A gateway to Tanzania. A gateway to the world. In comparison to other airports in the world, it's very small, with only one runway to use so far, though the expansion efforts are under way.
Bit difficult to achieve this goal, to the government, airlines and passengers liking, as the airport area is completely surrounded by residential areas and - as always in such cases - any trials to expand the airport meet with vehement protests of the residents. Slowly though, painstakingly, the government pushes for the development of the airport that lags behind other world-class airports in terms of occupied land, facilities, runways, shopping areas, parking space etc.
Still, I love this airport. I feel at home here. This is where my journey to the world begins since 1991. This is where I come back home, to my Tanzania. This is my favorite airport in the world!
My reminiscence of the very first arrival to the then Dar es Salaam International Airport (since the death of Mwalimu Nyerere - renamed in his honor) is vivid and strong in my mind and heart. It was the evening of 8 January 1991, flying in by Swissair from Zurich via Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. It was the time of last preparations to war with Iraq occupying Kuwait at that time. The plane was full on the way from Zurich. Snow and cold temps in Zurich that day, so sweater and coat was the clothing of choice for the day. On board of DC 11 I was seated with a couple of elderly Americans, paramedics, as it turned out to be later in the conversation. They, and 3/4 of passengers were either US military personnel or some sort of people of services connected with the looming war. When we landed in Jeddah, they and all those passengers disembarked. I saw through the window of the plane various pieces of US military might, fighter planes, bombers, other aircraft, people going around them servicing...The sight of the war machinery is somehow beautiful and frightening at the same time...
I never was in the Islamic country before, so when there were announcements via PA system of the airplane shortly before landing, it struck me that I am about to see and touch a world that is completely new and different than mine. Orders to not smoke or drink, no pork on board, women asked to cover themselves in acceptable cloths according to the Shariah etc...
We took again after a short stop in Jeddah, going directly to Dar es Salaam. We landed in complete darkness, just a few flickering lights here and there as back then - in the beginning of 1991 - Dar es Salaam was far cry to what it is now. It was a strange feeling landing in a huge plane in this darkness...Normally, you would see flood of lights around the airport, huge cities nearby, totally different...But here in Dar, back then it was as if we landed in the rural airstrip, sort of!
And then, the sensation I will never forget. The sounds, smells and the hot and steamy breath of Tanzania. It was early January, the high summer time in East Africa, with extreme temperatures, humidity that made you think that if you could squeeze the air, the water would trickle! The deafening sounds of tropical night bugs, moths, insects of various species...And me, standing in the door of the airplane and in an instance, just on the very moment of touching that Tanzanian hot night, bursting suddenly with sweat in my sweater and jacket! In a second, I was flooded all over my body with sweat, feeling that my feet are standing in the water in my own shoes....
I thought for a moment: 'If this is what it is, I'd better go back home. What the hell am I doing here?'
I walked with resignation towards the terminal and found myself in an even hotter place, inside, with no air conditioning back then in 1991, looking for a familiar face of one of our missionaries from Kraków, Fr. Tadeusz, who was at that time in Dar es Salaam, taking care of Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers house in Msasani area of Dar es Salaam, as they all were attending a regional meeting in Musoma.
In Europe, you would normally see a few African faces in the see of whites. Here it was precisely opposite. One white, or better - red, cause of heat and sweat - face of Fr. Tadeusz in the see of sweaty African faces. It felt odd, to be honest, for a missionary rookie as I was back then!
When I spotted him in the welcoming crowd, I felt relieved...I was on a safer side. Fr. Tadeusz took me to his car and we drove into the night...
I was all eyes and ears, soaking in Tanzania with all my senses. Pictures outside the car windows, completely new world, people, buildings, left hand side traffic, bugs dying in numbers on the windshield, like snowflakes, strange voices, music, shouts... Everything was completely new to me. I felt as if I lost ground under my feet I was used to put my feet firm upon for the past 27 years of my life! The only connection to that lost world was Catholic faith... The same Catholic Church, the same Holy Mass (though in English or Swahili), the same creed, sacraments, parishes, the same Children of God, struggling to follow the Master in their way to heaven...
We've been walking together in that path since then in the Catholic Church of Tanzania and East Africa...
And now I'm waiting here, in the same airport, though uplifted and modernized, with my laptop, sharing with you these few lines of my memories...
I kiss the tarmac of its runway, that brought me to this wonderful experience of missionary life, which is more about receiving than giving, and learning people, their cultures, their values, respecting them in their differences and understanding their fears, joys, worries, failures and achievements...
On January 8, 2011, I will celebrate 20 years of the day my feet touched this holy land of meeting Living God in East Africa... I fancy a thought of coming that day to this airport to kiss the tarmac and say a little prayer of thanksgiving to the Merciful Lord who directed my life to Tanzania in a mysterious plan He only understands.
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