“Nimefurahi kukufahamu.”

by liz

That’s “Nice to meet you.” We had our first Kiswahili lesson yesterday, and I think they will be a challenge! We have four hours in class every day for the next few weeks, in addition to three hours of Research Methods a week. Our instructor seems good so far, though, which is promising.

Yesterday afternoon after class, we were all wiped! After showers and naps, we spent about an hour at Mwenge market. I bought a kanga (type of fabric that can be worn as a skirt of shawl, usually with very bright colors and patterns) from a lady who proceeded to give me some free henna!

I never got the chance to blog about Saturday! We went to Bongoyo Island, where I was very excited to have the chance to jump off the top of a boat into the Indian Ocean. We snorkeled over a small reef as well, which was a lot of fun. We also took a  nature hike around the island, and saw: eels, crabs, starfish, a giant python, fish, snails, and probably more that I am forgetting. Our fish lunch was amazing, and ridiculously fresh, and the whole day was just incredibly relaxing. I’m definitely looking forward to the rest of our weekend field trips!