The Market

6/17
Our first full day in Arusha before we start working. To my surprise, we booked the "bed and breakfast" option, so our group was able to get complementary chapati, beans, toast, and fresh fruit (pineapple and watermelon). It was a great start to the day- chapati reminds me a lot like crepes.

As we were walking out of the restaurant (the top level of the hotel), we looked out across a nearby field and realized it was a soccer field. I brought a disc with me, so I grabbed it and we all went down to toss on the field. Once we found our way to the field, we discovered there was a soccer game going on with the local soccer league. Aneesh really wanted to play, and we eventually persuaded him to warm up with some players who arrived late. It was a very informal game, and Aneesh got to play center-midfielder the entire second half! After the game ended (Aneesh's team lost), the team invited him back to play in their league games every Thursday and Sunday evening. He was very stoked, to say the least.

Once we left the field, we trekked into town and got Tanzania shillings from an ATM next to Shoprite, a local grocery store with other amenities like gardening supplies and irons. After walking around, the guys decided to be lazy and go to the closest restaurant for lunch- an ice cream parlour with (what we thought was) American-style food. I was wary of the cheeseburgers, so I ordered a veggie burger. It ended up being 2 buns with chopped up tomato, carrots, and bell peppers- a bit iffy but at least it filled me up!

After, Aneesh and I went to the market while Nick and Kevin went back to the room to sleep. We definitely  stand out here, so of course we had many market vendors calling out "mzungu" (foreigner) and offering us "very good price" on their goods. One man even walked up to us and asked what we were looking for. Aneesh really wanted a soccer jersey, so the man led us through the market to a vendor, one of his friends. While Aneesh was looking around, the man asked if I wanted to see what he was selling. I made it clear I probably wouldn't buy anything but why not? He unrolled some handmade water paintings, inspired by the local Tanzanian culture. He said they were usually $40 US, but "for you, sista, I'll give one to you for $20". I eventually bargained it down to 2 paintings for around $6. Happy fathers day, Dad!

Although my stomach is paying for it now, dinner was fantastic. The menu at our hotel offered my two favorite fruits in one salad- avocado and mango. A plate was probably around 2 avocados and 3 mangoes. There was a weird sauce on top, but I didn't mind. The avocado was very ripe and the mango as fresh as it could get. Ah, the beauties of being in a tropical setting.