Shadow Week

August 5, 2008

My sister asked me to specify where I am at here in Tanzania. I am currently living in Kilosa- about 6 hours west of Dar. This is where my family lives and I will be with them for another week. However, this week has been filled with travel, first we went to Morogoro, then I shadowed an education volunteer who lives at a secondary school in the Southern Highlands. He is about 3 hours from Iringa Town and 3 hours from Njombe- sort of right in between. The highlands are beautiful, the volunteers there are wonderful, and we spent some time in Iringa which is an awesome town. Now I am in Dar es Salaam at the Peace Corps Office. This past week was really great, but I thought I would just give some highlights.

This past week I have learned:

- That even if a Dala Dala (Minibus-type thing) looks full, more people can always fit on.
- To avoid people stealing from you, place items in your bra: the only safe place. So far I can store: chapstick, shilingi and a cell phone all simultaneously.
- One public transport the best thing to do is close your eyes, throw up your hands and pretend you are on Space Mountain at Disneyland.
- That when chocolate or other American food is available you should never say "I'm Full."
-How to cook chocolate chip cookies over a charcoal Jiko (Stove).
-There are a lot of nasty critters in TZ, and I have experience first hand the extreme pain of being eaten alive by Siyafu. (Ants that march into houses in the Southern Highlands and try to eat you alive- I have a bruise on my behind as proof.)
- How to make Banana/Mango Wine.
- How awesome Heath Ledger was in Batman!!! That's right- I have seen it! Dar has a theatre and it was playing in English.
- That I make an excellent Posh Spice kareoke night, but I tend to smile too much. My four best girlfriends and I were the Spice Girls during our party in Morogoro.
- That despite the fact that I want to go home everyday, life is good. I am lucky to want to be in two places at once.