Habari za Mapumziko?

Not much happened this month. At the beginning I went to Dar es Salaam for 4th of July celebrations. We had been invited by the Ambassador to two, one on the 4th and one on the 8th-both at the US Embassy. We were invited to sing the American and Tanzanian National Anthems on the 4th and when I went to practice on the 3rd I learned dress code had changed-those of significance: khaki pants and dress shoes-no sandals. Unfortunately this information was relayed via email and since I rarely get to it and decided to wait until I got to Dar to use Peace Corps' free, fast internet I didn't get the information in time. Others were in the same boat, especially with shoes. But they were able to find shoes while my size 12, 2E wide feet were too big for most extra pair of shoes. I shopped around Dar but decided hamburgers and fireworks weren't worth a $20 pair of shoes I wouldn't wear again. Hmmm...I passed up hamburgers? I must really be getting used to life here. Pass the rice and beans, please.

Although I couldn't go I got to hang out with Anna and TJ (Mike's bro) who weren't able to go either. And TJ was leaving to return to life in America so it was good to spend some more time with him. I RSVPed late for the 8th and never got confirmation if I could go so I just spent some extra time in Dar. I got to go to the meat market with Anna and see a cow get slaughtered. First they tie up it's legs and lay it down on a cement slab. Then they let the cow just hang out and get used to it's surroundings. A big bowl was brought to collect blood and the executioner came. He pulled out a knife not much longer than my fingers and mot much wider than two. I thought maybe he was gonna do something like peel tomatoes or...nope, he plunges it into the side of the cow's neck and does a quick semi-circle motion to the other side and pulls the head up to expose the cow's fatal wound. Blood starts pouring into the basin and another incision is made where the neck meets the body on the under side of the cow for more blood collection. We found out sometimes the blood clots quickly toward the neck and this is a better place to collect it. What do they do with the blood? We asked and were taken to a section of the market where they boil the blood and eat it. It clots up and turns into a marrow-like paste. I was already having tummy trauma and opted not to eat it but I'm definitely going back to try it. Then Anna and I returned to the slaughtering block and watch two men skin the cow. It's was quite incredible. Underneath the skin towards the shoulder was a clot of blood just under the skin. We learned this is where the cow is beaten when it's taken to graze. What an experience.

All too soon the week was over and I headed home. The first week at site I prepared for school and a few projects I hope to start here in the coming months. I started going to town everyday and am now teaching Fundi Ally, a tailor, english phrases. School opened on the 17th but there were so few students we didn't teach the first week. This past week the students were still too few to break into their two streams in each Form so we only taught half the periods but I got good review in of last terms exam and am ready to start teaching new material. At the end of the week Tony came for a short visit-it's good to balance out a few weeks in the village with a few days of Mzungu (foreigner, or literally, white person) contact. Now I'm in town hanging out with Tony, Steph, Mike, Michelle, and Josh. Then it's back to site to start new lessons-I've planned a lot of group work, something not usually used here in teaching. I'll let you know how it goes.

Justin