Intern to Intern

Be warned, you may find this post boring unless you are planning to do an internship in Tanzania. The information below consists of some of the A to Zs of being posted at the LHRC in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania as a part of the CBA’s Young Professionals’ International Program.

Accommodation: the LHRC may help you with housing or you may have to go it alone. If you go it alone, look at Advertising in Dar for rental ads. Because the traffic in Dar is terrible, I suggest looking for housing in areas that are close to the office. A few things to look out for in your new house are: air conditioning (there will come a time when you need it), water storage tanks, mosquito netting on the windows, and a generator. The last item is not strictly necessary, but the other three are fairly important. We had to pay all our rent up front, which seems to be the general practice. However, it is illegal to ask for more than 6 months rent up front and it leaves you with little leverage should you need it.

While you are looking for accommodation, there are a couple of hostels that are fairly cheap (and a little dodgy) that you can stay at downtown, namely the Jambo Inn and the Safari Inn. On the Msasani Peninsula, there is the slightly more expensive and sometimes hang out for prostitutes, the Q Bar.

Dalla dallas: Dalla dallas run throughout the city. At the moment, a dalla dalla trip costs Tsh300 ($0.30). The destinations of the dalla dallas are stenciled on the front of each dalla dalla. If you need the conductor to give you a heads up on where to get off, say Naomba masada [name of the place]. They will let you know when you get there. The dalla dalla stop by the LHRC is called Sayansi.

Dress code: The dress code at the LHRC is fairly formal. You don’t have to wear a suit everyday (although you should bring one with you), but you do need to look fairly smart. Outside of the office, cool summer clothes and flip flops are the order of the day.

Gyms: There are a number of gyms in Dar. The price per use can range from Tsh6,000 to Tsh15,000, depending on the type of equipment and whether there is a/c. There is yoga twice a week at the Fitness Zone (Msasani Peninsula, near the Irish Pub) and the Golden Tulip (Msasani Peninsula). The Golden Tulip also has a great swimming pool, which you can use for Tsh10,000.

Money: I was unable to obtain TZ shillings in Canada, which wasn’t a big deal. You can draw money as soon as you get to Dar from an ATM at the airport. You need to have a 4 number PIN in order to use the ATMs in TZ. Not all ATMs accept Canadian debit cards, so keep your eyes out for Barclay’s Bank ATMs. You can draw a maximum of Tsh400,000 at a go, which is roughly $400.

Power of Attorney: it is a good idea to give Power of Attorney to someone before you leave. I gave my Mom POA and she basically ensured that my Canadian life kept ticking for the past eight months. Without her, things would be a bit of a mess.

Restaurants: There are a host of good restaurants in Dar, you just have to find them. A few of my favourites are Jan’s Trattoria on Kimweri Avenue, the Indian Badminton Club and Retreat downtown, and the fish restaurant and coffee house at Sea Cliff on the Msasani Peninsula.

Shopping: There are a number of places to shop. If you are shopping for food, Shirjee’s has a very good selection of fresh produce and other stuff. It has locations at Morogoro (near QBar), Shopper’s Plaza and Millenium Towers (near the LHRC). There is also a good grocery store at Sea Cliff. If you are shopping for household stuff, Game in Milimani Mall is a good bet. Of course, there is also the Karikoo area downtown, which hosts a horde of shops that sell everything. I didn’t find somewhere to buy clothes, but I didn’t look that hard.

Student Loans: if you have any government student loans, I suggest getting interest relief before you leave Canada. It is very difficult, if not impossible, to call toll free numbers from Tanzania and automated telephone systems can drain your phone of credit in no time.

Swahili: everyone at the LHRC speaks Swahili and English. I found that my relationship with my co-workers improved dramatically when I picked up a little Swahili. Learning Swahili also made it easier for me to get around. I would suggest bringing a Swahili dictionary with you to Tanzania and, if you are interested, taking lessons. Cristiano and I took lessons with Mama Jengo from KIU Ltd.. Her number is 0754296312.

Taxis: the taxi fare from the airport to the city and beyond should be about Tsh20,000. The taxi drivers will try to convince you that the ‘official’ rate (which is supported by a clipboard and a piece of paper) is $35 USD. Don’t listen to them and bargain. There are no taxi meters and every fare needs to be agreed on before you leave the taxi rank. The fare is normally 1/3 to ½ the price that is first quoted.

USB key: The LHRC server is prone to having viruses. It is a good idea to back up your work as you go along either on a USB key, or by emailing it to yourself.

Visa: it is most likely that you will obtain a three month tourist visa while in Canada and a resident’s visa once you get to Tanzania. The CBA Program Coordinator has the appropriate form for the resident’s visa. It is likely that Rose, the human resources person at the LHRC, will take you through the paces to get a resident’s visa once you arrive in Tanzania.

As a caveat, the information in this post is correct as of today's date and is based on my experiences. Things may change in the next 6 months. Good luck and have a great internship.