A normal week

In a way, I wish that I had another adventure to share with you. But, alas, I have not. Last week was, by all descriptors, a normal week. Even in American terms. As so many of you ask "what does your normal week look like?" and I have not yet been able to reply, I thought that I would take this opportunity to address all the normal, everyday questions that I get.

So, what do I eat? Sorry to disappoint you but the food, for me, is fairly similar to what I ate in the States. There is an abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables...avocados, mangoes, pineapple, banana, cabbage, tomatoes, corn, green beans... Fruits that are quite expensive for us are very inexpensive here. Take for example my new daily snack: mango. For only $.50 I can have a wonderful, fresh, juicy mango. Or avocado, another $.40 and voila! Guacamole every night. Meat and chicken is really common here as well. Now, regarding the important food like ice cream, chocolate, and cookies, they have them as well! We have a large grocery store here, called Shop Rite, that stocks many of the food that Mzungo's eat.

What is my house like? Ah, I am spoiled. My roommates and I have a very nice house, even by American standards. We have two full bathrooms with running water, 4 bedrooms, a large kitchen, pantry, dining room, common area and utility space. Even more, we have a garage, a roof deck, front porch and back yard. I will take a photo and post soon.

And you have servants? Well, yes. We have a maid that comes in each day and guards who continually watch our home. Let me explain this as it is quite counter to our culture. In many African societies, it is considered selfish if you have the means to afford hired help but do not. Hired help is extremely inexpensive here (I guess about $30 for the guards all week and $15 for the maid) and it is a way to give people who do not have the skills to have a job in the public sector, work. Make any sense? I have to say, I like it. Not having to scrub the shower or wash the dishes everyday is not too bad. As for the guards, yes Mom, it is safe where I live but it is the culturally appropriate thing to do.

What do you wear? In Tanzania, as in much of Africa, the people are much more modest in their dress, especially their skirts. Most women wear ankle length skirts everyday. It is not uncommon to see a woman in trousers in the city, but very uncommon to see a woman wearing pants in a village. Usually, the only women who wear pants in the villages are white.

The women usually wear two types of fabric: kanga or kitenge. They come in all sorts of colors and designs. Kangas are sold in two pieces. One for your top and the other for your bottom. Kitenge are sold in bolts of fabric that are 3, 6 or 10 meters long. These fabrics are then taken to a seamstress who will design a dress, skirt or shirt for you. Seamstresses are very common here and having an outfit made is not expensive at all. In fact, for $16 I can have an entire outfit made (including the fabric). I've got about 6 outfits that were made here. I feel that is makes me fit in much more. Of course, I am still mzungo so I will always be noticed.

What do you do for a social life? While Arusha does not have quite as many social outlets as Scottsdale, there are still many things to do. We have some wonderful, little places to get a coffee or a glass of wine (my favorites being Blue Heron and Coffee Plantation). There is a cinema complex in town that has a bunch of little eateries in it so you can grab a bit before a movie. There are classes that you can take in town to learn how to cook or dance. My gym has salsa lessons on Fridays and broadcasts many of the soccee games to a good crowd. If you don't feel like going out, it is very common to have people over to owns home, much more so than at home. I've met quite a few people and am finally starting to feel like I have a social life.

On a random note, a girlfriend and I are beginning a ladies group that will meet on Saturday mornings. It's more social in nature than anything else. I'm very excited about this. I've met some women from all corners of the globe. At lunch on Sunday, I realized we had at our table a woman from England, Tanzania, New Zealand, Australia and America. A bit diverse, no? Loved it.

Ok, there is so much more that I could share but this post is already quite long. Till next time!