newsonaut

Turning inner space into outer space

July 26, 2017

A day in the life of a web designer in Tanzania

First, you have to get there. That means surviving wall-to-wall people at Addis Ababa airport.

But it’s all worthwhile because you start your day with a glorious sunrise like this.

Or on a sunny day, like this.

I stayed in a nice little bed-and-breakfast type place.

It was called Adia’s Place. Adia made me breakfast every morning, except for a couple of days she took off to have a baby.

This dude did the laundry and other stuff.

This guy drove me to work every day.

Why did I need a driver? Because you never knew who might be lying in wait at the side of the road.

Lions.

Cheetahs.

Leopards.

So we had to drive fast.

I didn’t work in a clock tower, but it was near a clock tower.

So here’s the building where I actually worked.

I shared a tiny space with other volunteers.

It seemed even smaller when these guys moved in.

And this guy.

Luckily, we had some other guys building new furniture for us.

The boss was kind of grumpy.

And this guy was kind of shifty.

I never did find out what these guys did.

After working really hard, I got a promotion and moved into this office.

On coffee breaks, we had fresh coffee. Really fresh.

First, we would pick the beans.

Then we would dry the beans.

Then we would shell them.

And roast them.

And, of course, grind them.

Finally, we had a nice drink of coffee.

By the time that was over, it was time for lunch. We went to a nice place by the lake.

And had a hearty meal for $3.

For dessert, it was bananas.

Sometimes, we would have company for lunch.

And more company.

By the time I was done lunch, it would be time to go home.

The wildebeest crossings could really slow you down.

But the turtles were even worse.

Finally, I made it home.

And had that great feeling that I had found my TRU