Yesterday was very long. I got up at 5am to get ready for church in the morning.
My coworker from work took me to her Pentecostal church. It was better than what I had experienced before in Arusha because this time there was a lot of dancing and a bit more animated during the service. I think the church I went to in Arusha was a Catholic Church because I was schooled about the liturgy and how slow and structured things are at those services, and it sounded like what we did.
The church is pretty large and has their own media team every Sunday for live streaming the service and taking pictures. Seeing as I was the only white person, and I think a rare guest, I was a hotspot for the media team. This picture is funny for me because the whole service I was itching to take a picture or video, but I felt like it would be rude and inappropriate, and look at me now. A church poster boy. I guess next time I won’t have to feel as bad to take out my phone and snap some pictures.
When I was roped in to going to church I was told it would be from 7-10. I got home at 12. For some reason I thought church would be free from the ailment that makes the African world run a little slower, but I was wrong. My coworker, who severed as a translator at times, told me that the pastor loves to preach and typically gets caught up in it and goes over by an hour or more. And during all of it, he normally will say “Don’t worry, I’m nearly done,” chuckle a little, and then continue for another hour. Of course it was fine though, I had nothing else to do and it was enjoyable. And what’s more, as a new member of the church I was invited for a quick breakfast after the service.
After church I went with my friend to have some lunch at her house. I’ve been wanting to learn how to cook these delicious Tanzanian meals, so I was happy to help a little bit. I hope this becomes a Sunday routine and maybe I can come back home with some cooking skills that up until this point have been lacking. Anyways, lunch was a whole mix of some delicious foods. We have pilau (bottom right), a salad (top right), peas in tomato and coconut sauce (bottom left), and finally some beef in sauce (top left). I’m sad to say that my item, the salad, was the worst one in comparison to the deliciousness of everything else.
I saw a bunch of cats running around my friend’s compound (where there are a few other houses) and she said that they were all homeless which I thought was pretty funny in the moment. But she wasn’t lying. They fully live inside a cardboard box outside one of her neighbors homes. So if anyone wants me to ship them a cat, let me know.
The lunch was very late and I got home at 5pm. I was able to go for my run and was happy to find my stamina increased a little bit. Maybe it was a cooler day, or maybe I truly am improving my cardio, either way it was nice to be able to get out and go running.
After my run I met the first white person I’ve seen during my time here in Shinyanga. Although he’s Danish, it was still nice to feel a little less alone. He gave me a lot of advice as a white person in Tanzania, as he has been traveling here on and off for the past 13 years, volunteering as a children aids treatment doctor, and now lives here.
I went to his house to have some dinner which was very nice and he connected me with all the shops, people, and drivers he trusts not to scam him and keep him safe on the roads. Funny enough, none of them were available to take me home, so I wound up on the back of this (no more than) 18-year-olds bike. I forgot about traveling around by motorbike, and especially the fear it brings when it’s in the dark.
Thankfully I got home safely, but very late. I got home at 10pm and was able to sleep around 11pm. This was one of my later nights so far—I’m happy I went out with Danish Dr., but late nights aren’t my thing anymore apparently. I slept in this morning to try and recover some of that time, I still feel exhausted though. I’m going out into the field today to explore, so it will be good to force some energy into me.