I'm trying to update more regularly so here goes. Not being in the US for a holiday definitely makes someone nostalgic quite easily! A couple people dressed up here, but without the little trick-or-treaters at my door, the jack-o-lanterns, and numerous costumes it's not the same. Of course I did my part and dressed up. Once as born to be wild, but then the electricity went out and we couldn't find a ride so we ended up not going out, but for the Halloween outreach concert (see next paragraph) I dressed up as tickled pink (photos soon). We went out last night and granted the costumes I saw were definitely the most amount of clothing I've seen on women in awhile, but none were clever. The entry fee was cheaper if you dressed up, but they didn't "accept that costume." So the only costume I saw that was worth noting was a Voldemort costume, dressed in green for Slytherin of course, and a mask on the back of his head. Another note about the entry fee. I was amazed they could charge the equivalent of $7.50 for an entry fee with no drink or anything included in such a developing country. I only pay that much for salsaing in Minneapolis! But I have managed to get a pumpkin and am going to show my Swahili teacher how to carve a pumpkin so it'll be Halloween in some way. I hear it's really cold there. Here it isn't quite sweltering (especially compared to Cairo) but it's definitely warm and I"m told will stay like this till May. Tanktops and shorts basically year round now. Except mosquitoes are getting really bad at night!
So yesterday we had an outreach concert at a place called the Plaster House where kids are recovering after burns or injuries involving casts (hence the name). The turnout was incredible. While there was definitely room for improvement in terms of organization and what not, the music itself was incredible. Sure, some was ability, but it was more the idea that outreach students (Tanzanians) and the wealthiest expats were not only in one room, but supporting each other, listening to everyone's accomplishments. The most powerful was at the end when all the instruments and voices, regardless of who, joined together in singing the national anthem. Perhaps, I come across as race-heavy, but here, the disparity between wazungu (white people) and Tanzanians is so vast and it is VERY rare that they mingle. While we weren't quite to the point of mingling, they were playing something that universally everyone can appreciate: the gift of music. Music transcends language. It doesn't matter if the words are understood . A familiar melody of music is a bridge between any culture.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Land of the Pyramids and Sphinx
Well I'm in Cairo! Have been for nine days now. Cairo is one of those cities where the people are wonderful, but the sites are..limited. Once you've seen them, there's not a whole lot to do during the day. Nighttime is a different story. THe trip started out with not having Egyptian pounds, it being a weekend so banks were closed, and no one speaks English, even taxi drivers. After persuading the bus driver with 500 tz shillings (the equivalent of 30 cents) and 2 dollars I managed to find my host's house. It was soooooo good to see Claire (a friend from back home!). We spent the weekend mostly catching up, trying Egyptian food, and learning about the Christian side of Egypt..Coptic Cairo. Despite the fact that now the country is 93% Muslim, Christianity has a huge history here, including Egypt being the first place of monasticism. We went in a museum that housed textiles from the 3rd century and pages of the BIble in Arabic from probably the 8th. You gotta love old stuff if you come to the 1st civilization.
My first day solo was spent at the Egyptian museum which was so cool to see the limestone slabs with hieroglyphs on them. The museum did a really good job not putting everything behind glass. The consequence-no cameras allowed. So you'll have to go see King Tut's tomb, animal mummies, and amazing artifacts for yourself. Apparently, the short nights in Dar due to a concert then waking up early to run a 9k and then an early flight caught up with me, cuz I went "home" to sleep..for 5 hours! We were invited to a Spanish dinner and met some more CSers over Spanish tapas.
The citadel wasn't super impressive, but it was definitely an experience to enter a mosque in what looked a Monty Python hooded cloak and see lots of old buildings. I learned how militaristic Egypt is and about the Oct. War when Israel tried to take Sinai. The citadel is much more beautiful at night when it is all lit up and there is a FREE jazz festival going on, which is what happened that night! One of the bands was doing a compilation between Egyptian and German artists so I saw instruments I had never seen before-a khanoun (like an oriental slidy instrument, sorry for the technical term ;P) and oud (looked kinda like a lyre). THe other band played some jazz classics. It was so good we went again the following night and had COMPLETELY different jazz;Ukranian vocal acapella, american hardcore sax, borderline rock, and Latin jazz. The people I met there truly became real friends. Egyptians are such nice people and are so proud to show you their city.
