My preliminary research had told me that this would be the time around which the event would begin.
Because the club is members only, catering to a select community, I was a bit apprehensive at how I’d be received.
Feigning confidence, I walked up to the door of the club. There I found a man seated behind a small table. I told him that I was there for bingo.
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I think the man saw right through my facade. In an unusually warm and welcoming manner, he explained the entrance requirements for the night. He also went on to tell me more about how the evening would unfold.
Most importantly, he told me that the entrance charge was 2,000 Tanzanian shilings for an initial bingo card (cards for subsequent rounds would be sold before each round began with the price increasing as the night proceeded) and that the game would begin at 9:30 p.m.
In the meantime, he continued in his friendly manner, I could go in and have food and drinks while I waited for the game to start.
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The warm reception made me feel much better and a lot more comfortable.
Following his guidance, I headed to the bingo area.
In the foyer, since I had a lot of time to kill, I scanned the notices and the cricket pictures on the wall to get a better sense of what Upanga Club was all about.