hey homies
here are logistics for those of you who were wondering--ok mama this is for you.
a typical day in b-a-bati
i wake up around 7:30 or 8 to the sound of blaring african music --its usually a woman singing about God with a group of background dancers on the beach- this music comes from the tv, which is constantly on. at home this would greatly annoy me, but for some reason i love it here--i love mornings in tanzania- the air is fresh, the vibes are so good and the weather is always beautiufl. after i wake up i stick my head out my window and say good morning to my mama who is allllwways in the backyard washing clothes or cooking. then my mama eats breakfast and chi with me , which usually consists of two pieces of immensely buttered toast, a chapati, doughnuts and a banana-and then when im done she gives me more. after chi i usually walk into town which takes 10 minutes-oh lets talk about the celebrity walk--hordes of small children shrieking and jumping at the sight of my white ass--everyone greets me in english , and i greet them back in swahili. when i get back my group --ivette, mary, tumaini who's my roomie and haji- meet at my house and make our lesson for that day. this week we have been teaching at two at an all girl's boarding school--today we brought with us dada lulu, an hiv + woman with the biggest heart--she is so charismatic and lively it is really great. she talked to the class about her experience living with it, and the stigma she recieves from the community. after teachign we head back down--oh did i mention this school is on top of a hill uggh my calves are getting so strong aha-- and head back into town. today i walked around with haji to set up more community teachings. in the eve i have been visiting other volunteers' homestays--tonight i visited Rachel's and her mama gave me a kanga and we took pictures because she was wearing the same one- that woman is hilllarrrious and so kind. sometimes i visit Mariam --my sister--at work- she takes care of one of my baba's shops. sometimes i walk by my baba's hardware store to say hey. rachel and i are shopping for tumaini's boys--the orphaned boys she takes care of by the garbage dumps. jeans are about $2 and shirts $1. around 8 i head home , where all the kids are usually watching tv--my baba gets home around 9 and then we eat. i look forward to dinner so much- my mama always serves it in these tupperware bins with lids, and everytime she opens them its liek a new surprise---whats for dinner tonight?! after i finish eating my mama puts more food on my plate. dinner is always different-someitmes its chicken adn home made fries, sometimes its brown rice with this meat soup, sometimes its fish and ugali and spinach. after dinner they mostly go back to the tv, where a terrible soap opera is playing. deliciously bad as my daddy would say. sometimes i sit and watch and laugh, and other times i go straight to bed and pass out. and then i wake up to another beauuutiful day in babati.

yesterday we made guacamole and tonight we bought bananas and peanutbutter--an event definitely worth blogging. never tasted so good

love emmanuelle