The Aminals...

Thursday and Friday I had the opportunity to go on safari with the volunteer team. It was so awesome! We had so much fun gazing at God's creation and it is so beautiful here, who could expect anything less when God created it! We took a 4 hour drive to Mikumi making a few pit stops along the way. One being for my driver's license which I didn't get that day because of waits. Oh well. We finally made it to Mikumi, separated into our cabins and settled in. The pictures below are from the way there and of our place. The cabin I was in had 3 twin beds and a double (which Lindsey and I volunteered for) and they all came equipped with mosquito nets. It also had a little back porch where we could sit and take in the sights.

Then we headed out to see the aminals. We got to see some elephants and zebras and giraffes and impalas and baboons and wildebeasts and cape buffalo and birds and hippos. We were hoping for some lions but the lazy bums didn't come out for us. And we got to see the most beautiful sunset and a great sunrise. God is faithful even when we don't get to see the sunrise or set because of rain, the sun is still there, shining!

Then we headed back to Dar, but along the way we decided to stop again to try for my license. A true African experience if you ever need one. We (Charity and I) had to go to the traffic office to get a form and we had to wait for him to get there. But he finally showed up (about an hour later) only to tell us that I needed to get an eye exam. So we thought we were done, but luckily Charity remembered where a clinic was so we stopped to get one. It was the best eye exam I've ever had, a little form filled out, a signature, and I was on my way. It's a good thing I could read the bottom line anyway. Then we were on our way back to the traffic office for the form. In the mean time the rest of the team decided to pile in one can to head back...poor kids all jammed together...I'm sure it was like a pack of sardines. So we got back to the traffic office, cut in line in true Tanzanian style, got the form filled out and headed to the place where they would put another little form in a little booklet called my license. But while we were there we had to go upstairs to see a mama who would stamp the first form. We went back downstairs got the little form in the little booklet and we were on our way back to the traffic office to get the final approval so that I could drive. What an experience! As Charity would say we felt like we were on the Amazing Race just for a license. But I'm just saying that I think we would have won if we really had been on the show. All of this took about two and a half hours, although it seemed like a lot longer. Then we headed back to Dar and met the rest of the team for dinner at the most wonderful Indian place. It was great, a good way to end the day and celebrate me getting my license. I'm not going to lie, I did a little dance when I got home (Amber, you know the one).