Monday, June 21, 2010

The first week!

So I tried to type up my blog before I got to the internet cafe, but I guess windows will not let me copy and paste into my blog, so I have to re-type it all. Oh well :) This is my fifth day as a peace corps trainee. This is the first time with access to the internet becasue I am staying at a hostel in the capitol city of Dar es Salaam. The plane ride was pretty long consisting of two eight hour flights but I was able to sleep through most of both. This totally threw off my sleep schedule, but all is well now. The first night was around 80 degrees with 100 % humidity. I thought I ould be unable to sleep, but once my head hit the pillow I fell right to sleep. The next day started at 7am! We recieved some fried wrap stuffed with beef (samboosa) a pink sausage and a crepe like bread. All of it was wonderful. Most of the food here has been fried or seasoned really well. I have grown to love it and will continue I am sure throughout my entire stay. The trainings have lasted between 8-9 hours a day with various topics ranging from language to safety. Lunch and dinner usually consist of rice, beans, a protein and cabbage, again I am LOVING the food. The Kiswahili classes are challenging but are lots of fun. In Tanzania everyone is so friendly and love to teach their language so they dont mind when you attempt to talk to them in their local language. Yesterday we were able to travel off of the hostel property and see some of the city. I was unsure what to expect, but it reminded me of a large flea market downton. It was full of vendors and people buying. We went on Sunday, and I have heard during the week it is packed and people are crammed together prohibiting much movement. We were able to take a Dala dala for the first time. It is a large bus/taxi that goes around the city full of people. On Wednesday the group and I leave for Muheza where we will meet our host family. We will spend the next nine weeks learning the language and the culture. I am so excited to have this opportunity. Thank you all for the supprt and prayers, I can really feel them. I love and miss you all and hope to update soon.
Much love,
Justin

P.S. I am sorry for the spelling and grammar mistakes, I am super rushed.