This weekend I got to experience a lot more of Tanzanian
culture. On Saturday, our class took a
trip to a Masai village on the side of Mt. Meru. Our coordinator had reserved
Dala Dalas for us to take.
Before I continue. I need to explain that a Dala Dala is a
small van for about 12 people, usually packed with around 20 people. It is a
common (and cheap!) mode of transportation for most Tanzanians. The vans are
typically poorly maintained and drive so fast! Taking this little rinky-dink
van up part of a mountain, on the terrible bumpy dirt roads was… quite the
adventure! We got very close to the village when the van stalled for the second
time. The drivers thought perhaps it’d be better if we got out and walked the
rest of the way.
The village is a settlement of the typically nomadic Masai
people. This particular settlement receives livestock from the Heifer International
organization! My family has donated to Heifer a few times before, so it was
definitely cool to see the benefits in action! We toured around, saw their huts,
cattle, mole traps, children, and eventually hiked to a beautiful waterfall!
The children were hilarious, and they loved talking to and looking at us. They
shout “Mzungu! Mzungu!” which means foreigner, or white person. They even
offered some of us flowers! In fact, the one time I received flowers, another child
slapped me on the butt! I DIED of laughter, but was so confused.
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