Sounds in Dar

December 4, 2009
I’ve always thought the little animated noises on computer programs were funny. You know how you’d hear those funny little background noises when you played Sim-Farm, or now, Farm-Town? The “moo” randomly calling out, the funny squawking noises… or the cars honking and the city sounds of Sim-City. Somehow I never really connected these with the real world.

But now, I’m pretty certain the makers lived in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Outside my window right now on a Friday at 7pm, I’m hearing…
* cows mooing sporadically
* Swahili praise music from a local wedding, that's actually not bad...
* Cars honking – and a loud, random semi-of-sorts that just blurted its horn outside my window
* Random callings to prayers from the mosques nearby
* Music playing (mostly from the 90s) from the bar across the street, and another radio shouting out the news
* the thumping of loud base music playing… somewhere
* my fan in my room (trying to keep me cool)
* and a random “blurt, splat” from a brass band on the back of a pick-up truck (one of the many ways that weddings are celebrated here are to have a conglomeration of brass players hop on the back of a truck and play random noises (maybe songs?) as they drive through the street. Of course, they also have ribbon and flowers to decorate the surrounding cars - mostly looking like they belong in a wedding funeral.) Megs, I seriously think you should consider this for your wedding!!!