hing I will reluctantly do upon arrival is to shave my legs. I have not done so here, but when they resurface in America others might find them offensive. Here, happily covered, no one minds. But mostly, I want to stowaway on a dalla dalla to the nearest neighboring village and miss the flight Tuesday. Today, walking around Kariakoo observing skin bleaching related things – illegal products easily found, sales being made, images reflecting beauty as white – we took in the market. Discussion followed – final lecture. Race, gender, culture, media, etc. Lunch at 4:30-5:00ish . . . oh, Tanzania, how you have grown on us.
Just to mention some things that should be mentioned or reiterated that I haven’t given a lot thought to here:
- Food: mostly pretty good. All local restaurants offer the same food (they don’t offer menus) – rice, ugali (which is really just grits, I think), fries, beans, fish, chicken, bananas, 
and greens. And maybe a chicken stew. More touristy places offer pizza, shrimp, fried rice, and curries. Outside of that, mangos, pineapple, and ice cream are treats
- Children: they are everywhere. They are absolutely adorable – ok, maybe I have mentioned this. But they are precious. And they are unbelievably well behaved and respectful, even babies seem never to cry . . . even on a 10 hour bus ride!
- Living conditions:
o Public bathrooms: the smell hits you like a hammer on your nose. Many of the bathrooms are actually “Western,” meaning there is a toilet. The others are basically holes in the ground. Actually, I came to prefer these because it is easier to hover over a hole than a toilet. (Just watch your feet.) There is absolutely no toilet paper provided. We bring our own.
o Insects: oh my goodness, the flies! Flies are a constant – especially at meal times. I think my arms are a bit stronger from all the waving. There were also tsetse flies on safari. Mosquitoes also made their appearances, especially at night. The keys are bug spray and air conditioning.
o Showers: mostly cold. Unless it was very hot outside, this meant a lot of sponge bathing. It is hard to take a cold shower when it is cool.
o Health: several people we met (tour guides, receptionists) worked regardless of what we would consider debilitating illnesses – i.e. malaria and dysentery. They simply cannot miss a day’s pay. They need to work to be able to afford treatment. Michellee’s observation of the clinic where they were treated: “It is just like the public restrooms. They just don’t have the resources.”
So very tired. My body has adjusted to this time zone and wakes itself early each day – usually by 7:00am. Today, after going to bed at 5:00am, it woke with pep at 8:30. These eyes are heavy at 9:15pm now, despite the nap I just had after our evening ice cream run.
I think shower and bed are calling.
The noises outside may be jubilant or belligerent – loud male calls of sorts combined with car horns and tires and occasional music. Unusual for Dar, it seems. I think there’s a football match tonight though.
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