Spreadsheet Purgatory

In the last installment, you learned a little bit about my role as a trainer at BRAC Tanzania. Now, I’d like to add to the mix another element of my time there. In order for the Kiva process to work and for the Journal Update requirement to be met, the partner MFI must [...]

It’s Not All Fun and Games

Some people say that my blog is amusing. That makes me smile and I thank those of you willing to stroke my ego. I am, however, aware of one of the blog’s major shortcomings: I habitually fail to inform my readers about the specifics of the work I am doing. Looking [...]

I Think You Forgot Row 13

The first time I was assigned a seat on a long-distance bus ride that turned out not to exist, I was alarmed. I thought I’d been duped by the transport industry again and that I’d be left at the station, the driver getting the last laugh. I quickly realized, however, that the person [...]

An Attempt at Brevity (does it work for me?)

The comparisons/contrasts between Rwanda and Tanzania, Vision Finance Company, S.A. (a partner of World Vision International) and BRAC Tanzania are plentiful enough to merit a blog entry of their own.  Perhaps some day I’ll get to that.  In the meantime, I’d like to give you a bit of background on VFC. Rather than write [...]

How Do You Say “Happy Thanksgiving” in Swahili?

The holiday season is particularly saturated for December birthdays, like me. Historically, the moment November strikes, I begin the countdown to my birthday which is accompanied by an implied excitement for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years. I am generally able to remember when it becomes November because cold weather blows in and signals an upcoming [...]

Bidding Adieu to BRAC Tanzania (and the never-ending bus ride)

11 Nov. 2008
To tell the story of my last day at BRAC Tanzania, I have to start with the preceding evening. Because my work permit is set to expire on Thursday, 13 Nov, I have to leave the country by Wednesday. If anything goes wrong (which, frankly, it tends to do), I don’t want to [...]

“Is a hot dog made of meat?”

For our second night in a row, my friend and I walked into a restaurant by the name of Babukubwa’s (“Big Grandpa’s”) in a small town in Tanzania. As we sat down, I saw to my left a local man happily devouring a hot dog and chips. A hot dog! How amazing! I hadn’t seen [...]

The American Dream

As a political junkie, I have been tormented by the idea of missing the U.S. Presidential election ever since I realized that was my fate.  I finally reconciled my absence from the excitement with a commitment to myself that I would do something magical in Tanzania on the big day.  I was able to play [...]

We Did It For the Journey, Not the Destination

When my guidebook said that it was possible to take a daladala to Kyimo and rent a bike there to ride the 11k to the Bridge of God, it should have mentioned that the bike would be circa 1953 and that the entirety of the 11k would be dirt road with a mixture of small [...]

My Morning Routine

I used to arrive at the Country Office of BRAC Tanzania, sit down at my desk, and proceed to be massacred by mosquitoes until late morning.  Inevitably I would spend the remainder of every day either scratching my countless bites until they were raw or trying to trick myself into forgetting how much they itched.
No [...]