On Friday at Kunzugu we tackled unplanned pregnancy and abortion. Abortion is illegal in Tanzania, but unfortunately it is still performed with poisons and medications, wire tools, and/or physical force to the womb. The students asked alot of questions which we were ready to answer. They understood why it was so dangerous to get an illegal abortion. They also are beginning to understand the seriousness of sex, and why it is something you should think about! Our classes have seemed to give them a venue to talk about things and ask questions that they don’t seem to be able to do anywhere else. I am glad that we have provided a safe space that they can do so. After class, Benson showed us the school garden where they grow tons of fruits and vegetables that they sell, and use. Nikki and I were pumped to find big Okras in the garden! I also found a huge pineapple shop in the market. The guy selling them asked me “Excuse me Madam, I know this is weird, but please may I touch your hair?” “Sure!” I’m used to it by now! 🙂

Today, it is a beautiful sunny Monday morning here in Bunda. We had a nice relaxing weekend at the Victoria Star Lodge. After breakfast, we picked up our kichenges from the tailor. We walked to the market together on Saturday morning. Us gals bought a ton of beautiful African fabrics to bring home. Zak and I bought a chuka which is a large African scarf worn by the Masai People. It’s basically a large plaid blanket, and they wear it over their shoulders and torso. In Bunda, the Masai act as watchmen at the market to make sure no funny business goes down. We played some games in the courtyard and I got my 60 SPF sunscreen tan on! For lunch we enjoyed chipsy mai which is an excellent African creation. It is crispy fries in a pan cooked with eggs and vegetables. It is the best with chili sauce on it! We had an early night in watching New Girl and reading as we had to wake up early for church on Sunday morning.

Scola picked us up on Sunday morning and together we walked to the Free Pentecostal Church of Tanzania. We were warmly welcomed and sat near the back as the church was quite full. We were dressed in our new skirts, and were made to stand up and introduce ourselves to the entire congregation. The music was upbeat and beautiful, and they had dancers at the front as well. The sermon was a little long, mainly because it was entirely in Swahili, and we didn’t really know what was going on. Church in Bunda goes from 7 am to 2 pm and so after 2 hours we gracefully made our escape. We walked back to our hotel and did our laundry for the week. It usually dries within the hour in the hot sun! We updated our journals, played some cards and tried to stay cool. That’s all from us. Until next time,

Stay cool.

Big D