It all started when my American neighbours got a new pet dog. They chose a white dog because they thought it looked cute but ended up instead, with an aggressive beast which they could not control. I christened it “White Biter” after it attacked me the first time. The thing could sense my disdain and every time I arrived or left my house White Biter would run at me growling, bare his teeth and try to get at my ankles. After several months of running the gauntlet I realised that in order to avoid being hospitalised, I needed to find somewhere else to live.
While the idea of moving house in the middle of a virus pandemic would not be something I would choose to, it turned out to be a really good decision. We don’t have a lockdown in Tanzania so we are free to move around, hence the logistics of moving house are no different to normal. I put the word around that I was looking for a place and was inundated with cheap deals and offers, agents (no agents please) called me and begged me to visit their properties.
Eventually I chose a charming cottage on the peninsular and settled on less than half the normal price. You see the good thing about living in a country which has closed its borders is that there are a lot of empty holiday rentals owned by landlords with empty pockets. It’s a buyer’s market and so although it seems like a really bad idea, there are financial benefits to moving house in a time of global lockdown.