A random meeting in a parking lot...

It was getting dark in Dar. A friend and I have just finished a jog and wanted to take a walk to cool off and enjoy the African stars.

However, walking alone in the dark is not recommended for women, regardless of how safe and friendly a city seems to be. With options limited by the setting sun, we took a not-so-thrilling route with a nice stroll around a large parking lot.

It was safe, with plenty of security guards around, and of course, surrounded by the cool night air.

As we were reaching a corner, a woman with an American accent approached us and asked if we knew of a good Indian restaurant in town. So I gave her directions to my favorite Indian restaurant. We spoke a bit and I learned that she is a Wharton MBA grad from Pennsylvania who wanted to make a fresh start in Tanzania. Intrigued by the similarities in our background, we moved onto talking about my favorite subject since I arrived in Africa - solar panels and the challenge of bringing solar energy to the villages.

She was intrigued, wanted to learn more, and expressed interested in opening an assembly site for us near the village where she was buying a farm. We have been meeting a few times since then and the next step is for us to meet up in her village. As she has many ideas, I'm looking forward to the next time I meet her, perhaps this time bringing John Keane or one of my team members from SolarAid with me.

Anyway, the reason I'm writing this is because I want to emphasize the importance of these random meetings in Tanzania. Sometimes, not having a car, and being forced to walk in a parking lot can lead to a great meeting that can have a significant outcome. And I find this type of impactful random events throughout my stay here - with simple conversations and unplanned introductions- leading to potentially interesting collaborations.

I find that openness, the 'anything is possible' attitude, a willingness to learn, and just a natural spontaneity in loving what you do, become intangible factors that can make or break one's experience in a country like Tanzania.

These intangible factors can transform a random meeting in a parking lot into a pot of gold.

Irna

Other random meetings and possible collaborations...

This is Melanie, me and John Keane. Melanie is a medical student who may be able to introduce us to clinics that SolarAid can work with in the future, and can give insight into the medical world here.

Me with Geoff Fox. Geoff is owner of the Mufindi Tea Plantation. His family have a foundation that sponsors health clinics, orphanages, community centres and schools.