Almost Done with Part One

Well, there are two possible reasons for me being lax in posting to this blog, either the electricity is turned off or I am very busy.  In the case of the last few days, it has been the latter. 

Thursday - A rather boring day of study until about 4:30 in the afternoon.  Young, Elia, Katarina, and I decided to find a soccer ball and head out to the field to mess around.  What began as a small game of monkey-in-the-middle and passing practice quickly evolved into a six-on-six match with the kids from the seminary.  This was the most fun I have had in a long time, and considering I spoke three languages while playing, I feel that it could be considered an academic excercise as well.  I not embarrassed because I was outplayed by the kids (I did play soccer at one point in my life and still do with friends at school), but I was certainly out-ran by every kid who showed up.  They are quick, but, as I am twice the size of all of them, I also had to play back so as not to run anyone over.  This of course, is the foremost reason for there being any strength favoring the kids.  We played until 6 and then went to dinner, leaving the kids to keep playing until dark.  We promised to return the next day at the same time.

Friday - I finished my sixth week of Swahili training.  As promised, at 4:29 I headed out to meet the kids again, a few of whom were already waiting.  We played for nearly two hours before calling it quits.  I did score the winning goal, but the kids could have played another two hours before getting tired.  I however, would have been run into the ground had we played any longer.  After a quick shower, Sarah and I headed into town with Ellen (one of the new students) for a quick bite to eat and a beer (something unavailable at the seminary).  We have agreed to hold off on another football match until Monday.

Saturday - Sarah and I went with Pastor Daniel Moreto to the cattle market north of Morogoro.  About an hour and a half by daladala and bus, it took twice as long as when I had gone four weeks ago with Pastor Hafermann.  However, at the time my Swahili vocabulary was not as large and my aprehension in taking photographs was still against me, so I decided to go back to see myself a month later.  This time I was able to converse readily and took enough pictures to be satisfied.  In addition, we got to eat goat and fried potatoes, something the Masaai can make far better than anyone I have found in Morogoro.  We returned by way of daladala (the long way, but also quick if you manage to fall asleep). 

Sunday - was spent catching up and reading books for most of the day.  I ran into town for a while to purchase a new cell phone and SIM card, a transaction I conducted entirely in Swahili.  If you must know, I am quite proud of myself, although I know much of the Swahili I have learned will be gone once out of daily practice.  However, I hope to keep using it over my next few months in Kenya and Uganda.

Another long course is set to begin again Monday, so I have been blessed by 5 new faces this weekend.  I will be here for one week longer, then I am headed to the coast and to Zanzibar for a week or so.  I will tour some of the island and I have planned to SCUBA dive of the eastern coast for a few days before heading on to Kenya.  I will keep you all posted as to my travels and underwater exploits in the weeks to come.  Until then, I am hoping all goes well with my final week here in Morogoro.