Tanzania is great. I love the culture, language, and landscape of this beautiful country. I can’t believe I have been here for less than a week, I have already experienced and learned so much. Yesterday, we had our first Non Program Day, which is basically our one day of the week with nothing scheduled. It was superb. My day starts around 6:30, when I go for a run. Morning runs/walks are perfection here. The temperature is not too hot, the sunrise is spectacular, and the roads are already bustling with people and children on their way to school. It is an amazing way to start the day. I love watching men herding their cows and goats with sticks, and the women carrying loads atop their heads. It is picture perfect. After my run I enjoyed a nice breakfast (chapatti…pancakes, eggs, and oatmeal), then we departed Moyo Hill (campus) around 9:00. We all went to Ngorogoro conservation area where we went for a hike. We split into smaller groups and had guides show us through the forests and teach us about the wildlife. The hike we did was known as the elephant caves. Elephants get minerals essential for their nutrition by rubbing their tusks into the hard soil. Many years of this have created these elephant caves. It was a sight to behold. We also learned about medicinal plants which the Masaii tribe uses. It was a great educational experience. The hike also had a spectactlar view of a waterfall, which was gorgeous. The hike took us about 2 hours, and by the time we made it back to the cars it was lunch time. We all packed lunches, so I had a sandwich, egg, and banana bread. The next stop of the day was to a huge market which only occurred twice a month. It was chaotic. Locals were selling everything from flipflops made from tires, to goat and cattle. It was a colorful scene with unidentifiable aromas (lots of different foods being cooked). We stood out like a sore thumb because we were the only foreigners there, so everyone flocked to us to sell us things. I ended up purchasing jewelry and a skirt! Once we all got sick of the attention, we headed to a bar called Happy Days. I enjoyed a delicious cider called Savana Dry, and I would definitely get it again, it was tasty. Happy Days was a wonderful location to relax and hang out with my classmates. My friend ordered pizza and we enjoyed a little slice of home. The last thing we did was explore town and walk around, by the end of the day I was beyond exhausted. We got back to campus and I showered, ate dinner, than passed out. It was an incredible day. We have class Sunday-Saturday this week, but we have a lot to look forward to. Some traveling lectures and safaris to Lake Manyara National Park, very exciting!




