10 days, what?!?

So. In 10 days from now I'll be leaving Tanzania. What?! I don't really know what happened to the time. It flew by. I know that I've been here for a while, and it's wonderful. It's just weird to think about leaving and not knowing when I'll come back. I'm excited to go home, but I'm also nervous. It's entirely possible I'll have a harder time adjusting to the US than to here.

Partially, I don't know what to tell people when they ask me "how was Tanzania?" I'm sure I'll be asked that, or some variety. I mean, really the only response I have right now is "do you have a few hours to sit down?" "Tanzania was good" isn't really the answer I want to give.

last night some of the women on my program were hanging out in my room, listening to music. my roommate irene was eating her dinner. we put on a bongo flava CD one of my friends copied for me. I put on "Dahabu" by Dulley Sykes, Irene turned the music up loud and started a dance party. she's a crazy woman. i will miss her. she tried to teach me how to "shake it." that was really.. interesting. i was not really all that excited about the lesson. according to some of the people in the room, it was one of the funniest things they've seen here. she gave up on me, and just laughed at me instead.

monday i was walking around the mwenge bus terminal because i was dropping kitenge off at a tailor to make a skirt for my sister (sisters are hard to buy for). this man saw me walking down the street, decided to unzip his pants and whip out his genitals, touch himself and then wiggle his hips and it at me. i was a little upset about that.

there was a mwezi (thief) who stole hair dryers from the salon in hall three last night as well around 2 am. it was a big deal. he stole three of the hair dryers before someone saw him and screamed. apparently he got away though. I'm not really sure why hair dryers were worth stealing, but I guess he could always sell them in Kariakoo.

Things are hopping around UDSM. The Tanzanian students are starting to study harder than ever. i kind of feel bad, because i only have research for my project left and i go off to kariakoo and mwenge and my roommate is either in the room studying, in the library studying, or at class. though her brothers graduated last weekend, so she was busy with her family. i got to go to their graduation party, meet irene's family. that was fun. there was a lot of random dancing, and speeches.

Tonight I'm going out to dinner at a place called the Red Onion with one of the international students, named Mark. He's cool, and I've ditched him twice when we were supposed to hang out because I wasn't feeling well. Today I am feeling good though, so I think it will actually work.

Tomorrow I am going to a market with some of the people on my program. I'm not a huge shopper, but I like wandering around markets so it should be fun.