port of peace...and boredom
I am now entering my second week in Dar es Salaam, which I'm not sure I mentioned means 'Port of Peace'. But, as the title of the entry suggests, it's getting a little old.
Some highlights from the past week (excluding the dentist):
-movie theater!!! I miss Doc, I miss movies. We saw chronicles of Narnia, which was kind of corny, but it was just nice sitting in the theater (air conditioning!!) and taking in the whole movie experience.
-a very expensive (12 dollars! 2 days salary!!) but well worth it breakfast buffet at the Holiday Inn here in Dar es Salaam. Included cold cereals, tons of fruits, pancakes, meat and eggs, crossaints and pastries, and even champagne!! Having Peace Corps Volunteers allowed into anything that is 'all-you-can-eat' is asking for trouble...
-an equally luxurious Thai dinner at another posh hotel. One of my fellow volunteers had his parents visiting, and they VERY graciously treated us all (close to 15 volunteers) to this fantastic dinner!! By the way, in case you didn't realize it yet Dad and Mom, you better be saving up for your visit, because my friends and I really like food. :-)
-lots of time spent at the American Club with my friends, which is basically like a fancy country club for American citizens (well, we get in free, anyone else has to pay to get in). Here we can swim in a pool for free, get some fantastic (but overpriced) food, just sit in air conditioning and watch TV, and rent any of a hundred or so movies available.
-a day at a nearby beach with some nice waves, walks, beaches, and beers (and a camel)
-walking around the main Dar es Salaam market (insanity). I really just can't describe it here, until you experience it you just can't imagine. TONS of people, TONS of food, TONS of stuff, noises, smells, sights, sounds, etc. On the way there we passed the main brewery for some fine Tanzanian beers and I tried to get us a tour/taste test, but we were turned down.
So for the next few days, I am hoping to touch base with a friend of mine who is at the University of Dar es Salaam, and get a view of campus and of college life here in Tanzania. This should be really fun, maybe even make me miss a bit the U of C.
Even more exciting, I want to pop in on my homestay family, who so wonderfully helped me during my first 2 months here in Tanzania, but have not seen since March.
And, of course, a few more stops at subways/ice cream places/etc to enjoy my last few days of metropolitan life...
Some highlights from the past week (excluding the dentist):
-movie theater!!! I miss Doc, I miss movies. We saw chronicles of Narnia, which was kind of corny, but it was just nice sitting in the theater (air conditioning!!) and taking in the whole movie experience.
-a very expensive (12 dollars! 2 days salary!!) but well worth it breakfast buffet at the Holiday Inn here in Dar es Salaam. Included cold cereals, tons of fruits, pancakes, meat and eggs, crossaints and pastries, and even champagne!! Having Peace Corps Volunteers allowed into anything that is 'all-you-can-eat' is asking for trouble...
-an equally luxurious Thai dinner at another posh hotel. One of my fellow volunteers had his parents visiting, and they VERY graciously treated us all (close to 15 volunteers) to this fantastic dinner!! By the way, in case you didn't realize it yet Dad and Mom, you better be saving up for your visit, because my friends and I really like food. :-)
-lots of time spent at the American Club with my friends, which is basically like a fancy country club for American citizens (well, we get in free, anyone else has to pay to get in). Here we can swim in a pool for free, get some fantastic (but overpriced) food, just sit in air conditioning and watch TV, and rent any of a hundred or so movies available.
-a day at a nearby beach with some nice waves, walks, beaches, and beers (and a camel)
-walking around the main Dar es Salaam market (insanity). I really just can't describe it here, until you experience it you just can't imagine. TONS of people, TONS of food, TONS of stuff, noises, smells, sights, sounds, etc. On the way there we passed the main brewery for some fine Tanzanian beers and I tried to get us a tour/taste test, but we were turned down.
So for the next few days, I am hoping to touch base with a friend of mine who is at the University of Dar es Salaam, and get a view of campus and of college life here in Tanzania. This should be really fun, maybe even make me miss a bit the U of C.
Even more exciting, I want to pop in on my homestay family, who so wonderfully helped me during my first 2 months here in Tanzania, but have not seen since March.
And, of course, a few more stops at subways/ice cream places/etc to enjoy my last few days of metropolitan life...
posted by Brian at
10:26 AM
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