TIA Moments

“This is Africa” or TIA moments are a daily occurrence here. The power goes out in the middle of cooking, a plumbing disaster turns your bedroom hallway into a lake, and getting an office key takes three trips to town and over a week because the key fundi’s are not exactly precise. Sometimes TIA moments border on the absurd, such as the day I went out for a run and was nearly run over by two cows being chased by the tails by a man in a pink ski cap. Sprinting cows aside, its about 80 degrees here on a cool day!

We had such a classic TIA moment on our first trip to Arusha that I was nearly laughing out loud. Shortly after we arrived, our taxi driver decided to take us to a place he described as a Masai free trade center. We thought it sounded interesting, but after battling traffic for nearly an hour to get there, Cultural Heritage didn’t exactly live up to his description. With giant plastic tusks marking the entrance and a 4 story tall Masai shield leaning against the building, it looked more like Disney meets Africa than anything else. To make matters worse, it was completely deserted. Our driver turned the car off and quickly jumped out to ask if they were open. When he returned, we discovered not only that they were closed but that we might in fact be staying for a while. The car had died, and getting it going again wasn’t looking promising. What I learned over the resulting few hours is that there is a miracle cure for all car problems in Africa…. water! After dismantling the passenger seat to get a closer look, our driver decided that the battery was the source of problem. We found a car fundi to help us – the African version of a mechanic – and he had just the ticket… pouring a liter of water onto the battery. It may sound shocking, but it worked like a charm! Before we knew it the car was up and going again, and we were on our way for an afternoon of exploring the city.

Searching for the problem...

Success! Brandi and Sarah celebrate the water miracle cure.