Karibu Africa!

Karibu Africa! I don't know what I've been imagining, but this is better than any ideas that I've had of what Africa would be... and I've only been here 4 days. Today we return from the past 3 days in Enderekwai Ranch, a private game reserve owned by a mzungo (white person), Peter Jones. The pictures above are from the ranch- Mt. Meru on one side and Kiliminjaro on the other, and 10000 hectares in between of savannah. We put up our tents and had an amazing camp crew who will be taking care of us on all of our safaris. For those of you who are worried about me not getting enough to eat, think again: We have breakfast at 7, tea and biscuits at 1030, lunch at 1, tea AGAIN at 430, and dinner at 7. So I'm probly gaining weight. We were hiking, learning about the environmental conservation situation in Tanzania, and picking up a tiny bit of kiswahili. Now, we are in Arusha for 2 days and then we begin a homestay about 10 km from here, a quarter of the way up Mt. Meru, in a peri-urban village called Bagata. We will have almost no kiswahili under our belts, yet will be on our own with our familys for that entire weekend until we meet up again on Monday morning. Some of us may have running water and electricity, and some a hole in the ground and gas lamps, and I am very excited. The conversations have been intense so far, the group of kids I'm here with is great, and Baba Jack, our teacher, is one of the coolest people I've ever met. Baba means father, and Jack is his son's name, because as you become a parent in Tanzania it takes over your identity (his name is Reese Matthews). And it's only been 3 days... words don't do this place justice, but neither do the pictures, so check in again in 1 week and I'm sure this whole style will change... Kwa Herini!