You know you live in Africa when ...

When we were living in Ohio we shared some of the differences about life between there and what we were used to in the UK. Some we could have anticipated and others that were a real surprise! Having spent just over 3 years there, a lot of those differences became part of normal life for us.

Now we've been living here in Dodoma, Tanzania for 9 months ... here are some of the differences that we've found about life here. A lot of them are already becoming more and more normal for us as we go about our day-to-day lives. Of course there are many many more ... this is just a sample!!

• You check the pool for water scorpions before jumping in!
• Anybody and everybody greets you (especially if you have little white children with you!)
• You make sure there are no stones or grit in your sugar, flour, rice or beans ... it can hurt your teeth!
• Your daughters have a 'pet' gecko in their bedroom that they love
• You are used to being randomly stopped by police on a regular basis when driving ... for no reason at all
• The amount of meat on a whole chicken here is probably less than that of a single chicken breast that you can buy in the States!
• If you see something in the shops you like, you know to buy it then and there ... as it may not be there again for 6 months ... or ever!
• There is often the smell of burning rubbish/plastic wafting around your house from some random person who has lit a fire on the side of the road somewhere
• If you need the loo when you're out, it's more likely to be a 'squat' than a 'sit'!
• Ants find their way into ... well ... everything!
• You have to filter ALL your water ... drinking, brushing teeth etc etc
• You drive down the road and within a hundred metres, see someone in Masai clothing, someone in traditional Tanzanian dress, someone in full Muslim gear, someone in a business suit, someone in western fashion ... the list goes on
• The trees bloom just before the rains in anticipation ... not after they've been watered! (See photo below ... dry and dusty Dodoma full of bright red Flame trees!)
• When you're in the middle of nowhere you find people just walking from A to B ... even if both A and B are nowhere to be seen!
• Seeing a properly tarmac-ed/sealed road is a novelty
• Your nearest 'real' supermarket is a full days drive away
• Putting either sunscreen or bug spray on when you leave the house becomes second nature
• Your children think wearing socks is like wearing dress-up (fun and not necessary in 'real' life!)
• You have to wash all fruit and veggies ... who knows what has been on them before you get them!
• When something electrical doesn't work your first thought isn't 'is it broken?', it is 'is the power off again?'!
• You often see men proudly riding around on pink bikes! Proud because they own a bike ... they have no understanding of the 'pink is girlie' western thing, a bike is a bike whatever the colour!
• Climbing in and out of a mosquito net in the middle of the night when you need the loo becomes second nature!
• There is a layer or dust over everything you own both inside and outside your house!

It's strange what becomes 'normal' ... we love it though!