Arusha has been a lot of fun. Klub Afriko is awesome! It is very comfortable and I love the little bungallows. It was very nice to have a shower, even though it was cold! My first afternoon in Arusha was a little overwhelming! There is just no way to walk through town unnoticed as a msungu (foreigner/white person). Everyone wants to be your "besti friendi" and sell you something. People will try to lead you around town in hopes of a tip. It was really frustrating to bot be able to just walk and figure out the city without being constantly harassed. With cultural differences, it it difficult to tell who is honestly trying to help you and who is just trying to take advantage of tourists. I did manage to find an internet cafe and to buy some minutes for the phone, though.
We have really dived right into our Kiswahili lessons now. I am starting to fell a little more confident now that I can construct simple sentences.
Today, I ventured onto Nairobi road where I was able to buy some kangas, locks, and toilet paper for my homestay. I also found a little internet cafe. Tomorrow, we meet our families. I was a little disppointed at first that there are no young children in my family, but now I think it will be interesting to be placed with people my age. I am a little nervous about communicating with my very limited Kiswahili, but teenagers will probably speak at least basic English, as well. I am excited to see what these next 2 weeks will bring! I am sure there will be plenty of stories!
I just realized that I never go the chance to write about visiting the Maasai boma on Tuesday. It was quite an experience. It was so difficult to believe that we were gaining a glimpse into the lives of real people living today. The women all laid out their beaded jewelery for us to purchase. The head of the family castrated a goat. Children running around everywhere; flies swarming their faces. We entered an actual house. What was most striking was the complete darkness. I didn't even realize another woman was in the back "bedroom" There is a section of the home for young cows to sleep and a baby goat was also tied up inside. Anna came to talk to us, because she had started secondary school and knew some English. She had stopped school, however, because she was sold for 10 cows and was married. She said she was only 12 years old. The Maasai family structure of polygamy brought up lots of interesting questions. Their culture is clearly not fair or equal, but is it wrong?
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