My First Tanzanian Kiss

My favorite billboard on campus

Today is Sunday, and it’s the first Sunday that we have had free in a very long time.  We almost didn’t know what to do with ourselves all day!  I woke up, ate some breakfast, and studied ecology for a while (we have an exam on Tuesday).  At 10:00, I showed up at the cafeteria where I was supposed to meet Josephin.  Josephin was going to take me to her house today and teach me how to cook, but one of her relatives passed away and she was unable to come get me.  I chatted with Beatrice at the cafeteria for a while and then headed over to the Godde’s to steal a computer.  It was crazy over there today!  The internet hasn’t been working too well in the dorms and everyone needed to use a computer to work on their research proposal.  I managed to get there before the rush, and had time to work on my proposal, but there were people in and out of the house all day.  Brennan, Jen and I listened to some music while we worked and we had a great time together.  I headed back to the room and made some phone calls about Fall Break.  Colleen and I are going to the Usambara Mountains, together with Siri, Zoe, Carla, and Karen.  However, the 4 girls that I just mentioned already booked their hotel and got the last room.  So Colleen and I are staying at our own hotel: the Kimunyu Guest House.  It is going to be a real adventure!  Let’s just say that it could be a very sketchy place.  We are paying 5,000 Tsh a night for a double room (that is the equivalent of $3).  Hah, I am so excited!  If worse comes to worse, the other group has a nice place and we can always sneak over there to use their shower.  Colleen and I also scoped out a guided tour that includes hiking through the Magamba Rainforest and visiting the Mkuzi Falls.  It should be a fun day trip and will only cost about $25 a person.  Also, we are looking forward to the markets in Lushoto and Soni which are known for fresh fruits and handmade pottery.  I spent the rest of the afternoon walking around town and studying a little.  The title of this blog comes from the guard at the gates of the University.  When I was walking back to the university, the guard greeted me and then took my hand and gave it a big old kiss!  He almost wouldn’t let my hand go!  Oh, Tanzanians…Colleen and I also met a great guy at the cafeteria today.  He asked if we were Catholic or Islamic, and I said that I don’t go to church.  He looked at me like I was crazy and then told me that “that was no good” and that “Jesus is Power!”.  Hah, Colleen and I had a good laugh about that.  He just kept telling us that Jesus is power over and over.  Colleen and I went to the cafeteria for dinner and I decided to change it up and get an omelette and some fruit.  I brought along a red onion that I got at the market and chopped it up to put in my omelette (omelettes here usually only consist of eggs, no peppers or meat).  Now we are looking at the guide book some more and studying.  Tomorrow we only have 2 hours of Kiswahili and then we get to go to the National Museum!