The World Wide Web

Well, I am writing this blog post from the comfort of my cozy African abode, meaning that I finally have internet! It's been a long month of using the unreliable internet in the office and racing against time and money in internet cafes, and I'm so relieved to finally have it at home. It's going to be a challenge reminding myself that every MB I download is costing me money, and the convenience of flat monthly rates does not exist here. I've spent quite a bit of time on here this evening doing various things, and I'm sure I've run down my prepaid credit quite a bit. I figure it's worth it though, and it puts it in perspective to think that I probably won't come close to spending on Internet per month what I did back home on clothes! I have finally posted pictures as well, and they can be viewed at http://picasaweb.google.com/sarahldailey. I hope you enjoy viewing them as much as I enjoyed taking them. I think Liz finds it humerous (and possibly somewhat annoying) that I often make her stop on our walks around town because I see something I want to take a picture of! I guess it's nice to know that no matter what my memory may forget over time, the pictures will be there to remind me.

Liz and I spent our days off this weekend painting the office, and I think everyone is happy with the results. We tediously painted the new Swahili logo on the door and on one wall of the office, and it definitely brightens up the room! Before I came to Africa I didn't expect to be spending so much time in an office. Now that I've realized I'll be there quite a bit, we're doing all we can to make it an enjoyable environment to work in. The next improvement might come in the form of a fan, as it's started to get very hot in the afternoons. It's strange that the weather is beginning to warm up here, whereas at home the opposite will be happening in a month or so. Although I usually hate the cold of winter, I might find that I'll miss it this year!

I have officially had the first wedding proposal of my life, and let's just say that it wasn't all I'd hoped my first proposal would be! Liz and I were walking home from the office on Sunday when we were approached by a man. After introducing himself he bluntly explained that he was hoping to be married soon, and that he wanted to marry a white woman. His next sentence caught us a little off guard, as he said "Do you think that would be possible?" Liz and I quickly realized that he was wondering whether it would be possible to marry either one of us! Liz quickly explained that no, she wasn't going to be getting married anytime soon. With that, he turned to me and said, "Well maybe you will be the one I can have this conversation with." I explained that I was not looking to get married either, and we said goodbye and continued on our way. This conversation definitely provided us with some laughs, and I have remarked to Liz that we should have asked him how many cows he would have offered for us. Apparently it is common to offer livestock in exchange for a bride here, and the number and quality of animal is representative of how worthy the bride is seen to be. Miriam told us that she was once offered three cows, and I would have been curious to know how many of God's little creatures Liz and I would have fetched. Maybe next time we'll be prepared with questions of our own!

I finally got the recipe for the cake that Margaret, my housekeeper, makes. I thought I'd share it with you all! Though there's nothing African about it, it is just plain good, and worth the time to make! I haven't tried out the recipe myself yet - who needs recipes when I have a cook! - so you're on your own with this one!

MAMA MARGARET'S CINNAMON CAKE
Ingredients for cake:
- 2 cups flour
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup margarine
- 2 eggs

Ingredients for topping:
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp cinammon
- 1/2 tsp margarine

Mix cake ingredients together until smooth. Pour into a greased and floured cake pan. In a saucepan, combine the ingredients for the topping. Set on low heat and mix until small clumps are formed. Sprinkle on top of cake. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes. Enjoy!

I hope that with my renewed connection with the rest of the world that I can be better about posting and replying to emails. It's hard to remember how we survived when the internet didn't exist, back when encyclopedias were the norm for referencing facts! It's amazing to reflect on how far the Western world has come in these past few decades, and being here makes you appreciate the convenience of our home so much more. This part of the world is still behind, and many people here don't even have access to running water, much less computers. I have to wonder when - if ever - technology and modern advances will reach the remote villages of Tanzania and other parts of the world, but there are so many more necessary things which need to come before this. Things we've never had to live without - running water, electricity - some of these people have never had. Hopefully the turtles of the world will eventually catch the hares, this time with no anomosity at the finish line.