Nas Ana Madri Lasim Mosada Ana (That's my Arabic for "Relying on the Kindness of Strangers")

I came to Tanzania prepared to make a new friend, but instead I made three. Oddly enough, none of them were who I expected. I expected to become friends with the girl I came to visit. She was a friend of a friend, someone I had never met, but we spent a lot of time talking on the phone arranging for my trip out to visit her. Before I met her in person, I knew a little about her. She was a morbidly obese, heavily tattooed, bald, white girl with explosive diarrhea. Unfortuantely after I arrived, I discovered that her personality was equally charming. We parted ways as soon as the opportunity presented itself.

I spent the remaining week with one friend at a time. The first was an unassuming, sweet, accomplished woman with a bachelor's degree in public health. Although she was only 22, she had a better resume than most 30 year olds! I hung out with her in her village for a couple days and felt like I had a wonderful camping trip. No water, no electricity...no problem! We enjoyed spending time at the orphanage, and she impressed me by teaching a high school lecture in Swahili! She had never known me, but when I asked if I could come live with her, she graciously accepted the offer. What an awesome chick!

The next new friend was my safari tour guide. His English was enough to get his job done, but not on a conversational level. I knew what that felt like, since that's about as good as my Arabic. The dude and I spent many quiet hours together in the Land Rover, and we enjoyed every minute. There were no awkward silences, just silences. He was extremely skilled at finding animals, and that's all I wanted. We ate dinner together both nights and kept conversations to a minimum. I liked it. At the end, he told me I was the best client and wanted me to use him again if I did another tour in Tanzania. I don't know if he says that to everyone, but I was glad he liked me, too.

The third person was my friend for only a day, but it was a good day. He was a 20 yr old student who helped me find a taxi driver, then called me that night to make sure I was enjoying myself. I got a text from him the following day, offering to take me to his house for lunch so I could meet his family. I accepted the offer, and his sweet mother even gave me a kanga (a piece of fabric to tie around your waist like a wrap-around skirt). I held his baby niece, ate their food, and thoroughly enjoyed myself. I talked to his girlfriend on the phone and had a great afternoon meeting some of the most important people in his life.

This world is a wonderful place. I feel fortunate to be a part of it and meet so many kind people from such varied walks of life. Someday I might settle down and see only the same faces over and over again. If I ever do, I want them to all be the faces of people who are kind to strangers.