Since I Left Qash

Before I left the village on Saturday I wrote out what I was going to write here, since I have so many things to remember about life in Qash. But events since that time seem more urgent to blog about right now, so I'll work backwards, and maybe write a little bit later in the week about Qash.

We all left together from the villages, and with a quick stop in Babati we were on our way back to Arusha. We were all in shock at seeing multiple-story buildings and traffic and other white people, so it was an adjustment. Mostly we were excited to go to this restaurant/bar that serves things like pizza and salad and grilled cheese, because there's no such thing as cheese in Babati. So after a glorious meal, we were hanging out in this bar and playing pool and dancing, and things seemed to be going well. Three of my friends were playing a game of pool in a secluded corner, and I left my purse with their purses, letting them know of course, while I went to dance (the dance floor was super crowded and I was worried someone would reach in). While they were turned away, though, someone reached in the window, stole my purse, and ran away. So that's when the night turned bad. I spent hours talking to security guards and people near the area, and nobody seemed to know anything.

Luckily, the security staff is pretty corrupt and deals with criminals, so I was able to get back my driver's license and credit cards, but have lost my ipod, camera, and SIC cell phone. I've offered a reward for the rest (the #1 thing I want back is actually my camera's memory card, since it has pictures of everything since Amsterdam), but we'll see if that works out. Thank God my passport was back at the hotel.

I got some more rough news from home when I called my mom to tell her about the theft and she told me my grandpa passed away. He lived 87 great years and will be missed. I wish I could make it back for the funeral, but my thoughts are with my family now.

Today I am in Uganda! I am bungee jumping today off a cliff overlooking the Nile (assuming my nerves don't fail me), and the next two days I will spend white water rafting in the Nile. The place's slogan: "Better to be scared to death than bored to death". Right. We survived the 17-hour bus ride and are all excited to be here. More on this later!