University of Dar es Salaam (USES)

The accomodations on campus were of unsatisfactory condition. First, and foremost, conditions were extremely unsanitary, with little encouragement from university officials otherwise. Garbage littered the campus. The toilets in the dormitory bathrooms were missing seats. Human feces littered the stalls. Every day, there would be approximately 2-3 inches of standing water on the bathroom floor due to disfunctions in the plumbing system. Furthermore, a horrible smell eminated from the bathroom. There did not exist any shower curtains in the showering stalls. The dorm rooms had open window pains which were not capable of being completely closed on two of the four walls enclosing the room. The only barrier of protection against mosquitoes and other insects between these open spaces and the interior of the room were thin mesh screens with numerous, gaping holes in them. The environment was load on a normal basis -due in part to the open spaces in the walls. Cockroaches infested every dark area of the room - at least in my room. Myself and my roommate were the only foreign (not to mention, caucasian) students in the entire dormitory. Thus, we were natural targets for thievery. Also, there failed to exist any extra room keys in the hall manager's office. Thus, if a student were to lock himself out of his room, he would either have to wait for a roommate to return or break into the room - through the glass paneling in the wall, adjacent to the front door (which existed in every room). - In essence, giving all students a lot of practice in breaking into, not only their rooms, but into the rooms of others. Lastly, it was not uncommon for the entire dormitory to go without access to water or electricity for one, two, three, or more days. Though relatively inconsistent in timing, the water would be cut off from my dormitory from appoximately 6:00 or 7:00 PM in the evening to approximately 8:00 AM in the morning, on a daily basis. It is also important to mention that the electrical outlets in the dormitory rooms were prone to giving one an electrical shock if one were to attempt to plug in an electrical appliance.

we did take all our money in traveler cheques before going abroad.

Given we were studying in a developing country and were paying UK prices the quality price relationship wasnt proportional. But all services needed were provided, from internet to conateens and library and social events, like at just any other university.