over achievers and curves

Wow...I still cannot believe we are traveling sometimes!! Staying here in Moshi is totally gorge...especially since we finally have some time to just chill out. We literally have been on the move from place to place so quickly. It has been wonderful, but since we were on the go so much it was hard to fully relax and crack into wherever we were. So far hanging out at our rooftop bar has been the best meeting place. Last night we met 3 med students from LA, Dave, Nate, and I forget the third guys name. They were super cool and interesting guys. One was origanally from Waltham {which is a town right next to Newton where I grew up} and he and his family share the same kind of love for the Chateau as mine does!!! This to me was hysterical, as I made it a must to go to that restaurant when we were visiting home before this adventure. I mean seriously, who would have thought I would meet a boy on the roof overlooking Mt Kilimanjaro who enjoyed birthdays and celebrations at my fav Italian family style restaurant???!!!! Too much!!
Theses 3 guys came to Tanzania and Kenya as part of a school study, and had the miraculous story to tell of being the ones to help a woman give birth in a hut about a week ago just by chance!! Not one of the guys had ever performed such a feat, and they had just been touring the "hospital" in Kenya when a woman who had just walked 3 miles from her village arrived ready to pop out a baby. The mid wife asked the guys if they wanted to do the delivery and they jumped at the chance. Apparently, within 20 minutes the baby was out, the woman had no drugs, and barley made a grunt, and after the cord was cut she literally got up, and took her baby to the next room. That same day she left to walk back to her village!!! Amazing. It just puts life in perspective I guess. I mean..babies have been being born forever, and in some places its no big deal. Could any of you imagine a women popping out a lil one and getting up and walking home right after in America????!!??!!?!?!?!?!
This morning on the same rooftop, over coffee we met 4 other travelers, one, a girl Jenn who went to Gonzaga {Jonathans college} a year behind Jonathan, and the 3 other guys who live in Boise!! Ummmmmzzzttztztztz!! Seriously this is totally crazy. It turns out the girl Jenn has lived in Moshi for 7 months working at an orphanage, and has just moved to Dar Es Salaam to teach.
Meeting people here is wild. Some of you might think that Jonathan and I have achieved a great feat in being able to take this trip, but after meeting people who have not only traveled here, but are assisting the community and helping in incredible ways, kind of makes me feel like an under achiever!! I am thinking that this trip is for us to explore and figure out what it is we want to give our energy to...there are too many causes and people to choose from. Perhaps later in the trip we will also be of assistance. I can only hope.
Tonight we are going to meet up with the 4 people we met today, and I am excited to pick this girl Jenns brain to get a better grasp of moshi and local fare. Just walking down the street as Jonathan mentioned, there are always annoying boys trying to sell you something or get you to hang out with them, and overall they are just scammers trying to take advantage of tourist. I am excited to hang out in the local spots where those guys do not lurk. They are not threatening, just annoying.
Yesterday as Jonathan spoke of in his last blog entry, I was so lucky to get some fabric to have a look made. The sister of one of the girls who works at the hotel took me to the hot spot. Her name is Sitta {I might have this a little wrong}. I had asked her to take us because I wanted the real deal. At first, I do not think she understood, and totally brought us to the tourist shop, and I took one look at the overpriced fabric there, and just gave her a look of no thank you. This time she understood immediately and took us throughout the busy streets past all sorts of non sense to a tiny hole in the wall shop, stacked from floor to ceiling with the most spectacular array of fabric. The most wild of patterns, prints and color were before me. This is what I was looking for. Sitta, who brought us, totally hooked it up, and asked the girl behind he counter to let me back there so that I could fondle and find the exact piece I wanted!!! I chose something fierce, which you will all se at a later date. We then went to a tailor on the street..{all along the roads are men and women with foot pedal sewing machines just working it out all day} Thank goodness for Sitta, because she then helped explain what I wanted, which I would have had a hard time communicating. I had drawn out a front and back image though to make it easier. Basically I got the traditional fierce lady look. All the woman here are wrapped and draped in kooky crazy fabric, but only some have the outfit tailored. I have loved it since we got here, and I knew I needed to feature it too. The entire outfit is made out of the same print fabric, so it actually appears to look more like a dress than a top and a skirt. The skirt is long and narrow falling just below the knees, and has small pleats on the bottom to make it easier to walk, and the top is a cap sleeved shirt. Both pieces will look great separately, as I will probably not be wearing a one piece dizzying outfit all at once when I get back to America. The tailor we went to was an older woman and she seemed kinda phsyced to make my outfit, and that I wanted the local look. She measured me to perfection just on the street corner, and I am positive she will make a masterpiece. I am sure she had a laugh about my measurements though, as I am not nearly as curvaceous as all the Tanzanian women!!!!
ok..till next time xxoxoxo
Alicia Claire