I'm afraid it happened...

My back went out today. I woke up got dressed, then suddenly I couldn't walk. I think it's because I slipped on some water yesterday. I didn't fall but it jarred things a bit. I had an idea that I wasn't going to tell anyone about my back so no one would worry about me...but that's out the window. I missed going to the American embassy, but it was alright. I think my back needed the rest after needing to get used to everything.

So my day was spent studying swahili and chatting with a few people. Pretty boring so I thought I'd tell you about some other stuff.

The food of Tanzania is really interesting. The main part of the meal is a starch, mainly rice, fries, chipati bread, or a dish called ugali. Ugali is made out of maize and it's almost the texture of play-doh. It's good, just rather bland. You use it to pick up food with your hands and is a staple. Much like other places in the world, you only eat with your right hand. Eating with your left is considered extremely rude. There is a huge Indian influence here so many of the meats are cooked tandoori style and there are lots of curries. One of the most popular dishes is called chips myyai. It's basically fries cooked in eggs. Sounds bizarre but people eat it all the time!

But the fruit, ohhhhh the fruit. It's delicious. I generally don't like tropical fruits, but the mangos and pineapples are so good. There's nothing more refreshing than having that on a hot day. We  have fruit salad with most meals and they include other things like cucumber and advacado. Interesting, n'est pas? There is often stewed vegetables or other starches served with it as well. My director said that many people get the Tanzania 25, meaning you gain 25lbs. But with the stairs I'm climbing and the distance I'm walking, there's no way.

Tomorrow we're going on a walking tour of Dar, which should be awesome. My back better be up to it because I don't want to miss it! A few of the girls and I are watching Bridesmaids and eating peanut butter sandwiches. All in all, a great evening.