First lesson

My first Swahili lesson was relatively successful. Teacher Yusuf seems like a good sort and he said the lesson was good because I ‘like to try’. As of now, I can do some greetings. Progress.

In the evening, Tanguy, a former colleague was in town, on his way to visiting a marine conservation project on Pemba Island (off Zanzibar). He brought me a couple of things from the UK and we had dinner at the plush hotel he was staying at, paid for by Total as they were hosting a meeting on something for marine bods. There was a strange moment where I was eating a four cheese pizza, discussing fisheries and marine conservation in Tanzania, while Careless Whisper (dance version) played in the background. I tried to palm off my Cambridge University ID card, so he could take back to my old job, which I should technically make sure happens. Tanguy reckoned I should keep hold of it so I can get into Cambridge colleges when I make visits before the card expires in 2023. The French can be very wily.

Commutes in Dar es Salaam are not dissimilar to those I took in Maputo, except Dar es Salaam has more unpaved roads.