10.07.09 Was It Really There?

Was it really there? Had I really seen it?

I had Salon stop at the edge of the road and I got off the bike.
Salon kept riding on and it was just me and them…

But I saw nothing, anymore. The shape that I had seen was now the
long dry bark of the trunk of a tree in the endless grasslands of
Tanzania. There was stillness all around, and the tree trunk was
peculiar because it was slightly at a crooked angle.

Then I looked out across the landscape and I noticed that there were
six other tree trunks dry and crusty light brown on the tan pastures
outside of the Mikumi National Park. That was very peculiar. I had
never seen trees that crooked before and now there were seven of them.

And then I saw it. (more…)

Katelyn,

Nafurahi sana kusikia kuhusu maisha yako huko Dar. Aidha, nii vyema kuwa umeboresha Kiswahili chako. Hongera sana. Usemavyo, ni kweli kuwa maisha ya Dar ni mazuri. Nakutakia safari njema kwenda Moshi. Kila la heri katika harakati za kuukwea mlima Kilimanjaro. Natumai nitasikia maoni ya wengine kuhusu maisha na masomo yao huko Afrika Mashariki.

Sasa nimesoma Kiswahili hapa, Chuo Kikuu cha Dar es Salaam, kwa wiki sita. Nitamaliza masomo yangu na Taaluma Institute kesho - Ijumaa, tarehe thelathini na moja, mwezi wa saba. Nilipenda sana kusoma Kiswahili hapa. Nilisoma na Mwalimu Mkuu Aldin Mutembei na Walimu Wadogo Happy na Nanci. Kiswahili yangu kimeboresha sana. Maisha katika Dar ni nzuri pia. Ni wakati wa kwanza kutembelea mji huu, na kweli, watu hapa ni wazuri sana. Naisha hapa kama Watanzania, kwa sababu kila asubuhi huamka saa mbili, na naenda darasani kwa daladala. Kutumia daladala kila siku ni kuishi kama Watanzania, nafikiri. Wanafunzi wa Taaluma wanakaa huko barabara Changanyikeni, katika Taakwim Hosteli, sehemu ya Chuo. Kwani nilifika, nimetembelea Mikumi National Park, mahali ambapo niliona simba kumi na mbili! Pia nimetembelea Kunduchi Beach, Kipepeo Beach na Malaika beach. Napenda sana kuogelea baharani kwa sababu hali ya hewa ni safi sana. Jumamosi iliopita, nilienda Bagamoyo peke yangu, ili kutembelea mahali ambapo palikuwa mji mkuu wa German Afrika ya Mashariki zamani. Huko, nilikutana watu wawili ambao walinialika kupika nao. Nilijifunza kupika chakula cha Watanzania - kama wali nazi, kabachi na vitunguu na nyanya, na maharagwe na mbogamboga. Nimefurahia sana kukaa hapa Dar es Salaam kwa wiki sita. Jumamoshi, tarehe moja, mwezi wa nane, naondoka kwa Moshi, ili kupanda Mlima Kilimanjaro na rafiki yangu Dan. Tutajaribu kufika juu ya Kili - Uhuru - pajoma. Itakuwa ngumu sana, lakini nitajitahidi! Sawa, baadaye.

Habari zenu? Ninaandika kuwamkia na kuwauliza kuhusu masomo yenu. Je, manafurahia maisha ya Afrika Mashariki?

Hamjambo Kamaria na Lubaya? Ninaandika kuwafahamisha kwamba nilisafiri salama kurudi Marekani. Hata hivyo, bado nina uchovu sana na sijaanza kufanya kazi yangu vizuri. Mnaendeleaje huko Nairobi?

Hawa ni Sarah na Jessica, na sisi tuko Nairobi. Jessica alifika wiki nne zilizopita, na Sarah alifika wiki mbili zilizopita. Tunakaa hapa Donholm, iko mashariki ya Nairobi. Tunaenda darasa la Kiswahili kila siku kwa saa tatu, na tunafanya “internships” na utafiti. Jessica ni mwanafunzi wa chuo kikuu cha Michigan State, na yeye anasoma “social work.” Atapata shahada ya uzamifu (PhD) katika mwaka 2012. Sarah alipata shahada ya kwanza kutoka chuo kikuu cha Stanford mwaka huu, na yeye angependa kutuma mombi katika masomo shahada ya pili wakati ujao. Tunasoma Kiswahili katika kiwango cha miaka wa pili, na tunapenda darasa la Kiswahili. Tulienda Maasai Market, Nairobi National Park, na mahali pingine hapa Nairobi. Tutatembelea Nakuru, Mombasa, Isebania, na Maasai Mara kabla ya kumaliza kusoma.

Nini ni nani, na mnafanya nini? Habari za Dar es Salaam?

Hamjambo

Ningependa kujua kama mlikuwa na safari njema, na kwa wale ambao bado wako Marekani mnaendelea vipi na maandalizi ya safari?

Mohochi