TUesday was spent shopping at the large bazaar here. I've heard attempted gimmicks at getting me into the store such as "I don't know what you're looking for but we have it." "Welcome to my walmart""99% off""Almost free" etc etc etc. Quite amusing, though definitely got tiresome after awhile. I found quite a few souvenirs and bought a poof as they call them here which can serve as a cushion or footrest. Then I went to some beautiful gardens and the most green in Cairo by far. It made me realize how desperately TZ needs and lacks gardens, parks that can be walked in, and beautiful viewpoints of the city (even if it is covered in smog, 22 million people here!). Wed. was a quite disappointing day, walking to various sites that were closed and none of the locals seem to know that. But I will tell you briefly about the one productive hour of the day followed by a fantastic night of Sufi dancing, walking down a street of lit mosques, and cafe/shishah sampling. I went to a museum about THE Arabic diva, Om Kolthoum which was really cool to see women in the spotlight FOR A CHANGE! To give you an idea, there is even a women's train car, and men and women never do things together unless they are married. It's been interesting to see guys kiss on both cheeks as a greeting, hold hands, and walk with arms around each other. The Sufi dancing was incredible. Called the Whirling Dervishes and accompanied by Egyptian music, these men spun for 1/2 an hr without stopping taking off the equivalent of tops in clothing form. Amazing and again free!
Thurs wins the unexpected award. I went to Alexandria for a change of pace, a chance to swim in the Med Sea, and see one of the oldest cities, now a city of 5 million. After an hour delay of the train's arrival and almost getting on the wrong train due to punctuality issues, a guy on the train who I casually talked to hands me his phone telling me it's his wife and she wants to speak English with me...hello? Apparently she's been to MN and wants to meet up...okay, why not? You're welcome at my house anytime...thanks, bye. Wait, my uncle wants to talk to you..okay..I'm from London. If you're ever there my house is available anytime...okay thanks. We were going to meet up for drinks later. I see an old fort and receive another call from the uncle asking me where I am. He and his niece meet up with me and I explain I'm sightseeing. They're welcome to join.."Just give us a call when you're finished." Uh..okay. We went to the library (2nd biggest in the world) and I saw an original page of the Iliad (dont worry Paideia, I took a picture).The uncle calls again and tells us to come to his house and meet his family. He's prepared a dinner for us..I arrive with intention of going to a 2 dollar orchestra concert and hr and a half later knowing full well to kiss that idea goodbye upon arrival. The house is 5 stories, and the furniture is all gold leaf. The food was exquisite: prawns, shrimp, hummus, baba ganoug (not ganoush like we say in the states), 2 types of fish, and salads. Egyptians sure know how to eat! THe 8 and 9 yr old practiced their English with me and the somewhere in his twenties and his friends took me to the man on the train's house so I could meet his wife and see his two 40 day yr old twins and then go to a cafe. I love the cafe environment here. So chill. A cafe here is the equivalent of a bar since Muslims can't drink. I will miss the fresh squeezed fruit juices SO much! After swimming in the Med sea, another HUGE breakfast, more food, more food more food, and a long car trip detour to the airport, I arrived back in Cairo and took a Felucca ride on the Nile and met more nice Egyptians.
But I think the most memorable thing about the trip was the Race for the Cure at the Pyramids. Muslims in headscarves under the free breast cancer hat, long sleeves, usually pink, and quite the gamut of shoes from ballet flats to sandals to completely impractical and not suitable for running. After an hr delay and breakdancers and music to get everyone pumped up, 12000 people set off to run or walk the 2k. Yet, the tour buses, camels, horses, and chariots continued and it became an obstacle course of don't get hit by the various modes of transportation. And running on desert sand makes even 2k and 90+ degree weather quite tiring! After no information in the solar boat museum but a huge model of a boat excavated and of course the Sphinx and climbing around the ruins of the pyramids, we went to retrieve our free lunch tickets. More like a free snack, but that is a scene I will never forget. A section for breast cancer survivors, and music from Arabic to English, all the people on their chairs, with enthusiasm that I hate to say, but you'd only see in the US with intoxication. The energy was incredible! I must say the Sphinx is not how one imagines it, large and glorious. It's quite small really.
