By this Author: adventuregirl88

Yesterday I stayed at home and did domestic things. Today Bernice and I went to get cash and a bus ticket to Pangani. Then we had a delicious lunch and finally got my flights to Zanzibar and back. These things all take so much time but I really enjoyed the time with Bernice. We went for Ethiopian food for dinner at a friend’s restaurant. It was great! And his friend was there and sat down with us and chatted.

I left January 1st flying Delta to Amsterdam and KLM to Tanzania. Things went very smoothly and the flights weren’t bad but it was good to see Erik and Nashesha meeting me at the Arusha airport. I got in about 8:35 so it was late getting to Erik’s house. Bernice met me there and I met a young man from the Netherlands who was traveling the world on his bicycle. He was leaving the next day.
Today is the 3rd and Nashesha left and the biker left and Bernice went to work. Erik didn’t go in to work until the afternoon. I went with him to his office. I was prepared to go by myself to get cash and a SIM card for a phone that Bernice found in a drawer even though the prospect of it was daunting. But Erik found someone in his office to take me around. Sofia didn’t speak much English but she was a godsend in negotiating for me! We stopped for lunch at a great place she picked out and I ordered chipsi mayai which is a French fry omelette. I was eager to try it and it really was delicious! Getting a SIM card was not easy! They took my passport, took a picture of me and I waited for a long time before I got it. I have gotten very good at waiting which will come in very handy here. Then Sophia drove me all the way back to Erik’s house! Such a nice person.
Erik came home and we went out to dinner at a Mexican restaurant. It was actually really good!

Well, my Tanzanian adventure is about over. My flight leaves at 5:30 pm so at least I have a partial day left. Don went to work so we said our goodbyes and then I had a nice breakfast with Debi. Then she brought out a bunch of things that she wanted me to bring back as gifts. Bernice had left a large sack of things for Nashesha. I have my own things too that I bought. I was incredibly surprised that I got everything in those two suitcases! I sure hope I don’t have to open them at customs. I may not get them closed again!
Debi and I went on our last walk together. I always see something new when we go. We stopped at Linda Jacobson’s to say goodbye and see how her thanksgiving went. Then Orjantan stopped by to say goodbye. He had written the sweetest email to me. I will keep in touch with him for sure.
Mabo came and cleaned up all the thanksgiving dinner dishes. Boy, is that nice! She also does the laundry and sweeps up.
So after lunch we will head to the airport and I’ll begin my long journey home. What a fabulous trip!

For having a big group (13 is a big group for me) for dinner, Debi and I had a pretty relaxing day. We told people to come around 1:00 pm for games and appetizers. Orjantan came at 12:30 to help us. We played cards on the patio until Erik and Bernice arrived at 4:30. Lightness, Orjantan’s sister, came at 5:30 pm with her daughter, Purity, who is a year old, and Harrison, age 7. The rest all came at about 7 pm. Tanzanian time. Don had gone into work, expecting to be home late morning. He didn’t get home until 2:30. The plan was that Don was going to bbq the turkey. It turns out there are two kinds of briquettes and we had the wrong kind that burned too fast. So we sent Orjantan to get the right kind. The turkey didn’t start cooking until about 5 pm so our timing was off. But all worked out well. Everything was cooked to perfection and it was fun to introduce the Tanzanians to an American feast. Everyone seemed to like the food and ate everything. We got to FaceTime with Kari and family before dinner which was really fun! Little Purity was so entertaining. There were hugs all around when everyone left, knowing that I was leaving tomorrow. I’m so tired but it was a wonderful thanksgiving! I certainly have so much to be thankful for! I have been truly blessed with incredible family and friends.

This morning I made my pumpkin gingerbread. Instead of pies, which neither Debi or I like to make, we will have pumpkin bread with ice cream. And the Debi made a big batch of apple crisp. Harrison, Wema’s brother came over. He is about eight. His English isn’t as good but he wanted to play games on my iPad. Debi and I were going for a walk so he came with. When we got back, we had to send him home or he would have stayed all day.
Today we made the stuffing and gravy for tomorrow. Don cut up the pineapple when he got home. We felt so good getting so much done ahead. Orjantan came over to download my Zanzibar sunset pictures and some movies. He is so much fun to talk with. He is always happy and upbeat. He stayed for dinner. Mbarak called and I had a lovely conversation with him. Debi had made a couple of salads and some fruit. We didn’t lose power all day! We left a mess of dishes for morning. We are really looking forward to our Tanzanian thanksgiving.