Some Pics

The view of the Peacock Hotel where I am currently staying. posh.

Legesse from Ethiopia at the WHO office- we are both assigned to Tanzania. He is my new best friend here.

The hallway of the Peacock Hotel where I am staying.

Outside my hotel- these tall skinny trees are everywhere in Tanzania!

A few pics

Me and Godwin from Nigeria. He was my roommate at STOP training and whoa did he snore! A few times I actually spent the night over a friend's place because of the rattle. We had alot of good conversations. He is assigned to Pakistan.







Me and Legessee from Ethiopia at the World Health Organization office in Tanzania. Legesse, also a STOP member, will be going to a region in the western part of the country. I will be staying in Dar es Salaam, which is one of the biggest cities in East Africa.











This is across the street from my hotel. The guy under the umbrella is grilling corn. These corn grillers are all over the city. I have yet to try a cob, but they smell so good!










All over the street people carry things in their heads. I'll have to get better shots of this. Size is no matter. Yesterday I saw a woman carrying a huge mattress on he head.









Back in the day, the city was colonized by Germans. Here is a church where you can see the German influenced architecture.

Asking for Directions

The first time I asked someone for directions to a place to get lunch (very open air), I was shocked when he walked me almost the entire way there. I thought that he was such a nice person and thanked him over and over again (asante sana). However, the second time I asked a woman for directions to an internet cafe, she walked me all the way around a building and to the door of the cafe. Again, I was surprised and thanked her. I soon realized that this is just the way people are in Tanzania. Instead of just pointing or describing with left turn / right turn, they will actually take you there. This has been one of the nicest things I have exerpienced here. They know I am a foreigner/tourist because I speak english and yet they are still so helpful and friendly.

Beard Buddies

Hello,

My beard is loving Tazania. It has lots of buddies here and it feels very at home. I think it would stay here forever if I let it. There is a large Muslim population here and because of my beard, many people assume that I too am Muslim. It's interesting to feel like such an outsider on the inside and an insider on the outside.

While I was at training in Atlanta, a Canadian counterpart told me that I looked as if I were a member of a certain tribe in Canada where beards, like mine, signify marriage, much like a wedding ring.

I think it's fascinating how my facial hair is interpreted. like art under my chin.