The students are here!

Cleaned mosquito nets headed for the dorms.

It's been a month since our last post and much has happened in that time.
 The students arrived 2 and 1/2 weeks ago and we've been on the go ever since.  They are a great bunch of curious, assertive, intelligent and adventurous college students taking full advantage of this amazing adventure.  We started them off with a couple of days of orientation about how to be safe and polite on and off campus. Safe transportation (how many people really fit in a daladala (local bus)? Always one more!),  proper attire for when on University campus (skirts below the knee and covered shoulders for the females, long pants and shirts for the guys), local eateries and survival strategies for dorms that often lose power and running water.  Welcome to Tanzania, everyone!  Being college students, they quickly adjusted to the new situation and began independent explorations of the nearby markets, beaches on the Indian Ocean, volunteer opportunities for tutoring English and woodcarving with local woodworkers.

No, this wasn't the boat that took us over to the island!!!

Great introduction to the Indian Ocean

Jim and I hung in there with them for Kiswahili class for the first 2 weeks even though we rarely had time to study, but now in the 3rd week the need to do other tasks and the pace of the class has just become too much for us to keep up with them so we've had to regretfully bow out--disappointing but not unexpected.  However, our house security guards and indoor helper have been more than willing to teach us useful phrases and are patient with our stumbling speech.  Our plan is to keep learning new vocabulary so we can at least get our point across when bargaining for our fresh fruit and vegetables in the markets (the avocados and mangos are wonderful).



We have gone on two fun weekend field trips to get off campus and out of town.  The first was a short boat ride to a tropical island with mangroves (complete with a sleepy python), snorkeling over coral replete with colorful fish and even a wildly contorting, poisonous looking sea snake and gaping moray eels.  All very exciting.  Most people came back worn out from the surf and sand, feeling dehydrated, sunburned and happy.

Fish market with prawns getting deep fried over wood fires

Cultural contacts like this are the best

A work of art;  3 hours for a hairstyle that lasts 2-3 weeks

 We had a fascinating overnight trip to a community just north of us on the coast called Bagamoyo.  It's on the World Heritage Site "to be considered" list as it is full of historical information about successive migrations and occupations (Bantus, Omanis, Arabs, Portuguese, Christian missionaries, Germans and British) over the centuries.  It's also known as the end point of the East African slave route from the interior of the continent.  Over a million slaves and tons of ivory were shipped to the Far East, Middle East and the islands off the eastern coast of Africa from this port.  It is a tragic story with ramifications still playing out today in Bagamoyo with the descendants of both slave traders and slaves trying to come to peace with their pasts.  While there we also visited old ruins dating back to the 12th century, complete with fragments of Chinese china plates and coins from India which indicate lively trading that predated any European presence in the area.



One special day at the University of  Dar es Salaam was when about 20 Tanzanian University Kiswahili students came over to the house to visit with our students.  Over a yummy traditional Tanzanian meal we talked Kiswahili/English and established a great foundation for local contacts.  Since then our students have been texting with their news friends and going out to explore Dar from the locals'  perspectives.

Getting to know their Tanzanian peers

Caterer arriving with chairs and food
for our Tanzanian/US student exchange meal.

Paulina gave this lovely "kanga" to Carol, a traditional dress

Carol learning about the local foods

I think while Jim and I are resting up this coming
weekend the students will be heading off to explore the night club scene in Dar es Salaam.  The less we know the better............... but so far (from what we know) they have been very appropriate and safe in their explorations.
This past week we've started having small groups of students join us for dinner.  It's been a great way to share favorite recipes, laugh and get to know one another outside of the more formal classroom settings.

Baobab tree

Jim predicted that the third week, as on other abroad programs he's taught,  is often the slump time when culture shock really hits hard.  Well, this trip has been no exception.  Now that the first excitement has faded and the classes are cranking up in intensity, the reality of life in a developing country is setting in for the students.
We all miss certain things, some more than others; things like toilets that flush consistently, food that tastes like the comfort of home, being able to communicate freely with others on more than a superficial "how are you today?" basis, and having the freedom to go exploring alone without always being concerned about safety. Yet Tanzania is charming us all and we are becoming an increasingly cohesive group as we face challenges together.  What an amazingly  full,  diverse and always a little surprising adventure we are on!

Stay in touch as we always enjoy hearing news from home and we'll keep the posts coming.  

Love to all,
Carol and Jim