Home is where the heart is

Tanzania is a land of many wonders—Kilimanjaro, the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, and the island of Zanzibar with its labyrinth of narrow, winding streets lined with exotic shops, bazaars, colonial mansions, mosques and squares. From the great heights of Kilimanjaro to the streets of Zanzibar, I miss it all.

There is something about the light in Dar es Salaam though; the blue sea and the palm trees that make it all seem like a dream. Of course I remember living there with the frustrations of power cuts that were all the more painful because of such dripping humidity and heat, trying to shop and rush about doing chores in that heat with sweat trickling down the back of your legs.

Some people, when they find out I am from Tanzania seem to think I must be deprived of good things and ask questions such as:

Where is that?
I say it is in Africa, East Africa. They say, Oh, we thought Tasmania was in Australia, I have to cover my head with my hands in disbelief and say it is Tanzania not Tasmania. They still have no clue where it is and say, we thought Africa was a country!

Do you live in mud huts?
Over the years just because of the effect, it has on certain people I have begun to say YES of course we live in mud huts.

Do you live in the jungle with wild animals?
Yes, Mowgli is a close friend.

Do you speak English?
This one is the funniest for me; I am stood in front of this person talking in English, sometimes better English than they speak yet the question!

So often, when they finish asking me questions, I tell them about Tanzania. About Dar.

It's been an experience telling people all about Tanzania and getting that warm feeling when you see the expressions on people's faces when I describe how beautiful NgoroNgoro crater is and how breathtaking the Selous is or how gorgeous the Kilimanjaro is, taking pride in the assets of my country, my home. However, most of all I get excited talking about the people. When I tell them that everyone on Mazengo road knows my name, in fact everyone in Upanga knows my name, even the traders on the roadside know my name, people feel I am exaggerating and that people cannot possibly be this friendly, well they are and I miss that.

At this point they realise I am not deprived of good things, I am indeed abundant with fond memories of my country.

For the last couple of weeks, I have been pondering the things I miss the most in Dar... and I have been reassuring myself with those things that I miss the least.

The Many Things I Miss the Most:
Peacocks at the Karimjee Hall. When I was younger, my dad used to take us for a drive every Sunday morning and spot as many peacocks as possible, a memory that has stayed me always.

Being hot and sweaty all the time. I miss the heat so much, the sunshine, the humidity, and the heat.

Having an amazing designer to create gorgeous sundresses especially for me. Who also happened to be very economically priced

Constant greetings, even when I'm in the mood to be grouchy, being called "dada" by almost everyone: dada Bauna wipi leo bateta, kabichi, vitungu, mbazi? I miss that so much.

ZANZIBAR. How can you not miss Zanzibar? The beautiful breezy beaches and laid back culture. My ultimate paradise

Oysterbay and the roadside food. I have come across many a facebook messages and websites that share ones passion for oysterbay and the roadside food, the Muhogo and Kachumbari, Tale batata, Madafu, Mix, Kichwa nazi…I miss driving to O'bay on Sundays and chilling out with the family and a few friends. We would indeed just sit there and do absolutely nothing, just watch the other cars drive up and down the road, loud music streaming out the cars, but yet I miss it.

The beach, this is one thing that sets me off, I love how close we live to the beach, how we can drive there in a matter of a few minutes, I don't think I appreciated it much when I was at home, now that I am in a country where most beaches have pebbles not sand, I miss the beach.

Mazengo road, I miss the vibrancy of Mazengo road, the feeling of togetherness, almost like one big family and how we all look out for each other. I miss walking down the street on a hot afternoon and stopping to talk to people who have lived on the same street as I did for the last 15 years. I miss seeing the children shout and play outside the house, I miss the neighbours arguments, I miss the clothes hanging outside to dry, I miss the constant noise and banter.

Sea cliff, Garden Bistro, George and Dragon, Maisha and The Irish Pub. Hmm. Good times - that pretty much sums it all up. I miss partying with my friends until the early hours and then having a quiet drink at Sea cliff. I miss the laid-back attitude of the waiters and the barmen; I miss the feeling of a cold drink going down your throat on a warm humid day.

However, most of all I miss my family and friends. I miss the gatherings, the drama, the belonging and the celebrations.

A Few Things I Miss the Least:
The power and water cuts. This was also a major setback, we were left with nothing to do and nowhere to go with day long and sometimes night long powercuts, I do not miss these. Well, the only times I think of them now is when I listen to Boney M, I remember listening to a Boney M tape on a battery operated tape player.

Garbage in the streets and with the takataka Lorries spilling it all over the roads I hated that!
The speed of the internet. Oh boy! This was a major setback, emailing could not have been any more difficult than it was in Dar and from what I have heard, it still is!

The traffic and a traffic police officer stopping me on the corner of Uhuru Street nearly every day back from work, without any reason, I soon learnt not to stop for them.

The daladalas. I certainly do not miss driving alongside the daladalas on Msimbazi street or in Kariakoo!

Crows, crows, crows (curse you, crows!), the constant noise of the crows and the constant stealing, oh the nerve on some of those crows.

The potholes, I think the rallies in Tanzania should be held on the roads in Upanga. The potholes are bound to create some kind of super special stage. It is safe to say that I do not miss those potholes at all.

As you can see my pros definitely outweigh my cons, I'm sure there are people reading this miles away feeling the same way as I am, it's not until you leave your home that you realise how amazing it really is.

More recently, when browsing good old Facebook, I came across a cousins profile page and her status read, "Home is where the heart is." She could not have been more right. To Tanzania, I will return one day, but for now the memories so dear, I will cherish and for the country I love, I will pray.

Bhavna Pandya-Barratt

Published in What's Happening in Dar, 2009.