- Obtain an export permit from the Antiquities Division for the materials we collected
- Get the rocks cleared by the ministry of mines as (commercially) worthless
- Finally see the artifacts housed at the National Museum
- If the collection pertains to our research, petition the National Museum for another export permit
- Find a way to ship back all our treasures to Canada
Fortunately for us, none of these tasks are possible on the weekend! In order to look like we were making an effort, we reconfirmed our flight home with United Emirates and dropped by the shipping company we plan to use (good news, they accept credit cards!) Afterwards, there was nothing left to do except work on some of our non-work related objectives. We got some coffee, bought some more time for our mobile internet devices, and then got down to the serious business of shopping. After spending so much time in the sticks, perusing the stalls at the Slipway was a bit of a readjustment. I’d forgotten how aggressive the vendors in Dar es Salaam can be compared to the ladies at the Maasai women’s collective. However, in the grand scheme of things, dealing with pushy artisans is a lot more comfortable than the straight month of 10 hour work days we just finished. We rounded the day off by each eating an entire pizza, bonding with the Internet in our hotel rooms, eating ice cream, and watching Two and Half Men on the only English-language channel we get. I know things won’t stay this quiet once the weekend is over, but for now it really does feel like we’re on vacation.
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