Nairobi - 3 days and still haven't been robbed.

Nairobi is a big, flash, fancy, green city. The biggest reminder that I'm in Africa (well aside from all the Africans) was the 10 road blocks in the 2 hour trip from the border. The road blocks are the most obvious symptom of power abuse, corruption and bad governance. my bus passed all the checks without any fines. Also on the bus ride (while I was still on the Tanzania side) I finally got to see impressive, uniquely African animals in the wild: a line of Zebras casually meandering though the plains near the road. Beautiful.

Flic's mum, Marilyn, has been kind enough to share her hotel room with me. So I'm indulging in the luxury of huge buffet breakfasts (pocketing a yogurt for later) and an actual bath, with real hot water (pocketing some soap for later). The hotel is right next to to the hospital so I have been able to visit Flic daily.

Flic is not enjoying life at the moment, can't say I blame her. She is frustrated and dealing with the effects of surgery (anxiety and lack of balance which are normal and expected) and the effects of the drugs (lethargy and foggyness, also normal and expected). Flic and I are similar in our love of independence and are both known to get annoyed with people who tell us what to do. So I can empathise with the feeling of powerless she has and have been amazed with her patience and politeness. Marilyn is at the hospital before I get out of bed and still there when I get into bed, she makes sure that Flic is cared for as a whole person. And Flic is improving, slowly, but strongly, every day.

I have stared the process of applying for my business visa for Ethiopia. Of course there is the usual hiccups along the way. The Ethiopian Embassy can only issue business visas to Kenyan residents. They suggested I get Kenyan residency first, I said that could be rather time consuming. So they suggested that I return to New Zealand to get the visa, I said that I would find that inconvenient. Then they suggested I enter as a tourist, I said that would be entering the country under false pretences (also I would not be able to residency). Then they finally said that if I could get the school to clear my entrance with Ethiopian immigration first they could then issue a visa. So I've got the school working on that possibility.

I've been using the buses here, and like in a lot of African countries the bus owners state their alliances in bold stickers across their windscreens: 'God is Great", "Allah Willing", "Chelsey", "Arsenal". They also belt out their favorite music. Yesterday I got in a bus that had some gangsta rap on full pelt. Due to my culture and upbringing I have never been overly comfortable with the word 'Nigger' or as is is now said 'Nigga". In fact I'm more comfortable with 'cunt' - possibly the result of seeing 'The Vagina Monologues' and living in Scotland. So I wasn't overly comfortable in a bus full of black men listening to lyrics encouraging all Niggas to fuck em white whoes, and fuck em up real bad. I was possibly the only one who noticed it.

I really like Tanzania - and I got a job

Tanzania is cool, the people are cool, they don't point at you and yell out "foreigner" in their own language constantly. I came in on the far west, then caught an overnight train to the middle. I didn't realise that Tanzania time is an hour earlier than Burundi time, but luckily I'm an anal retentive white foreigner so I turned up for my 7am train half an hour early and because I'm in chilled out, relaxed what's-the problem Africa, the train left 35 minutes late. perfect. Spectacular views of wide open Savannah, but still no big animals. I stayed a night at some bloke-I-just-met's house. The kind of open generosity that I haven't seen since Sudan. Incredible. I gave him my fake leatherman, but nothing will match genuine welcome.

I got into Dar es Salaam and stayed in the city for a few days, I managed to get to see a museum and a couple of markets, where I bought Congolese masks for a tenth of the price that they were trying to get in Congo. I bought Flic a ebony letter opener with a hippo carving on it, she likes hippos, but she is the absolute last person you would ever buy a letter opener for... I was just thinking about her when I walked past them. Really beautiful paintings here too, but I'm going to have to miss out on those, funds are tight, and I have just asked my mother for a loan. Yep, a loan to fund my self indulgent life style because I don't want to pay interest on a credit card, I've never been the ideal daughter.

The exchange rate in Tanzania: 1 British pound travelers cheque = 2400 Tanzania shillings, 1 British pound cash = 1400 Tanzania shillings, 1 Scottish pound cash = 800 Tanzania shillings. Last time I looked Scotland was part of Britain. And they don't change Sudanese money.

The Internet server here is powered by a disabled hamster slowly limping around a hamster wheel that needs a service. It's sooo slow... even cricket is faster than this.


I was spending about two hours a day looking for work (and also not looking for work) on the Internet every day. I started applying for work in Africa, then Middle East, then Eastern Europe. I ended up applying for jobs in hospitality, childcare and teaching from Iceland to Iraq (and decided that I wouldn't take the Iraq job if I got it... bit too noisy).


After a few days in the city I decided to cut costs and move to the beach... Brilliant. I had a bungalow all to myself for only 5 USD a night, right on a postcard perfect white sand beach. I was swimming 3 times a day, eating fresh fish, fresh coconut, fresh pineapple, checking out the incredible bodies of the guys who 'worked' there, building sand castles. I met up with a Californian hippy chick called Curry so we laughed, did a ritual, belly danced, did a bit of yoga. On my last night we swam nude at night. The night sky was the ultimate with Venus and Mars brightly present and also being able to see the Big Dipper and Southern Cross in the same sky every night. Magic.


