5.16 Update: Day 1 and the training wheels are off!

I arrived at Kilimanjaro Airport last night at 2:30 and was greeted by a man holding a cardboard sign that read “Ujaama Hostel”. He took my luggage to his taxi and then we drove off in the direction of Arusha. His English wasn’t good and neither was my Swahili so the small talk ended quickly. I was told that an English-speaking reprehensive of the hostel would also be there but I guess he couldn’t make it. I was too jetlagged to care.

This morning I woke up at the crack of 2 pm and was greeted with a breakfast of toasti na mayai (toast and fried eggs) and finally met the hostel reprehensive. I was told he was going to take me downtown to show me around, but at the last second he was called to go pick up another volunteer at the airport. Before he left, he gave me 500 tsh (equivalent of thirty cents) and vague directions on how to get to the center of Arusha via dala dala (vans with four rows of seats that are public transportation) so I could exchange my US dollars for Tanzanian shillings. Undaunted, I took the money and boarded a dala dala. Ironically “Talk Dirty to Me” by Jason Derulo and 2 Chainz was playing on the van's radio. I guess all radio stations are overplaying that song and I’m glad us Americans export quality music to the world. Twenty long, stinky minutes later I was in the center of Arusha. After exchanging my money, I decided to take a walk to familiarize myself with the city. I must have walked for 5 minutes before I heard a familiar voice say, “Kat-trin!” Immediately I turned around and it was Devotha; a former employee of the volunteer organization I was with the first time I went to Tanzania! We hugged and exchanged greetings, but she was in a hurry on her way to her new job so she introduced me to her Maasai friend, Felix. Felix immediately noticed the circles on my forearm and insisted upon taking me to where his grandmother, mother, and aunts weave traditional Maasai textiles. After dressing me in Maasai garments (see selfie below), he took me to his studio where he and his friends paint beautiful landscapes of Maasai villages and animals. He told me his greatest inspiration comes from the river which makes “God’s music”.  Having an obsession with all bodies of water myself, I agreed. Felix demonstrated how he takes cloth, covers it in wax, and paints stories about his life, tribe, and culture. Before I left, I purchased an original piece by him of Maasai women dancing for a whopping $6. He holds weekly art classes at Via Via, and I’m going to try to see if I can get some girls from the hostel to go with me.

On my way back to the hostel, I took the correct dala dala but missed my stop. It was an easy mistake to fix and on the bright side I had a beautiful ride through lush countryside. I don’t regret it one bit.

Anyway, the training wheels are off! Instead of a gentle introduction to Tanzania, I was thrown right into the chaos alone! It’s ok though, I’m confident, experienced, and open minded. I’m glad Felix showed me a side of Arusha most aren’t able to see and I hope there are more experiences like this to come! Until then Kwaheri!