I Am The Wanderer.

I went for another short walk to a small store down Old Morogoro Road today. It seems like every time I go i enjoy it more and more. Today, since I went on a Saturday at about noon, it was busier with more people walking to and from town, their homes, various tasks/jobs, etc. It was wonderful and I was able to meet a bunch of people again. On my way to the store (duka) I meet two people walking together in the same direction as me so we walked together for a ways and talked. I feel like there is less pressure to talk to people when I'm walking down Old Morogoro Road so I feel more confident in my aiblities and I tend to talk to more people. The man was a Catholic and the woman was Moravian. They asked where I was from, where I was walking, if I am studying Swahili, and told me that I was speaking well (a big compliment since I feel like I can barely speak). At the store I met two boys who had come to buy time for a phone. I talked to them for awhile and then we parted ways and I wished them a good day. Finally, on my walk back I caught up to a couple women walking with their babies. One of the women started talking to me quite a bit. We walked together and she told me her name was Angela or Mama Gladinus (women here are often called by 'Mama' and then the name of their first child). When it came time to part ways, we said good bye and she was telling her daughter (Gladinus) to say goodbye 'auntie Sara.' I love the closeness in this culture. It takes very little time to get people to open up to you, in fact they will often start up the conversation. I know that a lot of the attention I get from people and a lot of times people talk to me largely because I am a 'mzungu' (white person). And I know that people talk a lot slower to me because they assume that I won't understand them if they talk at a normal speed (which is a correct assumption and I am grateful for it). But nevertheless, it feels nice to feel included in the culture and accepted by the people even though I am clearly not from here. I got an email from Godi today - he used to be a teacher here (before we came) and would come visit every once in awhile, I met him only once or twice but I have a feeling that he is someone I will keep in touch with. A few days ago Omega told me that I live here now so I am no longer a tourist - at the time I didn't understand how that was possible, but as I build relationships with people here and start to feel at home here I can see that sense of living here coming through.
I can say without a doubt in my mind that I love this place and the people here. As a culture it is so communal in nature - everyone is called by brother (kaka), sister (dada), mother (mama), or father (baba). It is a more concrete way of expressing the sense that everyone is family and everyone depends on everyone else - much like family members rely on one another.
Peace.