It has been quite a while since my last post. I have returned to Bukoba, and taught my first classes for the year today. In this post I want to share a bit more about my adventures in Morogoro (My travels to the rainforest and Zanzibar will follow soon). I think the best way to do this would be with a tour through my photos. I hope you enjoy.
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| This is the classroom where I learned Kiswahili every day. The language school had many of these shaded bandas spread out through a small garden. Each banda had a wonderful view of the Uluguru Mountains, and they were often visits by monkeys. |
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| The view of the peaks from the classrooms. Awe-inspiring, and also very distracting! |
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| Around the campus there were many large and old baobab trees. The most ancient was found in a field of yellow berries. According to the grandfather of a teacher at the language school, this tree has not changed since he was a boy. |
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| Although it may have looked small from the first picture, I felt small indeed standing next to its huge base. This was not the only baobab near the campus. |
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| Not far away was a baobab perfect for climbing. Perched surrounded by its giant arms, I spent many afternoons relaxing here after classes. |
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| In a previous post, I talked about the Maasai. This is one of the churches we visited while I was in Morogoro. |
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| Among other things, the Maasai are known for their rhythmic dancing during church services. Drums give the beat for the song, and the jewelry that the dancers wear emphasizes the beat provided by the drums, the singing, and the complicated footwork. |
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| After the service, this Maasai Mama gave me my first lesson in beading by sewing one of her bracelets (note the Tanzanian flag) onto my wrist. |
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| Excited by my new beading skills, I found the maasai beading store in town and started to get to know the local beaders. I became particularly close with Agnes (pictured here). We would bead together in the afternoons, and she helped me practice my swahili. Although I got to know Agnes the best, many of the Maasai women came to look and see what I was beading, passing it around, exclaming in surprise, and telling me that I was now Maasai. |
While In Morogoro, I also took a weekend trip to Udzungwa National Park. Although this national park is not as well developed as some others in Tanzania, it has many endemic species, and boast several spectacular waterfalls, one which we were able to swim at the base of.
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| This is the fireball lily that covered the cliffside on either side of the first waterfall. |
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| In the forest interior, we came across this rather intimidating vine called the crocodile vine. |
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| As well as a tree which we called the buttress tree, due to its interesting base. |
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| After a hot and gruelling hike we reached our final destination, this huge waterfall which is the first of three drops of the Sanje Falls. It was the perfect place to enjoy a refreshing swim and a pounding massage. |
