Now, it’s friday and I’ve already been here for amazing two weeks! Can’t believe it. Time goes by soooo quickly. Kiki, our wonderful friend from England, will already leave on Monday… Too sad :((( But I think I will definitely see her (like some other friends here) again one day.
The first days in Dar es Salaam were so impressive, but now, I slowly get used to some things. I get used to the fact that I have a cold shower in the morning, that I don’t always have access to water or toilet paper, that I eat the same every day (though that is really hard, didn’t imagine that), that you have to take care of your belongings, that people keep calling you “Mzungu”, that everyone wants to speak to you and is surprisingly friendly, that sometimes the electricity and the internet at Uni just doesn’t work, that daily things are very cheap, that I’m listening to kind of Gospel songs or Koran for hours (even when you would like to sleep), that driving with a Bajaji is a lot of fun actually, and many more things…. 🙂
Daily breakfast: Chabati
At work, I really have a good time since my colleagues are too nice and I have a lot of freedom in my office. Also my boss seems to be happy with me, so I’ll keep going this way. Slowly, also the people working at the canteen know my name. Almost. One is still using “Mzungu” for the bookkeeping… Nevermind, it’s not used like a swear word or something, it’s just about the fact that we are light-skinned. That’s it.
Last weekend we made a trip to Kipepeo Beach. That was just a dream!
Ferry to Kipepeo Beach
I have never been to such a beautiful beach like that. And it’s still part of Dar es Salaam. Great city 😉
Kipepeo Beach
Dar in general is a very interesting city. The area we live is quite traditional. They have a lot of local shops and small restaurants, many people sell things on the streets, the streets are not that good and everything is very cheap. But there are also other sites. Africa also has shopping centers, rich areas and supermarkets where you can’t afford to even buy some biscuits. When you go around the city center, then you realize this big difference between rich and poor. In one street you can find a shop with the newest electronics e.g. and in the next street, you can get your shoes cleaned in the middle of the street. But the people in this rich areas are the minority. When you go to Kariakoo, which has very busy markets, you see the places, where natives buy their clothes and needs. This is the real life. Well, I’m happy here to have this great possibility to get this experience and I’m even more happy about all the people I’ve already met. Every single one is just wonderful and makes my time here really great.
Small funny story at the end: Last time we, Ole and me, were watching a movie in the living room and suddenly we got a new guest: a rat!! So Mama, Fatuma, Ole and me tried to catch this rat for like 20 minutes. It was soooo funny! Especially the screaming of Mama when the rat came to close 😉