I made it to Zanzibar! And let me tell ya, the streets smell bad. There is not really a sewage system here, and the roads are small, but the buildings are white and beautiful. As I am writing this I am planning to walk to the beach to watch the sunset. The streets are like walking through a maze, but my sense of direction is a work in progress. Many have told us that there is so much to see and do in Zanzibar, like a sunset cruise, explore shops and restaurants, go to the beach, see landmarks, and go crazy! Its probably the safest out of all the places we will go in Tanzania.
So as soon as we got to Zanzibar, I got to sit next to one of our teachers at the university and talk with him in Swahili. He was there to correct me when I needed it, and congratulated me when I said things right. The university is small, but it is a tall white building among other buildings with an enormous courtyard. Then we got to go home with our families, and believe me, I was just as excited this time as the last time.
I am now staying with a young woman named Salma. She doesn't have any kids yet, but two little girls, Chemsa (9) and Rabira (6), live with us. Both of them are such funny chatterboxes. I didn't get to meet her husband, because they both originally live in Dar es Salaam for business, but I got to talk to him on the phone. Its really nice and challenging, because Salma hardly speaks any English, so we speak in a lot of Swahili, which teaches me a lot. I'm trying to remember a lot of words so I can look them up later. However, Salma is such a laid back woman, and she is very beautiful too! She is very patient with my Swahili, and she is ready to teach me more.
We live in a flat up two skinny, steep flights of stairs, which I tried to carry my 45 pound bag. Lets just say it was a struggle. The flat is small and intimate. The toilet and shower and sink work, so that's wonderful. I have a room to myself, with a fan and a nice bed. We have dadas who live down the road from us, and they have four children, including Chemsa and Rabira. They have a teenage boy named Issa, and a young girl named Jokha. They also have a student named Alex who is studying at SUZA. He's a pre-med major, so we both get to question how this affects our school schedules.
The next day we spent the whole day with the family. We walked to the market where the atmosphere is so much different than in Arusha. Their Swahili isn't as fast and as full of slang. People aren't as aggressive. Even the call for fitness is so much different here. Here they seem more insistent on speaking just Swahili. They have a Zumba class that I might do! Fun stuff!
We then walked to get henna...and oh lanta! My body is like a canvas! They painted my arms with delicate lines and art and everyone stares at my henna and says wow! Henna is what they use before weddings, so everyone says you're ready to get married now! I will say I am so excited to get to see a wedding here!
Alex showed me around parts of Zanzibar, (obviously where the free wifi is) and showed me some of the best ice cream... caramelos...you can't pass that up. We went with friends to the beach to watch the sunset, and the rest were swimming. Oh man did the girls get stared at! The beach was made up of local boys and teenage boys that look as if they'd never seen knees before... a lot of them were doing really cool flips and break dancing moves. You better believe I got a video! If you see it, dont mind the Asian guy in the speedo that walks into my shot. We also walked by all this street food that looked sooooo good. They had fresh fruit, kabobs, and schwerma, which is like fattening beef, but I heard its so good.
Oh yeah, took my first shower since I've been in Africa, and I have never been so thankful for cool water. I melt everyday, but I'm not complaining about the weather. Although it makes me tired and not want to eat as much.
My Swahili is really pushed to know more vocab here. Bad news bears is my tonsils feel swollen. African immunity here we come. There is so much to see, so many relationships to make, and so much to learn. Continue to count your blessings!
Love from Africa
Jax
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