Cecily says that living in Mwanza has taught her not to procrastinate. Because if you don’t load up your phone/internet/electricity/gas/water/fridge/pantry now, you’ll probably come to regret it. There’s no paying online, no paying by credit card, no 24 grocery and drug stores, no real grocery stores to speak of, no fast food and--you get the picture.
But it’s also true that planning ahead will only get you so far. Take last week alone. A meeting I had scheduled on Monday was canceled because there were angry post-election mobs blockading roads into town. Police were firing tear gas into crowds at one point. Everything has calmed down and we are all fine. Dishes I had cooked over the weekend for the week ahead had to be thrown out on Wednesday because our power basically died for 3 days and they all spoiled in the fridge. We had to throw out some produce and dairy as well. Another set of meetings I had scheduled with Kivulini staff on Friday were cancelled because people here have large families, and frequently members of those families fall sick, or pass away. And of course, the pediatric HIV clinic that Duncan and his colleagues have been eagerly awaiting to work in has yet to open. First it was supposed to be April, then July, now in about 10 days--fingers crossed!
We can plan all we want, but there’s just no telling what will actually happen. So, living here has really brought to life that oft-quoted proverb about how to make God laugh--just tell him your plans!
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