Saturday, January 08, 2011

Is it a federal crime in Tanzania to break into a post office?

Kristen and I parted ways this morning as she boarded a bus headed towards Dar and I boarded one back to Katesh. This time I had a seat so I was able to nod off a few times. My pack weighed several tens of pounds with not only the loot I bought in Singida, but also the package Kristen picked up at the post office (I had it so she didn’t have to carry it to MST & back). As soon as I disembarked in Katesh, I called Justin to see if he was home so I could meet him…and hopefully stash my pack for a few hours. Thankfully he was home so I did meet him and we chatted for awhile. Around 11:30, we went to the post office so I could pick up any mail I might have because I am waiting for a few large envelopes. The outer metal gate/door was locked but the wooden door directly behind it was open. By all appearances, the post office should be open but no one answered our call at the door – we assume the person went for chai. We did meet Steve, a missionary in Katesh who was also trying to get his mail. Steve, his wife Natalie, and their 3 kids just returned from ~8 months in the US. All but 3 of the current PCVS in Hanang District arrived after they left, which means they don’t really know any of us anymore. Regardless, they like to have PCVs over to their house for dinner some night. Steve mentioned the Super Bowl which sounded excellent at the time but I realized afterward that it will be early Monday morning here and we have school. Shucks. I am still thrilled he said we can have hamburgers.

Justin and I went to the usual rice & beans place but decided to try the pilau; definitely worth the extra 1000Tsh. We tried the post office again after eating but the person must have returned from chai break (tea) and decided it was time to close. We were only gone (at most) an hour. Although I waited on the daladala for the usual couple of hours before it left, it actually left being full. Usually it is packed to the brim but not today. The same thing happened when we left Endasak. Inconceivable! There were a couple of girls going to the hostel (school starts Monday) and the dala brought us to the entrance. Sure, a 30 min walk with my heavy pack would have bee good exercise but I certainly won’t complain about (essentially) front door service.

At home tonight, I noticed 2 cool beetles. One would make a squeaky sound when it felt threatened, like when kitty tried playing with it. I guess it’s a decent defense mechanism because he stopped and stared at it when it was making the noise. The other was a rhinoceros beetle! It is named such due to its proboscis that looks like a rhino horn. I’m pretty sure I learned about it from the TV show Kratt’s Creatures. On a completely unrelated note, at some point today, I saw a guy wearing a “Spartan Football Cayuga CC” shirt. I’m guessing it is from the same Cayuga Community College in NY, though I don’t know if they are the Spartans and have a football team. There are lots of random shirts here but it’s neat to see one from home-ish.

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