life since the last blog

I think I will just make a list of a few points right now.

1) I don't know as much kiswahili as I should, which means that when seminars consist of discussion mainly in kiswahili, I get frustrated and confused. I was using an old swahili test as scratch paper for a draft of an essay last night, and my roommate read one of the answers and just started laughing at me. Then she would ask me to say sentences in swahili, and when I would get it wrong, she would laugh, and then tell me to try again, laugh, and repeat. She wouldn't tell me what I was doing wrong until I had tried to say "I like my black dog which was lost yesterday" four different times. I appreciate that she wants me to improve, I want to improve, but laughing at me when I am trying and not telling me what I am doing wrong does not make me inclined to want to keep trying right then.

2) The power rationing is frustrating, because it makes it even more difficult to find time to type journals and newspaper article responses, email, blog, update pictures. I'm sure the argument could be made that I could use the time I do get onto a computer more effectively, for example right now be typing journals instead of blogging, but the blogging is also important I think.

3) One of the generators at the Ubungo power station went out, so the power on campus went down at about 9am today. Part of the reason there is a power shortage now is because there isn't enough water in the dam which provides a lot of hydroelectric power for Dar. Unless there is rain soon, we will be in trouble, possibly in a power crisis, not just rationing.

4) LCCT research project is going to be more of a hassle than I anticipated. For one thing, I can't think of a way to focus my topic. I did consider comparing the Gender Club to the LC Fems, but the problem with that is that the Gender Club doesn't really meet. The members of the Gender Club aer basically just elected to different administrative/government bodies in the school and are supposed to advocate on behalf of "gender" in organizations they are in. There is minimal action taken to organize events for students. I feel like the only conclusion I will be able to draw is that the LC Fems is a better form of gender activism. And I don't really want to study one NGO in depth, though that is an option I suppose. Any suggestions would be great. A minor problem in this is that Luther College webmail has been touchy lately. I haven't been able to sign in since the weekend, and I need to email my new idea(s) to Barbara.

5) There is a European Film Festival going on at the cinema. It's free, and there are 4 or 5 showings of different movies every day starting in the afternoons. This past weekend, the 29th was the opening day. We went and basically crashed a 'function' held by the British Consulate. This woman was in charge of it, and when she was asking people if they had received their invitations, we just kind of slunk around the crowd so that she didn't talk to us. Not that we didn't stand out as it was, being white in a crowd of mostly Tanzanians. We had some food, some free mango juice, watched a theater/dance/music performance entitled "titi ya mama," and then we watched Mrs. Henderson Presents. Not the best movie in the world, but entertaining, and Judi Dench is pretty funny.

6) Academic life is easy. There have been two occasions so far where I actually need to go to the library to consult books for homework. I have had one essay and two presentations. In one class, we haven't even gotten our topics for seminar presentations yet. I'm not complaining, but I do miss the academic aspect of life at Luther.

7) Carissa sent me some video clips of Luther, Luther people, Marty's open mic night. They are wonderful, but after watching them, I missed Luther.

8) It is almost the weekend. Saturday morning I am making myself go to the library to do research for my research project, and write up my section of the report for my African Women Writers seminar presentation. In the evening I believe we may go bowling and eat ice cream. I'm excited.

9) My roommate Irene is crazy. She is wonderful, but crazy. She is very boy crazy, and yesterday admitted she has more male friends than female friends, but that she hasn't "fallen" yet so they are all just friends. She also wants to find me a Tanzanian boyfriend. I told her that someone should give her a little push so she
falls in love and doesn't need to be so concerned about finding Amanda and I Tanzanian boyfriends. Last night she went to get a top up card for her phone. I told her to have fun, and that with her luck she probably would meet a boy on the way. She laughed, but when she came back, she said that she had met three boys. She is trying very hard to convince me that I need a Tanzanian boyfriend, even though I keep telling her that I am not interested in finding a boyfriend. She just laughs and tells me that I should be more open-minded, she could even find me two or three Tanzanian boyfriends if I wanted.

10) The ocean is beautiful. It is very calming when I am stressed to just go sit on the balcony, look at the ocean, and think. Then I can go back to whatever else I was doing.

Pending on the power situation, new posts may or may not be coming soon. Pole (sorry), if I get the chance I will update soon.