A Trip to the Pharmacy on Swahili Time

Written on May 10, 2008 from Dodoma, Tanzania
By Anne Olson

Today the phone line is down! You have to laugh so you don't scream in frustration. Richard, the Tanzania Country Director for VEF, says this is unusual for it to be down for so long (about a week and a half). He's planning to look into another connection method – wireless. Rowland, the training director who lives in Kenya, uses it all the time and he's pretty happy with it. Technology – so great when it works, so frustrating when it doesn't!

Noel stopped by in the morning to tell me what time he'd come to take me to town for shopping. He said he'd be back at 5:30 which I thought was a little late; but when I asked him if the shops would still be open, he said yes. So that was fine with me. About noon he was back and apologizing because he meant 5:30 Swahili time which is 11:30 British/American time. 6am British/American time is 12am Swahili time; therefore noon B/A time is 6am Swahili time. AM hours are daylight hours (dawn to dusk, 6am-6pm B/A time); PM hours are dark hours (6pm-6am B/A time). I remember reading about this the last time I was here but it had completely slipped my mind. Now I'll remember to ask "Swahili time or American time?" It was pretty funny.

Our first shopping stop was the pharmacy. I described my symptoms (with the help of Noel) and got antibiotics (no prescription needed!); the only question he asked me was "Tonsils?" (Yes). Zuclox (Ampicillin and Cloxacillin Capsules) 500mg, 3 times a day, 5 days, 1500 Tanzanian shillings (less than $1.50). Hope this works so I don't have to go to the doctor. I have never had a sore throat like this in my life! I don't like taking antibiotics but had to do something.

Every morning water is pumped from the main water source (town water system) into a large black holding tank that is up high on a platform. Water for the house comes from the holding tank and the height gives it water pressure. When the tank is full, water starts running out of the overflow pipe. It reminds me of Costa Rica. Every day we took turns pumping water (by hand) to fill the holding tank so we'd have water for showers, cooking and washing dishes. The pump was a small distance away from the holding tank with lots of banana trees and other jungle growth in between. So the "pumper" had to be told when the tank started to overflow; STOP was the usual message. Pumping wasn't too bad as there were usually monkeys in the trees to entertain you while you were pumping; if not, I would read a book or magazine. The holding tank in Costa Rica was a fraction of the size of this one – thank goodness!