More than one full week since arriving in Morogoro, the initial culture shock seems to have worn off and I think I have finally come to term with the ever-present ants in my bathroom--they seem to have a thing for cinnamon toothpaste--and my gecko friend that always seems to rattle against the window just as I'm about to fall asleep. I've gotten used to the lack of make-up, the constant odor of DEET and the unpredictability of the power grid. How easy it is to take simple things like electricity, warm water, constant Internet access for granted. The scenery continues to impress me and the showers sure haven't gotten any warmer. Just when I think I've got it all under control, something surprises me. Last night it was the owl on the top of the roof eating a mouse. (EW! Birds.) Or last week when the power decided to go out for 7 plus hours. Or the credits I bought for my cell phone don't work.
Luckily the weekend was not full of such surprises. I went into the lab on Saturday, mostly just to use the Internet and make sure all the samples in the freezer hadn't been completely ruined by the power outage on Friday night. I even went into town on a dala dala all by myself! Once I got there I of course reverted to the usual path to the market and back but a small success nonetheless. Unfortunately there is not much to explore in Morogoro. When I returned I decided to take a whack at the whole cooking thing and turning on the satellite in the common room of the hostel. Once again, it seems that soccer will provide some distraction and comfort while I'm in Africa. Thank goodness for Euro2008 (and Skype). Surprisingly Al Jazeera news in English is a comfort as well. Tonight France is playing and a match-up against Italy and the Netherlands--should be a good night.
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