Island Hopping

The past two weekends I have explored nearby islands off the coast of Dar. Last weekend I took a speedboat (an adventure in itself) over to Mbudya, a small island with beautiful turquoise waters. Although the sky was a bit grey and rainy the weather made for a choppy and exciting ride back to the mainland. Flora (one of my housemates) and I sat in the front, half laughing, half screaming as we clung to the side of the boat as it went over the waves. The best part – seeing a whale (the species of which is under debate)!

Yesterday we explored Bongoyo island (the pics posted are from Bongoyo), a much bigger island than Mbudya. Getting there was interesting as the tide was out so we had to wade to a smaller boat that then ferried us out to a larger boat (and then repeat once we arrived at Bongoyo). Both islands provided beautiful swimming, white beaches, fresh seafood and the perfect lazy way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

This morning was interesting as there was a chance it would be the start of a two day public holiday because of Eid, the end of Ramadan. However this is dependent on the sighting of the moon, which apparently was not spotted last night. So tomorrow may be a public holiday! It’s been a bit confusing with some people coming to the office and others not but at the same time it also feels a bit exciting and spontaneous.

Work is also going really well. We recently submitted an abstract to the National AIDS conference in Arusha for this coming December in hopes that we may be able to do a short presentation. I am also working on organizing a discussion event with microfinance institutions about how to become more engaged in the fight against HIV/AIDS and researching and developing a couple of proposals around livelihoods and youth. All the while I continue to meet with various AIDS support organizations big and small. It’s all very exciting and I would love my job - even if it didn't come with the perk of lovely beaches and islands nearby (not that I am complaining).