So those are the eventful parts of my trip to Cairo. Oh and Zumba, an aerobic dance, is AWESOME!!! One thing this trip has made me realize is how badly I need to be a part of the community when I return to Arusha. I've been living without much community involvement and I need that. I'm going to join the older women's bible study and try to find a cultural role model and practice Swahili and hopefully build a base for myself. Even for ten months, that is such an essential part.
K if you're still reading I'm impressed. I think I'm gonna walk to the Hindu temple and have one last bowl of Koshiri (noodles, tomato sauce, garlic sauce, chick peas, lentils, and fried onions, SO GOOD!) and fresh fruit juice before I leave for the airport. Thanks for reading and as they say here, Salaam. I've managed to pick up the very basics of the Arabic language even if I can't write it.
My first day solo was spent at the Egyptian museum which was so cool to see the limestone slabs with hieroglyphs on them. The museum did a really good job not putting everything behind glass. The consequence-no cameras allowed. So you'll have to go see King Tut's tomb, animal mummies, and amazing artifacts for yourself. Apparently, the short nights in Dar due to a concert then waking up early to run a 9k and then an early flight caught up with me, cuz I went "home" to sleep..for 5 hours! We were invited to a Spanish dinner and met some more CSers over Spanish tapas.
The citadel wasn't super impressive, but it was definitely an experience to enter a mosque in what looked a Monty Python hooded cloak and see lots of old buildings. I learned how militaristic Egypt is and about the Oct. War when Israel tried to take Sinai. The citadel is much more beautiful at night when it is all lit up and there is a FREE jazz festival going on, which is what happened that night! One of the bands was doing a compilation between Egyptian and German artists so I saw instruments I had never seen before-a khanoun (like an oriental slidy instrument, sorry for the technical term ;P) and oud (looked kinda like a lyre). THe other band played some jazz classics. It was so good we went again the following night and had COMPLETELY different jazz;Ukranian vocal acapella, american hardcore sax, borderline rock, and Latin jazz. The people I met there truly became real friends. Egyptians are such nice people and are so proud to show you their city.
TUesday was spent shopping at the large bazaar here. I've heard attempted gimmicks at getting me into the store such as "I don't know what you're looking for but we have it." "Welcome to my walmart""99% off""Almost free" etc etc etc. Quite amusing, though definitely got tiresome after awhile. I found quite a few souvenirs and bought a poof as they call them here which can serve as a cushion or footrest. Then I went to some beautiful gardens and the most green in Cairo by far. It made me realize how desperately TZ needs and lacks gardens, parks that can be walked in, and beautiful viewpoints of the city (even if it is covered in smog, 22 million people here!). Wed. was a quite disappointing day, walking to various sites that were closed and none of the locals seem to know that. But I will tell you briefly about the one productive hour of the day followed by a fantastic night of Sufi dancing, walking down a street of lit mosques, and cafe/shishah sampling. I went to a museum about THE Arabic diva, Om Kolthoum which was really cool to see women in the spotlight FOR A CHANGE! To give you an idea, there is even a women's train car, and men and women never do things together unless they are married. It's been interesting to see guys kiss on both cheeks as a greeting, hold hands, and walk with arms around each other. The Sufi dancing was incredible. Called the Whirling Dervishes and accompanied by Egyptian music, these men spun for 1/2 an hr without stopping taking off the equivalent of tops in clothing form. Amazing and again free!
