I’ve been in Tanzania for over three weeks now, quickly
approaching the half-way point of my stay here. A little late, but here is a picture of our awesome group:
Last week we visited the local market as a class, given the
task of using our Swahili to bargain for and purchase food. This was
intimidating, pushing our way through a busy outdoor market and trying to speak
the language, often getting laughed at by the locals. Nevertheless, I
successfully bought a bunch of mangos, bananas, cucumbers, and tomatoes, for a
total of 1500 tsh (about $1). I also bought a kitenge, a large piece of fabric that comes in many different
patterns. Christine and I split the fabric, and we took it to a tailor to get long
skirts made. The fabric and the tailor service for a custom made skirt cost a
total of about $6. Stuff is cheap here.
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On Saturday, some friends and I attended the graduation for
students here at TCDC. If you think American graduation ceremonies are bad…. this
one lasted three hours. But there was some cool entertainment, including a
performance (chanting and dancing) by a Masai
tribe. That night, we all watched Dodgeball,
had drinks, and danced at the Friday night disco. Probably the most fun I’ve
had dancing in a long time. On Sunday, we found a pool at a hotel in Arusha to hang
out at for the day.
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| Masai tribe performs at TCDC graduation |
When we arrived, two young boys eagerly grabbed me by the
hand to show me around: Calvin and
Eriki, ages 14 and 16. I wish I got a picture of them, they were adorable. They
spoke little English, but I had fun trying to communicate with them in Swahili
and they seemed to enjoy impressing me with their English.
The Watoto
Foundation is much more than a school. The boys live in dormitories, raise
animals, and cook their own food all on the school grounds. The have carpentry
and welding shops to teach the boys skills to help them get jobs when they
graduate. Calvin and Eriki took me to see their many animals, including
chickens, goats, cows, pigs, and rabbits. They handed me a baby rabbit to hold,
and I naively asked them if they kept them as pets. I don’t think they
understood the question, because Calvin replied with a huge grin, “Ohh yes! We
put rabbit in dee box, then put on dee FIRE! Rabbit Yum Yum!”
I asked them what they wanted to be when they grow up.
Calvin wanted to be a doctor, Eriki a pilot. They proudly showed me their
computer room, which had a few old desktops. They asked me if I had ever used a
computer. When I told them I owned my own personal computer, their eyes got
very big and their jaws dropped. “You have your OWN computer?!” I decided not
to tell them how I also have my own car…
Calvin and Eriki wanted to know all about America. They were
surprised when I told them that we didn’t have lions, zebra, elephants, or
giraffe in America. They asked if I knew how to swim, and then proudly
demonstrated their out-of-water swimming skills. My favorite question was when
they asked me if I personally knew Obama. Obama is like a god here. Then they
told me they didn’t like George Bush. Smart kids.
Enough for now. Here's some random pictures:
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| Ray holding a kitten we found at the hospital on Friday |
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| Delicious lasagna Rafia made for us the other day |
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| Tea time |
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