THE BEST FRIENDS YOU WILL EVER HAVE
Part of the “Moving to Tanzania Series”
Must-Have Contacts for Living in Tanzania
Wherever you lived long-term, you probably formed an arsenal of contacts when in need. A friend-of-a-friend who can fix XYZ. Or, at the bare minimum, you have Yellow Pages or Google to search… people still use Yellow Pages, don’t they???
Well, chances are, you don’t have a ton of friends in Tanzania already. A few co-workers, perhaps your partner or a roommate. You’re lucky if you can count on 5 people when you move to Tanzania.
I didn’t know a soul when I first moved to Arusha. These are the top 5 contacts I would recommend for a newcomer to Tanzania.
If you are moving to Tanzania, line up these 5 contacts as soon as possible:
- A reliable motorcycle taxi driver
- A reliable taxi driver or good mechanic
- Plumber/Electrician
- Nearby Chips Stand
- Duka
Please keep in mind, not every tradesperson that has come to help fix something in my home has actually been proficient in that area. Unfortunately, our plumber doesn’t have a certificate to show me that he is actually a certified plumber and we had three electricians come to our house before we finally got the issue fixed.
That is why it is very important to go with recommended contacts as much as possible.
Motorcycle Taxi
Caution: Riding motorcycles in Tanzania is dangerous. There are a lot of accidents and drivers are poorly regulated, and some even unlicensed. I am not suggesting you ride on a motorcycle.
(But I am absolutely guilty for using them to get around town and avoid traffic).
But you don’t need to RIDE a motorcycle to benefit from the convenience of them! Messengers, food delivery, errands, etc are all made much easier with a great ‘piki piki’ driver.
I learned this quickly: my first week in Tanzania I didn’t have time to leave the office and set up a local phone number. My supervisor called her reliable motorcycle taxi, who, for approximately 20,000 shillings (roughly $8 USD at the time), got me a new sim card, set up my local phone number and bought me phone credit for two weeks.
How easy was that!?! And I never even got on the motorcycle.
Sick? Can’t get out of bed? Call your favorite motorcycle taxi to bring you drinking water and medicine.
It’s late and you don’t want to leave the house for food? Order and have it delivered by motorcycle.
Do not underestimate the importance of a reliable motorcycle taxi to help you complete errands when you are busy or injured. This should be one of your very very first contacts. Ask around at your workplace, or neighborhood for a good ‘piki piki’ and save that number in your phone.
Taxi/Mechanic
If you are braving the roads of Tanzania in your own car, first of all, good luck! It’s a jungle out there.
Second, make sure you have a good mechanic.
Even if you avoid car accidents and are a very safe driver, you need a mechanic.
I am lucky because, as the name implies, Mr Mechanic IS a mechanic and runs his own garage.
Now, – knock on wood – I have not had a car accident yet. But, I’ve had plenty of flat tires, batteries that stalled out, or even a weird theft incident of my turn signal lights.
All that was easier to handle because of Mr Mechanic.
So, even if you are adept at changing tires, oil and more, I still say you need to know a garage. A GOOD garage. They can recommend car insurance, set you up with a required fire-extinguisher, give you connections for a new set of tires, and much more.
TAXI DRIVER
Not driving?
Want to go out for a drink and get a safe ride home?
Walk to work but now it’s the rainy season?
You should know a good taxi driver.
I used to have a taxi driver who was so sweet and funny and randomly sent me hilarious videos and memes on WhatsApp. He was reliable and nice.
And I honestly, think he saved my life one night. But that’s another story (link to come).
Find yourself a reliable, recommended taxi driver. Save their name and number, and include their license plate and car model in the contacts information. You never know how important it may be one day.
Plumber/Electrician
If you are renting a place, you need the number of a tradesperson who can fix what will inevitably go wrong. Fuses will blow, sinks will break, toilets will leak. And, according to Murphy’s Law, they will break the second week you move in, at the most inconvenient time, when you know a total of two people in Tanzania.
I don’t care if you think the landlord is going to fix it: you’re in Tanzania now. Best fix it yourself or stand in 2-inches of toilet water in your bathroom for the next three months.
Be prepared! Ask your landlord for the numbers of a good plumber or electrician when you move in, don’t wait until you’re sitting in the dark. Or, ask your neighbors or co-workers.
Chips Stand
For my American friends: Chips are french fries. Thick-cut, not very crispy at all, fries.
And nearly every neighborhood has a local stand that makes chips, beef skewers or an omelet of chips-and-eggs, which actually are a great midnight snack.
These places are perfect for snacks, quick dinners or I-was-too-busy-for-lunch-and-now-I-am-starving episodes.
Get the number of one you like, and you can have your meal as take-away, or delivered to your door by your preferred motorcycle taxi.
And one day, when you’re just getting over typhoid and haven’t eaten all day and need something in your stomach, you will be so glad you have that number. (It can’t be just me, right???)
Duka
A “duka” is a shop in Swahili. And every neighborhood has a little shop that sells toilet paper and matches, rice and perhaps fresh or packed milk. In no way a supermarket, these little shops sell just basic needs and definitely don’t take credit or debit cards.
Get to know your local duka and shop owner. When something unexpected happens, such as you can’t get to an ATM but you really need some toilet paper, you run to your local duka and ‘put it on your tab’.
But, if the local duka doesn’t know you? Oh, love, you’re gonna be sorry.
If you never introduced yourself, greeted the shop owner or bought a kilo of sugar from them before, you might be in trouble.
It’s in your neighborhood already, the prices are often more reasonable than large supermarkets and it’s always good to support local small businesses. In every neighborhood I’ve lived the shop owner was friendly and kind, and let me have a running tab I paid off monthly (in time with my salary).
Shop from your local duka regularly, and maybe even keep their phone number, just in case you really, really need a candle and set of matches at 11 pm, maybe they will help you out.
There is a sharp learning curve for moving to a new country, and Tanzania is no exception.
Despite all the cultural differences, Tanzanians are friendly and welcoming, and settling in a neighborhood and making friends is rewarding.
Make sure to get these contacts quickly, and your move to Tanzania will be much easier.
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