for what it's worth.. Life and work in Dar!

"The many frustrations you can find in Dar is traffic, many dishonest people, corrupt police and government officials, poor roads, high prices for houses/apartments, electricity supply that is down for days on end, water supply that fails constantly among a few. I had a few friends that worked for UNDP here and they have also all left. For them it was more the fact that they put in so much effort, but nothing really changes here. I have been coming here since 1999 and things are worse now for the average Tanzanian that it was back then. Most things have gone backward instead of forwards.

Finding a job is also not so easy here as so many people come on sponsored programs from universities. So there is a very high turnover of young NGO staff that come and go. If you want to stay and work for 3 months it will cost you between 200 and 300 USD for a CTA permit. Depending on who you have to bribe to get it. A two year Class B resident permit costs 2500 USD.

I am not trying to dissuade you from coming, but the reality is that other than the touristy stuff, Tanzania actually sucks. I have lived and worked in 18 other African counties and have found none as frustrating as Tanzania. Just to give one example, I needed to go from my office to a client in the city yesterday. The distance is 7km. It took me 3 hours.

I would do some careful research before I come here. Mozambique is a good option. You can actually make a difference AND still have a quality life. And that balance is important.

I hope that puts it into a bit of perspective."