...Another Window Opens

Okay, I'm not gonna deny being a teensy bit apprehensive about what the Kunduchi Beach Hotel in Dar es Salaam would be like. After all, during the drive in from Mwalimu Julius Nyerere Airport this morning, I realized I might as well have been in any of the other African countries I've visited so far.

Oh, sure, the roads were paved well enough, but as an American, you just can't help noticing the stark poverty in developing countries. It's everywhere, from the crude huts to the roadside vendors, to the ragged, beseeching children, and the tin roofed shacks. It looked like the drive from Entebbe Airport to Kampala, and the drive from the airport outside Abuja, and the drive from the airport in Addis...you get my drift.

I started having the gnawing suspicion that the word "Kunduchi" was Swahili for the painful crotch itch I'd develop if I sat on any of the beach lounge chairs. And any last drop of hope vanished once the hotel's mildew-y airport shuttle pulled up to a gate with the words "Kunduchi Wet n' Wild Water Park" on it.

Oh, great, I muttered under my breath, with no small measure of bitterness. The conference organizers have chosen Africa's version of Branson, Missouri for their meeting venue.

So imagine my surprise stepping into a quaint, pristine, lovely hotel that's a classic example of Swahili architecture--open air patios, high ceilings, moorish furnishings. The lobby alone is fantastic. And then I got to my charming room, pulled open the curtains and...

WOW. I was at a loss for words, but when I was finally able to characterize the view from my room balcony, all I could come up with was, "This is the SHIZZ-nit, for RIZ-eal!!"

Seriously, I'm due. In fact, I'm WAAAAAAAY overdue for this little bright spot. I've been feeling kind of crispy around the edges lately, for a lot of reasons. And the next 3 weeks will be a slog, thanks to a radio workshop I'm leading in Nairobi next week, and then a health reporting workshop in Kigali the week after. So I'm gonna try as much as possible to relax in yet another Swahili oasis, and I'm gonna dip my toes in the Indian Ocean and I'm gonna keep looking for even more fantastic open windows in my life.