dala-dalas, waterfalls, Arusha, and daily life

ok, another week has passed here in Tanzania and i have so much to update on as usual!!!!! I guess I'll start from last Wednesday, when I had Internet last. we were responsible for finding our own way home to Bangata, so we all decided to take a "dala-dala" back. The dala-dalas are 16-seater mini vans, however we managed to fit all 24 of us in one! it was insane and probably the most uncomfortable experience of my life, but still hilarious nonetheless. I had brought my homestay brothers a soccer ball that I bought in town so when i got home I played with them in the yard for a while, with them in their shorts and me in my pink skirt! :) We can't wear pants in bangata, so i've gotten quite used to wearing skirts every day. Sadly, the ball i bought them is completely dead now, but atleast they got a couple of days of use out of it! The neighbor kids Maureen and Vincent also came over to play and they are super cute! They're only 3 and 4 but I practice my Swahili with them!
The end of Ramadan was last Friday (sep 10) so some of my Muslim relatives came over to celebrate and visit the fam. I was basically led into a dark room where a bunch of people spoke some rapid Kiswahili to me...a LITTLE intimidating but I managed to answer all their questions in Swahili so that was good! Then my aunt who i didnt even know led me into another room and randomly starting feeding me donuts and juice, and I didnt wanna be rude so I just kept eating what she fed me, except I couldnt really tell what I was drinking, and they told us not to drink juice here but whatever. I didn't die.
Speaking of sickness, our group has done pretty well in terms of health! we've only had one person in the hospital so far for a bacterial infection, which are basically inevitable here. Its impossible to find out where the infection came from too, because it can come from food, water etc. But they gave her antibiotics and she was back in Bangata after 2 days. Also, the kids on Doxy (for malaria) usually end up getting less bacterial issues because we're basically on antibiotics for 3 months straight...good thing im on doxy! The rest of us have been relatively fine, mostly just minor intestinal issues from the food that we are often fed. Don't get me wrong, the food here is super good but some people have definitely eaten intestines or some other type of mystery meat. Luckily I havent had any meat in my family because i told them I dont eat cow (ng'ombe) or goat (mbuzi). A typical meal I have is usually rice and beans, oranges, bananas, and avocado. Pretty simple but very filling.
That weekend we had our last free weekend with our family....I "slept in" until 8am on Saturday and woke up to find it was pouring rain, so I poured myself some chai (tea) and attempted to get some reading done for class the following week.Also, whoever thinks Africa is hot is VERY WRONG. Orientation at Ndarawkwai was freezing, literally freezing, we had hats and coats and pants on, and here in Bangata I've worn my raincoat or fleece almost every day to class! It ended up clearing up so I went walking with some friends and visited a bunch of people's houses. It was cool to meet everyone's families and see where everyone lived, because we are pretty spread out all over the mountainside. 
That Sunday I woke up and went to church with my mama, which is kind of boring because I understand nothing but I really like the singing! Later that afternoon a bunch of our SIT group went on an amazing hike to this waterfall! It wasnt that hard of a hike or anything, but we're at 8,000 feet so you can definitely feel the altitude while trying to climb a hill! The waterfall was so pretty and we all ended up going swimming! it was freezing but felt really refreshing considering none of us exactly know exactly when our next shower will be. We took a different path home that took us through coffee plantations and banana trees....so beautiful! On our way home we stopped at a local "bar," which basically was a tin roof over some seats but we all got beer and soda and chatted for a while which was fun. My soda cost 400 shillings, which I think is about 30 cents US! :) Oh, I also had my first laundry experience when I got home that evening.....I have never really hand-washed my clothes before and it is hard!!! You really have to scrub, and I think I was terrible at it because Lulu (friend of the fam) kind of took pity on me and helped me. But once they all dried they looked fairly clean so I guess that is as good as its going to get! Washing machines really dont exist here...even in Arusha! Also, sorry mom, I know you advised me to bring white shirts but hand-washing white shirts is definitely not that easy! So...my advice is dont ever bring anything white to africa, because I can guarantee you will it be brown after one wear.
So thats pretty much that has happened in the last week here in Eastern Africa.....I'm definitely getting used to my daily routine in Bangata though!  I've even gotten used to my bucket shower every other day, and my Turkish toilet (squat toilet). I normally wake up at 7am, have some chai (the first cup of about 7 that day) and some peanut butter on bread and head to school. After class is out at 1 we have free time to do homework ( I feel like ive already mentioned this....). Anyways, our group has gotten so much closer just hanging out this past week during the afternoons. We made a huge pyramid the other day and yesterday we had a great talk about what books we liked etc, and I found some fellow friends who are obsessed with fantasy books like me!  
Right now it is Wednesday and we are in Arusha for the day! We started off at the soconi (market) and bartered for some fresh fruits and veggies. I ended up with some avocadoes, oranges, carrot, and tomatoes all for about $1.25! Then we found this amazing store called Shop-Rite which is basically like Mini america! Its a big supermarket that has a lot of american brands, which is nice when you are trying to buy shampoo etc. We all kind of wandered around in awe for a while, also noting that it was pretty much all wazungu (white people) in the store.
Saturday we head back to Arusha and stay the night at Klub Afriko, where we all plan to buy cheese and bread and wine and watch the Lion King! oh yeah...cheese basically doesnt exist in this country so we are all craving it hardcore....luckily shop-rite has it! Saturday morning we head off to Tarangire National Park for a weeklong safari...apparently there are no fences around our campsite there so we aren't allowed to leave our tents after dark because they have literally had elephants just standing in camp before! I'm so excited though! My friend Hannah and I also present our PEC (Political Ecology Concept) during Tarangire. Our topic is "National Park Management," so we read part of a book on it and have to prepare an hour long presentation now! Who ever said going abroad was no work is wrong... luckily the articles we have read were super interesting.
Hm...on another random note, my legs still look fairly diseased from the million tick bites I STILL have from Ndarakwai. I do believe they are living in my sleeping bag (they are miniscule) but I can't really solve that problem as of now...handwashing a sleeping bag doesnt sound too fun. Good thing the rest of the group has them as well though!
Also, I am typing on my own computer right now!! which means I have wireless...which means I AM CURRENTLY UPLOADING PICTURES! so, all of you people who have Facebook, 200 pictures under the album name "Tanzania" are currently uploading. Can't promise when that will be finished but hopefully in the next half hour or so. Otherwise, for you facebook-less people, I am putting up some photos on here for a little taste.

our little cluster of tents at Ndarawkwai Ranch during Orientation

group of us during Orientation at the bar after church

some zebra at the watering hole!