The lull has set in...

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7/23/09:

Well as you all may have noticed, I haven't done a blog update since Monday...the reason? The lull has set in!

So for a quick run through...Tuesday we didn't have class, so Emily and I slept in (unfortunately missing breakfast) but we decided to go to Via Via for lunch and coffee. We each had a delicious sandwich and when we first got there their coffee machine wasn't working, but the somehow managed to fix it and brew coffee just for us. It tasted a bit stale, but I was happy to have something other than instant (though I do love my Africafe and will be bringing some home). I'm going to take some pictures of Via Via before we leave so you can all see why we like it so much...it's just a beautiful atmosphere and chill environment, I love it.

After Via Via we came back and just lazed around in the sun, half reading, half studying for our "exam", half napping (well, I mostly did napping). We got some money exchanged and then went to the craft market. Emily is the best one to go to the market with because she's a great wheelin' and dealin' partner in crime...when you combine the two of us we get some excellent bargains. The other trick is to go about an hour before the market closes, because then they offer "special evening price for you rafiki (friend)". I spent about 28,000 TZS and got some great gifts for some of you back home! I still have some stuff to buy..probably another 30,000 worth (you get so much for so little money here, it's insane!)

After the market we had dinner then just a relaxing evening.

Wednesday:
Today was our exam...we had four questions and had to respond to each. One was about corporal punishment and alternatives to it, the other focused on women and land, and the last two focused on donor funding and the biggest obstacle to development in Africa. I thought it was terribly easy and wrote about 3 pages for each...granted I do have large, sloppy handwriting.

After the test some of the girls made guacamole and I had that and yogurt for lunch, but something about the guac didn't sit right with me and I ended up having to lay down. I got a quick workout in and then had dinner. After dinner I looked at Laura's pictures from Zanzibar, which were STUNNING. Then a few of us went to Via Via (of course) for a drink or two but my stomach wasn't feeling too hott still so I only had one Tusker (my FAVORITE beer here, it's delicious). I came back and watched episodes of Six Feet Under with Laura and Emily L. My dear friend Carrie had a few drinks last night and she was a mess of giggles, it was hysterical. She's so cute and little, she's one of those people that when she's drunk, she's just a happy mess. She doesn't get serious and broods, like I do sometimes.

Tomorrow (today) we had plans to go to the ICTR but as I'm sitting here writing this, we discovered that the ICTR is on recess until August 17th. BUZZKILL CENTRAL. I'll write later and let you know if we discovered anything exciting to do.

Ciao until then...<3

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