I really enjoyed our time in Mto Wa Mbu. On Friday, I went to Lake Manyara National Park with the bird group. It was interesting to be in a forest after all of the time we spent on the savanah. There weren't as many birds as I expected, but there were a lot of blue monkeys and baboons that were really fun to watch. Lake Manyara is teeming with life. Thousands of storks, herons, ibis, geese, spoonbills, geese, and cranes were flying and feeding. I was also really excited to see the hippos! The scenery is so beautiful with the wall of the Great Rift Valley in the distance.
In the afternoon, a small group of students wen with Mike (one of our Maasai "teachers") to a Maasai boma to visit a tradtional healer. This healer is the head of the boma and has 25 wives! They built a school just for all of his children! When we arrived, some men were lounging around playing mancala. It was funny to see them playing a familiar game. We tried to play with them, but they have some different rules. Eventually we got to see the healer. He took out a cow's horn that was filled with small stones. He poured some out and counted out groups of 10. Since 2 were remaining, he said that we will have good luck on our trip. He did it again and found that we were all healthy, wealthy, and well-fed. When people are ill, he prepares herbs to cure them. It was a really interesting experience, and you could sense just how power this man is in his community.
They planned some "socialization" for us in the evening. We all went to a "disco" to experience the local night life.
We spent the weekend relaxing in Arusha before heading back up to Bangata for the final week of homestay. It was nice to have some time to get cleaned up, rested, and reconnected with people. Today I went into town and visited the used clothing market. It is huge!!! I also got to watch the Lion King last night!
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