But still it's Africa, Sometimes there's no power, sometimes there's no water. I got a huge electric shock from the live wire right next to my light switch (I gave the manager my electrical tape to fix it), there were rats in my roof, and jellyfish in the sea and mosquitos everywhere. But who cares, the rats didn't bite, the jellyfish didn't sting I'm itchy but show no signs of malaria. Also there were cool animals like hundreds of crabs that would come out at night and fight their battles on the sand, and bats that would flutter around the lights to catch insects.


I would walk a kilometre down the beach and use the Internet from one of the posh hotels. And after a week of the most luxurious job search ever, yesterday I accepted a position teaching English in a primary school in Ethiopia. here is it pronounced 'utopia' which I quite like. I start mid July for the summer school. It's a one year contract, and seems to have good holidays but lousy pay. It'll do me.


I'm back in the city tonight. Tomorrow I head for Nairobi, Kenya where I'll get my Ethiopian visa, buy some decent primary-school-teacher clothes and most of all get to spend some time with Flic who is in hospital there. Hopefully I can be of some use to Flic's mum who is doing an amazing job being a mum-in-need. I hope she likes pineapples, I got her one.

Rwanda, Congo, Burundi: Summery

Best thing brought: Flic (who came with a tent a knowlege of card games and a sence of humour, Long Johns (5 degress up the volcano)

Worst thing brought: Blisters.

Best thing bought: Permit for National park.

Worst thing bought: Food, man, with the exception of Burundi, the area has some pretty bland food.

Most surprising: No big animals, haven't seen a gorilla, lion, elephant... the best I've seen so far is cows with big horns. I thouht this contenent was supposed to have masses of animals. I'm too cheap to go on a safari tour, but I would like to see a zebra or a giraff or even an anteater in the wild. Also supprising is just what African woman can carry on thier heads. There is the obivious water jugs and baskets of fruit, but what i didn't expect was handbags and backpacks... or shoes, and hoes.

Typically central African: Running to throw a few punches when you hear a theif has been caught. Also staring, smiling, laughing.

What's accepted: Ignoring the potentual genoside in Darfur, looting other countries mineral wealth.

What's not accepted: Outside countries ignoring your political problems, other countries looting your mineral wealth.

What works: Motherhood and babies, the babies are chilled, they are lifted up by a limb and swung around to their mothers backs, they don't whing or cry very often and they don't wear nappys. I saw a one year old on a train being washed infont of the open window (cold air rushing in) one woman held the kid up by its arms and another poured cold water over it... the kid just looked mildly inconvenanced.

What doesn't work: The Deoderant here, some people are really honkin. Sometimes, I'm also really honking... the buses can utterly pong.

What I learnt: Strong insect repelent melts plastic

What I learnt to do: Get myself resonably clean in only 3 pints of water from a bucket.


I knew I was in Africa when: I realised that I no longer had any expectations anmore when I heard words like 'hotel', 'toilet', 'food'

So the whole Congo, Rwanda, Burundi area has been (still is) a political mess for a while. I spoke to a Congolese Poilot and asked if he was glad that the war was finally over. He said 'No'. He got a hell of a lot more money for flying guns than he does for flying food.

So here is a breif idea of what went on. Most of this I got from Lonely Planet, and from 'Shackled Continent' by Robert Guest (really good book, explains a lot and even I understood it). I'm going to leave out Burundi in this because it's confusing enough as it is:

Late 1800's: King Leopold of Belgim owned Congo, (only private owership of an African country). He enslaved locals to tap rubber and collect Ivory. He'd slice off the hands of slackers and other nasty stuff.

1908: Belgim Govenment rule of Congo. (they took it off Leopold's hands), they built a few roads but never bothered with infustructure or education.

1916: Rwanda that was held by Gemans was handed over to Belgim (a WW1 thing) There were 2 major tribes: the Hutus (85%) and Tutsis (13%), They got on fine, there was intermarriage etc. The Belgims favoured the minority Tutsis and gave them prominent positions in govenment. This peeved off the Hutus, understandably.

1960: Congo got independance, The obivious guy for the job was too soviet for the Belgims and US (who for some reason had a say). So they place Moboto in power. He was an arse who thought that being presideint just means he owns everything in the country. He inspired the word 'kleptocracy' I think it is more a Kleptatorship. During this time Congo was called Zaire, then later it was given the ironic title of Democratic republic of Congo, but I'm just going to stick with 'Congo'. Moboto also gave himself some new names including "The cock that leaves no hen untouched" I think i'll just shorten it to "The Cock".

1962: Rwanda gets independance, as it's demoracy and Hutus are the majority, Hutus win leadership. Things get bad fro the Tutsis, some flee to Uganda (they come back into the story later).

