A "small world" story here in Tanzania.

Last weekend, each person on the team got a local cellphone and SIM card, graciously provided by our hosts. We had gone to the local Airtel shop (IBM customer and cellphone provider) and activated our phones; the activation process apparently hit a couple of snags.

I called the customer service number, spoke with a man named Julius, and was having trouble communicating that we had, indeed, activated our numbers - with all our passport information - at the shop the day before. I asked if I could hand my phone to one of our hosts (Mr. Mlaki) and maybe he could explain more clearly (and understand & communicate back to me) what the problem was - and let me know if there was any additional action I needed to take.

They spoke for a few moments in Swahili, and I heard him say, "Mondari? I know that name. Julius? Is that you?" It was his nephew.

Of all the customer service agents at Airtel, I got my host's nephew. Small world, indeed.