Wednesday, January 04, 2012

Salamu Kutoka Bongo!


Nimetumiwa kwa email:

Imeadikwa na Prof. Akwanza

Pokeni salamu kutoka Tanzania. Najua LGF alishawapelekea picha  ikinionyesha nikishuhulikiwa na joto la Dar.

Nataka kuwaarifu kuwa niweza kusalimika hapa Bongo kwa zaidi ya mwezi sasa.

There is a story I read (I do not remember where) some time ago. In  summary it went like this: One experimentalist took a frog and  put it in a  cooking pot with cold water. The frog was comfortable there.

Slowly the water temperature was raised and the frog kept on adjusting to the new environment. It continued like this up to when the water reached boiling  point and the frog was turned to a frog-stew. On the second
experiment the  water was first brought to boiling point and then the frog was dropped in.

It immediately jumped out and it survived though with some injuries.

Why am I telling this story? Many of those I know from before are at times > at a loss when I lament at the situation I see. Wanasema macho  yatazoea tu  na nitaona kila kitu sawa. Yaani nitakuwa frog-stew.

My arrival in TZ after about 5-years of absence was like that frog that was dropped in boiling water. I wanted to jump from every situation I  found myself. These include

 1. To be told to teach a class of 208 students in a room with only 98 chairs (A108 for those familiar with FoE now CoET). Wengine  wanachungulia> dirishani. I am told this is quit common in some classes.

 2. Really run down of the University of Dar-es-Salaam.  For example: my  favorite walkway "Havard" cafeteria through Hall 2 to my Hall 5 residence (ili ukutane na Warembo wa Hall 3) is barely passable.

 3. The traffic mess all over Dar. BTW I am NOT PROUD of what I have  become, i.e. driving in Dar like the rest of them.

4. The change in the people's values, very materialistic, selfish,  uncaring. This is my conclusion based on how people drive, the way they built security walls without taking into consideration those down stream they need a road too, Furthermore, the lack of care for the environment (mabonde yote yamejengwa) no wonder few hours of rain pour as we had the last two days there are no wetlands to slow down the waters and many many more.

 IMPORTANT

On the other hand there are some real improvements:1. Since my arrival I have no real memorable power outage yet.

 Though nlishakatikiwa maji halfway by shower thus end-up finishing the operation with a small Kilimanjaro water I had in the house.

 2. LGF amenisahau kabisa, baada ya kupata safari ya hafla siku ambayo tulikuwa tukutane ( touge-in-chic. the HAVES have to  working overtime to maintain their position at the top.

 3. Lot of new constructions, thou I do not like the structural  system they are using: heavy concrete frame with solid block for partitioning walls. Two things: either we need to stop paying Architects by the  parcentage of  the cost of the building or file mulpractice to structural engineers or both.

 BOTHERING DEVELOPMENTS

 1. In my opinion, some people have more money than the  government, thus  they can literally do what they want, including things such as to  pay to have a road closed at peak-hour to off-load your truck. I  witnessed this with my own eyes.

2. The widening gap between the HAVES and the HAVE-NOTS is a ticking bomb.

3. The weak goverment is making it possible for the HAVES to  accelerate 2) above.

Concerning the "mafuriko" you heard in the news, If you believe those who  say that it was heavy rains that caused the flooding you can well start raising funds for I have a bridge I will like to sell to  you. The  operative phrase should be "Environmental Degradation Caused Flooding and Loss of Bridges " With the wetlands all dessimeted there is no where for the water to be held and percolated slowlly throughout the  catchment area  and thus have river floww throughout the year and thus no excuse for
 TANESCO to cry falling Dam levels.

Allow me to stop my rambling here. I am going to try to locate the missing LGF. Kama ukimwona mwambie namtafuta !!!!!!!!!!!!.

