You know it's amazing how time passes in Tanzania. I have so much less to do than in the United States, but time seems to go by faster. For example, I can't believe that my semester is almost over. It really feels like I got off the bus from Arusha a few weeks ago, not a few months ago. When I think about it, I know that a lot of time has gone by and that I've done a lot. Maybe it feels different because in the United States I am busy all the time. There were times last year when I planned at the beginning of the week when I was going to hang out with my friends. There were times when I counted extracurricular meetings as hanging out with my friends. That is indicative of something. Here, I have to try to fill my day up.

The little rainy season is upon us. Thursday night I went to a chinese restaurant called Zhonghua with Katy, Brittany, Kelly and Amanda. Brittany had returned from visiting a friend with cancer in the US. The food was ok, nothing spectacular. They had tofu, which was exciting to me. I know, I know that some of you think tofu shouldn't be a food, but I think that if it's served well, it can be very tasty. When we were waiting for a daladala, it started pouring. We were at Udasa waiting for either a daladala or a cab. We were soaked within seconds, before we were able to cross the street to get under the daladala shelter. I like the rain here. When it rains, Tanzanians start running for the nearest shelter. Some women in my dorm don't go to class when it's raining. I've been told I'm crazy for walking around without an umbrella.

So I've been thinking more about leaving Tanzania. I think part of the reason it will be difficult is that I've just settled in, adjusted, started to feel comfortable. Which is not to say that I still don't feel uncomfortable at times, on the contrary, I think it's just that I am ok with being uncomfortable in some situations. I've finally figured out how to go almost anywhere I want by daladala, and I know what most taxi rides should cost me. But on the other hand, I'm also realizing that I miss my homes. I say homes because I miss my home in Mequon, and I also miss Luther. On a sidenote, I remember the first time freshman year when I unthinkingly called going back to Luther after break "going home."

Other news.. I'm going to be the deacon of global concerns next semester for the Luther College Congregation. That should be interesting.

The mother of one of the women in my program is visiting her for a week or so. We are going out to dinner with her tonight. It should be fun. It makes me think about when my mom and sister were going to possibly visit Tanzania, what I would show them if they had visited. Maybe someday I can show them parts of Tanzania. At least Dar. Though I would love to take my family to Lake Nyasa, because it's one of the most beautiful places in the world that I've ever been.

Either way. I'm going off to the library. I'm trying to read as widely as I can in my immense amount of spare time and it's time for a new selection of books. Right now I'm reading about the beginning of the IMF and the World Bank. Next I think I will read Marx and Engels. What the library lacks in new resources, they make up in having almost everything ever written by Marx. Which makes sense because of Tanzania's history as a socialist state. Nonetheless, it makes for interesting reading.