08 January 2010

A Diplomatic Spat

It's not the first time frayed nerves have led to bad decisions. Last month, a Canadian diplomat was jailed in Dar es Salaam for spitting in a policeman's face as he directed traffic. The diplomat is known on the peninsula, where he lives with his family, as even keeled, steady, not easily excited. But something made him crack, so much so he even spit in the face of the Tanzanian journalist who came to the police station to cover the story. (See the full story here.)

All of us have our moments. We all, at some point or another, come close to the edge. And every expat has their own way of coping: there's drinking (an old favorite), praying, yoga, weed, "loose loins" (another fav), arts and crafts, and massages. (Alas, my preferred method of coping--shopping--is not so possible in Dar.) Choose your mode of relief, but let this diplomat's experience be a lesson: do not spit. Ever. It's much harder to recover from than a hangover.

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