1990: Rwanda 5000 of the ousted Tutsis decide to come back; in a violent way. Uganda supported the Tutsi rebels and France, Belgim and Moboto's Congo supported the Hutu gonvenment)

1993: Peace agreement signed between the Tutsi rebels and Hutu govenment in Rwanda. But the gonvenment used propaganda to fuel tensions, they portayed the Tutsis as evil.

1994: Hutu Gonvenment extreemests began the genoside by shooting down the presidentual plane killing their own and the Burundian presidents. Within 45 minutes road blocks had been set up across the country and the genoside had begun (obiviously planned... nothing happens that fast in Africa). It lasted only 3 months and killed about 800,000 people. the genoside ended when the Tutsi rebels banded together and overthrew the gonvenment. (ok, from now on in it's the Tutsi who are in gonvemnent and the Hutus are now the rebels). The UN didn't help, the French came but helped by creating an exit route for the fleeing Hutus genosideies into Congo where they are fed and housed with foreign aid (the French are not well liked in Rwanda). From this base they made attacks back into Rwanda. So Rwanda appealed to Congo to close down the camps... Mobotu was buddies with the old Hutu govenment so encouraged them instead.

1996: Rwanda invaded Congoin the hope to scatter or kill the genocidaires and set up a buffer zone. Turned out that attacking Congo was supprisingly easy and they decided that they simply replace Mobotu who was being a pain in the arse.

1997: There were still a load of Rwandan Hutu rebels hanging out just across the border in Congo which annoyed the Rwandan gonvenment so they got together with Uganda and overthrew Mobutu and placed a guy called Kabila. The Cogolese were happy and supported the new leader, cause he couldn't be as bad as Mobutu... surely. Actually, you guessed it, he was worse (promised elections but never held them, jailed and tortured suspected opponents, printed money... actually that is a common trick with African leaders, I had a long converstaion with a Ugandan the other night tryiing to explain why printing more money doesn't make more value... it just makes more bits of paper... my explination failed). But, his biggest mistake was not fufilling his promise to Uganda and Rwanda who placed him in power. He never closed down the refugee camps that held the genocidaires.

1998: Rwanda, knowing how easy it was to attack Congo decided to do it again and overthrow the man they had put in power with teh help of their old freinds Uganda and the hodge podge of Congolese rebel groupd who also didn't like the current leader. Kabila got onto the phone and called up some of his dictator mates. Armies from Zimbabwe, Angola, and Namibia arrived. They pushed the rebels and rwandans back. The ill trained Congolese army pretty much fired at random, they were told to kill anyone with a long noes (a trate of a Tutsi) .

1999: Now it gets really confusing. At one time or another 9 National armys were involved and they all had various alliances with the several rebel groups and militas. It was a mess. They attempted a peace pact but no one honoured it. there's a simpole reason to all this. Congo is rich, filled to the brim in copper, diamonds, gold, cobalt and coltan (a rare mineral used in mobile phones. As soon as an army seizes a mine, they simply loot it and use the money to buy more wepons/planes. They didn't seem to pay their solgers though, who robbed villages and killed apes for bush meat.

2000: Rwandan and Ugandan troopws blasted eash other in a Congolese city for 6 days (distroying much of the town) over the spoils of the area. They were supposed to be on the same side. A thriving diamond market sprung up in Rwanda, a country that doesn't produce diamonds.

2001: Kabalia was assisinated. killed by his aid who in turn was shot minutes later. He was replaced by his 29 year old son Joseph.

Kabila Jr. seems to have just been a better human being, he has signed peace agreements, created a transitional govenment with leaders of the differnt groups and actually held elections. Forigen troops finally have left, and there is a huge UN presence still there. Kabila Jr. lost the election, but talking to locals they don't seem to like the new guy, even the ones who voted for him. so hopefuylly they will have a chance in the future to vote again. Africa seems to have its own form of demorcracy: one person, one vote, once.

Meanwhile here in Tanzania the big guys in the Rwandan Genoside hare being tired, thier maxomum sentance is life imprisonment, they are getting apretty good deal with HIV drugs unavaliable for most people in their home country. while, in Rwanda the smaller players in the genoside are getting local trials where the maximum sentance is death.

This has been a long blog... actually it's a bit more like writeing a time line for high school history class. It's more for my own personal record, and I don't claim it to be the most thorough repersesntation for a huge history. Just a word about Burundi, It has a similar make up of Hutus and Tutsis like Rwanda. And they even came pretty close to their own genoside, except it was the other way around, the govenment army dominated by Tutsis killed about 200,000 in 3 months, a further 100,000 fled. I never even heard about that until I got here.

Flic is doing ok.

Flic is in Nairobi hospital, she has had surgery and is under sedation. Her mum is with her. She won't be doing any bike riding anytime soon, but the doctors say she is doing well. Her sister Amie keeps her blog updated.

www.wanderingword.com/nucleus/rad.php

I'm in Dar es Salaam, a city near the coast of Tanzania. I'm looking for work. I am not ready to leave Africa, I really enjoy it here. But I'll go where the money is (so proberly not Africa).