Weekend in Moshi and Hassan’s Graduation

Congratulating the graduate!

This past weekend, Sofia and I, along with many of our friends, made the 90 minute trek to Moshi, a city near Arusha right at the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro.  Our friend Hassan’s university graduation ceremony was Saturday, and we all wanted to be there to celebrate with him. 

Many of our friends were driving to Moshi on Saturday, but since Sofia and I are quite adventurous and wanted to be there on Friday night, we decided to take the bus.  I have not had fabulous bus experiences thus far here in Tanzania, and it turns out that the bus to Moshi is only one very small step up from a dala dala.  And they certainly cram as many people as humanly possible onto the bus!  But I did manage to score a window seat with Sofia on my other side, and this bus ride is only 90 minutes compared to the 11 hour bus ride we took to Dar es Salaam, so it was actually kind of fun.  Hassan picked us up from the bus station, and we headed back to his apartment.



Hassan receiving his dipolma



Neither Sofia or I were feeling very well by this time, probably a combination of dehydration (it was like 90 degrees out!) and the very greasy chips mayai that we had for lunch, but we blamed it on altitude sickness from being so close to Kilimanjaro!!  After sharing a giant bottle of water and eating a bit, we were feeling much better and had a very pleasant evening with Hassan and his friends.  But sadly, my undefeated streak in pool in Tanzania ended, but at least Sofia got her first win!

Cutting the cake

Saturday was the graduation ceremony, and despite the fact that Hassan assured us that it would be in English, it was definitely in Swahili.  So, it was a bit boring.  But we survived and were there to congratulate Hassan after receiving his diploma.  After the ceremony, we were invited to his aunt’s house for dinner and cake.  It was a very nice party, and afterward, Hassan, Sofia, and I, along with many of our friends from Arusha (who conveniently missed the ceremony, but arrived just in time for the party!) continued our celebration well into the evening. 



Congratulations, Hassan!!!