There are baboons and three and a half foot storks outside my window. Tropical flowers surround us and a light mist falls softly around a 75 degree day. From the trees hang swings, and I fly softly through the air, feeling the cool dampness on my cheeks. Slowly, the fog lifts, and we sit on the grass on our kangas (traditional wraps women in East Africa wear).
I have spoken in Swahili constantly since I got here, and even now as I write this, I am having trouble not translating it into Swahili. We read more in depth about the program today, and it far exceeds any expectations I had. I realize as the first day comes to an end that we have a real possibility of becoming close to fluent by the end of this trip. From visiting local cities, to Zanzibar and Dar es Salaam to local schools and courts, to market visits and interviews, to a GIANT library with more books in Swahili than I have ever seen, I am almost overwhelmed and incredibly impressed by all we will be doing in the next few weeks. Already, I have written over 50 pages of vocabulary and sarufi (grammar). Today five of us sat on a merry-go-round and took turns reading and translating paragraphs of children's books for hours. I also got The Little Prince in Swahili, and in a few weeks I will give a book report on it.
I found out I will be living alone with my host family, which I have mixed feelings about. I will probably learn a lot of Swahili, but nina wasiwasi kidogo pia (I'm a little worried also). It is always harder to communicate by yourself without anyone's help.
I am so happy to be here. This is an amazing opportunity, and I am astounded by all that I am already learning.
Usiku mwema kutoka Tanzania (Good night from Tanzania)
-Laura
Also, picture uploading is really slow, so I started a Facebook album hapa (here)
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