Today, after more than two weeks of living in Dar, I began Kiswahili lessons. Great delight. Not a shining pupil by any means (painful for a language teacher by profession), but I chose a Swahili name (Aisha), practiced greetings, and asked the language tutors many questions. Not easy at first but I caught on somewhat quickly. Problem is, tomorrow I must take off my “student” hat and put on the study abroad director’s hat. I will head downtown to the bank, meet with the on-site coordinator and do paperwork for the first part of class. I'm already skipping class! The second I will attend, and the students promised to catch me up.
Our group has stuck together incredibly over the four days since they arrived, surviving bacterial infection, thievery, Tanzanian bureaucracy, and severe culture shock-induced anxiety. On our way to Jangwani Beach last week I was guiding 14 students in Mwenge market, and a thief dipped his hand in my outside purse pocket, where I’d just put my cell phone. I felt him stealthily make his way into the pocket, and edged away. As he put it in deeper, I clasped my purse tighter ( I was, after all, responsible for the group’s funds), and yelled out, “F***ER!” He jumped and fled. As I hopped into the daladala (where students were awaiting), they shouted, "Our fearless director!”
Otherwise, our social circle is expanding slowly as we get to know people at the university and beyond. P and I went to dinner at Luitfrid’s house; he works at the Food and Nutrition Dept, and is coming to give a seminar for the students. We’ve also already eaten dinner at our neighbhor's place twice – and he fixes a mean mango/pineapple fruit smoothie. He hosts a number of music students who seem to come and go all the time and jumps about campus on a scooper.
