three weeks in africa

So I've been here three weeks in Africa, and we are completing the first two weeks in our rural family home stay in the bangatan village.  Living and fully emerging myself in this families practices has been interesting to say the least. Chai (tea) and bread/butter for breakfast every morning, with amazing meals cooked over a three stone fire outside every night. Weekends consist of church and family parties/celebrations.  After church last week, which lasted 3.5 hours and consisted of some evangelical preaching in combination with many calls to donate where people would give money to the basket in the front of the church while singing and dancing.  At the end of the service they auctioned off goods such as banana trees, spices, beans, wood, stools which people provide because they dont have enough money to directly donate to the church.  The money acquired from the auction goes to the church as a donation from the person who brought that good.  My host family has been awesome and welcoming, laughing with me while i struggle to pick up swahili words here and there.  Ive bonded with my 15yo brother who speaks some english words but no sentence structure whatsoever.  we talk about girls and help each other with home work, and the rest of my family has only spoken swahili to me but ive been able to understand a fair amount and get by.  I've struggled but enjoyed the homestay experience over the course of the past few weeks, but am excited for our safari starting saturday with a bit more english and getting out into the wild to see some animals.  Upon returning we have midterms which consist of three papers (10 pg, 5pg, and 3 pg) and two projects based on the data which we are collecting in our homestay about the structure and way of life.  The weekly readings have surrounded globalization, foreign macro/micro aid, and we have written page long concept papers to prepare for discussions within our group with Baba Jack. I still collect a group of 10+ kids ranging from 4-5 following me to school in the mornings, and I try to make conversations with my little swahili.  I am trying hard to represent America well to the Tanzanians here who rarely see foreigners, and I think I am doing a fair job.  I also don't know if its my whiteness or my hideous face, but I made my cousins 2.5 year old baby cry every time she comes over the house to see me. Everyone else has been very outgoing with me trying to talk to me and open to having conversations in my broken swahili and their minimal english.  Swaenglish has become a common tongue to me and ive gotten quite good at it.  I think ill be on my way now but when I come back i hope to have some safari stories to share with you all.  I encourage you all to comment on the blog or send me fb messages/emails!!!  its been nice to hear from everyone and I hope you have enjoyed my posts/pictures.

-sam