My first Dodoma home

So much to say! Ah ok. So I’m at my host family’s home. It’s small but pretty nice. I have my own room…I think that means that Oliva is sleeping on the couch…that doesn’t make me feel very good. So I’m staying with Mariam who is about 6 months pregnant I think. Her husband…the name didn’t stick. So many names to remember. I’ll get back to you on that one. I do know he is a police officer and also teaches at the church as part of a program to stop crime at an earlier age. Mairam works at the church. Oliva is Mariam’s niece I think… She seems to do the house work. She either knows less English or is less willing to talk. I’ll have to work on her. She already calls me her sister though. I had a great two evenings with them. I’ve been pretty tired once I get home, but we just hang out talk eat and then go to bed. I was worried about it but I’ve had fun staying here. Mariam has a great laugh and me not knowing things or being awkward makes her laugh so that feels good : ) It is a really far from town, which makes it hard to hang out with people at night. I’m ok with that for now. There is a lot to enjoy staying here with the family. But I think as time goes I’m going to need that community and support. I’ll see how it goes.
So I went to the market with Mariam on the way home the first day. There were huge piles of dried fish for sale. Sardine I guess. Didn’t look appetizing. First we got potatoes and then Mariam asked what kind of food I liked. I didn’t know how to respond. Lots of different kinds. We ended up at the butcher. Oh she meant what kind of meat… a hard one because I’m picky and really don’t like a lot of meat. Didn’t say anything. The butcher puts a hears on the scale…my stomach dropped to my feet, then he cuts a huge chunk of liver off and adds it to the scale. I think she could see it on my face. I was a little frightened. I just told her I hadn’t ever eaten any of those things before and that at home I didn’t eat a lot of meat. She was thinking then, and I reassured her that it would be ok I would try it. I think the alternative was to buy beef especially for me and I know that this heart and liver was a special treat for the guest already. So we proceeded on our way to get some veggies which I enjoyed. Well my brother got his wish. I talked to him when I first arrived in Dar and the only thing he told me was to eat something I wouldn’t normally eat. At that point I had eaten a processed beef patty…but I’ m guessing this is more a long the lines of what he had in mind. So I ate liver. I wasn’t really all that bad, but I didn’t enjoy it. Really dense I guess is the best way to describe it. I know it’s not that odd…people in the US eat it, but for me it’s out there. I think it upset my stomach a little bit. I didn’t eat it again when it was served tonight. I hope that is ok. I think it’s pretty expensive. I told myself initially I would just eat the meet to be polite, but if that’s what upset my stomach I really just want to pass. For someone who doesn’t eat very much meat and no red meat, liver might have been a little much.
I’ll have to take and post a picture of the toilet….ceramic hole in the ground. I’m getting use to it…but still am not sure how to keep from splashing. Tanzanians don’t use toilet paper. I’ll have to keep my own supply. They bought some for me in the bathroom at home, but I’m pretty sure no one uses it but me. I hope its ok that I do. I’ll buy it but that’s something I’d like to continue.
The time change is just hitting me. Maybe in combination with not feeling well yesterday, but I was so exhausted. I guess traveling I slept so much during the day on planes and buses, it made up for not sleeping through the night. I can usually fall asleep but I wake up in like 4 hrs lay in bed and then wake up every hour after that. I think I’ve heard one day for every hr difference. This is night 5 so my body might still take some more time.