This past weekend was one of the best (and most exhausting) I’ve had in Tanzania. I spent the weekend with local friends, being driven (and driving the car myself, yikes!) around Dar to meet new people, visit friends, relax by the beach, and enjoy the party scene. I met the family of one of my friends. They did not know I was coming but immediately they brought out ugali, beans, and goat meat. I found out later they were debating in the kitchen whether I would eat ugali, a traditional Tanzanian maize-based staple. But like a Tanzanian, I dug right in, refusing utensils and eating with my fingers. His mother was especially thrilled. His father and I talked economics and financial crises. And his mother showed me photos from when she visited Washington, DC. I went
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