Thursday, November 25

 Happy Thanksgiving!
 We made it back to Arusha!  The rest of our stay in Mto wa Mbu was fairly uneventful.  Except, one day I went for a walk.  The bottom part of the sole of my sandal can unattached and was flapping when I walked.  A man on a bike noticed and stopped to say sorry and hello.  Then, he bent down and took my shoe off my foot to have a closer look.  He said it could be fixed if I had 500 shillings ($0.33).  He said he would take me there to get it fixed.  He wouldn’t let me walk with the condition of my sandal, so he gave me a ride on the back of his bike.  The shoe man rubber cemented and stitched the sole right back on- good as new.  What a kind act from a stranger who wanted nothing in return.  The shoe man, however, was pretty serious about us getting married so I could take him back to the US!
 As our dala dala stopped in Arusha, they opened up the back to let a sheep out.  We had no idea we had been riding with a sheep right under our seat the whole time!!
 Since the theme of this seems to be funny stories, here’s one more.  Last night, I was all ready for bed and just going to brush my teeth.  I turned the faucet, and somehow the whole thing broke off.  It didn’t just pop off; metal actually snapped off!  Scalding hot water was gushing out and made the metal so hot that there was no chance of me trying to fix it.  I quickly got dressed and ran downstairs to hopefully find someone working still.  I was trying to explain the situation in Kiswahili, but he just thought I had no hot water.  I had plenty of hot water.  He tried to fix it, and was just leaving and said it would be fine as long as I don’t touch it.  Just then, it blew off again!  He thought it was pretty funny.  Then, he filled a little bucket with water and balanced it on top of the faucet to hold it down.  “Hamna shida!” (No problem!)
 It was a nice treat to be able to talk on the phone with my family today!  Most of the students have just arrived back in Arusha and we all went out for Chinese food for Thanksgiving!

Saturday, November 20

We are still in Mto wa Mbu working on ISP’s. I finished all 50 of my interviews and now I am working on analyzing my data, writing my report, and making a powerpoint presentation. We don’t have a working power outlet in our room, so we usually spend our afternoons by the pool at the Twiga Campsite. We can swim to cool off and use their power outlets. I have also done some Christmas shopping here. It’s really great to be able to cook here. Lots of delicious grilled tomato or fried egg sandwiches, rice and veggies, and I even made spaghetti and homemade sauce! And of course, plenty of delicious bananas. They grow over 30 varieties in this town! An, if we don’t feel like cooking, there is always wali na maharage (rice and beans) at all of the restaurants.
It’s hard to believe that I’ll be home in less than a month now! I’m trying to decide what I am most excited for:

(other than family and friends, in no particular order)
flush toilets (that actually flush)
turkey wraps
macaroni and cheese (or maybe just cheese in general)
cold enough to sleep with blankets
not living out of a backpack
hot shower with pressure (it’s usually only one or the other here)
internet whenever you want it
consistent electricity
clean feet
washing machine
cookies/brownies/ice cream
cold milk
bagels (blueberry, toasted with cream cheese)
meat that you can actually chew, without shards of bone
apples
not feeling like a celebrity walking down the street
no mosque calls at 5 am
no mosquito nets (or mosquitoes, for that matter)
wearing pants in public
Harry Potter movie
Not having to steripen my water
Not being constantly asked for things- pens, money, candy, watch, backpack, shoes, etc.

Sunday, November 7

 I spent the rest of finals week in Arusha, writing papers.  We had 5 people staying in a triple room, so it was a little crowded!  I survived off of lots of peanut butter, bread, and fresh fruits and veggies from the market.  It is fun to buy a ton of fresh food for so little money!  We had a nice “good luck” dinner Thursday before we all left for ISP.  After getting stuck in traffic in a dala dala that kept breaking down, we finally got to the restaurant an hour late!  We ended up having to get out and walk at the end.  We all go $550 in a huge stack of shillings and a hug, and then we were all on our own!  There is a group of 6 of us doing our projects in Mto wa Mbu.  We are staying in some guest rooms in the home of the headmistress of the secondary school.  We were each supposed to have our own room, but they haven’t finished building the rest of the rooms yet.  For now, we are sharing with 2 in a room.  It’s not bad, and it’s only 4,000 shillings each per night (about $2.50!).  There is also a kitchen we can use.  Last night we cooked out 1st meal of noodle, stir fried veggies, fried potatoes, tomatoes, and pineapple. 
 I have started collecting data about charcoal production for my project.  So far, I have only done 2 interviews.  Hopefully I can find a lot more people soon!  My guide takes me out for a few hours each morning for interviews, but I have a lot of free time here.

Monday, November 1

 After Maasai homestay, we spent 2 more nights camping in Engare Sera.  We had some focal groups with Maasai men and women.  They had some very interesting questions for us.  They were very interested in our marriage customs.  The men asked us how lesbian couples are able to have sex, and a couple of them got up and left when they got their answer!  A couple of Maasai warriors came and slaughtered a goat for us.  It is quite a process.  First, the suffocate it so it doesn’t spoil the blood.  Then they skin it and remove the fall bladder.  The blood all flows into the body cavity, and they drink it directly out of the body!  It coagulates very quickly and they eat it like jello.  The kidneys are also eaten raw.  Then they separate out the rest of the parts and roast them on the fire.  Mmmm (not really).  On Friday, we had a free day.  I chose to go for a hike up the river.  We hiked along the ledges with breathtaking views the whole time.  Over 20 waterfalls!  We ended up at a huge canyon cul de sac with waterfalls all around.  It was a beautiful way to spend the day!
 We returned to Arusha on Saturday.  A woman had visited the camp a few day before, because she was going to have a baby.  Baba Jack gave her a ride to the clinic.  The baby was born prematurely, and was in need of much more medical attention than the clinic could offer.  We made room in one of our cars for them and rushed them to the hospital in Arusha, 5 hours away on a dusty, bumpy, hot road.  They weren’t sure if they would make it in time.  Unfortunately, we found out today that the baby did not survive the surgery.  Baba Jack helped them bury it today.  It felt so great knowing that we could help save a life, but unfortunately, it was not enough.  Theis leads me to question my opposition to the paved road that will cut through the Serengeti.  Maybe if there was a road, the baby could have gotten to the hospital in time.
 The presidential elections were yesterday.  Today, we found out that the opposition party won in Arusha.  This has never happened before.  CCM usually get 80-90% of the vote overall.  People took to the streets and there were huge riots.  Dozens of people would cram into cars, trucks, or dala dalas and honk and wave flags.  I saw one group of several thousand running down the street!  People started burning posters of Kikwete, the president, and the army was called in to keep things under control!  There is very little chance that CCM didn’t win the president spot, but people are celebrating this small victory nonetheless!  We kept close to the hotel today, but it was fun watching everything from the roof!