Little Oasis

A couple of week's ago a new cafe opened in town! This was and still is BIG news.

Why? Because the number of places to go in Dodoma are minimal. In fact, you don't even need two hands to count the number of places there are to go for a coffee! And this place has juices, milk shakes, coffee's and some nibbles too!

When I lived here before, there was only really one place to out to for food (which incidentally, no longer exists!). There were also a very small number of wazungu (white people). If you saw someone in town who wasn't Tanzanian then you would know exactly who they were. Comforting and suffocating all at the same time!

Fast forward to today and there are lots of wazungu by comparison, both working here and just passing through. Slowly (very slowly!) the town is developing a handful of businesses to cater to them. Which means that those of us living here on a more permanent basis get to enjoy the benefits!

While I don't intend to 'live' in this new cafe, there is something nice about knowing it is there. Having somewhere that feels a little bit 'normal' and slightly less Tanzanian as a little oasis to escape too is SO nice! Below is a group of us who got together to celebrate a birthday there a few weeks ago (I'm hiding at the back)!

I love my life here and wouldn't change it for anything but it is a LOT more basic than anything we would be used to in the UK or the States ... and there is something really nice about having the familiar, just within reach!