Friday, May 28, 2010- Zanzibar day 5

Not much has happened here today.

We woke up, ate breakfast, and had a long and strenuous Swahili lesson with lily and then talked statistics of HIV and aids with Jessica on a global level. It was just a reinforcement to me of how tragic the situation is here and how necessary it was for me to do my part to change it.

We ate lunch, ugali and beans, and I sat down to write with aliviana. We get along really well and I think we will be good friends by the end of this thing.

The evening proved to be pretty eventful after the last time I wrote. After lunch and a little journal writing we all went to the village to meet te people we'd be teaching. The walk was nice and we arrived to find once again that the shayha was once again not there. He had taken his people to the mosque. We traveled all the way to the other side of the village and met a lot of the mamas and their babies. They were all so exicited to hear us say "shikamoo" which is a formal way of saying hello to them. We went to the edge of town where the coast was and say a little rock island about 150 feet out that had a white round house on it. It was really beautiful. We later found out the owners of our hotel were starting a restaurant at that little house.

We walked back to
the village to see everyone sitting around waiting for the town meeting. The leader of the village spoke and we stood for all roses but I could hardly understand what he said. We introduced ourselves down the line and when I did, I said," Jina langu ni Shannon" and the whole part of town sitting to my right in unison said," shannnnnnnon" in a very cult-like fashion. We all laughed really hard and later I asked Tabit why they did that and they said it was because " it is very good name. Good to say."

I thanked him like I had any part in naming me and we head off o the duka and bought some much neede sugar in the form of soda and cookies. Once again the children followed us in hoards and begged for candy. Normally I would totally oblige them but when they travel in packs of 30 it's hard to not start a riot. I always feel terrible but its something to deal with I guess. Mary had bought a handful of candy and the kids attacked and mobbed her, so I stuck with a coca cola. We played with the kids for a long time.

There was this one little boy who I fell in love with immediately. He had on some basketball shorts and a red hoodie and had te chubbiest cheeks I've ever seen. He walked with why I thought was a really silly gait until I realized when he got closer that he was severely bow legged. He could hardly walk and everyone would just blow past him as he tried to walk and it broke my heart.

When we walke out of the village all of the children followers and wanted to walk with us. The little bow legged boy tried to follow us for a long time but eventually gave up. I so badly wante to carry him but he was scared of us and I had no idea how he would get back.

We walked home ate dinner and got ready to go to a discotec that soodi, jess and lilys friend told us about. I talked to Tony and he said " don't get killed" in that very fatherly tone when he was serious. I told him I wouldn't and that we be with the group. He then said," don't shake it too fast!" when I joked and said Id shake it reeeeally slow, he told me not to do that either, but to instead "just shake it medium". I spent the rest of the night trying to figure out how to do that. ;)

we all hopped into cars and headed out to the discotec. I imagined a rundown building with a bunch of lights and a discoball but when we got there it was a little open garage like area with a bar in the back playing music hideously loud. No bouncer or anything just a walk in. It ended up being a very interesting night. From really disgusting warm beer, terrible tanzanian music ( I can tell what's good an bad Tanzanian music by now!) and inappropriate dancing and neck licking fromthe Massa security guards who creepily followed the group there, we had an interesting time. Take that and mix in a little bar fight that no one really broke up and my first hover over a hole to pee experience and Id say it was a successful night at my first tanzanian disco.

We all piled into cars, some of us much drinker than others, or me. And finally got home around 1 am. Me Jessica and lily day outside Mary David Selina and marnees room and had a really great talk about why were were all here until like 5 am. It's nice that all of us really just want to help.

Tomorrow was going to be an early day as we needed to be in stonetown by 9 am.