4th of July in TZ!

Since this is an "in" week, meaning the mentors would be in Arusha, I decided we Americans on base (all 4 of us!) should celebrate the 4th of July together. Josh and Renee are a young couple from Boone, NC, and my friend Janet and I had a cookout together. We invited a token New Zealander, Neil, and did it right: hot dogs, baked beans, potato salad, deviled eggs, even roasted marshmallows. Josh had a huge American flag, and I had been saving party decorations for a year, and Josh even had some sparklers. It's "cold" here right now, so the fire felt great - no 100 degree 4th for us! One of my favorite parts was when I told Neil that it was one of our traditions for the non-American visitor to perform the first skit of the night! He wasn't sure whether to believe me or not and said, "I think I would have heard of that custom!"

Tomorrow is a holiday, too, Saba Saba, which means the seventh day of the seventh month. It is known as Industry Day, which, given the recent massive power cuts, is a little ironic, as virtually no industry is happening at the moment! So, I guess it won't hurt for everyone to take the off! Since we didn't take the 4th off, I'm thinking of it as a delayed 4th of July holiday!