Debi's entry June 2016 The Queen's birthday

 There seems to be a never ending cycle to life in Tanzania. Things break, they get fixed and something else seems to be right in line for attention. 


We were never totally out of water because there were back up tanks and filled containers. You just did not shower and the laundry was carried to another property and then carried back to be hung on the line. It was interesting to watch the elaborate strategy used to move water through hoses from one tank to another. The road finally became passable enough that a water truck came yesterday with 15,000 liters of water. All of the tanks were filled to capacity. When there was still water left in the truck we started filling wash basins and coolers and buckets. It is fabulous to have water again!  Linda thinks it should last a week!We also had power for two days...today makes three!  That may be a record!


However, my wonderful little ice cubes in the freezer were melted on Monday morning. We tried various things to determine where the problem was. Finally we decided the electrician should come. He is the same person who fixed it at Erik's house prior to transport. He determined that it needed a new compressor because of moving it on such rough roads. So, after a new compressor was purchased and installed (I paid 10,000 shillings ($4.50) for his gas on a motorcycle to go get the part), we had a functioning freezer again!


Then it was time to call the plumber to fix the drip in our bathroom sink. When water was on rationing, we collected the drip water and realized we were losing about a gallon every 30 minutes!  So he came yesterday and remembered being here before. He had replaced gaskets last time. Now it needed a new faucet. Once that was installed, the handles worked so much better and you did not have to hurt your thumb joint to turn the water off. 


Monday was a GREAT day!  In one day we had water, power and a functioning freezer!  I told Linda I felt like one of those tension toys that would collapse if you pushed the button on the bottom. It is like YEA!  Oh NO!  Then back to YEA!  She thought that was a great description of life here!


So today (Tuesday), I woke up to a very wet bathroom floor and noticed the rugs were hanging on the line. Don left me a note saying that when he showered with the water pump on, he had a bad leak from the sink. So, the plumber was called back. It is 5 PM and I am still waiting....


In addition TINY black ants invaded the kitchen overnight.  They were so dense that the counter in spots and sides of my baskets were black!  I killed thousands of them!  We are sprinkling cinnamon around and washing everything down!  Baskets are washed and are on the porch drying in the sun. Linda said they are bad at her house too!  So, it is always something!


Don and I were invited to an amazing event to celebrate the Queen's 90th Birthday on Sunday. It was a fancy picnic with unbelievable food, decorations, music and auction. It was a fund raiser to provide internet in schools. 
We were able to meet lots of Erik's friends. One woman's comments were interesting to me. She is from Switzerland, has lived in Tanzania for 20 years and remembers the adjustment to life here. She said when she goes back for a visit, she now experiences reverse culture shock. She described being at a birthday party for a young niece. She said everything was going exactly as it should...everyone came right on time, all the food that was planned was served, there was no loss of power...and she was a wreck! She sat there on edge just waiting for the surprise!  She kept looking over her shoulder to be on guard for the catastrophe. When it did not come, she actually felt deflated...like waiting for a surprise that never happened!I guess I am still in the phase where I just cant believe what is happening NOW!


At the auction we won two different weekend getaways. One is for Tides Resort in Pangani on the Indian Ocean. It is an 8 hour drive to get there so we will probably schedule a week with Erik and Bernice and Nashesha and enjoy the beach. The other is for two nights in a villa at the Four Seasons on the Serengeti. We had no idea about either place, so we were pretty amazed when we looked on line at the Four Seasons Serengeti property!  It also comes with complete all inclusive for two days. We will NOT be booking extra time there as you will understand if you take the time to check it out!  So, it really is ALWAYS something!