Going to the market and being in a band :)

So yesterday I experienced local life. First I had a Swahili lesson and learned correct pronunciation and spelling, which was quite easy since it's more or less phonetic. Then we went to the local market to practice the names of vegetables/fruits and how to say "which price?" from the day before. Walking into the market, our driver Saa Nane came with us and found a street kid to help us carry stuff. I refused and carried some stuff. it's not like I'm incapable and there's no reason he should carry five bags, when I have two perfectly good hands. Anyway, walking into the market, everyone started showing us what they had, and the buying  commenced. However, while it was significantly larger than Chile, the people were much less obstinate and cogent in showing they were the buyer you wanted. A handy saying,"Tuna chapata (we already bought (that))" definitely was useful. And then they would leave you alone unlike South America. While there were some "oh my god so beautiful" comments, the intensity of catcalls and the quantity was also significantly less. I wonder if this is because we were with Saa Nane or if the people are just more genuine here. They seem so. I must admit I was quite proud of myself. I remembered the majority of the vegetables/fruits, and asked how much everything cost and how much I wanted (in Swahili) on the third day of being here. I loved it so much. Our Swahili teacher told us we went to the "expensive" market, and by expensive, I mean every vegetable you can think of for under twenty dollars! He says the other market is practically free so maybe we'll go there with him next time, but we have a whole fridge to eat first.

Last night, we went out for dinner with plans of discussing work (a meeting over dinner). But then we ran into people Liza knew and ate with them. One of them owns a lot of the restaurants in town and got my number for gigs :) He told us there was a jam session at a club called Colobus and it was his birthday tomorrow along with the Thai restaurant head so we all agreed to go. Liza and Nina ended up staying home, but I'm so glad I went! It began with a Tanzanian band that an ex-pat from the States had joined that would more or less be described as a reggae band. And then they announced whichever musicians would like to come to the stage. Stiggy, the gui who owns all the restaurants, brought a piano for me and another American, some Tanzanians and me jammed for a good long while. It started with a simple chord progression and led to some pretty cool solos, some guys started singing, and was just all around awesome! Afterwards, the band came back and I went to tell Stiggy I was leaving (he went to eat dinner with Deng, the Thai restaurant head), which involved walking through the band to get to the restaurant part. As i was passing through, the guitar player asked me if I'd play piano with him. "Just lay down some chords.." so I did. I ended up staying another good hr playing with the band! It was awesome!!!

So yep that's day 3 in a nutshell. Better go get dressed before our 10 am Swahili lesson :)

Karibu sana

That means very welcome, which I've heard multiple times today. Forgive me if this entry is not organized or in narrative form like I usually write. I managed the day without a nap fighting jetlag and everything is new. You can't just ask, "How's Tanzania?" I say this after the first day! I can't even imagine what it will be like after living here 10 months! If you want a summary, food is so good, people are so wonderful, and Africa is so beautiful. Now for the more in-depth version..

Let me start by describing Arusha, the city where I am living. Even though it is a city, people say it is a small town because everyone knows everyone. It's a city but by no means westernized. People still wear the beautiful traditional clothing, which we are getting measured for tomorrow :):):), and yes, the typical image of women balancing baskets on their heads is completely true. However, the obnoxious catcalling of South America is absent; instead, every 10 steps you run into a new person and it's culturally unacceptable just to say hello. So you stop and time is quite irrelevant because it is more important to see your friend. Arusha is SUCH an international city. Liza and Nina went to a Serbian bd party and UN dinner the two nights before I came. I just got back from a pub with an Italian, sound engineers from NY, and some ex-pats living here and of course Liza. I've learned so much Swahili already! There's no way I will learn this much everyday! Our house is awesome (of course pics will come sometime soon) and we have two cats-Crispy Bacon and el Guapo, whom I have yet to see. Everyone is so nice-the Umoja people, the natives, and the ex-pats. The welcome here is unbelievable! Flights were uneventful besides long, though I must say it was nice to get real meals on a flight and inflatable pillows and Bose headphones were sleepguards with babies crying and what not! With two 8 hr flights I did something that is horrible for jetlag-I slept from 11 AM-5 PM yesterday making me that much more not tired last night and I finally fell asleep at 3 AM this morning (we didn't go to bed till 2:30). I was greeted with Chamomile tea of course accompanied by Zbee honey and fresh papaya, tangerine, banana, and watermelon. My housemate is awesome as are my bosses. One is from the states, 27, and just an incredible person. Very sad to see her go the 7th of Sept. (it's her house that we're living in). The other is from Madagascar and will be my boss for the non-profit work I do. I met her kids today as well-wonderful family and so cute.

The day began with Tanzanian breakfast which consists of Chai tea (which is also chai so it's chai chai) and chapati a delicious flatbread. We talked about the mission and structure of Umoja, which makes me love it that much more because they take the ignored tier of kids, the ones above the poorest of the poor, to give kids who can have a chance an opportunity instead of catering to those who already are supported by all the other non-profits. Hearing the story of how Liza (the director) needed something more than just teaching rich, white kids, and how it is something that they own and is shared, is truly a remarkable story. Ask me more if you want to. We then went and visited what would here be called a private school which really means instruction is in English, but still not comparative to any type of US school. No school is free here. 64/109 of the kids at that school are orphaned. A 4 floor building didn't have railings and one floor didn't even have a wall so it's just stairs suspended by the floors of each level.

Then we went to a local place for lunch which was ugali, a maize flour mixture, and was served with tilapia and a type of spinach, cabbage, and beans. Everything is eaten with the hands and yes, I washed my hands (as is standard) beforehand. I think I agree-food does taste better (and is at least more fun!) when eaten with the hands. Delicious food!

 I fought the jetlag all day :) One of our neighbors just finished high school and speaks perfect English so he is going to give us Swahili lessons each morning. Janet, our maid I guess you could say, cooked us a DELICIOUS dinner. I saw the beautiful Mt. Meru today and a museum and met a ton of people and of course every step is a new sight. The beautiful trees and flowers, the people, the smell of burning (they burn everything here), but I should get to bed.

Life is good. Thank you to all who encouraged me to take this job. You're right-I'm not going to regret it!!!