Arusha

I was only in Arusha for a few days because the main purpose of stopping there was to meet up with the whole Support for International Change team I'll be working with for the next eight weeks.

My initial impression of Arusha -- COLD. Compared to the warm weather I became accustomed to in Zanzibar, Arusha felt like a freezer and no one warned me of this! Good thing I came prepared with one pair of jeans and one fleece jacket...

I stayed at the Center House hostel. I initially shared a room with Chelsea but was then moved into another room with three girls, Chelsea, Carman, and Camille. The rooms were pretty spacious and we had REAL blankets to use! (In Zanzibar, we were literally given a sheet, or nothing at all and therefore resorted to using our microfiber towels as a blanket, haha.) Unfortunately, hot showers were hard to come by, the electricity turned on and off randomly, and the windows didn't shut completely. These were just some of the things I've had to get used to since I've been here.

One of the highlights of my time in Arusha was the waterfall hike in the foothills of Mt. Meru. Rogers, an SIC friend and Masai from Arusha, lead the hike. We left our hostel bright and early at 8am and didn't return until 4:30pm. The hike started off pretty flat but gradually became steeper and steeper until we were basically hiking uphill on uneven, rocky dirt road.
We visited Rogers village and school he attended as a child along the way. We were welcomed with open arms by the smiling children who were all super excited to see foreigners and amazed by our digital cameras. The scenery was beautiful -- lots of open green fields, trees, and hills.
As we kept moving it soon felt like we were hiking through a jungle. We followed a muddy trail and had to be careful not to slip down muddy slopes, using our hands as support. Eventually we reached a stream. Changed out of our muddy sneakers and into flip flops and hiked the rest of the way through the stream. The water was pretty cold, but it wasn't all that uncomfortable to walk through. Before we knew it, we reached the waterfall!

Everyone got so dirty and wet during the hike, but it was well worth it to see a natural waterfall secretly tucked away and bond with the rest of the team. It was awesome.