a mid-week holiday

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So the Maasai warriors guarding my hotel do carry large knives in sheaths under their red wraps. So bad ass!

Yesterday was Day 1 of the training of the 4 research assistants for the IRS project. Luckily, they all have backgrounds in research and sociology, so each has some experience doing interviews and focus group discussions, but we went through how to do them properly just so that we are all on the same page. One asked me what they are to do if they go to interview someone in their home, and one of their family members are deathly ill. I told them to use their best judgment and do the humanitarian thing, which would most likely be to take the person to a clinic. Not a question I was expecting, but not an unusual situation.

Datius, who is the research supervisor, has turned out to be quite a help to me. We spent Tuesday in the office together going over all of the study materials. We had lunch at a Lebanese coffeehouse called Epi d’or and managed to bond through conversations about building Tanzanian infrastructure and the rise of Tanzanian women in society. Datius is an interesting guy. He was a visiting scholar at Berkley and Florida University and has done qualitative work all over Tanzania and in Darfur. He definitely knows his stuff. I think we just had to get past the fact that I designed the study while his role is to supervise the research team, not to be a principal investigator. I’ve tried to include him as much as possible in leading the training, and I think that worked to win him over.

Last night I had dinner with my colleagues here at the hotel, which was nice. Although, I feel a bit intimidated by them. Not in terms of academics, as I could run circles around all of them with my statistics skills (which is why I am the researcher on the team). But they have all lived abroad and have been working in international development for 15+ years. I guess my having lived in Kathmandu and having traveled as much as I have is nothing to scoff at, but I feel as if they have a lifetime of experience more than me. We swapped stories about the worst plane rides we have ever been on, and discussed the best routes to get to Tanzania (as well as work talk).

Today was a national holiday commemorating a former president, so no one was in the office. I tried to catch up on some work this morning, then met a friend for lunch that I had met back in North Carolina. She is here for the next 4 months studying the social networks of men who have concurrent sexual partnerships. We have a lot in common in terms of our career paths and research backgrounds, so it’s nice to chat with her when we have a chance to get together.

After lunch I went to a travel agent and booked a weekend excursion in Zanzibar. Supposedly I am booked at a nice but simple place right on the beach with an infinity swimming pool and a spa. I will take a tour of Stone Town, a spice tour, and get a foot massage. And I am flying, rather than taking the ferry that is notorious for making all of its passengers ill. Hopefully the trip will be as glorious as it sounds!

Later I walked around the nicer shops at Slipway that were closed on Sunday and bought a beautiful wooden lamp for my new office. Hopefully it will survive the plane ride home! I also bought bootleg DVDs of Desperate Housewives and Season 2 of The Wire. I told the man selling them that I live in the city where The Wire takes place, but he didn’t seem to understand.

Tonight is dinner at the hotel again. I tried to get out tonight to go to the best Italian joint in town, but when I called no one answered, so I assume they are closed for the holiday. So I’m trying penne arrabiata and a Kilimanjaro lager, which is delicious.

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