Living Well

It's Monday morning about 9:30. It's very chilly and overcast like most mornings, but it usually clears up and the sun comes out to shine. I think I could get used to this weather. I hear that it will get hotter in a couple months though, but nothing like what it would be on the coast. I'm battling with very slow and unpredictable internet to post pictures and emails, but I'm still managing; power has been going out about 3 to 4 times a week also. No big deal. We're starting our second week of classes today and this morning we are giving a second presentation concerning gender identity and other gender issues(presented last week for Health Issues class). The structure of classes is very different here, but I think I'll adjust okay. I think I'd rather give written responses to our readings instead of oral responses because I feel I can be more concise in my explanations. I guess I could write a response and read it aloud, but it's probably good practice to remember the issues and present them. So far I'm really enjoying my Health Issues in Africa class, and of course my Cultural Identities Music course. We'll be learning more traditional drum rhythms, singing and dancing, and also the cultural diverisity in expression from many ethnic groups in the East African region. (e.g. I didn't know that the Maasai traditionally don't use any drums in their music, they create rhythms vocally.) Our teacher Seth Sululu says that by the end of the program we should be able to identify geographically where certain musics of Tanzania are from. I hope he's right.

On top of the school activities, I have been spending time with my friend Azizi, who works at Via Via cafe, and other friends I have met through him. Last night he invited us to his place for nyama choma and vinywaji(roasted meat and drinks; barbeque). My colleagues made other plans, but I accepted and crammed into a dala dala(small mini-vans for public transport) and went to his place. I was met at the street near Maasai Camp club and we walked up the hill to his place. The terrain is beautiful: very green, many corn and banana plants, and other fruit bearing trees; also, many chickens wandering the dusty roads and several homes scattered on the hillside. We had a great and relaxing evening listening to music and reasoning amongst ourselves. They seemed to enjoy my company very much, and of course I appreciated theirs as well. I will inevitably be spending more time with these friends. Charles, who I met at Via Via, also a friend of Azizi, has invited me to record in the studio tonight because he wants me to sing and play guitar on a track. He is very intersted in the conservation issues and wants to sing about it. How can I say no to that? We have very similar tastes in music, and as long as I finish my school work, we should have a good session tonight. I'm excited to create some good noise along side new friends in a new place.