Our Arrival in Tanzania

Message of the Day: “The whole pace of life and personality of the people who live among them are different.  They’re not too busy to be coureous.  The hereness and nowness of things is something that they know all about.  The discovery is the real find.” – Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

As I sat in my bed reading this book last night, wrapped in mosquito netting, I found myself reading this particular quote over and over. It almost jumped off the page at me. This excerpt has special significance because it puts into words how I feel about the Tanzanian community that I’ve experienced so far. Everything that I’ve seen and experienced is a precious gem: the smile of the young kids as we waved to them along the road, the delicious food, the breathtaking scenery, the incredible animals. Our journey today was quite enjoyable – the ten hours flew by with so much to see and take in. Our encounter with the baby elephant was the highlight of the drive for me (we were about five feet away – incredible!) Lunch was fantastic; the hotel we ate at had tons of choices and we feasted on chicken and grilled tilapia. Before we knew it, we were driving through Mikumi National Park, where we saw impalas, antelopes, giraffes, buffalo, zebras, and baboons! Still holding the title for the most eventful moment of our trip so far was when Mohammed avoided two fighting baboons who ran in front of our car! Baboons here are like white-tailed deer in Northern Virginia – they’re EVERYWHERE! But I’d still rather see a baboon than a deer any day. Not long after we sat in awe and watched the sun set behind the mountains, we arrived at the Lutheran Centre. Dinner at the hotel was AMAZING: fresh chicken, Tanzanian rice, and steamed vegetables, all served with a mouth-watering sauce made from carrots and pumpkin flowers.

I’m very excited to spend the day in Iringa tomorrow, and experience as much of the area as we can before we take off for our final destination, Pommern! I can’t wait to see where we’ll be spending the next six weeks and to meet members of the community. As Edward very eloquently said…Tanzania is home now!

Entry submitted by: Meghan