So, the past three days I've been trying to tourist-around as best I can. I haven't really been energetic, but I figured I should at least try to see some things while I'm here!
On Saturday I went with a group of PCVs to a beach here in Dar. It was exhausting (somehow--makes me feel a bit pathetic) but absolutely beautiful! Turquoise blue waters, white sandy beaches, pretty palm trees swaying in the breeze. I camped out in a hammock for a while, and enjoyed watching the waves of the Indian Ocean come in and out. It would have been paradise if not for the obnoxious winds consistently blowing sand in my face.
On Sunday Jarrett (the South African artist staying at Leah's house) and I headed to Zanzibar. Jarrett got a lot of attention because of his dreads, but it was nice to not be the one getting yelled at! "Hey Rasta-man!" instead of "MZUNGU!"
We met up with Amanda, who is COSing, and another third-year volunteer named Dana. We got to see different parts of Stone Town, which actually reminded me a lot of places I've seen in southern Italy. We also checked out the Forodhani Gardens, which was AMAZING! Basically, the "Forodhani Gardens" are set-up as a nighttime seafood extravaganza. Fisherman have food stands where they grill all sorts of seafood, fish, vegetables, and meat. There's also fresh fruit and juice sold, which apparently is quite delicious. Since it's very touristy, many salesman try to force CDs and scarves on you. My favorite salesman was this one "fisherman" who changed accents depending on who he was talking to--very good at selling his food. He explained the left-over fish goes to the orphanage and that his family prepares the food to be cooked in the afternoons, blah, blah, blah. Very convincing guy!
Today Jarrett left early in the morning to go to work. Amanda and I went around a shopped a bit. We went to the food market to get spices and also browsed around the tourist shops. We took the ferry back around noon, and once I finally made it back to Leah's, I decided to crash-out on her couch. It hasn't been a good day health-wise since I'm feeling extra-dehydrated from all the sun exposure I've been getting. I am going to go out with Steven to convert my shillings to dollars soon. Weird to think about...
I find out tomorrow when I'm flying home--it's weird to be leaving so soon, but I'm ready to get on the plane. Waiting around is a tiresome game, and I can't wait to hug my parents! Plus, I really do need to see a doctor, and it will be nice to be home for my birthday and Thanksgiving. I'm just hoping my flight will be tomorrow night or Wednesday, and that all the form-signing and bank-closing activities tomorrow go smoothly!
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