Settling in

I've been here for almost a week now and everything is still very new and surreal. The four of us are settling into our house in Moshi, although it might only be three of us staying there. We still have the opportunity to change our minds about whether we want to live and work in Moshi or Arusha -- a larger, more international city about an hour away. We're actually in Arusha right now, checking things out...I'm still not sure where I'll want to be, but the quiet, easy-going lifestyle of Moshi is getting more and more appealing. The house there is really nice -- four bedrooms, two bathrooms with a shower and a bathtub, hot water, relatively reliable electricity, and an incredible view of Mt. Kili right from our front yard. We fall asleep to the sounds of our neighbors singing prayers and conducting exorcisms (yes, that's right), and we are awaken sometimes by the 5 am Muslim call to worship. A lot of new sounds to get used to... We've begun our Swahili lessons -- about four hours a day for the next couple weeks. It's coming along slowly and it's going to be a long road, but it's a neat language and I'm excited to be able to speak it. In Moshi, people don't speak as much English, so I think I'd learn it much faster if I decide to stay there. We've begun to check out the various NGOs here, as well, to see which one we might want to work with. We've visited some interesting ones, but so far nothing that really calls to me...but, we'll see. I'm trying to stay flexible and keep an open mind. Really, I'd be willing to work just about anywhere, as long as they could use me. It's a beautiful country and so far the people are very welcoming and friendly -- especially when you try out your Kiswahili. It's still hard to grasp the idea of being here for an entire year...right now that seems like such a long time. But I think things will start feeling more like home over the next few weeks.