Kuuliza si ujinga

Now I really feel like I've been in Africa. Or at least the Africa of legend and popular culture.

We went to Mikumi National Park this weekend to see animals and take a break from training. And we had success on both accounts. We saw elephants, giraffes, hippos, crocodiles, impala, buffalo, and probably a few I'm forgetting. We also saw a pair of lions (a male and a female) and a beautiful double rainbow. All in a landscape that looked remarkably like eastern Oregon. There were several moments where I glanced out the window of the bus, saw the scattered trees and grassy plains and distant mountains, and had an overwhelming feeling of being somewhere near Bend.

It was also nice to finally spend a lot of time with the trainees who aren't in my Swahili class, who I usually only see once a week. When we're all together, it's hard to remember that, a mere few weeks from now, we'll be scattered throughout the country and only see each other once or twice a week. Especially since, in the month and a half we've been here, I've become as close to the trainees who share my Swahili class as I am to people I knew for years at home.