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Published: August 10th 2008
What an incredible week it's been! It is going to be hard to condense it down into just a few paragraphs, but here goes: The first day (after I slept off my jetlag for abuot 15 hours) I did a lot of things for the first time. all very interesting. I got ripped off for the first time by a street boy selling banana leaf artwork. He got a really good deal out of me, but I didn't know how much I should be paying. Now he won't leave me alone anytime he sees me he says, "Hey you goody friend, I give you goody price!
I met my first local Tanzanian friend who was very upset that I didn't know any Swahili, so he tutored me while we walked around the market. We went for a drink where I peed in my first hole in the ground, with just water to use afterwards! Interesting, but it works!
I learned a funny way to greet people, which is now my favorite thing to say. People greet each other by saying "Mambo" and to reply you say "Poa". Or you can say "Poa Kachizi Kama ndizi" (poa kacheezy kamandeezy is how it sounds) and it means "I'm cool, crazy like bananas!" The locals my age get a laugh out of it when I greet them that way.
We just got back from a 4 day safari, pictures will follow soon. Aside from the amazing animals that we saw, the highlight, I think was one night after coming back from the "cradle of civilization" Olddupai forge at the Ngorongoro crater, our safari jeep broke down just as it was beginning to get dark, and really COLD. There were 7 of us in a 5 person vehicle because the first vehicle broke down on the way to the gorge and we picked up the three that were in the first broken down car. We could not get the car started whatever we tried. Our guide, Santos, called for help and during our 3 hour wait we found a box of wine in the jeep that we were going to drink during the safari. We opened it up and passed around a nalgene of wine and looked at the constellations of the southern sky. I have never seen the southern constellations, but I can now orient myself using the Southern cross, and got my first look at Scorpio. It was so beautiful to be out in the middle of nowhere, or actually, very close to the middle of everything, and have nowhere to go, but an amazing sky above, wonderful people, and a Nalgene filled with wine! It was quite the adventure.
The safari was cool too, saw lots of animals, the giraffe being my favorite. The way they walk is so majestic. Almost like they are too cool for school. I will post pictures soon!
I love you all and am having a wonderful time.
Cheers!
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Andrew
non-member comment
i am...
jealous!!! Sounds amazing Riss!