Dar es Salaam, Week 2

The past week we have settled into something resembling a routine, but after break, I know it will be completely changed again, so that's ok. We have Kiswahili in the morning, and then the afternoons are free to go into town, use the computer lab, study, journal, whatever.
Tuesday was a national Tanzanian holiday called Nane Nane, which means 8-8, the 8th of August. It was described to me as a "peasant's holiday" because it's supposed to be a day when farmers/workers bring their best produce or animals or whatever they make to town and have a competition. It's supposed to instill pride in being Tanzanian. Unfortunately, Nane Nane doesn't really occur in Dar because Dar has Saba Saba, the 6th of July (same principle as Nane Nane). I went to Kariakoo market with some of the people in my program. Kariakoo is intense. I had gone to smaller markets, and to Mwenge the craft market, but Kariakoo is in a completely different category. The streets are packed with people, and cars and carts. The market is 7-8 streets long and wide, and you can find anything you would possibly want, underwear and clothes, tupperware, produce, radios, mattresses, anything. Some people will try and get your attention (if you are white) by shouting "Mzungu, mzungu!" at you, which gets frustrating eventually. It can be cute with kids, but stressful with fully grown men who may or may not make smoochy noises at you to get your attention, or propose to you if you are a woman. I bought a few mangos, and an orange. I like the way the street vendors cut the oranges here, it's pretty ingenious. They peel off the orange part of the peel, leaving the white stuff (I don't know what it's called) that keeps the fruit in and then cut it in half. So you don't have to deal with peeling the orange, your fingers don't get nearly as sticky, and you just throw the orange remains away when you are done. We walked around and saw more of the market, then headed back to the University. It was a lot of fun, and I know that if I need to buy anything, I can probably find it there.
Wednesday-Friday was class as usual. I didn't really do much outside of go to class and go to Mlimani to teach English on Thursday. Wednesday Leah and I went to the Scandinavia Booking Office to get our bus tickets to Mbeya for break week. We went by daladala, and didn't really know where we were going. We got near where the office was, and a man led us through the crowds to the station. He told us "now you know how to walk in Tanzania after walking with a real Tanzanian." So that was a fun adventure.
The way back was easier, because we just hopped on a daladala to Ubungo. One of my least favorite things about walking in Dar is that people, men in particular, will try to get your attention not only calling out to you, but also by grabbing your arm or touching your back or your shoulder. It makes me very very uncomfortable. There aren't a lot of times when I distinctly feel like I am weak because I am a female, but walking through the streets of Dar back from the bus station did. We got home safely though, and it was fun to figure it out on our own and not have Thomas, our student guide, take us.
Tomorrow morning Leah and I are getting on a bus to Mbeya. When we get there we are meeting a Tanzanian named Tebby who is supposed to help us find places to volunteer. It is supposed to be a 12 hour bus ride, so we are in for the long haul.
The next few weeks are supposed to be vacation time, but I am sick of being a tourist, so hopefully volunteering will give me a chance to get out of that role, if only for a few hours each day. And we might go to Lake Nyasa for the second weekend, which would be a lot of fun.
Either way, sorry for the delay in the update, I will try to be more consistent.