Sorry i havn't put pictures in a few days... we've just been working. nothing too exciting. I'll take some pictures for fun this weekend :) . we were going to climb the mountains again today but its raining and icky outside.
A: There are kids all over that play a game with tires and pretty much anything they can roll that's basically just running beside it and seeing how far you can keep it rolling. It's simple but they love it haha. I've seen kids carting each other around in carts just to see how far they can pull each other and playing with just sticks or anything they can find. They play outside a LOT more than kids in canada for sure!!! Soccer is also REALLY big.. our homestay brother goes to play soccer almost every day with his friends. Believe it or not they also have a lot of debate teams in school and other clubs, so it's not really games but they do some of the same things we do for sure. :) Next time we walk by the soccer field and it's full i'll take a picture because you wouldn't believe how many people come play.
Q: What are the flowers like there?
A: For the most part HUGE and everywhere lol especially in the mountains. I'll try to get more pictures of them because they're really beautiful and colourful.. much more so than in Canada. As soon as I see some more I will get pictures of them :D
Q: Where do you take a shower?
A: In a little concrete room with a hole in the wall that drains to the outside and a bucket of water. :P We have stand-up showers with running water at the office but I've only ever used it a few times because I'm just used to not having it now. It's also cold water, but it's so hot here half of the time it feels great.
Q: If there's no bathroom how do you get ready in the morning?
A: My roommate/fellow volunteer Linda and I get ready and then ask "Do I look ok?" ..." Yea, do I look ok?" because there are no mirrors anywhere in this house. I've seen myself in pictures and in a mirror at other people's houses about... 3 times total in the last month. I also have the little tiny skype window of myself when I talk to other people, but other than that I pretty much don't ever know whats going on with myself, i just put my hair up and hope for the best :P
Q: What are Daladala's?
A: I've put pictures of them at some point, but a lot of people keep asking me what they are. It's basically just like what transit windsor bus system would be like only fair is about 30 cents and the buses should only fit about 15 people but really fit about 30 (standing and crouching and sitting on other people's laps and hanging out windows). Every time we talk them theres a different mini-adventure too. Either the sliding door doesn't close, or the engine stalls and they have to push it for a bit, or it runs out of gas, or it almost hits someone on a pikipiki (motorcyle,,, they're everywherrrrre). They are the most rediculous and hilarious modes of transportation ever.
Q: When are you going to see animals?
A: I'm going on safari next weekend - it's all booked up and ready to go :D so finally no more waiting for awesome pictures!! We leave on sunday and stay in a village around a place called Moshi thats at the base of Kilimanjaro for the first night since the bus ride on sunday is 12 hours. Monday we get up early and go on a game drive and into Ngorogoro gorge (LOOK IT UP.. its awesome). After we go into the gorge and all that we're going to see a masaai village and then spend the night in Arusha and head home the next day. It's going to be absolutely awesome.
Q: What's the scariest thing that's happened to you so far?
A: Everything's been pretty smooth sailing (knock on every piece of wood in my reach!!) but we did have a creepy guy come into our house and ask us for money and to buy our computers and laptops and to marry him so he could come to Canada... Definitely not cool!! He's been taken care of now by our homestay family so it's all good :)
Q: What's the food like?
A: DELICIOUS!!! Lol and I think i mentioned it before but last weekend we had pizza for dinner at a "mzungu" restaurant and i felt so sick because I'm not used to the unhealthy food any more (I know my doctors are reading this now... bet you're both happy now aren't ya!!!!!!! :P). We have rice every day and this kind of pastey-dough stuff called Ugali that you make into a ball in your hand then use it as a scoop for stews and soups and stuff. With that there's always fresh vegetables and fruits (papaya, banana, and avocado are the most common) and either fish or beef or chicken, but we don't have chicken very often. I have tea every morning and every night for breakfast and the least-healthy thing I have is Chapati (a fried dough that's a breakfast food) but other than that it's always fresh and awesome awesome.
Q: What's the weirdest thing you've eaten
A: So far there's been two things that have freaked me out but have turned out to be pretty good. The first is called Chipsi Maiai. It's basically fries that are cut thick almost like potatoe wedges that are cooked then cooked again with eggs. Sounds gross, but you have it with veggies and it's delicious. I'm making it when I get home!! The second thing was twice now we've had this kind of stew made with bananas (they taste like potatoes however they grow and cook them because there's two kind of bananas here - one type for cooking and one for regular eating - and with that I'm pretty sure it's cow tongue or liver or something. Whatever it is it looks like parts of a tongue - it's chewy but not that bad. I just try not to look at it lmao.
Q: What souvenirs have you bought so far?
A: I'm still looking for things for other people, but their teas are delicious and made in tanzania so anyone who wants some let me know!! :P For myself I bought a kanga (really colourful wrap dresses that everyone wears here) a neat beaded necklace with earrings, another dress that's full-length, and a batique (painting on cloth that I'm going to frame when I get home). I want to get something carved out of wood because they sell them on the street all over but i havn't found anything that isn't 3 feet tall yet :P.
Q: What's something you never expected or experience?
A: I guess there's a few things I was a little surprised at. First is that women just breastfeed whenever and where ever they are because - i cant remember the exact explanation - they basically see it as if they don't they're denying the child what they need. Another would be that the men everywhere are SOOO persistant to get your attention if you're a white girl. They yell and make weird sounds and I've even had one ride beside me on his pikipiki to talk to me as I walked. The attention we draw took a loooot of getting used to an I'm still trying to get good at reacting fast enough to get them to stop because sometimes just as I'm getting used to it they surprise you with a new tactic. It's a never-ending game of "dodgeball" in a way lol.
I loooooove these so keep asking me things :) soo much fun when I have nothing better to post about!
A: I guess there's a few things I was a little surprised at. First is that women just breastfeed whenever and where ever they are because - i cant remember the exact explanation - they basically see it as if they don't they're denying the child what they need. Another would be that the men everywhere are SOOO persistant to get your attention if you're a white girl. They yell and make weird sounds and I've even had one ride beside me on his pikipiki to talk to me as I walked. The attention we draw took a loooot of getting used to an I'm still trying to get good at reacting fast enough to get them to stop because sometimes just as I'm getting used to it they surprise you with a new tactic. It's a never-ending game of "dodgeball" in a way lol.
I loooooove these so keep asking me things :) soo much fun when I have nothing better to post about!
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