Arrived in Dar

Arrived in Dar es Salaam today. Alas, couldn't convince anyone to make the journey with me so I am here by myself. I am hoping to find people on the way. The ride was fairly uneventful with the exception of an entire human leg that was just lying in the street in fairly central Dar. No blood though, just one full adult human leg (I believe it was male). Passers by seemed unimpressed.

Also, you have to love a country that is so serious about tea time that they actually serve you scalding hot tea in a dixie cup while you are bouncing down the highway at well over 70 mph in 90 degree weather. Amazing.

I have gotten to really like the group of volunteers that I am with now. It is tragic that they couldn't have been here earlier. I have briefly toyed with the idea of changing my return date again, but I think that that would be silly as inevitably I need to make some money and I still can't envison being here during the election. Although it would be easier now that there are several people here whose company I enjoy and who are actually willing to go out. But, it isn't like there is constant socialization during the week. While I have really enjoyed having a host family, I don't think I would want to have one again for such a long time. I really would rather live in volunteer housing with all the volunteers. I think that would be much less lonely. I really value community more than just about anything else and since we can't really walk at night in Arusha and since we have dinner retardedly late it is nearly impossible to see people every day and I think that I really need that - otherwise I start to get a little crazy. I think there are some programs in Thailand and elsewhere though where they would pay me to teach adults and they have cooperative housing so that might be promising for the future.

The hostel community here is really hit or miss. I am staying in an actual hotel which makes me sad, I thought they had dorm rooms which yield more meeting of people. Since it is more Muslim here though, dorms may be less common unless they are all female... I will probably head to Zanzibar tomorrow unless I can find some interesting people who have interesting things to do in Dar.

I have almost removed all of my braids. That is the cause which I dedicated my 10 hour bus ride to today. I planned on reading, but just watched out the window undid vast quantities of knotted hair, and listened to music. I really just want to re-emphasize just how fucking awesome Paul Simon is. He is fucking amazing.

I miss dancing. I mean, I can dance here like drunken whore at a carnival thanks to Vlad the 2$ vodka of champions, but I miss skilled dancing... Dancing that doesn't require me to rip yet another foreign man's hand off my gyrating ass every 10 seconds. But really, I will take what I can get... I mean a few nights ago they even played a Cecilia remix in Njiro and if that doesn't quell my desire to dance then nothing will regardless of how my dignity may suffer when videos come out later. This shit could go in National Geographic.