this is weird

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making a second update in such short amount of time. i guess i dont really have that much to say. just some random stuff.

i have found out that singida is the poorest region on the mainland, pemba being the poorest overall. so the people here feel the increase in fuel prices and just everything. talking with one of my brothers in the village he is very gung-ho to leave. he finished secondary school last year and is very excited to start police training in kilimanjaro soon.

talking to the pcvs who have been here for awhile they say theyve noticed an increase in crime/theft since they first got here a couple years ago. i guess there were three buses that were hijacked/mugged. and my camera incident isnt within the norm-nothing like that had every happened here before, but everything is going up in price but people still arent getting paid. or theyre not getting paid enough. so desperate times..

on another note. walking on my way to the internet cafe a woman ran by with a child in her arms. then a bunch of people were running. and it was craziness. and talking to people i guess she stole the child. dont know the whole run down on that. but jacob explained to me that she could be either crazy. or she could be the childs mother and her husband divorced her or something along those lines. interesting.

also talking with my brother. he has a girlfriend. and i was asking him if he was going to marry her. and he said yes but later. and i asked him if his dad knew about her. and he doesnt. he said that in this culture his dad treats him as a child. but apparently she is going to move to kili with him when he goes. the whole man/woman thing is weird. even married couples are not allowed to hold hands or show any public displays of affection. that is for behind closed doors at night. even hugging or touching is inappropriate. as are opposite sex friendships. unless there is reason. like you work with a person. and if a male were to come to my house in the village i would def have to keep my front door open or people would assume things. and i have probably mentioned this before but homosexuality is against the law. but the tanzanian notion of gay and the american is very different. for example we went to the disco again for kories birthday on friday. and it is commonplace for male friends to hold hands or to hang onto one another. and to dance. the dance floor, albeit quite empty, definitely represented more males than females. and they were either dancing with other males or by themselves. and they arent afraid to shake their booties. but i would just like to give a shout out to all those volunteers who serve for 2 years while hiding a large part of their sense of self. i found out that one volunteer served for 2 years and then was half way through their extension and someone who didnt like them let it slip to the village. so the person had to be evacuated out and sent back to america for safety/security reasons. which is too bad.

and if anybody has ever thought in their head 'hmm...i want to send krissy something but i dont know what she wants/needs..' well here is a short list. feel free to expand. and also i was just informed that writing 'east africa' is important so the dont send the package to australia to tasmania or something. idk.
-sour candy (watermelon slices, straws, blue slurpee straws, you know)
-beef jerky (teriyaki)
-hand sanitizer
-earrings (are really popular. and these girls gave me a pair bc they couldnt understand how i could have my ears pierced but not be wearing earrings. so yeaaa some cheap/cute ones..not for me but others)
-baking soda (powder is readily available but not soda)
-C batteries
-news....as in id like to know that we got the silver in softball, instead of hearing about it 2 weeks after the olympics have ended. and i enjoy just receiving emails too.

and i guess thats it. hope all is well. probably wont be updating again for at least a couple of weeks...

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[auntie frances]

baby maya arrives!!!
Maya Hanako Hori born on guess whose birthdays?!! weighing 7 lbs 9 oz and 22 inches long. Seiji, Claudia and baby are doing fine, just a little (!!!) tired after a day and a half of labor. Maya is beautiful, very long fingers and toes, and has a lot of hair. Her eyes are a gray-brown color for now.