October 8, Random

So, I am feeling kind of lazy this morning and decided I'd take my time getting ready for the day.

Random observations from my stay here:

1. Mr. Mouse, as I found out last night, can fit under my front door. Sneaky.
2. Students will fill up whatever is possible when re-filling water bins. I now have three full basins, two full small buckets, and my choo bucket is full.
3. If you make friends with mamas in the market, they tend to give you extra produce. I got four extra sweet potatoes yesterday just for being nice to the woman selling them.
4. If you wear jeans or pants, you will get extra male attention.
5. In Lushoto, local girls wear skinny jeans. Apparently in cities it is more accepted for girls to wear pants as well.
6. It is rude to pass anything with your left hand. (This was explained in my early entries. You wipe with your left, making it your "dirty hand")
7. People tend to listen to music from their cell-phones, but I've never seen an actual MP3 player.
8. Students and teachers alike will ask for "gifts" whenever you come back from a trip.
9. Men especially do the same-gender hand-holding.
10. There is pretty much always a fight that turns into a fake fight at bus stands.
11. People will climb on top, across, and into buses while they are moving. They will also run to catch them, hang out dala-dala doors, and expect you to do the same if things are full. Buses stop for no good reason often, but usually won't stop for someone chasing after them.
12. It is common practice to ride on the top of produce trucks. Goal.
13. People constantly ask about your health condition when you are sick. I'm sure they all assume I have a bad case of malaria.
14. Matches are very flimsy here.
15. Most people are able to do things in the dark that I would need light for.
16. Even locals can't really use river water for drinking or cooking unless they boil it first.
17. Children think it's HILARIOUS if you speak to them in their tribal language.
18. It takes forever to have furniture made. Still waiting on my couch and cupboards.
19. Wearing a khanga and storing money in your bra makes you more "African".
20. Mopping is just rubbing a wet rag across the floor and wringing it out in a bucket of water.
21. Older men are pretty much the only males who don't try to creep on you at one point or another.
22. Chalk gets all over you.
23. Meetings often don't happen, or start late. Or probably just don't happen.
24. The grieving process for deaths is pretty short.
25. People will sometimes ask to come to your wedding when you tell them you're engaged.
26. The "ade" sound is very difficult for Tanzanians to pronounce. They make everything end with an "i" or "y" sound, unless you have a name like Tracy. Then you might be called Trace.
27. Jerseys are plentiful and cheap.
28. People have no idea what the English writing on their shirts means. Or must really not care.
29. Any material from Nairobi is 3x the price, and probably 3x as nice.
30. Pillows, cushions, and mattresses often are pretty low quality.