Thurs wins the unexpected award. I went to Alexandria for a change of pace, a chance to swim in the Med Sea, and see one of the oldest cities, now a city of 5 million. After an hour delay of the train's arrival and almost getting on the wrong train due to punctuality issues, a guy on the train who I casually talked to hands me his phone telling me it's his wife and she wants to speak English with me...hello? Apparently she's been to MN and wants to meet up...okay, why not? You're welcome at my house anytime...thanks, bye. Wait, my uncle wants to talk to you..okay..I'm from London. If you're ever there my house is available anytime...okay thanks. We were going to meet up for drinks later. I see an old fort and receive another call from the uncle asking me where I am. He and his niece meet up with me and I explain I'm sightseeing. They're welcome to join.."Just give us a call when you're finished." Uh..okay. We went to the library (2nd biggest in the world) and I saw an original page of the Iliad (dont worry Paideia, I took a picture).The uncle calls again and tells us to come to his house and meet his family. He's prepared a dinner for us..I arrive with intention of going to a 2 dollar orchestra concert and hr and a half later knowing full well to kiss that idea goodbye upon arrival. The house is 5 stories, and the furniture is all gold leaf. The food was exquisite: prawns, shrimp, hummus, baba ganoug (not ganoush like we say in the states), 2 types of fish, and salads. Egyptians sure know how to eat! THe 8 and 9 yr old practiced their English with me and the somewhere in his twenties and his friends took me to the man on the train's house so I could meet his wife and see his two 40 day yr old twins and then go to a cafe. I love the cafe environment here. So chill. A cafe here is the equivalent of a bar since Muslims can't drink. I will miss the fresh squeezed fruit juices SO much! After swimming in the Med sea, another HUGE breakfast, more food, more food more food, and a long car trip detour to the airport, I arrived back in Cairo and took a Felucca ride on the Nile and met more nice Egyptians.
But I think the most memorable thing about the trip was the Race for the Cure at the Pyramids. Muslims in headscarves under the free breast cancer hat, long sleeves, usually pink, and quite the gamut of shoes from ballet flats to sandals to completely impractical and not suitable for running. After an hr delay and breakdancers and music to get everyone pumped up, 12000 people set off to run or walk the 2k. Yet, the tour buses, camels, horses, and chariots continued and it became an obstacle course of don't get hit by the various modes of transportation. And running on desert sand makes even 2k and 90+ degree weather quite tiring! After no information in the solar boat museum but a huge model of a boat excavated and of course the Sphinx and climbing around the ruins of the pyramids, we went to retrieve our free lunch tickets. More like a free snack, but that is a scene I will never forget. A section for breast cancer survivors, and music from Arabic to English, all the people on their chairs, with enthusiasm that I hate to say, but you'd only see in the US with intoxication. The energy was incredible! I must say the Sphinx is not how one imagines it, large and glorious. It's quite small really.
So those are the eventful parts of my trip to Cairo. Oh and Zumba, an aerobic dance, is AWESOME!!! One thing this trip has made me realize is how badly I need to be a part of the community when I return to Arusha. I've been living without much community involvement and I need that. I'm going to join the older women's bible study and try to find a cultural role model and practice Swahili and hopefully build a base for myself. Even for ten months, that is such an essential part.
K if you're still reading I'm impressed. I think I'm gonna walk to the Hindu temple and have one last bowl of Koshiri (noodles, tomato sauce, garlic sauce, chick peas, lentils, and fried onions, SO GOOD!) and fresh fruit juice before I leave for the airport. Thanks for reading and as they say here, Salaam. I've managed to pick up the very basics of the Arabic language even if I can't write it.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Safari
So I'm aware I haven't updated in awhile. but things are going well. THe reason most recently is I have been on safari without Internet. I'm sure you don't want a twenty paragraph blog entry so I will try to summarize as much as possible.
I am currently in Cairo visiting a dear friend. Had the best airplane service on the way here, with unlimited mango juice refills, a whole row to myself, and a real breakfast, fruit, egg omelet with chicken and tomato, two types of rolls with apricot jelly and cheese, which I must admit I defintely engulfed the cheese with MUCH pleasure after being deprived in TZ of good cheese, and a wonderful book. HIGHLY recommend Five People You'll Meet in Heaven to anyone! Easy, fast, profound read.
.
Today we saw Coptic Cairo. I didn't realize what a Christian history Cairo had and it was really cool to see relics and textiles quite well-preserved from the 3rd century! The archaeologist in me definitely came out as I went through the museum and the old churches. I also went into my first mosque today, the oldest one in Egypt, which was almost comical because I covered my hair and then they require tourists to wear a "special uniform" which is a green version of a Monty Python cloak. Korans are so beautiful/the Arabic language in general is so beautiful, but it is definitely a myth that if you can understand Swahili you can understand 70% of Arabic. To make matters more complicated, VERY FEW speak English here-not even taxi drivers. So when we said we wanted to go to the basilica and it wasn't recognized we said al hamer (sp?) which means pyramids. We meant the plaza that is shaped like a pyramid, but the driver took us in the direction of the pyramids before we realized what was happening. Here, the work week is Sun-Thurs. so tomorrow I'm off to do some sight seeing by myself.
