Habari

It has been so long since I've posted that I am not even sure where to start! The rains have finally started. With the rains the temperature has cooled down considerably, at least at night. One morning last week we were all commenting about how it was necessary to use a second sheet. The temperature had cooled down to about 76! I have also had what I am considering a great accomplishment. I received and understood my first text message in Swahili. When learning a language it is sometimes the small victories that make a difference. There is so much to learn and remember that every time I am able to actually understand what someone says I feel excited. I have lots of pictures to post but the internet connection (or lack there of) has been a problem. Then just a few days ago my computer crashed. I am hoping it can be saved but so far I don't have a diagnosis of the problem. I feel blessed because a fellow student has offered to look at and if possible repair my computer for free.
Next week I will be traveling to Dar es Salaam to pick up my resident permit. I was there a few weeks ago to drop off the paperwork. The last trip was quite the adventure. Tisho, one of the teachers, and I went for a day trip. The day trip turned into 2 long days for me and 3 for him! This time we are planning to stay for 2-3 days. I will be visiting the immigration office and he will be hanging out at the US embassy trying to get a visa to visit Iowa this summer. Another student and teacher may be joining us as well. We are making a mini-vacation out of our trip. If possible I will get to stick my toes into the Indian Ocean for the first time. I am already very excited about the possibility. I am sure there are lots of other fun things to do in Dar, but so far my experience has been limited to riding buses, waiting in traffic and sitting at immigration! Last time I did make a quick stop at the mall to pick up a few things. For a girl who hates shopping I loved being in the mall! It was a little like being back in the US. There was air conditioning and big stores, one even reminded me of Target! I was super excited to find marshmallows. Apparently I was not the only American missing marshmallows because the American in front of me in line was buying them too! We will definitely be having a smores night soon.
I climbed my first mountain here a few weeks ago. It was quite the experience. Liz, another student, and I managed to get ahead of the group. We came to a fork in the road but were not concerned. The Tanzanian woman and her daughter we had met along the way told us to follow them to get to Morningside, our final destination. So we followed happily along behind and found a spot near the river to get in and cool off while we waited for the group. Apparently our way was the shortcut. The rest of the group went along the other path. After about 15 minutes a man came along that knew my name. Omega had sent him to find us! The man explained that was not really safe for us to be in the mountains without a Tanzanian. After a brief discussion we decided to follow him. It was not long before we realized why our way was teh shortcut and everyone else went the other way. The path was practically straight up the mountain! Even with our long break at the river we were still the first to arrive at Morningside.