out of the country... a few times over.

This is my first opportunity to write and it is really long and I am still jet lagged so you may want to skip down, to where there is a line gap and says "Tanzania:"
I've just finished my second full day here in Mwanza Tanzania, but let me back track a little first, to my first out of the country/Europe experience.
I will worn you now that I am likely to romanticize these stories a little, but that is part of the hearing about my experience aye? That it is through my eyes and my words.
I had one day in London so I took the train from the airport to Peddington station--honestly, I didn't know where I was going and it was probably obvious to most but I think I fooled some that I belonged though. I walked out the nearest way I could find and found myself in Westminster Little Venice for the day, which is exactly what it sounds like. I think my favorite part of it though was where a little alley led between apartment buildings to a little square that was made into a green house and organic market of sorts. There were beautiful plants everywhere, a very classy indoor/outdoor organic cafe' and a quaint little wood shed with a grass roof with fresh bread, jams, spices, cheeses, and wines. It was terrific to say the least, and right in the middle of the city. I fell in love with that quaint little piece of town and thought about how great it would have been to live in one of those apartments over looking the garden on one side and town and the little Venice river on the other, then I remembered that this was just a very little piece of London, much less Europe, and I need to keep my whits about me.
Honestly this wasn't my first memorable London experience though, that would have been when the flight attendant offered me wine on the jet and i declined it thinking she didn't realize I wasn't 21... I shouldn't flatter myself. that only happened once though...
my first memorable land experience was losing my ipod on the bus that shuttled us from the jet to the airport. quick huh? I am open to the idea that maybe that was God didn't want me to be distracted as I can be and to experience things in Europe and Tanzania in full thought and able to hear him around me.

Tanzania:
When I arrived in Dar es Salaam, I found that my flight to Mwanza wasn't changed from the original date I was suppose to leave, on the 27th. I arrive at 7am and the soonest flight I could catch was 6pm. A guy at the airport that helps tourist out with planning trips and showing them around also helped me realize my problem and took me into down town Dar to a market. In short it was a good experience to see the city but mostly to have that time with David (which is what he told me his name is, but I think his Tanzanian name is something like Duidu). We talked about family and American business vs. Tanzanian business and I even had a conversation with our Muslim taxi driver through him, apparently about why we don't live 900 years and such anymore like early Old Testament stories. From what I understand, he said it was because everything we eat and drink and breath is so processed now that our bodies aren't as healthy; I think he also connected it with sin at some point, but the translation was hazy. At any rate, I agreed with the general principle, but I wasn't so sure if that was quite why we don't live 900 years anymore. I don't know why though.
Yesterday in Mwanza I was able to begin studying language, Swahili and Sukuma, Swahili more for in Mwanza and Sukuma is more what most of the villages use. I really like the languages, but it has definitely been difficult to keep up, especially without and note book so far. I was was able to play soccer with a bunch of guys here which which was brilliant! they welcomed pretty easily and asked me to come back every night; yeah! they play every night. lots of'em! I'm stoked! I also heard I missed the Africa qualifying match for the world championship or some other between Tanzania and another country which was held in Mwanza (and nothing like that ever comes to Mwanza), so...
A few things off the bat that have been new experiences for me are that there are people everywhere! Everywhere people because people walk everywhere and thus, with all of that foot traffic there are markets and things set of outside everywhere. I don't have anything profound to say about that just yet really; we've almost hit a few in the land cruiser, but I've really enjoyed always having someone to wave at while driving by, especially around the villages, and I am already feeling that I will be very lonely in my car back in America.
Today we went to the village Edonda though, which was surreal and so very real. on the way we stopped by the home of a man named Charles showed us the grave of his 4 month old girl and then hosted a meal of sweet potatoes. Charles has 17 kids I think, by two wives, one of which he took to care for after his brother died. Unfortunately, even though Charles is a leader in the Church by his way of life, it won't officially acknowledge him since he has two wives.
from there we continued to the village where they also insisted on us eating with them a meal of beans and rice with Chi and milk (we actually ate right before we left town). Then we watched and listened to many of the kids sing and dance for us, both before and after A missionary, Calvin gave a lesson. being there to listen and watch those kids, and see how 10s of them chased our car and were so excited about us being there, it was an experience I didn't know what to do with but to smile and express any return thanks and excitement that I knew how.
Sorry it's so long, but I felt the need to catch everyone up, and also just to get it all out of my system. Hopefully they will be shorter from this point... mostly.