It is SO different here from Tanzania. For one, you must cover your shoulders, not even sleeveless shirts are okay. Two, you cannot say hi to anyone or even acknowledge a man who just says welcome to Egypt. Whic is so difficult since in Tanzania you not only acknowledge EVERYONE, but that is the goal of a journey, not the destination. The fresh squuezed fruit juices are unbelievable and the one Egyptian dish I have tried was delicious. Claire also greeted me with fresh baked cookies and I indulged in brownies last night-oh how I have been deprived ;) Eating chocolate, watching a chick flick, and having girl talk-so needed.
The past week has been a variety of things. I think the highlight was Lushoto. Full of fruits I had never seen before like the mist pear, which I can best describe as a baked apple pie apple, and fruits that made me nostalgic of South America like the tamarillo, and a beautiful 1850 meter climb through the Magamba Rain Forest. It was incredible to see a rain forest appear out of nowhere and really cool to learn about all the natural remedies these people have right in their own backyards-off the trees. Like the Kefla (sp?) leaves for colds. We also saw chameleons, which was a fun, though failed, game of spot the chameleon. Wait for the FB pics of this and you'll see what I mean. It did anger me a bit though when the village children were asking us for gifts and then became even more specific and were asking us for pens. I would like to denounce tourists who think it would be nice to give children, who can hardly afford clothes and food, pens and candy, who then in turn learn to beg for them. Anyway, this brought amusement between kids not believing Sprite was soda, thinking it was water becaues of the color, and them insisting I drive around their little toy car, which of course resulted in a side collision on the side of the road (I emphasize it was a toy). We also saw a cave from WWI where people used to hide. This reminded me that it was a WORLD war, even Africa was affected (Tanzania was a German colony at one point).
Camping was beautiful! Looking up into the starry sky, the cool breeze, the BEAUTIFUL views, and the camping sites were all quite incredible! My favorite was by far in Selous Game Reserve. It was after a long, disappointing day of finding out we were not eligible for TZ citizen status (we thought it was resident status) and after driving 15+ hours to get there finding out it was going to be $105/ day which none of us could afford. So we, after two hours of pleading with the officials who one of the travellers knew her sister, bargained that we would drive through in four hours and camp outside the reserve. Which was fine with me. It was 30 to camp inside the reserve with no bathroom or access to water. The campsite outside the reserve was 10, with a hammock, a swinging chair, a bar, tables, a beautiful view of the Rafiji River that had hippos, and a chance to practice my Italian. There were guards too included (in Selous we would have had to pay for one). So things worked out and despite the wasted money on gas and time driving, we got to spend an extra night at the beachhouse in Dar where we went and saw Selif Keita (look him UP!), a west African (Mali) band with some incredible percussionsists, guitarist, bassist, and synchronized back-up singers/dancers. He's an albino and apparently albinos are used as a sacrifice so he was bringing awareness to this and giving Albinos a good rep. In typical TZ fashion, the concert that was supposed to start at 9:30 didn' tbegin till 11 pm, and then the tuk tuk broke down 5 times on the way home so I didn't get to bed till 1;50. After batting mosquitoes enough inside the house for half an hour, I, without my glasses, set up the tent outside and slept like a baby till 6:30 when I was awoken to go run the "fun walk 8k with an American breakfast following.." Little did we know, it was a half marathon, or 9k, that didn't start till 7:30 (meaning MUCH hotter), and one samosa was the reward. But it was for the rotary club, I got a t-shirt, and they raised 135,000,000 shillings (a little more than 100,000 dollars for 25 TZ schools to have drinking water so that made me feel super good AND I ran it-the whole thing-in the Dar heat! Aside from the heat, it was a beautiful run, taking me by the seaside. The afternoon was spent in the WARM Indian Ocean water with TZ kids asking me to teach them how to swim. First three kids bombarded me and I explained it was too dangerous in the best Swahili I could muster. Then an older guy, probably early 20s, late teens, came and I figured one-on-one I could manage-and succeeded :) Then I took a much needed nap on the beach and finished the night off with a delicious barbecue and early bedtime as I had to be at the airport at 4 am the next day.
So hopefully that wasn't too long ;) More on Cairo to come next week when I return.