 Akwanza

 On Sabbatical at UDSM

3 comments:

  1. Vijiwe au sijui "viota" hapo Dar ni vingi na vinaibuka kila leo. Vingine vimeanza kupoteza umaarufu wake. Kuhusu kugombania chakula na insi (sic); binadamu hatashinda vita hivi hata siku moja, kwani insi hashibi! Isitoshe, harufu na uchafu wa chooni huchangia kuwepo kwao. Sijui umegundua watu hawaulizaGI chooni ni wapi; kwani harufu ya mikojo unaipata haswa upepo ukivuma kuelekea ulipoketi. Kuna jamaa zangu walipasifia sana Break Point (Makumbusho area); nilisikitishwa kugundua sifa nilizozisikia haziendani na huduma ikiwa pamoja na vyakula vyake. So you see Prof. nami najua ku-criticise - harufu (hasa ya choo), huduma etc. Kuhusu undeshaji gari Dar, hapo nakuvulia kofia. Uchomekaji ndio kwao, tena ukijifanya "uwe be careful" utagonga na kosa litakuwa lako.

    Ukitoka mgombani, usikose kutembelea makontena ya pale Kilimani Rd karibu na Ubalozi wa Ufaransa - sijui huduma yao ikoje sasa. Mara ya mwisho nimekwenda chakula bomba na selection ya mvinyo wanayo nyingi. Nilikwenda usiku kupunguza ugomvi kati yangu na insi - ila usiku jipakaze dawa ya umbu ya kutosha. Ile wanayowasha chini ya mesa haitoshi na wamekwisha isoea.

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  2. Hapa Bongo ukiwa na fedha zako na unataka huduma iwe ni kwa wakala wa simu au kwenye kijiwe cha bia inakuwa kama vile umekuja kuomba. Mahali ambapo nilienda na nikakuta kweli "Mteja ni Mfalme" ilikuwa Serena Hotel (Former Movenpick, former Royal Palms, former Sheraton) on Ohio St. I was so pleased with their service to the extent that I gave the waiters about 25% gratuity. Siku hizi nikifika kuna maweita wananilaki mlangoni. Sehemu zingine wanazo-hipe kama Mlimani City (Samaki samaki etc), Bit Point (correct name?) (near Namanga) they are expensive for nothing. The hospitality industry in Tanzania has a long way to go. Kwenye vijiwe ambavyo my crowed of "University Don" visit such as Calabash, Lufungilo, Arisa Club, Udasa Club (a very sorry and run down place just like the rest of the parent institution) etc, unapokula lazima ushindane na insi nani ashibe kwanza. Karibu nitazoea mashindano haya. I am fighting this kind of mazoea, hata kama "wahechimiwa" hapa wataendelea kunisakama au kuniangalia kwa jicho la ainaaina.
    There is one joit called "City Fast Food" kilichoko Shekilango Rd ambacho kama ukiwahi pana afadhali kidogo, japo kama ulivyosema huyu matajiri angetumia sehemu kidogo ya faida yake kutengeneza maingilio ya sehemu yake ya biashara mambo yangekuwa mazuri zaidi. Kwa mfano vivuko vya mtaro wa barabara (open road drainage ditch). During my first visit there I was taken aback by the entrance. Slowly I am seeing it as OK. SHAME ON ME. Nakuwa frog-stew pole pole. Ukichelewa kufika hapa kwenye joint itabidi ushindane na insi kama sehemu nyinine ambazo nimeshafika hadi sasa. Some of the negative preventing me from enjoying the quality of service I experienced at Serena Hotel include the steep price tag and MORE IMPORTANT the hassle of going there given mwendesho wa kuchomokea wa hapa DSM, especially after some few shots of vodka. Did I tell you I am becoming an expert on this driving madness? Huenda nimemzidi LGF kwani mimi sina dereva wakuniendesha kama yeye !!!!!!!!!

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  3. mnacomplaini fanyeni mabadiliko wewe umefanya nini kuibadili Tanzania? watu tuna njaa, jua kali hela zimeshikwa huko juu walalahoi tuna kufa nyie kwa tuliozaliw kijijini insi sio tatizo sema mengine kama hupataki Tanzania ONDOKA UMEKUJA KUFANYA NINI nYAMBAFFFFFFFFFFF

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