Yap yap

Our new flat is awesome. Like a chilled Kiwi bach. Got some comfy chairs and nice surrounds except...there is a small army of toy dogs owned by the landlady (we all live together in a big compound now) that are cute during the day (wifey loves them) but little horrors at night. They run free at night barking, yapping, fighting...so haven't been sleeping that well yet. But everything else super cool.

Saw helicopters fly over this morning, the President is campaigning in Moshi (an opposition stronghold) today. Lotta babies to kiss. Downtown, where the wife and I strolled to get some supplies, sizable numbers are dressed in the colours, cheesy music blaring and green flags waving. Lots of mammas all dressed in green and yellow kangas. I just want a safe election and stable government.

Later that day got a cold Fanta at the duka near our workplace and watched a jeep loading up with 5 Polisi all armed with AK-47’s, possibly off to protect the President(?) A lot of automatic gunfire in that car. I contrasted that to the mother hen I could see nearby carefully teaching her chicks how to scratch out a living (literally) on the adjacent dirt road. The juxtaposition just resonated for some reason..

ps
I forgot to say the other day when I was in Arusha I ate Nile Perch. It was tasty. One less of those parasites. For those of you who haven’t seen the documentary ‘Darwin’s Nightmare’ which deals with the catastrophic effect Nile Perch has had on Lake Victoria (which incidentally I can say now may be a little unbalanced) feel free to do so. There’s a copy in Wellington Library!