African finale....

My long awaited trip to Tanzania went faster than I could ever have imagined.  My last full day was spent making a few purchases and walking around the city taking pictures of things that Erin wanted to remember.  She took photos of people and places she saw every day, and she said goodbye over and over again to people who all asked her when she would be back.  She is leaving so many friends - I am amazed at the number of people who have become a part of her world in just four short months.

Zanzibar

We started the morning at the hotel in Dar es Salaam.  After another interesting car ride down a street filled with the biggest potholes I've ever seen, we were on the way to the ferry station to buy our tickets to cross to Zanzibar.   We made a quick trip to a "mall" where they have a Subway (unheard of treat for Erin the last four months) and then we waited for the ferry.

The crush to enter the ferry was a claustrophobic experience I'm not eager to repeat again.  Everyone in the place (there were hundreds) all got up and converged on this tiny "gate" area where people went through one at a time.  The little child in front of us was nearly squashed in the press of people as they all surged towards the gate.  It was a little unnerving, but then we were through the gate, and entered the ferry.

It was a rolling, but lovely ride over to the island of Zanzibar.  The island itself was beautiful from the approach, the buildings rising out of the horizon.

Off to Dar and a phamly reunited...

This morning Erin said some goodbyes to friends in her program, and we were off to Dar es Salaam. Our first stop was the ATM to get cash, of course. The second stop was the Arusha Airport, not to be confused with Mount Kilimanjaro International. We drove down a dirt road that veered off the highway, and suddenly, we were in the midst of a lot of tiny little airplanes.

Tanzania for the win!

This morning, I woke up in Africa.  What a joy.  How amazing!  Two days ago, I left the familiar ground of Minnesota in an airplane filled with travelers heading all over the world, and now, I am on the other side of the planet, spending time with my daughter in a world I have only dreamed about.

We spent today running errands and walking around Arusha, Tanzania, a world entirely separate and different from the one I am used to.  In the shadow of Mt. Meru, we navigated the busy streets teeming with traffic and people.   I have seen where Erin lives, explored the byways that she has called home for four months, and have become familiar with the words you must utter over and over whenever you are out - hapana asante, which means no thank you!