Oscar Wilde, Sid Vicious and me.

Tanzanians and non-Tanzanians alike think it's weird that I live in a hotel. There are pros and cons (don't think the Nam would have suited Oscar or Sid) but on balance I prefer it. Most of my Wazungu friends live in compounds but in my mind compound is always preceded by the word prison. I could rent a house, but with a house would come responsibility. I would have to have a staff of at least two - a guard and a house servant. I would also be at the mercy of Tanesco (Tanzania Electricity Supply Co) and its frequent power cuts. Here at the Nam we have a generator, when it's working and when we've remembered to buy some Diesel. And we usually have enough water pressure for a shower. The hotel has a good laundry service but I don't use it much. It's very dusty and windy here and your clothes get nice and dirty. It's hugely satisfying seeing the water coming out like oxtail soup as you wash your things. Proper brand name soap powder in boxes is expensive here but anonymous black plastic bags filled with perfectly serviceable stuff is sold very cheaply by the "barrow boys". Street restaurants always have a saucer of "Omo" for you to dip into when you wash. Not very kind to your hands but very thorough. I don't have an iron. My loyal followers know how much I like ironing (a lot, seriously). The Nam Hotel is in Area C (suburb of Dodoma). Also in Area C is MAF which stands for Mission Aviation Fellowship. I love MAF; not least because they have a fleet of light aircraft (well, two I think) which serve remote mission stations and you can sometimes get a spare seat cheaply and escape from Dodoma for a few days. Even better they have an iron and ironing board in the sitting room of their hostel. I sneak in with my ironing on Sundays when everyone's at church. Oh yes, I'm well up there with Wilde and Vicious, flouting the rules and having a high old time. So for now anyway I'm happy where I am. The staff are friendly and when Parliament is sitting we have a sprinkling of the nicer type (ie not extravagantly lodged in the New Dodoma Hotel) of MP staying, which makes for some interesting company.

And the balcony/corridor outside my room has a lovely view of Lion Rock.