University Tour

Had a terrific first day at the University of Dodoma today. We were picked up in two big 4WD vehicles this morning from the hotel to take us up to the University. It was a 7 km drive and we needed every bit of the 4 wheel drive once we got near the university. The roads are unfinished with deep ruts and it is very dirty and dusty everywhere. This is the biggest construction site you can imagine. Its about 7km from one set of buildings to another. Each of the colleges is being built in a separate grouping of buildings. There are several completed buildings, including the main university, several classroom buildings, and some residential housing - many more are under construction. You can see the main building on their web page at http://udom.ac.tz/ . This is another view of some of the classrooms or residences

We toured around the campus for most of the day visiting each college, the college hospitals, dormitories, computer centers, libraries, and student centers. The scale of the construction and plans for growth are unbelievable. Several students kindly allowed us to see the dorm rooms - which are exactly big enough for 4 raised bunks, each with a desk and closet underneath. There is a buzz around the campus and alot of excitement about all the growth. While we were cautious not to stare at everyone and everything, we noticed that we were the subjects of great interest as well. We were clearly not from these parts - and it seemed like everyone stopped, smiled and waved when we walked by - from students to construction workers. We had lunch at the cafeteria and then visited a few more sites, tooks some group pictures, and went back to the hotel for a team debriefing:

Later we all went out to an African restaurant. Our leader Kate was masterful at trying to negotiate our taxi fare - and was almost successful at getting our preferred fare - though we agreed not to pay the drivers until they returned to take us back to the hotel. Tomorrow the real work begins.

Lala salama