Jambo from Dar es Salaam

Jambo Rafiki!! This means Hello Friends. I am writing you this morning from Dar es Salaam. This is the capital of Tanzania. We are staying at a hotel called the Valley View Hotel. The city of Dar is a mix of culture. There are many muslim and Christian people in this city. As I type this, I am hearing the Mosque calling the people to come to prayer. It is SO different, but also so GREAT!!! The last two days have been so exciting. Tuesday was a day that was just spent in the village of Mwika. We walked to the market which is probably 2 miles from Roland’s house. The market is large and people from all over bring their fruits and vegetables to sell. There is also a lot of rice, beans and other grains. They also sell clothing at the market. This clothing is ALL donated items much like we would see at a store like Goodwill or Salvation Army. People here do not care what the shirt says and style and color do not matter either, they are just happy to have it period!!! We took an 8 hour van ride to Dar yesterday. On our journey to Dar, there were many things that we saw. The landscape of this country is the most beautiful I have ever seen. There are so many mountains and beautiful trees and plants. I got to see what a cashew tree looked like. As our bus would stop along the way, it was evident that the poverty was huge. Our bus would be swarmed with street vendors hoping you would buy just one thing from them. The electricity is very scarce so I am not always able to get online and when I do I must work fast. Tuesday we didn’t have electricity for a good part of the day, and last night as I was trying to type my blog, and the electricity in the hotel disconnected for 30 minutes so good thing I had my “solar flashlight” along we could use this to see each other..LOL. I asked Roland what they do when this happens and his response was, “we just close our eyes during this time” no big deal. I am thinking it isn’t so bad to not have electricity all the time…just think how well rested we would be right??? Well, I must end here. Today we are traveling to Morgororo to visit with a Compassion child who is being sponsored by my friend Ellen. Then we will return to Dar es salaam and we will get to meet some of Roland’s family that lives here in Dar. This weekend we are going to Zanzibar. This is an island located about 90 miles East in the Indian Ocean. We will be there until Monday then it will be back to Mwika to meet with my friends at Maring’a Juu Primary School.I am so Thankful that you are reading my blog and I pray everyone is safe and healthy at home.

Until we meet again.

Cheers!!!