I really have been enjoying Kiswahili class, especially when it is this intense because I feel like we progress quickly. I can now read many of the signs at bus stops (or the aphorisms written on the daladalas) and also found that campaign signs are pretty easy to read too. So I have these lines of propaganda running through my head all day . . . “Chagua Kikewe, a man of the people”, etc. We have a small class of four people so it makes for great discussion. We have interesting conversations not just in Kiswahili but also enlightening discussions about cultural differences between Tanzania and the U.S.
I enjoy walking around in my African kangas. The concept is basically like wrapping a bathtowel around your waist, except here it’s okay to wear that out in public. Here wearing clothes is all about the colorful patterns, not about shape.
In the evenings I enjoy hanging out with friends on our “balcony”, which is really just a landing for the fire escape. But it provides a great vantage point over campus and we play cards while singing to guitar or just talking.