After leaving the States on Valentine’s Day and traveling twenty four hours in the air alone—plus an overnight layover in Dubai, in which she took an impromptu city tour and saw all its splendor—she arrived at Mwanza Airport A FULL HOUR EARLY.
Having no way to check flight times, I arrived five minutes late to pick her up, assuming that I would still be about 30 minutes early. “Africa time” has YET to mean early in my experience, so imagine my surprise when I pulled up to see my mom sitting in the airport, happily chatting away with her new friend/seatmate from the flight, who was also waiting for his ride. Tanzanian friend #1. There would be many to come.
Kayci and I made a big fuss over our KARIBU JEANNINE...and then my mom’s three week adventure began.
It’s hard to know where to begin with the highlights reel...but here’s a very small sampling, most of which will be blogs to follow in the coming weeks.
Meeting everyone she’s heard about for the past five months
Sunday Pilau Dinner and singing with the girls
Invitations to share meals with friends in their homes
Walking through Kitongo’s town center and being so warmly greeted by everyone
Siku ya Wazazi—Parents’ Day at Joseph and Mary School
Driving through herds of zebra in Serengeti National Park
Shopping in Stonetown
Walking on the pristine white beaches of Zanzibar that stretch for kilometers
Swimming in the Indian Ocean for the first time
Getting our hair braided:
My mom returned home with a new style, many new friends, and all these wonderful memories!
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