I had lots of fun this candidate's weekend! Running the design build was nerve-wracking (I was as nervous as you! but overall rewarding, exhilarating, and spectacular! On Saturday night, west hallers really pulled all the stops. I wish I had been able to meet more candidates, but I was called away to play rehearsal. As predicted, I did no work this weekend, but our professors have been more than lenient this week with extensions. Anyways, I saw my classmates pick up my slack - and then some! Actually, if I've noticed a theme in the conversations I've had with regards to candidate's weekends, it's been "too much" and "too strong!"
I'm presently sitting in the library as candidates file in from across the nation and around the world. These bright eyes will see, as I saw only one year ago (minus a week - CW2) the sun glinting off of Milas Hall, the snow drizzled over the O. It also appears that they will be greeted, as I was, by our own Kevin (class of 2012)! He and many other energetic students will be bustling the candidates off on tours and towards adventure (in the adventure-hat direction!). The memories of my candidates weekend are crashing over me. I was seeing Olin for the first time! I got to meet the students and see the facilities, to watch the shows and demonstrations! When I think back to my CW, I think of it through the lens of an Oliner, and I have to wonder: How will this year be different?
Many months ago, over the course of my first weeks at Olin, I had a vision of a spectacular future. It was not the end of the term, when I would hopefully regard my first semester of university with satisfaction, nor was it my summer break, when I would finally be back with my friends and working irregular, long hours (a useful talent I'm now proud to have perfected here at Olin). Instead, I was picturing a full year hence, when a new flock of freshmen would populate the campus.
This is Mt. Meru, as seen on a safari I went on two days ago as a part of my orientation for studying away in Arusha, Tanzania. I can see Mr. Meru from my apartment window!
Today I found myself smack dab between two African men,
holding my backpack on my lap as we hurdled down the left side of the road in
the daladala (a van that functions as a bus) to my first day of my African culture
course.The other five girls in the
daladala and I exchanged smiles, and watched women wearing beautifully vibrant
dresses and men in suits (and regular clothing too) get on and off the
daladala.We get on the daladala at one
of two traffic lights in the city of Arusha, and ride for 25 minutes before we
arrive at Makumira University.I am mad
excited for this course, because I will get the chance to play drums, learn African
dance and even travel with a Maasai choir.This course is one of four, including Women in East Africa, Contemporary
Issues and Conflicts in East Africa and Introduction to Kiswahili.
These past few days have been a whirlwind of jetlag and new sights
and sounds.I arrived on Feb 4, but it
feels like I've been here so much longer, especially given the amount of stuff
that they've packed into our days.I'm
staying at Arusha Resort Centre, and I'm living with two roommates in our own
apartment complete with kitchen, a king size bed (I got a single!), a bathroom
and a common space.I am living in
Arusha, a town of approx 270,000 people, according to wikipedia. Everyone here speaks Kiswahili, and a
lot of people in Arusha speak English.All
higher education is in English, and as a center for tourists many residents are
fluent (or fluent enough to ask me to buy something).
We get charged an arm and a leg, and I still haven't
mastered the art of bartering.Luckily,
the exchange rate is in our favor.A
good meal at a restaurant is about $2.50, a taxi ride is $3-$4 and bottled
water is about 40 cents.Being white
(they call us mzungu) there are locals who badger us to buy things the moment
we get onto the street, because they assume we have money.Taxi drivers are eager to take us places, and
the daladala drivers practically carry us onto the vans to get our patronage.When we come out of an ATM, there are people
there waiting.
This past week has been orientation week, where me and the
other 12 people in my program (now 15, three east african students have joined us!) get shuttled from one thing to another. We've had walking tours, seen our classrooms,
discussed safety and we went on a safari. Today was the first day of classes.Because of the elevation and proximity to Mt. Meru, Arushua is actually
relatively (for Africa) cool.The
weather was nearly perfect for our safari.We went to the Arusha National State Park, and sat in a van, whose top
can be lifted to make a sort of canopy.I saw hippos, monkeys, warthogs, buffalo and giraffes (to name a
few.)The highlight was most certainly
the giraffes.We got to see one that was
ten feet away.It just stood there
majestically, chewing some leaves, and looking at us a with a benign look.Absolutely amazing. Unfortunately, my camera ran out of juice before we saw the giraffe, but below are a couple of classic pictures!
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