Salaam,
Sara
I am currently in Cairo visiting a dear friend. Had the best airplane service on the way here, with unlimited mango juice refills, a whole row to myself, and a real breakfast, fruit, egg omelet with chicken and tomato, two types of rolls with apricot jelly and cheese, which I must admit I defintely engulfed the cheese with MUCH pleasure after being deprived in TZ of good cheese, and a wonderful book. HIGHLY recommend Five People You'll Meet in Heaven to anyone! Easy, fast, profound read.
.
Today we saw Coptic Cairo. I didn't realize what a Christian history Cairo had and it was really cool to see relics and textiles quite well-preserved from the 3rd century! The archaeologist in me definitely came out as I went through the museum and the old churches. I also went into my first mosque today, the oldest one in Egypt, which was almost comical because I covered my hair and then they require tourists to wear a "special uniform" which is a green version of a Monty Python cloak. Korans are so beautiful/the Arabic language in general is so beautiful, but it is definitely a myth that if you can understand Swahili you can understand 70% of Arabic. To make matters more complicated, VERY FEW speak English here-not even taxi drivers. So when we said we wanted to go to the basilica and it wasn't recognized we said al hamer (sp?) which means pyramids. We meant the plaza that is shaped like a pyramid, but the driver took us in the direction of the pyramids before we realized what was happening. Here, the work week is Sun-Thurs. so tomorrow I'm off to do some sight seeing by myself.
It is SO different here from Tanzania. For one, you must cover your shoulders, not even sleeveless shirts are okay. Two, you cannot say hi to anyone or even acknowledge a man who just says welcome to Egypt. Whic is so difficult since in Tanzania you not only acknowledge EVERYONE, but that is the goal of a journey, not the destination. The fresh squuezed fruit juices are unbelievable and the one Egyptian dish I have tried was delicious. Claire also greeted me with fresh baked cookies and I indulged in brownies last night-oh how I have been deprived ;) Eating chocolate, watching a chick flick, and having girl talk-so needed.
The past week has been a variety of things. I think the highlight was Lushoto. Full of fruits I had never seen before like the mist pear, which I can best describe as a baked apple pie apple, and fruits that made me nostalgic of South America like the tamarillo, and a beautiful 1850 meter climb through the Magamba Rain Forest. It was incredible to see a rain forest appear out of nowhere and really cool to learn about all the natural remedies these people have right in their own backyards-off the trees. Like the Kefla (sp?) leaves for colds. We also saw chameleons, which was a fun, though failed, game of spot the chameleon. Wait for the FB pics of this and you'll see what I mean. It did anger me a bit though when the village children were asking us for gifts and then became even more specific and were asking us for pens. I would like to denounce tourists who think it would be nice to give children, who can hardly afford clothes and food, pens and candy, who then in turn learn to beg for them. Anyway, this brought amusement between kids not believing Sprite was soda, thinking it was water becaues of the color, and them insisting I drive around their little toy car, which of course resulted in a side collision on the side of the road (I emphasize it was a toy). We also saw a cave from WWI where people used to hide. This reminded me that it was a WORLD war, even Africa was affected (Tanzania was a German colony at one point).
