Ready, set, go

I'm heading off to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania for a 6 month placement through the Canadian Bar Association, which is funded by the Canadian International Development Agency. While in Tanzania, I will be working with a local NGO, the Legal and Human Rights Centre (http://www.humanrights.or.tz/), on their 2008 human rights report for Tanzania. Issues that have arisen in past human rights reports include mob violence, women's rights and witchcraft. I'm looking forward to an interesting few months. My intention is to use this blog to track my time in Tanzania, as Lonely Planet has assured me that Dar is a hot and happening city with a plethora of internet cafes.

In T-4 days, I will be getting on a jet plane with Cristiano, a fellow intern. I'm rather relieved that at this stage I have the correct visa, an airplane ticket and a little, yellow book that is overflowing with vaccinations. I thought I had emptied the vaccination shelf, but apparently there are a couple of nasty ones left, such as Japanese encephilities. I'll leave that one for next time. At this stage, the most vexing problem is how to fit my wardrobe into my backpack….and where I’ll be living in Dar.

Initially, Cristiano and I tried to find accommodation while in Canada, but this idea was kyboshed rather quickly as the resources for remote searches of this kind are rather limited. Instead, Cristiano and I will spend the first couple of days in Dar in a hostel, QBar (other good hostels are CEFA and Passionate Brothers), while we explore the city and get a feel for the available accommodation. It goes without saying, you are all welcome to come stay with us once we have found a place to live