We tend to do a lot of projects around the house on the weekends, none of which are actually planned. Well, hold up. Let me rephrase that. We do actually plan, think through, and try to anticipate any needs or problems ahead of time. But in the end, each project is always 10 steps longer and 15x more complicated than might be expected. This is Africa, after all!
Today, we’ve been working on electrical projects. I got a new lamp at a duka (little street-side store) down the street, but of course there was no cord or plug attached! So we went across the street to get a wire, then set to work trying to put it all together.
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| I'm learning a lot these days - and I hope at least some of this knowledge will transfer over to 110 power in the States! Grandpa, your amazing screwdriver set is already being put hard to work! Thanks a million :) |
We got a little hungry along the way. Thanks to my amazing roommate, tuna with cheese sandwiches were on the menu. Yum!
When we finally went to check the lamp for workability, we discovered that it takes a "bulbu ndogo" (small bulb, the candle-kind), which no one seemed to have up or down our street as we trekked around in a bajaj. Hmm... maybe tomorrow!
Later, we tried to repair our broken kettle for heating water. As our amazing guard helped us with the technicalities, we watched our neighbor’s house get painted. Note the following: 1. Nothing is securing the ladder, anywhere. 2. The ground isn’t even, so they just stuck wood under one side. 3. The rungs are uneven, a bit far apart, and definitely hand-constructed out of wood. 4. The plastic bag hat on the painter’s head!
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| Our trusty guard, Amani. He loves doing this stuff, and is always volunteering to help us with our crazy endeavors of daily life living in Dar es Salaam |
Here’s hoping your Saturday afternoon projects go a bit more smoothly – and safely - than ours!
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