I've Come to Love You

And I hate saying goodbye.


My time in Tanzania is coming to an end soon. Last week was officially my last week of training. It's amazing how quickly it's coming--I feel like I've only just started to know this place. Last weekend, Gabby and I discovered a truly beautiful lake, Lake Duluti. It's just outside Arusha, and would be a great place to escape to, if needed. There is so much more to explore, to discover.

At this point, I'm mostly just crossing things off my list of things to do whilst here, but it's not short enough of a list (which means, I will just have to come back). Today I went to the Craft Market and did some necessary gift/souvenir shopping, and it was actually a pleasant experience, considering how hassled I could have been. I'm sure I'll be back again before the end of my stay.

What else is left to do... We'll see about getting a tattoo, a labyrinth with a little African flair on my pec/front shoulder; the waterfalls in Merangu; eating at all the Mzungu places in Arusha; I'm actually not sure what else. But I have a list, somewhere.

The last three weeks have mostly just been "fun" weeks. First off, my family came! I'm sure you all know about that! They spoiled me at a lodge with, not only showers, but HOT showers. And a swimming pool. I took them to some of my favorite places to eat Mzungu food, and then we went on safari! We went to Ngorongoro, which is glorious, even having been twice, and to Lake Manyara, which is beautiful. It's forest, as opposed to most of the other places to safari which are more plains. I love the forest. Still, no leopard though... That's my last creature that I need to see.

But! I will hopefully see them next week! How, you may ask? Well, our friend Albert has offered to take us to the Serengeti! And, we're getting an amazing price! So, I'm really excited. Gabby is probably coming too, and she and I have the best adventures, so just having her along is going to be good luck, I'm sure!

Oh man, I don't even know what else to write. I've been not-so-good at blogging. You all know I'm a terrible story teller, and I apologize.


Here's my plan for when I get home: I will walk straight to the laundry room, put my clothes in the washing machine, start it, and stare. Then, I will move my clothes to the drier. Whilst waiting for my clothes to dry, I will take a shower. Perhaps two. After taking said shower(s), I will put on some clothes straight out of the drier.
Where will you find me after that? In front of the TV, watching whatever is on the DVR, fast-forwarding through commercials, of course. This will likely last until either: every show has been watched, or people drag me away from the television because it's Friday Night and everybody's been waiting for me in the backyard for hours.


See you in ten days,
-Brendan