Last weekend in Dar

I had a fantastic weekend to celebrate the completion of the first draft of my research proposal! Together with a group of friends I took a dhow to Sinda, an uninhabited island off the coast of Dar. Our group were the only people there the whole day. We all showed our inner biologist when checking out the tide pools. Our intrepid guide picked up brittle stars and even crabs for us to see. I have never seen so many varieties of starfish and crabs in one place! Seeking shade in some sea caves was like balm in the heat of the afternoon. After walking around the whole island we had a picnic lunch with CHEESE sandwiches. You have no idea how precious cheese is unless you are completely deprived of it for several months. The snorkeling was great too, but also I have noticed that every reef is very different from the others. This time I finally saw an octopus (Sam saw cuttlefish), many lionfish under ledges, and a sea cucumber the size of a body pillow, no joke. I am fascinated by sea cucumbers and I can’t quite place why, except perhaps just because of their oddity.
Afterwards we chilled on the south beaches and Abby and I went on an eventful walk. A Masai man was leading his herd of cows along the surf up the beach. The funniest part was we hardly blinked an eye at the appearance of cows on the beach, because animals seem to just run around everywhere in Africa.
We visited the slipway for dinner and had cheese again (pizza)! Also, the best ice cream in Dar is at the slipway, in case you are ever in the neighborhood. Sailing, marine life, beach, cheese x2 = good day.
I’m starting a list of authentic Tanzanian experiences
1. If it is a beach, it has a dead puffer fish on it. Somewhere.
2. Toilet paper is a marker of tourist hotspots.
3. Daladalas defy the concept of maximum carrying capacity (k).
4. Scheduled meeting time is more like a guideline than a rule.

I really enjoy my host family. I live with an older woman and a girl who assists her with cooking and cleaning. I enjoy talking with them because they are very expressive and they also are patient with my broken Swahili! Some of my goals for the home stay are to learn how to cook African food and to improve my Kiswahili immensely.
I visited my Kiswahili professor’s house with my class tonight. I really appreciate how far she travels to teach us after traveling to her house, because she lives almost two hours away by daladala! She has a young daughter who provided hours of entertainment, and I enjoyed talking about Tanzanian culture. I could see that her family is quite well off, but I still am amazed by how much more Americans have than Tanzanians. Even poor people in Oklahoma have more possessions and bigger homes than well-off people here. Nearly everyone has air conditioning, a fridge, and water safe to drink straight out of the tap. I feel like I have so much extra baggage with me, and even more useless stuff at home.