We arrived on Friday morning in Dar es Salaam. The heat and humidity was struck us as soon as we stepped off the plane, but so far it really hasn’t been as bad as we were expecting. It’s actually pretty pleasant, but it’s a good thing our hotel room has air conditioning. We are staying in a hotel for the first three weeks for orientation. Orientation starts on Monday. We decided to come a couple of days early to adjust and settle in. Daniel has been sleeping more than usual, but otherwise he seems to be handling the transition really well.
The plane trip went like a dream. Daniel was in a decent mood for the first flight and our seven hour layover at Heathrow, and then he pretty much slept through the entire ten hour flight to Dar, which is a good thing since it was an overnight flight. We were really hungry when we got to the hotel, along with another Wycliffe couple who were also on our flight. It took a while before we got to order food from the restaurant here, and then it took over two hours to actually get our food. When it came, they’d messed up the order and they came with six plates of food for the four of us. So things are a little different here : ) But since then everything has gone smoothly. They were having a conference here the first day, and I think we caught them a bit off guard. Most of the staff have very limited English. It will be really good to learn some Swahili to be able to communicate with people better.
Our hotel is near the beach, and Viggo and I went for a walk to check it out yesterday. We dipped our feet in, and we dipped Daniel too, but not for long because he was afraid of the water. He was kind of tired too, so maybe it will go better next time. It sounds like we will be pretty busy from Monday on with Orientation courses starting every day at 8:00. Daniel will be with some other kids and a nanny in a childcare room adjacent to the conference room. It will be his first experience with any other babysitter than his grandparents, so I hope things go well!
8 comments:
Congratulations! I pray you have a great experience in orientation. (I can tell you nothing of what to expect since ours was 2 weeks and I made it to only a couple days due to morning sickness.) What hotel are you staying in? Have fun and stay cool!! :)
Hurray, hurray! I am so glad that Daniel did well with the trip (both for his sake and yours). I am also very glad that the British Airways plane that crashed the day you flew was not your flight. I am trying to imagine a hotel in Dar Es Salaam. Since I imagine you to be somewhat on a budget, I picture a Motel 6 in need of better maintenance. However, that is mere speculation. Perhaps you are sitting by the sparkling clean swimming pool enjoying drinks with little umbrellas in them :-) May God richly bless you regardless of your situation!
Love,
Dad
If Daniel doesn't like his nanny, I will come out...as soon as I finish recovering from jet lag.
Though maybe I should run this by your dad.
love, ma
Hey Dad,
The hotel is hard to describe. It's smallish, and the rooms and lobby look kind of fancy when you first walk in. Then you notice that the tub is cracked and rusted, and there's no hot water, and the holes in the fancy mosquito net have been patched with duct tape. The pool doesn't look swimmable, but we're right across the street from a nice beach, and the food is pretty good.
Hello from Philomath! We will be reading your blog avidly, so we'll know how best to pray for you in your new venture. God bless you three!
Soooo..... is it wrong if I am jealous of you?? :D I am thinking of you and praying for you all. And hey, remember how I watched Daniel for several hours when you had the missions meeting at your house in October?? He will be fine! :)
LOVE and KISSES...
Hey I tried to call you today, but no answer. I couldn't tell if I was hearing a ring tone or a busy tone though.
Um, oh yeah, my biculturalism class is actually about what's going to happen to you, not so much Daniel. It's about how to deal with adjusting to a new culture.
I do have a great little book to send you that is like a brief survey of the basics of ethnography.
I'll be praying for you guys especially about Daniel. I know that whole situation can be worrisome,will he like the childcare people and all...
Love you guys!! I hope the training goes well and you guys stay healthy.
*hugs* to Julia!
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