Lukundane

This past Friday I went to a celebration called Lukundane with a whole group of interns--it's at a home for widows and orphans, and all of the proceeds benefit the organization. It was such a good time! We first got a tour of the facilities, and then we ordered dinner and watched a show that had traditional Tanzanian dances and songs as well as traditional Masaai dances. I ordered "chips mayai" which is that egg-and-french-fry dish I had the first night I was here. And I even got up and danced (there will be no pictures of that online). At the end of the evening all of the widows get up and do a traditional dance in a circle, but it's easy enough that even clumsy mzungus like me can join in.

The home does vocational training in computers and sewing, and these are the machines that they sew with. I wish I could sew on them! These are also the sewing machines that you see everywhere. They're from China, and who knows how old they are. Imagine this: men and women tailors sitting outside of their shops, sewing away on these machines right on the street. It's pretty neat.

The best part: they have a gift shop filled with things the women have made. I can't wait to go again and give them the rest of my money. I e-mailed the director about volunteering, which I think would be a great way to spend some of my time here. We'll see what he writes back!