Arrival to Africa

The first city on African soil: Dar es Salaam! This was a bustling, coastal city with merchants selling their goods and children playing in the side streets. The drive from the airport to the hotel was bumpy and long, but we were able to see lots of city life. Every intersection seemed to have about four to five roads with people and cars all throughout. The children had beautiful smiles and we enjoyed waving at them as we drove by. The clothing I noticed was very colorful. I also saw many people balancing baskets and goods on their heads: so impressive! Many women had short hair and I thought that was smart because it is easy to maintain and I'm sure it keeps them cool in their warm climate. The city was amazing, but I was very much looking forward to arriving at the hotel after a long journey from LAX. 
Our group stayed at the Serene Beach Hotel that was located directly on the sands of the Indian Ocean Coast. It was beautiful and picturesque. Once here, we had dinner and met with our professors. We also reviewed the agenda for our busy trip ahead. Safety precautions were discussed, as well as expectations for our course. Although I was very tired from all of the traveling in the two days prior, I was also extremely excited to see all that Tanzania had in store. The weather was also welcoming and the ocean breeze was refreshing. It was too bad we were only able to stay one night, but I'm glad we had the experience.    ​