(I remember a warning going around Facebook saying not to post your license info, so I covered up the number!)
As photos go, this was clearly not my best. But they told me not to smile, and this was taken after I had spent about an hour in line and it was over 90 degrees in the building (there was a struggling A/C unit in the office but it was clearly not designed for a large space with lots of bodies).
Thankfully, I'm now good through January of 2017!
The license process involved 11 steps, was completely inefficient and split between two offices across the hall from each other in a shopping plaza located about 11 km from our house (and in a place with bad traffic, so some days it took me an hour to get there).
11 easy steps to getting a license in Dar es Salaam:
1. I filled out an application form in Office A
2. I went across the hall to Office B, stood in a long line and received a TIN, which I needed to complete the form (the TIN itself was magically generated via 5 minutes of frenetic computer activity)
3. I went back to Office A, stood in another line, and got a notice of payment for a provisional license
4. I went back to Office B and paid for the provisional license
**I was told to come back "kesho" (Swahili for "tomorrow.") Based on previously failed promises of "kesho" in other places, I waited a week before returning.
5. I came back to Office A and stood in a line to get a notice of payment for the driving test.
6. I went back to Office B to pay for the driving test.
**I was told to come back "kesho" (see above...I waited another week).
7. I came back to Office A and explained that I didn't need to take the test since I was a licensed U.S. driver.
8. I was sent to another desk in Office A where I explained that I was a U.S. driver. He did some computer wizardry for about 5 minutes.
9. I went back to the original desk in Office A where a notice of payment was generated.
10. I went to office B and paid for the license.
**I was told to come back "kesho kutwa" (which means the "day after tomorrow" which would bring us to Saturday). On the way out the door, I checked to see the Saturday operating hours. The sign said "closed Saturday." Consequently, I waited until Thursday.
11. I picked up the license today without any problems!!!
Despite the hours spent in the TRA and the multitude of steps completed, there were 2 things that were never done:
1. No one actually looked at my passport to verify my birth date (shucks, I could've taken 10 years off!)
2. No one actually looked at my international driver's license to verify that I was, in fact, an actual driver that was exempt from a driving test. I was really stressed about that part, since the international driver's license is supposed to be presented along with a valid U.S. driver's license...but since my NJ license was stolen, I had only the very unofficial-looking AAA-issued international piece of paper. As they say here....hamnashida! (no problems!)
After I had gotten halfway through the process, I learned that there were Tanzanian natives that could have helped me through. In fact, one of our HOPAC teacher friends inadvertently paid a bribe to someone at the TRA which shaved down the time to get a license to just one day! However, I'm proud of myself for soldiering on alone with my broken Swahili. While it certainly wasn't a fun time, I have learned a lot more patience and appreciation for the NJ DMV as a result! Although there might be long lines there also, at least 1) multiple visits are not usually required and 2) U.S. participants almost always respect order and lines. And they usually wear deodorant.
I can see you explained a lot of things some of them are not necessary to put them openly in a social media as it a result of destroy the image of the people in a country
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