Hello from Arusha! I got in last night safely, after a good flight. I had hoped I would see Mt. Kilimanjaro on my descent, but it was already dark. I'll see it at some point though.
There were 7 of us SIC people on my flight, and we found each other at the airport (it was pretty obvious who we were). Once we got in, we had to fill out forms for entry, which became exciting when the airport had a momentary power outage. In no time we were through and being welcomed by our SIC coordinator. We crammed into the van, with our luggage tied to the roof, and had a 45-minute ride to the city of Arusha, where we met most of the rest of the volunteers.
This morning we went to the bank to get money, had a meeting about health and safety, and had a lot of free time to explore Arusha. I went to the Massai market, full of booths with vendors saying "Caribu" (Welcome), and "Come look at my store". Mostly everyone here speaks English, especially since it's where safaris take off. People try to sell you things on the street everywhere you go, and they are happy to help teach you a little bit of Swahili as you go. All the people I've met have been friendly and welcoming. The city is all a few main roads, so it's easy to get around. We always go in groups anyway, and some people who have been here longer have shown us around.
We have an awesome group of volunteers. I thought I would be the youngest, but there are 3 others who are still in college. We played a game of "pass the dildo" to get to know each other - we've all got to get used to them to show how to put on condoms. Plus it was funny. Everyone is incredibly nice and smart, and it's nice that we're all in the same boat.
Right now I'm at an internet cafe and "Hot Bread Shop", where none of the bread is actually hot, but I hear it's good. Tomorrow we have an all-day hike in the foothills of Mt. Meru that apparently is pretty hardcore. Then the day after that we head to Babati and orientation! I'm so excited for everything! Also, my cold has almost completely gone away, so no worries about that.
Until next time!
Greetings from Mariana! Sounds like you're having a blast! Awesome.
ReplyDeleteHere is a special convo for you from the SCheduling Office.
Lindsey: Where are you? You should be here.
Brien: We are really behind in all our outdoor events. Lindsey is always stresed out, constantly yelling.
Lindsey: I actually popped a blood vessel the other day.
Brien: Blood everywhere.
Sarah says "we miiiiiisss yooooouuuuu"!
xoxo!