Yes Dad, There Are Trees in Africa

After the long day in Nairobi, I was more then excited to get on the little propellor plane to Kilimanjaro airport. The quick 40 minute flight took us over both Mt. Kilimanjaro and Mt. Meru as the sun was setting. Breathtaking to say the least! It was quick and easy to get my visa once inside the airport, and the placement co-ordinator was waiting for myself and another girl with Volunteer Abroad who had flown in with me. We threw our bags in a taxi and were off to our new home! The roads here are very strange... Tons of speed bumps (mini mountains really) and cattle guards; the cars never really go more than 60km/h. Oh! And they drive on the other side of the road! It was about 45 minutes to our home, just outside of Arusha. As it was late, we didn't see much but dropped our jaws in awe when we saw our house at the top of the hill.

Our house! Sorry it's rotated wrong.. Tilt your head!

14 of us arrived on Friday night, and all got settled. I share a room with 6 other girls, will post pictures of our room later! They are all university students, some just finished with their undergrads, from Canada. 9 of them are only here for 3 weeks, and 4 other girls are here for around 2 months. Everyone is just as thrilled to be here; we're already all planning our safari's and climbing trips.

Our full first day I awoke to the most gorgeous view of rolling hills and a brilliant blue sky. Sitting on our balcony, I really couldn't believe that I'm actually here. We had a quick breakfast of crepes with plum jam and peanut butter. I was super relieved that they have pb here.. It's all natural and everything! We did a bit of orientation, safety precautions and things like that! Then lunch and off to Arusha for some exploring. The city reminds me a lot of Ecuador, clearly poverty stricken, but signs of affluence everywhere; Mercedes and BMW's driving alongside women carrying their wares in baskets atop their heads. More about the city later tho! We all came home and had a traditional dinner of ugali.. This is a white corn like sticky dough that you roll into a ball, push a hole into the middle, scoop some stuff inside it and shove in your mouth. Messy to say the least. Very bland too.. Different and exciting though! We all crashed early last night, having been awoken by the Muslim call to prayer before dawn, followed by the roosters our neighbor has.

I thankfully was able to sleep through the entire night last night, waking up just after 7. Breakfast of crepes and some more orientation shared for us some fascinating cultural facts. The local, Moses, that lives with us who helps us get around and teaches us about Tanzania. He is a member of the Maasai village that we are going to see tomorrow. He explained to us that males are circumcised around age 16 to prove their strength showing they can become a warrior. The concept of this is not one of shame, but one that brings honor to a family, especially if the male is able to go through the procedure without so much as wincing. Hearing about the procedure from Moses as opposed to how I've heard about it at home, showed it in a whole different light. When it is done willingly, it is very much comparable to plastic surgery people get in North America. There is no need for the procedure, but it is done to prove a point or to encourage self-image and status in society. The orientation also gave us more safety tips, this time preparing us for our dala dala ride into the city.

A dala dala (dollah dollah) is a type of taxi-bus van like thing. Each has it's own driver and an attendant who is in charge of collecting money and ushering people on and off at various stops. Each dala dala could comfortably sit around 12 or so people, but are often stuffed with upwards of 25. They are the cheapest and one of the fastest ways to get around here. We took the dala dala to the Maasai craft market and toured around there for a while. A group of 15 white people draws a bit of attentions.. Usually followed by calls of "Mzungu" or white person/stupid tourist... My biggest problem at the craft market was figuring out how I was going to ship all the wooden animal statues and tables I wanted home.

After the craft market we went to the used clothing market. This was fascinating. For what seemed like a mile long strip, people would display tons and tons of used clothes, that had been shipped from most likely North America, and sell them to the locals. Dinner tonight was at a place called Khan's, which is a mechanic shop by day and bbq by night! We had mutton, beef and chicken with vegetables and other things; the food here is much much better than I expected it to be.

As full day number two comes to a close, I am proud to say that I can count to one million in Swahili and have a grasp on some of the greetings and other basic phrases. I already have plans to visit Ngorogoro, a giant crater that houses hippo's and rhino's, head to the beach and visit a traditional Maasai village.. And that's just in the next week or two. After that I'm hoping to climb both Mt. Kilimanjaro and Mt. Meru. I'm thankful I have so much time here; there is way too much that I want to do! Being only day two, I feel like I could stay here forever.. I know this will change as I get homesick but I hope to remember how elated I feel right now and how amazing I believe I can make this experience. The culture is intriguing, and no matter how frustrated I am with Swahili right now, I know it will all become clearer in the next few months.

Hakuna matata!