OK – here’s one more quick update before we lose internet access for awhile:

Since we arrived last Wednesday, we’ve essentially been on lockdown in an educational/religious compound (whose exact function we’re can’t quite figure out) in Dar es Salaam. We’re a bit too young and tender to be let out on our own, but today we broke loose and went to the market in Dar under the guidance of our LCFs (Language and Culture Facilitators) to buy a few essentials and stutter through basic Swahili greetings. My prize find was a pair of plastic Barack Obama flip flops, which I swear was the only pair of flip flops I could find that were anywhere close to my foot size. Because they’re so awesome, I’ll try to post a picture of these sometime in the future. Michelle picked up a khanga, which is a large, multifunctional piece of fabric that is frequently is worn as a skirt by women around here.

We have a couple more days here in Dar, but as of Wednesday we’ll spend the remaining eight weeks of training in a village called Kibaoni Dilima, as gracious guests of Mr. and Mrs. Ayoub Kassim Mgunya. Michelle and I will be staying together, but I’ll do my daily training in the next village over with a different group than Michelle’s. Roughly speaking, we have “class” from 8 – 5 each day, with topics ranging from language and cultural norms to local ecology and AIDS prevention. We’ll convene back home in the evenings, where we’ll learn from our Mama how to cook, wash clothes, purify water, and navigate domestic life without the help of running water, electricity, or the English language. The latter of these will likely produce many awkward and frustrating moments, but maybe also two reasonably competent Swahili speakers. We’ve talked with some current Peace Corps Volunteers who have been in Tanzania for one year, and they’re virtually fluent – that gives us hope!

Until later,

Justin