Did some spring cleaning, yesterday. My house is spotless right now and it’s such a good feeling. It’s shadow week and this weekend I will be hosting two girls from the new training class who will come out to Ihanja to see my work and what life in the field is really like. It’s an exciting time. I remember my shadow week last year. I shadowed a PCV down in Njombe. It was a lot of fun and helped me out in understanding what health and environment volunteers actually do at site.
So, in preparation of my guests, I cleaned the abode top to bottom. I really don’t mind household chores around here (except dishes…I hate doing dishes). Yeah, they take ten times as long as they do back home but there’s something about a day’s worth of elbow grease that makes you feel good. Laundry is actually enjoyable. It takes a full day to do a couple loads but like yesterday, the sun was shining and I had Al Green on my iPod speaks. Couldn’t complain. The neighborhood kids came by to play with Nyika and we had a dance party to “Tired of Being Alone”. And there really isn’t anything more satisfying than a stack of fresh, clean, folded kangas at the end of a day. Laundry is actually a perk of living in Singida- let’s face it, Singida isn’t exactly a vacation destination, we don’t have too many selling points. Out here though, it’s so dry clothes are bone dry in a matter of minutes. It’s the single downfall of coastal regions, in my opinion. In Tanga, I remember the humidity meant that my clothes never really dried completely and people constantly walked around with the slightest tinge of a moldy aroma. Gross.
So, if you’re not a climber but are looking for a reason to visit central TZ…come wash your clothes, it’ll be a ball!
