Debi's entery from June 2016. Road construction

I went shopping and out to lunch with Bernice today. I sort of bought out the stores!  That is how it seems when you deal in shillings!  A 10,000 shilling note is sort of close to $5.00. That is the biggest currency I have seen. That is why a million shillings is such a huge wad coming out of a cash machine ( if the power is on and IF the machine has cash!) 

Shopping here is hard to describe. It takes multiple stops through unbelievable traffic. The prices are in such big numbers that my mind is constantly juggling the math. Bernice is a shrewd shopper. When I am worn out and ready to buy, she says "lets look around."  She finds way better deals!  . 

We got home tonight at nearly 7 PM with so many bags that Don had to help carry on the second trip. His comment was that he was glad we were not paying  for the plastic bags!
I got a non stick sauce pan with a glass lid, a nested set of nixing bowls with air  tight lids,  several nice cooking tools, lots of produce and spices and extra dishes and all kinds of things. It was like Christmas! I also got ingredients to make almond roca!  Let's  see if I can do it in Tanzania!


I failed to tell about our hair raising story the last time I wrote but must do do now to explain the next chapter of drama. On Saturday after we did our tourist thing with Kathy and Chuck, we decided to brave the road home in order to get fresh basil for the casserole I prepared and had sitting in a jar of water. We decided to stop and get that along with two decks of cards and a cribbage board so we could play games with our extra time. We stopped at home, gathered our things and then I encouraged Don to drive down Mianzini Road. He staunchly refused  to drive that way after riding in a taxi and experiencing awful traffic. I told him Linda drives it and at this time of day it should be OK. It would save us time. 


So we started down the mountain. We should have wondered when we encountered a caterpillar chewing up the road. But No!  We were optimistic!  Look! They are fixing the road!  So we continued. Gradually things got worse. There were giant tree stumps yanked out of the ground along with cement curbs in the roadway. We continued. After all, there were no signs warning us to turn back and it was getting so bad that we did not know how to turn around. 
 
At the worst spot traffic was snarled to a stop both directions.  We were snagged on a tree stump and no one could pass. A crowd had gathered on both sides of the road to watch. People were shouting directions to us and Don was struggling to keep our car from dying.  I kept praying for a helicopter to come and lift us out of the mess!  Somehow with the the crowd's help moving giant cement blocks and coaching us on where to go, we made it down to the part that Don wanted to avoid with all that he had within him. I remarked that this part of the road was a piece of cake. I think if anyone is looking for a good nickname for Don, it should be "Mianzini". That road had us shaking in our boots and caused me to drink two beers on arrival at Erik and Bernice's. That is not very Missionary - like...but I don't feel like I fit the mold in a lot of ways!! We never did play cards!  The next day I noticed there was a thin plastic tape blocking off the road. You think???  Honestly!  Don asked me afterward if  I had thought to take pictures. You think!?? Really?!!  I was too busy holding onto my seat belt!  


All that is to explain our next adventure. So there is road construction going on all around us. GOOD!  Maybe things will get better!  However, trees are being chopped down and cement stoops are being  displaced and some houses and shops are being leveled. It looks like a war zone right near us! When I walk, I have to stop and look and wonder at the destruction! 


So, I got home tonight after my shopping spree only to learn that when the construction reached us, they broke a main water pipe. Now we have no idea what this means...how long do we have waster?  hours? Days? Weeks?  So tomorrow when Mebo comes, we will prepare the food I purchased. No worry about laundry. We have to conserve water and fill our containers! See...always an adventure!


I wonder....am I up to this??? Life is HARD here!  Harder than I expected.  I thought the hard part would be knowing how to help, but I don't know how to just live!