Redheaded Travels

I’m exhausted.  but sassed in my exhaustion with a WSJ article about my friend’s platoon in Afghanistan. (http://www.wsj.com/article/SB121519575561429201.html?mod=fpa_editors_picks)  His name is Hank and he made amazing films at BU. 

Anyway, I’m tired, my back is kinda hurting, I walked all the way to the Shoprite and Woolworths and back, about a mile one way, I think.  it’s hard to tell distance here.  I got a few Western luxuries (I had to get cadbury’s cocoa mix, they only had strawberry quik) and stopped into Woolworths for a peek at Dayton’s like fashion.  I loved it in South Africa but they also had a sweet local designer doing stuff.

Much to my surprise it was tiny… and crappy.  Or perhaps my perception has just shifted.  Oh wait, yea, it has.  They wanted 20 bucks for the cheapest t-shirt.  Do you think I’m made of money?  And how do I know you didn’t use small children to make those shirts?  And even if you did, you can’t gurantee laughter and smiles for them, probably cuts, missing digits and no pay.  The shopaholic in me is slowly dying and it’s been a 6 year quest to make that happen.  Please hold me accountable when I get back to the US. 

As for now, I’m gonna grab my somewhat heavy pack, pay my $1.35 for one hour of internet and walk the half mile back to the house in the 6:30 pm dusk for a meal of rice and beans/lentils.  I think I eat meat once a week here and not since I saw a chicken plucked and cooked over open coals.  I may become a vegetarian yet………..

Which roughly translates to what’s up whitey.

Well, white foreigner.  I’m in Tanzania, a little village called Tengeru which is just south of Arusha.  Arusha is in the north of the country, about an hour south of Kenya.  It’s quite nice, winter here but that means 70 degree weather and sun.  I can see Mt. Meru everyday but have yet to see the mammoth called Kili due to clouds.  Perhaps it’s hiding cause it’s afraid of how I’m gonna conquer it.  Or gasp up to the top in 6 weeks. 

I started my volunteering today, officially.  I hang out with 30 orphans aged 2-6 and try to teach them a thing or two.  Basically, I stand, occassionally say some things in english which they repeat but do not learn and then they run around, touch my hair and call me mzungu.  I mostly love it.  Mostly because I just started and haven’t gotten into a groove where I can really help them.  We’ll see, we’ll see.

Differences from the US:  I say hi to about 30 people I’ve never met on a daily basis, I walk atleast a mile a day and pay 15 cents for a bus ride. The electricity in our house frequently goes out and I try to relish every minute of sunshine before darkness covers us for the night.  All in all, pretty good.  

Except for the internet.  While available, terribly slow.  Terribly terribly slow.  There will be no posting pictures until October in South Africa.  And then watch out!