Just when we were starting to go crazy from the heat and chaos of Dar, I was finally able to go on spring break! My friend Molly and I decided to travel to northern Tanzania to Arusha which was full of wonderful experiences. I have been very busy since then and have not been able to write in my blog so pole sana (very sorry)!

On the second to the last day of school before break, my room mate and I got a pretty gnarly eye infection. It was conjunctivitis  but the worse case I've ever seen. My poor room mate got it a lot worse than I did. Her entire face swelled up. I quickly bought bleach and cleaned everything in our room, but I still got it. I got medication pretty early on so luckily I didn't swell up or anything. I still had to wait a few days to leave town, but the doctor said it would actually be better for me to leave the heat of Dar. I did so, gladly. :) Anyone who knows me well knows I do not care for the heat. Why did I come to Africa again? Teehee, just kidding. I love it hear even though it is hot. Luckily all of the locals hate it just as much as I do.

We took a ten hour bus ride to Arusha, leaving very early in the morning. I slept a lot along the way, but it was an incredible ride. First of all, the scenery would change every forty miles or so. We went from the tropical forest jungles of Dar, to mountains, to plains, to rolling hills, to farm lands. Basically we saw every type of scenery possible. It is like driving from one end of California to the other. I love bus rides like that, but this one was pretty long. There was also no air conditioning. We had a lovely spot at the front of the bus and I had the window seat with a nice breeze.

Arusha is a very nice city that is known as the safari capital of the world. It is the gateway for people to get to all of the national parks like Serengeti and Ngorogoro Crater. People also start their journey to climb Kilimanjaro from there. Mount Meru looms over the city and it is absolutely gorgeous.

After a day of exploring the city, we decided that we wanted to take a mini safari. We found a company online with good prices and we had the whole experience to ourselves in an awesome safari car. We went on safari (a word that we’ve adopted from Swahili) outside the city for two days, one day in Tarangire National Park and the other day in Arusha National Park. Each park had something unique to offer. At Tarangire, we saw hundreds of elephants, literally hundreds, as well as a million baobab trees, which are my absolute favorite. I wish I could post pictures for ya'll to see, but Tanzanian internet is failing...as per usual. It was beyond incredible. I couldn't believe how many elephants we saw. I teared up at one point because it was just such an amazing experience.

While visiting Arusha, we saw lots of beautiful twiga (giraffes) as well as all sorts of monkeys (Vervet, Colobus, Blue), zebras, ngiri (warthogs), water buffalo, flamingos, dikdik (that’s the name!), baboons, and impalas. It was incredible! No cats this time, but I’m crossing my fingers for when I go on safari again in May with Daniel! We did go to two different parks that were less touristy because both my friend and I will be returning again. I am so glad we did. It was a wonderful experience. It was also Molly's birthday and I was honored to share that with her.

It really was the perfect way to spend spring break. It was nice that it was just the two of us, instead of the massive group we usually have. Also Molly and I have similar introvertedness so we often just felt like relaxing on our own instead of getting too worn out. Plus, we had a TV which was awesome. I was actually staying caught up with the news! We were both starting to get overwhelmed by everything. It's so hard sometimes when you stand out so much. At one point, I ran out to get more phone credit. I went on my own. We have to get these little cards that have a scratch number on the back which you enter into your phone for a particular amount. It's a pretty awesome system. Anyways, as I was walking along the road, i drew attention from EVERYONE. It wasn't bad attention, it was just the fact that everyone talked to me or greeted me. Personally, this wears me out. Having so much interaction can be hard from me because it means I am always being watched. I dunno, that may sound a little complain-y but honestly it can get to you. At that point I had kind of just had it and wanted to blend into the crowd. But that was impossible. Luckily, I had a room to run back to. It was nice to have another introvert to hang out with. :)

I liked Arusha a lot. I think it is a wonderful city that is also much cooler! I look forward to returning. We returned a few days early so we would have a chance to regroup and go to the beach. It took us even longer to get home: 12 hrs! there was an awful accident along the road that meant we were stuck for about an hour and a half. All of the smaller cars could get through but not the buses and trucks. I've never seen so many trucks in my life! But we got home safe and sound and I was most pleased with my vacation.

When I returned I also moved rooms. I am now living on the 6th floor, which believe it or not makes a huge difference. It's only 100 stairs instead of 114! This has been especially awful the past week and a half when we've had absolutely NO water. A pipe connecting water from Bagamoyo, a city about an hour and a half from here, to Dar Es Salaam had broken somehow and special trucks had to come from outside campus to deliver water. Apparently a fight broke out at the water tank the day before yesterday when the line was even longer than usual. The whole city has felt tense and stinky. No showers, no flushing toilets, and the lines for the water tanks outside were epicly long. It's amazing hwo often we use water. I haven't been able to wash dishes or clothes because it was nearly impossible. Sometimes I just wouldn't have time to wait in line for water! Why they only have one main water line to the city, I have no idea. At least it's back for now!

My new room is very nice. I finally have a Tanzanian room mate. Her name is Irene and she is very sweet. It is a much cleaner room but I do miss Caity already.

I will write with some more adventures the next few days. But now, I must write my swahili paper...yes, I said PAPER! eeek!