The past two weeks of Tanzanian inefficiency and disregard.

I have to admit that the robbery has really dampened my experience in Tanzania because it has exposed me to all the negative aspects of the society. After trying to get a hold of the boss of Akana Hotel for the past two weeks for some kind of reparations for the robbery, he finally met me one hour late, after I called him from the cell phone of one of the guests of the hotel. That’s right, the employees wouldn’t call him for me, they said there was no money on the hotel phone and they didn’t offer their cell phones. “Why?” you might ask. It’s because they are afraid to call their boss because then they are the bringers of bad news: “Ke Wu is here at the hotel waiting for you.” Mama Rhoi, from the Ark Foundation has spoken to him on my behalf already and he asked that I call him and meet him. So actually, after a week and a half spent at the Boko One-Stop Secondary School, I went to Akana Lodge to meet him. He did not show up and no one could reach his phone. That means when I met him yesterday, this was the second time I physically stood in Akana Lodge waiting for him. Is this what is considered proper treatment of hotel guests? I’m absolutely appalled and disappointed by someone who seems to be highly regarded in the tourism industry. (Akana Lodge is not his only business.)

So by now, you’re wondering how the meeting went:
Well, to start off, he answered his phone 3 times during our talk, interrupting me each time. And after his initial greeting, he accused me of making bad friends when I first arrived and that’s why they “personally targeted me.” HA! That’s a laugh. The only person I met when I got here was the personal driver, Rogers, for Ark Foundation. He took me directly from the airport to the hotel, where I slept till dinner time, which was when my things were stolen. I couldn’t even identify the two men who stayed—I don’t know what they look like, I never met them. I was appalled that the first thing he tried to do was put the blame on me. He said it was my fault I didn’t ask for a safe…how in the world was I to know there was one when none of the workers offered? He also didn’t believe me when I told him that my travelers checks were cashed. He said it’s not possible for the company to know overnight so it must have been stolen beforehand. I informed him that travelers checks have a number, so though the physical checks have not yet been mailed to American Express, they know when a check number has been cashed and have that information right away, though they don’t know where it was cashed. Moreover, he said it was not the hotel’s responsibility! Excuse me?! NOT the hotel’s responsibility?! The men didn’t even write down their identification and this was due to negligence of the hotel. They have been at the hotel two times before and they didn’t write down identification information then either. You know why we can’t catch the two men? We don’t even know what their real names are!!!! Thus, it is absolutely unprofessional of him to say the hotel is not responsible. They didn’t even follow expected procedures to ensure the security of their guests. I was SOOO angry and frustrated that I couldn’t speak! He said to me, “Here is my suggestion, if you don’t have money, go back home to America.” Excuse my language, but WTF?! I am doing a research project in an effort to better society and his suggestion is to quit and go home. Absolutely unbelievable! When he saw me crying out of frustration, he said, “I know some rich Americans in the tourism business, maybe I can fundraise for you.” And on the phone he told the other person, “I’m with someone who is distressed right now, do you know any rich Americans?” WHAT?!
He was EXTREMELY rude and absolutely unprofessional. I felt so disrespected and finally understood the frustrations of the younger Tanzanian generation. In their interviews, they told me that they were treated as children (and we’re talking about mostly 18-22 year olds): completely disregarded and undervalued. Even Mama Rhoi said that a big cultural barrier here is the generation gap, meaning that either you are a child, or you are an adult and the adults treat the children like they are nothing. That was how I felt, I felt like I was treated as a stupid child who made a stupid mistake. In light of this, maybe I can say that it did at least enlighten my research and allowed me to understand a little more of their culture, but this experience was definitely the blackest so far. As much as it was a learning experience for me, it will also definitely be a learning experience for him because he has underestimated the power of the younger generation…