Tuesday, May 25, 2004
Drumming with the Children
Yesterday I decided it was time for some "retail therapy" (aka shopping). One of the shops at the market was selling drums. The shop keeper asked 10,000 Tsh for the drum I wanted. After some friendly arguing and joking, he agreed to 6,000 Tsh (about $6 USD).
Getting the drum home turned into an adventure. The daladala (bus) I got on at the market began to spew smoke and make loud noises. This led to all the Tanzanians pushing and shoving to get off the daladala. Everybody was afraid that it would explode. I asked the driver what was happening. While laughing, he replied "gari inahitaji mafuta" (the car needs oil). Realizing that it would be some time before this daladala would be moving, I joined the rest of the Tanzanians on the side of the road to wait for the next vehicle. After taking the next available daladala, I finally arrived at the college gates.
When I got off the daladala, I was greeted by a group of 20 primary school students. One of them was carrying a small bass drum. They saw the drum I was carrying and started cheering. This led to an impromptu jam session on the side of the road. I was playing my drum, the kid was playing his bass drum, and the rest of the children were dancing.
It was definitely one of those "Wow! I'm in Africa" moments.
Getting the drum home turned into an adventure. The daladala (bus) I got on at the market began to spew smoke and make loud noises. This led to all the Tanzanians pushing and shoving to get off the daladala. Everybody was afraid that it would explode. I asked the driver what was happening. While laughing, he replied "gari inahitaji mafuta" (the car needs oil). Realizing that it would be some time before this daladala would be moving, I joined the rest of the Tanzanians on the side of the road to wait for the next vehicle. After taking the next available daladala, I finally arrived at the college gates.
When I got off the daladala, I was greeted by a group of 20 primary school students. One of them was carrying a small bass drum. They saw the drum I was carrying and started cheering. This led to an impromptu jam session on the side of the road. I was playing my drum, the kid was playing his bass drum, and the rest of the children were dancing.
It was definitely one of those "Wow! I'm in Africa" moments.
