I’m here safe and sound in Arusha… jetlagged, culture-shocked and exhausted from listening to a language other than English, but here. Today we started orientation, which meant getting a tour of the city and of the Nyerere Centre for Peace Research and the Natural History Museum, where our classes will be held. I feel so much better after being oriented. The classes sound absolutely amazing and so far the staff has been so welcoming and so fun. We found out also that we are taking a mid-semester trip to Bagamoyo and Dar es Salaam (on the coast of Tanzania). The trip is included in the tuition that we paid and will be a week-long. Bagamoyo is where slaves were shipped out to both America and Europe, which I’m guessing will prove to be a very interesting perspective on the slave trade. Anyway, living in the present…
The accommodations are a pleasant surprise. Spacious rooms, breakfast and dinner provided, free wireless internet in the lobby (shoddy at best) and cable TV (including HBO – I don’t even have that at home). The other students are great, too. We’re an eclectic bunch, but I think it’s safe to say I’m the only person who goes to a school with over 2,000 students. But eight students is small even for them. My classes will have eight, five and three students in them. This will doubtless lead to some interesting discussions.
Orientation continues tomorrow with a safari in Lake Manyara and a trip to a Masaai Boma on Sunday. Tonight I’m going to relax and hope to get more than three hours of sleep.
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