First Weekend in Moshi

Once I got over the first bout of jet lag, we hit the ground running. I also caught a silly cold right before I left Omaha, so the first week here I was battling jet lag and a cold- but I powered through it! It took me about a week to get back to my normal self from jet lag, but I still did pretty well making sure I didn’t sleep all day (though naps with alarms set were essential some days :).

playing with my new camera 🙂 I’m loving the macro setting! All the plants and wildlife here are so beautiful!

The second day I was here, we went back to town to finish getting groceries in the morning, and to exchange our money into shillings. I felt so rich as $10 is 15,000 shillings! Haha! Here’s how Tanzanian money looks, in case you were wondering.

We have frequented the same markets for the past couple of weeks: Deo’s (a mainly produce market, with some other basics too), Aleem’s Grocery (a small grocery store stocked with pantry items, some butter and meats and cheese), and a bread shop. We also made our first visit to Nakumatt one day, which is the closest thing Tanzania has to Walmart!

Deo’s Market

I love the town of Moshi. Going into town is a lot of fun! There are outdoor markets everywhere, people selling all kinds of things, and a whole lot more. I snapped this pic outside Deo’s one day.

That Saturday night (day 2 in Moshi), after my other roommate and fellow teacher Cynthia arrived, we went out to dinner with the whole Global Effect clan. I love how tight-knit the missionary community is here in Moshi, and even tighter is the small but mighty Global Effect team! So we finally got to meet everyone at a restaurant super close to our house called Ohuro (I think!?). We had roasted chicken, “chips” (french fries), and a delicious salad of cucumbers, tomatoes, and avocados. It was a lot of fun getting to know others who are in a similar position as I am. Definitely check out Global Effect’s website for more info on all the projects going on right now! Anywho, while eating outside, there was this huge bird that came and walked around the lawn. It’s a  Marabou Stork!

The next day (Sunday) we went to church at International Christian Center (ICC), a church here in Moshi that does a Swahili and English service. It brought back memories of being in Togo!
In the evening we went over to the Helbling’s house for an orientation of sorts- everyone on the Global Effect team pitched in to help us orient ourselves with Moshi, and the culture. It was very helpful, and much-needed!

We are off into the second week of school already! After lots of adjustments and switches, I can’t wait to settle in with my students! But that’s a post for another time!

Much Love, Allie