Some of the items which arrived in the container from Holland yesterday - it was like Christmas in June ! Every year, the Dutch company which my husband works for very kindly sends us a “stock list” of items which we can order from Holland, which they then purchase on our behalf and ship to us on one of the company containers which comes across the ocean to Tanzania on a regular basis containing seed, chemicals and spares.
This stems back to the days when very little could be purchased in the shops here. Even ten years ago, when we first came here, there were simple things you just could not find – items deemed “luxury” such as sauces, mustards, toiletries, chocolate, fabric softener, breakfast cereals, nappies (diapers). Speaking to people who lived here before that time, I have been told that even toilet paper had to be imported at one stage. Imagine !
It’s very easy to forget those times …. it is just a distant memory to me, when we would go on holiday and return with our suitcases loaded with odd “necessities” such as good quality toothpaste. How much we take for granted now !
The things that we bring back home to Tanzania with us now ? Top of the list (but heavy !) are books, then magazines and DVD’s, CD’s. (My husband and I are both avid readers.)
Next would be make-up & hair products (me, of course !) and quality medicines, clothing, shoes, décor items for our home – curtains, loose rugs, bath towels, lamp shades, throws. Lamp shades & cushions ! Those are things we still cannot get here easily. Especially good quality ones. Oh, and picture hooks – of all things !
Low fat, fat free, sugar free, wholegrain items ? Forget it ! I have a special order for Fat Free Yogurt with a local supplier who imports it from Kenya for me. You can find sugar free jam and artificial sweeteners. But that’s about it.
It breaks my heart that we can’t get rye, whole grain or whole wheat flour in this country – only white ! (I wouldn’t risk ordering that from Holland as it could be on the container for months ??) Boo hoo … maybe times will change, as the country is developing at a rapid rate – the economy is booming and there is lots of foreign investment, and more and more new products and services are appearing every day.
My parents own their own courier business in South Africa – which is very handy, as they have sent us countless parcels of “necessities” over the years. There is a company based in the UK which ships luxury items to Expat’s the world over which we order from about twice a year, too. (I’m addicted to Caramel Snack-A-Jack’s although my husband says they taste like polystyrene – ha ha !) Then, of course, there is Amazon.com – a lifesaver ! (Bless them, they even deliver to remotest Africa … well, the bigger cities at least. It takes around 3 months to receive a parcel - but better late than never !)
So, anyway … back to the luxury items we get from Holland each year. A lot of these items we can get here now, but some (like e.g. good quality shampoo) are supplied erratically. So I usually just like to order these in bulk (a case of 12/24 units at a time). Yesterday our annual “order” arrived and as my husband had to go in to the city to collect urgent farm spares (which were also on the container) he collected our order – and here some of it is sitting on my kitchen table above. So .. do you want to know what was in my order, and why ?
Shampoo and Conditioner (as explained above)
Children’s Toothpaste (erratic supply)
Wet Wipes (we get poor quality ones here, that go moldy once opened?!)
Creamed Honey (local honey is great, but this is extra special !)
French Jams (ditto)
Tinned Liver Pate (YUCK - that’s for my husband. Oh, & a treat for the cats but shhhhhh don’t tell a soul !)
Pickles - Onions, Gherkins and Hot Relish (hard to come by quality ones here)
Kechap Manis (I just wrote about this recently ! I got 2 cases of it today - woo hoo !)
Peanut Satay Sauce (1 kg buckets – I usually make my own but it’s a fiddly job !)
Apple Sauce (for healthier baking options & great winter puds !)
Quality Herbal & Flavoured Teas (difficult to get here)
So, think of me the next time you go to buy shampoo and you have a whole aisle of different types to choose from – and if you ever see a woman standing awestruck and open mouthed in the toothpaste aisle, battling to choose between “Fresh Mint” or “Spearmint” and looking as if she’s just seen a ghost – it’s probably me. On holiday in the civilized world somewhere, rejoicing in the sheer delight of different flavoured toothpastes ;)
This stems back to the days when very little could be purchased in the shops here. Even ten years ago, when we first came here, there were simple things you just could not find – items deemed “luxury” such as sauces, mustards, toiletries, chocolate, fabric softener, breakfast cereals, nappies (diapers). Speaking to people who lived here before that time, I have been told that even toilet paper had to be imported at one stage. Imagine !
It’s very easy to forget those times …. it is just a distant memory to me, when we would go on holiday and return with our suitcases loaded with odd “necessities” such as good quality toothpaste. How much we take for granted now !
The things that we bring back home to Tanzania with us now ? Top of the list (but heavy !) are books, then magazines and DVD’s, CD’s. (My husband and I are both avid readers.)
Next would be make-up & hair products (me, of course !) and quality medicines, clothing, shoes, décor items for our home – curtains, loose rugs, bath towels, lamp shades, throws. Lamp shades & cushions ! Those are things we still cannot get here easily. Especially good quality ones. Oh, and picture hooks – of all things !
Low fat, fat free, sugar free, wholegrain items ? Forget it ! I have a special order for Fat Free Yogurt with a local supplier who imports it from Kenya for me. You can find sugar free jam and artificial sweeteners. But that’s about it.
It breaks my heart that we can’t get rye, whole grain or whole wheat flour in this country – only white ! (I wouldn’t risk ordering that from Holland as it could be on the container for months ??) Boo hoo … maybe times will change, as the country is developing at a rapid rate – the economy is booming and there is lots of foreign investment, and more and more new products and services are appearing every day.
My parents own their own courier business in South Africa – which is very handy, as they have sent us countless parcels of “necessities” over the years. There is a company based in the UK which ships luxury items to Expat’s the world over which we order from about twice a year, too. (I’m addicted to Caramel Snack-A-Jack’s although my husband says they taste like polystyrene – ha ha !) Then, of course, there is Amazon.com – a lifesaver ! (Bless them, they even deliver to remotest Africa … well, the bigger cities at least. It takes around 3 months to receive a parcel - but better late than never !)
So, anyway … back to the luxury items we get from Holland each year. A lot of these items we can get here now, but some (like e.g. good quality shampoo) are supplied erratically. So I usually just like to order these in bulk (a case of 12/24 units at a time). Yesterday our annual “order” arrived and as my husband had to go in to the city to collect urgent farm spares (which were also on the container) he collected our order – and here some of it is sitting on my kitchen table above. So .. do you want to know what was in my order, and why ?
Shampoo and Conditioner (as explained above)
Children’s Toothpaste (erratic supply)
Wet Wipes (we get poor quality ones here, that go moldy once opened?!)
Creamed Honey (local honey is great, but this is extra special !)
French Jams (ditto)
Tinned Liver Pate (YUCK - that’s for my husband. Oh, & a treat for the cats but shhhhhh don’t tell a soul !)
Pickles - Onions, Gherkins and Hot Relish (hard to come by quality ones here)
Kechap Manis (I just wrote about this recently ! I got 2 cases of it today - woo hoo !)
Peanut Satay Sauce (1 kg buckets – I usually make my own but it’s a fiddly job !)
Apple Sauce (for healthier baking options & great winter puds !)
Quality Herbal & Flavoured Teas (difficult to get here)
So, think of me the next time you go to buy shampoo and you have a whole aisle of different types to choose from – and if you ever see a woman standing awestruck and open mouthed in the toothpaste aisle, battling to choose between “Fresh Mint” or “Spearmint” and looking as if she’s just seen a ghost – it’s probably me. On holiday in the civilized world somewhere, rejoicing in the sheer delight of different flavoured toothpastes ;)
