Side note: We had been planning on going to the local game reserve this weekend.
Friday nights are not a whole lot different in Tanzania than they are in the states except for a few exceptions….
The first and most important is that unlike in the states, we work Saturday mornings. These are generally considered more ‘casual’ work days but still entail work, making the casual to be in dress only. So Friday nights generally turn into work ‘meetings’ with alcohol and moderately good pizza served at the local pizzeria, “Draggonaire,” where almost all expats go, meet, and discuss shop with one another.
Draggonaire is owned and operated by a man whose father, Don (real name is Timothy so go figure…), operates the country club’s bar and grill. Don is himself worth his own blog post however I’ll save it for another time except to say that he’s a 76 pound, 70+ year old, smoker and drinker (15 kids) whose originally from Zim and loves checking out my GF when she’s at the pool (who doesn’t)?
The majority of the expat community congregates at Draggonaire where the spouses and children of the company employees also come out to socialize and play. Also, Fridays here consist of everyone drinking Kiliminjaro beer and ‘letting loose’ a little bit more than normal on a night that is still a work night. This makes things more interesting because in Tanzania, and especially when working with an energy company, you get to experience all walks of life.
For example – Tonight: One of our favorite co-workers is from the rural south. His wife is here and because my GF is the only other US female who doesn’t work at the International School and is in my and many others opinion, quite, “cool” she is the bell of the ball from the adult women who find it refreshing to talk to a young professional woman and toddlers who find it funny to see a girl whose taller than her boyfriend… ☺ So they all readily spill their ‘advice’ and ‘friendly opinions (often about their favorite Disney movies)’ to my magnificent and charming girlfriend.
While my GF is talking female ‘shop,’ I get to enjoy the company, and I truly mean enjoy, of a Idahoan linesman instructor whose never been outside of the US, one of our head engineers who is from a rural area in the US, and my boss, who has a JD and has spent plenty of time outside of the US, all discussing their jobs and aspirations and observations of Tanzanian culture and our company. I’ve always loved the mixing of different walks of life. I love it when different sections of American culture come together; whether in the US or swatting away malaria infested mosquitos, I love these conversations and no matter what, almost always end up feeling the same urge… to pinch myself!
After our numerous and lively discussion and upon leaving the restaurant, we hear, “Kate and Will! Kate and Will! Kate and….. O right, Andy!!!!” It’s the local Brits, who have obviously taken the day watching Kate and William get married, calling to invite my GF and myself to Saturday afternoons golf tournament at the local country club – The Monthly Mug.
In one night we have gone from planning on going to see wild giraffes and elephants at a local game reserve (over the upcoming day off) to sitting at a table hearing about shopping at Target for young children online to hearing about the importance of tight bolt anchors when tethered to the ground in a tropical climate, to being told that we ‘absolutely must’ postpone our trip to go see wild elephants, tigers, zebras, and giraffes, to play in a golf tournament.
So yeah… kind of like a Friday night in the states.
theglobalduo 