Ciao Canadian Chicas!

Mom says I have to start practicing saying goodbye since we’re leaving Africa for good in a little less than 3 weeks (I’m freaking out about this on the inside).  So, I was able to obey her by saying goodbye to my pretty Canadian friends Shannon and Susan.

Shannon and Susan

Susan and Shannon came to Mwanza as part of the African Probiotic Yogurt Network.  Shannon is a microbiologist and Susan is a business intern with the project that helps to distribute probiotic yogurt to rural women in Northern Tanzania.

Before Shannon and Susan came along, mom and I were all alone in Mwanza, so when these girls showed up it changed our world!  As you can tell from the photo above, they were super happy, super fun, and they also loved me like you wouldn’t believe (I mean, who doesn’t, other than Turkish Air?)  Shannon and Susan made the most of their time in Mwanza by hosting the Mama-Q and traveling to Dubai with mom for Easter.

In order to celebrate their departure from Mwanza, we decided to go hiking in Capri Point to witness the beauty of the sunset over Lake Victoria.  I did this hike way back in January 2012 when I first arrived in Mwanza (and it’s also where I took the photo that heads this whole blog, clearly it’s a special place).  Because I’m so experienced, I led the way through the rocks and out to the overlook point where we could have a bird’s-eye view of Mwanza and the lake.

Look over here!

This way, girls!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I got to take photos for the last time in Africa with my ladies in a setting that matched their beauty.  I’m hoping they’ll print them out and frame them so they’ll be sure to never forget me.

Goodbye Shannon!

Goodbye Susan!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As we were preparing to hike back out, some local children came along and were excited to see us.  It always fascinates me how people live, perched up between the rocks.  At first the children were afraid of me, as most Tanzanians are.  But mom bribed them to come and pet me.  I was a bit uncomfortable with this situation at first (who knows where those hands have been), but the children were very gentle and seemed genuinely interested in getting to know me.  They even smiled at the camera as I took photos with them (a rarity in Tanzania).

Continuing my Mpende Mbwa mission in Mwanza

With this, we headed back down for one last dinner at Tilapia.  See you on the other side of the world, girls!

I’ll make sure my mom takes me to see you real soon!

Africa is Home

Yup, Africa is my home, which is probably why I haven’t been posting much lately.  You see, once you get into a routine and make a place your home, it all just seems so normal and ordinary.  It’s interesting how one dog’s “extraordinary” is another’s “ordinary”, isn’t it?

Africa is Home

So what is ordinary for me, you ask?  Well, every morning I wake up on my TanFoam mattress after a (usually) good night’s sleep.  What might disturb my sleep: only the occasional power outages that kill our fan.  And the fan, well it kills two birds with one stone: it cools us off in the sticky African heat and it provides white noise to drown out the howling dogs, mosques, roosters, loud music, and other varied nighttime noises.

Oh yeah, I also disembowel stuffed animals on the bed, too

Most days my mom leaves me early in the morning to go to work and I get sad.  Mondays are especially bad since I’ve just gotten used to having mom around over the weekend and then poof, come Monday she’s gone again.  But at least I’ve got Agatha, my house girl, and Twiga, my kitty, to keep me company during the day.

Bros for life

When mom finally gets home from work, the exciting part of my day begins!  We always go on a walk around our neighborhood of Isamilo.  On every single one of these walks I’m haggled by passersby about what kind of animal I am or if I’m available for the taking.  Luckily I’ve gotten used to being the weirdo here in Mwanza so these comments just roll off my back as I trot along.

Keep on keeping on

When we get home from our afternoon walk, it’s usually almost sunset and since we’re nearly on the equator, the sun rises and sets more or less at the same time every single day.  The sun sets fast in Africa so if you’re not quick you’ll miss the beautiful sight!

Quickly setting…

The vibrant African sunset

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And there you have it, a play-by-play of my daily life here in Tanzania.  Not so extraordinary when you’ve lived it for more than 9 months.  I bet you don’t think your daily life is very interesting either, but I’d beg to differ.  I’ve been in Africa for so long that I can’t even remember America.  Mom says it’s cold there and that there’s a thing called snow, but I don’t recall any such thing.  America and its snow sound exciting and adventurous, but then again, everyone says the same about living in Africa.  So I guess it’s just change that makes life interesting, huh?

I reckon I’ll need a new snowsuit when I get back

Sunset in Africa

Yesterday mom and I went hiking on the rocks in Mwanza overlooking Lake Victoria.  The best time to go hiking is sunset because when you get to the top the view is surreal.

Mom and I overlooking Lake Victoria

I’ve never seen anything like an African sunset.  I may only be 6 months old, but I’ve had the chance to see sunsets in Kenya, Tanzania, and the USA, and the sunsets here are by far the best.  I think it’s because we’re so close to the equator so the sun sets very quickly and this occurs at roughly the same time very day.  In fact, the sun sets so rapidly that you can actually watch it move and disappear below the horizon.  This is perfect for me, since I’m such a young, little dog and have ADHD!

A few minutes later, the sky looked like this...

I think another reason that the sunset here is so beautiful, is that the colors are framed by the rocks and the lake.  You all MUST come see what I’m making such a fuss about!

Sunset at Tunza Beach