Camping was beautiful! Looking up into the starry sky, the cool breeze, the BEAUTIFUL views, and the camping sites were all quite incredible! My favorite was by far in Selous Game Reserve. It was after a long, disappointing day of finding out we were not eligible for TZ citizen status (we thought it was resident status) and after driving 15+ hours to get there finding out it was going to be $105/ day which none of us could afford. So we, after two hours of pleading with the officials who one of the travellers knew her sister, bargained that we would drive through in four hours and camp outside the reserve. Which was fine with me. It was 30 to camp inside the reserve with no bathroom or access to water. The campsite outside the reserve was 10, with a hammock, a swinging chair, a bar, tables, a beautiful view of the Rafiji River that had hippos, and a chance to practice my Italian. There were guards too included (in Selous we would have had to pay for one). So things worked out and despite the wasted money on gas and time driving, we got to spend an extra night at the beachhouse in Dar where we went and saw Selif Keita (look him UP!), a west African (Mali) band with some incredible percussionsists, guitarist, bassist, and synchronized back-up singers/dancers. He's an albino and apparently albinos are used as a sacrifice so he was bringing awareness to this and giving Albinos a good rep. In typical TZ fashion, the concert that was supposed to start at 9:30 didn' tbegin till 11 pm, and then the tuk tuk broke down 5 times on the way home so I didn't get to bed till 1;50. After batting mosquitoes enough inside the house for half an hour, I, without my glasses, set up the tent outside and slept like a baby till 6:30 when I was awoken to go run the "fun walk 8k with an American breakfast following.." Little did we know, it was a half marathon, or 9k, that didn't start till 7:30 (meaning MUCH hotter), and one samosa was the reward. But it was for the rotary club, I got a t-shirt, and they raised 135,000,000 shillings (a little more than 100,000 dollars for 25 TZ schools to have drinking water so that made me feel super good AND I ran it-the whole thing-in the Dar heat! Aside from the heat, it was a beautiful run, taking me by the seaside. The afternoon was spent in the WARM Indian Ocean water with TZ kids asking me to teach them how to swim. First three kids bombarded me and I explained it was too dangerous in the best Swahili I could muster. Then an older guy, probably early 20s, late teens, came and I figured one-on-one I could manage-and succeeded :) Then I took a much needed nap on the beach and finished the night off with a delicious barbecue and early bedtime as I had to be at the airport at 4 am the next day.
So hopefully that wasn't too long ;) More on Cairo to come next week when I return.
Salaam,
Sara
Monday, October 4, 2010
the African spirit
I don't know how else to describe it, but quite frankly this place has a spirit of joy. I went and saw Joseph and the Techni-Colored Dreamcoat. I must admit I was VERY surprised by the quality of the show. Not only did they have costumes and the music was wonderful, but the kids were just so good. The conductor couldn't have been older than the rest of the class (6th form which is more or less 6th grade or their 6th year in school). He was so enthusiastic and into what he was doing, waving his arms in a figure eight pattern regardless of the song. Dressed in a rainbow, bright vest and never stopping, he meant business. Granted he would have completely failed even Intro to Conducting, but that wasn't the point. The dancing was quite impressive and the power behind the songs when at least 50 children are singing at once is quite incredible! I almost cried at the end.
Sat. night, Ms. Courtney Greeley came with two of her friends for the night before climbing Kili and then going out into the field for seven weeks! It made me sad to think about Luther. It made me realize how much I had forgotten, but of course it was great to see her and hear words like "pop" again. We also threw a frisbee which made me SO happy!
Went with the Arusha Hiking club on Sun. and met some new friends. Unfortunately, we just walked through a village and it was overcast, but still really nice to just walk and get some fresh air. Got a pedicure for 7000 (equivalent of less than 5 bucks!) and a dang good one too! My feet were so calloused from MT. Apparently being vegetarian makes you lose a lot of weight. Everytime I go to the gym I'm 4 kilos lighter! I'm starting to wonder if the scale is broken..
4 days till break, that's really all I can think of!! Our plan is to go to Selous Game Reserve (where there are 64,000 elephants, 4000 lions, and 2000 giraffes (bigger than Serengeti!), Lushoto to do some hiking in the mountains, and of course hit up the Indian Ocean. Then I'm off to Cairo to visit Claire. Probably won't be a whole lot to update before then.
Cheers
Sat. night, Ms. Courtney Greeley came with two of her friends for the night before climbing Kili and then going out into the field for seven weeks! It made me sad to think about Luther. It made me realize how much I had forgotten, but of course it was great to see her and hear words like "pop" again. We also threw a frisbee which made me SO happy!
Went with the Arusha Hiking club on Sun. and met some new friends. Unfortunately, we just walked through a village and it was overcast, but still really nice to just walk and get some fresh air. Got a pedicure for 7000 (equivalent of less than 5 bucks!) and a dang good one too! My feet were so calloused from MT. Apparently being vegetarian makes you lose a lot of weight. Everytime I go to the gym I'm 4 kilos lighter! I'm starting to wonder if the scale is broken..
4 days till break, that's really all I can think of!! Our plan is to go to Selous Game Reserve (where there are 64,000 elephants, 4000 lions, and 2000 giraffes (bigger than Serengeti!), Lushoto to do some hiking in the mountains, and of course hit up the Indian Ocean. Then I'm off to Cairo to visit Claire. Probably won't be a whole lot to update before then.
Cheers
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