Addis Ababa. We got checked in and during that time I deactivated my Iphone and activated my Blackberry (it is a global phone) and we boarded our very long flight to Ethiopia. We spend around 14 hours on the plane. By then end of that flight we were restless and ready to be to our new home. Once arriving in Ethiopia we went through security again, freshened up a bit and headed to our gate. Upon arriving they were announcing that the flight before ours was delayed due to the rain. We were worried that our flight would be to but thankfully it left close our scheduled departure time. Thankfully on our first two flights the planes were quite empty we got lots of extra room. This was a completely different story on our third flight and had very little room....it was a very long 3 hours but we made it to Dar es Salaam safely!!
When we arrived in Dar and walked down the steps to immigration where we saw a man holding a sign with our names...WOOHOO this meant that our visas had arrived!! We then went through the immigration line and got our first stamp from Tanzania! The man then assisted us in getting all of our 6 bags of checked luggage. Shannon and I each got a cart and loaded it to the top. As we walked outside we found out HR Manager and met the other two men who were assisting us with our arrival! They all laughed when I told them that we promise we didn't overpack as we showed them our two carts full of luggage!
Next, we exchanged some money. 1620 Shillings= 1 US Dollar. So needless to say we felt like we had a lot of money on us even though it only averaged out to a few hundred dollars. Then we loaded up the pickup and hoped to be going to our apartment but no such luck. We went to a store and bought a lot of kitchen appliances and other supplies. After that the truck bed was stuffed full and the back seat was as well. One of the men had to ride in the back of the truck to protect our stuff from people on the streets. We were ready to get to our apartment but still had a few more stops to make. We stopped and set up our Tanzanian cell phone (I will not turn my US cell phone back on until December!) and our internet. We also did some grocery shopping for some basic foods and it was quite an adventure!!!
Finally we arrive at our apartment 7 hours after we arrived in Dar. Traffic is terrible and there is lots of congestion. Our apartment is quite spacious and was furnished before our arrival. We met our land lady who is very nice and lives downstairs. We thought we would just want to go to bed when we got all of our things into the apartment. Instead we started unpacking we had things everywhere and thought it would be easier to get some things unpacked. Unfortunately we do not have air conditioning in the apartment but have windows we can open (they have grids and mosquito nets on them) and ceiling fans in each room that make a huge difference!! I finally went to take a shower and had a surprise. Number one there is no rod to hang the shower curtain up so we made it work. Picture to be uploaded soon :) Number two surprise no hot water! It was shocking at first but then you get used to it!
Finally we both take some tylenol pm and go to bed around 9:30. I wake up around 11 to surprise number 3 so far........It is power ration day so no power. It was not to bad just a bit different. We opened all of the windows so there was a good breeze luckily. It turns out that every other day is power ratio day, usually it only lasts a few hours but today it was off for about 12 hours. It came back on around 6 pm. Surprise number 4-- the water tank runs out when the power is off because it uses electricity to pump the water. So as we go to make supper we have no water. Thankfully our land lady gave us a 5 gallon bucket full to use. Note number one--buy buckets to put water into for power ration days :) Each night we boil two large buckets of water for drinking!
Today we got all unpacked and did some more shopping. The apartment looks more homey and we are glad to be able to call it our home for the next two years! Since arriving in Dar only about 36 hours ago I have already learned many aspects of living that we take for granted in the United States:
--We have water that we can just drink straight from the tap and don't have to worry about it making us sick.
--Having hot water is not necessary for showering but a nice luxury. (We boil our water to do dishes as well)
--We use way too much electricity! Even though our power was out today there were many times that I totally forgot and it didn't bother me. (We are a bit concerned for the power months but are coming up with plans to help it be more comfortable)
--The bad part about the power rations is our fridge. We have to be careful what we buy and what we put into our fridge as it can go bad when the power is out for extended periods. Meal planning, cooking and grocery shopping take lots of planning.
We are learning and adapting already. When the power is on we make sure to get our showers, stock up on water, and charge up electronics! I am loving it here and still taking it all in. There is lots of differences but some similarities as well. I am anxious to meet the staff at my school and see my classroom!
That is all for now :)
When we arrived in Dar and walked down the steps to immigration where we saw a man holding a sign with our names...WOOHOO this meant that our visas had arrived!! We then went through the immigration line and got our first stamp from Tanzania! The man then assisted us in getting all of our 6 bags of checked luggage. Shannon and I each got a cart and loaded it to the top. As we walked outside we found out HR Manager and met the other two men who were assisting us with our arrival! They all laughed when I told them that we promise we didn't overpack as we showed them our two carts full of luggage!
Next, we exchanged some money. 1620 Shillings= 1 US Dollar. So needless to say we felt like we had a lot of money on us even though it only averaged out to a few hundred dollars. Then we loaded up the pickup and hoped to be going to our apartment but no such luck. We went to a store and bought a lot of kitchen appliances and other supplies. After that the truck bed was stuffed full and the back seat was as well. One of the men had to ride in the back of the truck to protect our stuff from people on the streets. We were ready to get to our apartment but still had a few more stops to make. We stopped and set up our Tanzanian cell phone (I will not turn my US cell phone back on until December!) and our internet. We also did some grocery shopping for some basic foods and it was quite an adventure!!!
Finally we arrive at our apartment 7 hours after we arrived in Dar. Traffic is terrible and there is lots of congestion. Our apartment is quite spacious and was furnished before our arrival. We met our land lady who is very nice and lives downstairs. We thought we would just want to go to bed when we got all of our things into the apartment. Instead we started unpacking we had things everywhere and thought it would be easier to get some things unpacked. Unfortunately we do not have air conditioning in the apartment but have windows we can open (they have grids and mosquito nets on them) and ceiling fans in each room that make a huge difference!! I finally went to take a shower and had a surprise. Number one there is no rod to hang the shower curtain up so we made it work. Picture to be uploaded soon :) Number two surprise no hot water! It was shocking at first but then you get used to it!
Finally we both take some tylenol pm and go to bed around 9:30. I wake up around 11 to surprise number 3 so far........It is power ration day so no power. It was not to bad just a bit different. We opened all of the windows so there was a good breeze luckily. It turns out that every other day is power ratio day, usually it only lasts a few hours but today it was off for about 12 hours. It came back on around 6 pm. Surprise number 4-- the water tank runs out when the power is off because it uses electricity to pump the water. So as we go to make supper we have no water. Thankfully our land lady gave us a 5 gallon bucket full to use. Note number one--buy buckets to put water into for power ration days :) Each night we boil two large buckets of water for drinking!
Today we got all unpacked and did some more shopping. The apartment looks more homey and we are glad to be able to call it our home for the next two years! Since arriving in Dar only about 36 hours ago I have already learned many aspects of living that we take for granted in the United States:
--We have water that we can just drink straight from the tap and don't have to worry about it making us sick.
--Having hot water is not necessary for showering but a nice luxury. (We boil our water to do dishes as well)
--We use way too much electricity! Even though our power was out today there were many times that I totally forgot and it didn't bother me. (We are a bit concerned for the power months but are coming up with plans to help it be more comfortable)
--The bad part about the power rations is our fridge. We have to be careful what we buy and what we put into our fridge as it can go bad when the power is out for extended periods. Meal planning, cooking and grocery shopping take lots of planning.
We are learning and adapting already. When the power is on we make sure to get our showers, stock up on water, and charge up electronics! I am loving it here and still taking it all in. There is lots of differences but some similarities as well. I am anxious to meet the staff at my school and see my classroom!
That is all for now :)
Loved the post Stacy, praying for you both as you start this new journey. Love you couz!
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