Arusha

Zee:

ARUSHA - my home town.  How do I even begin to explain the experience of coming back after 31 years!  It was kind of bitter-sweet, shall I say. The two days that we spent in there were like a roller-coaster of emotions.  First, Arusha is not the little cute town that it was - it has grown in all directions.  It is still cute and pretty, but not little any more.  It has grown into a big city with supermarkets and 5 Star Hotels.  There are even a few Traffic Lights and more round-abouts.

The clock tower, which was the centre of universe (which actually is also the midpoint between Cairo and Cape Town) now mimics New York's time square with large flat panels showing fancy ads.  However, standing by the clock tower and looking around you, much of it still looks the same - the post office, New Arusha Hotel (not The Arusha Hotel), Naranjan Singh ... and, by the way, the Manji's Gas Station is still the Manji's Gas Station.

One big disappointment - Arusha Secondary School - which was the fairly new and the best high school then - is in shambles.  Broken windows, worn out desks ... oh, so sad!  Spent wonderful time with Aruna, my old friend.

Arusha Jamat Khana is still as beautiful as it was then ... except ... there were barely 20 people in attendance.  How sad from those days when on special occasions people would be sitting all the way out in the foyer and down the stairwell.  Sigh!

The best moment for me in Arusha was to see Yog Vohra (whom I used to work for) and Amita, his wonderful wife.  Despite his health struggles over the years, he was in great spirits and still the old Yog.