Emily's Worldview

Dropping a friend off at the bus station for an early trip to the Usumbara mountains, I drive through the whole city at 6 am. The night before at 7 pm, we took half an hour to move six blocks, as the evening traffic clogged around a minor accident. Now, in the pre-dawn, the streets are dark and empty of cars, but already bustling with people. At the Air Tanzania office, tourists load suitcases into the airport shuttle; at the market, women carry big bundles to their stalls. Tired maids trudge to work and tired night guards trudge home. A runner passes, a drunk staggers home. At the station, touts and thieves and ticket sellers bang on the car and ask where we are going. Other passengers, dressed in their Sunday best, carry handkerchiefs, bread, suitcases and scurry to their buses. Barely awake, we marvel at the people who have been up and walking for hours, making a living and moving before the sun comes up.