A Hermit Crab and an Odd Conversation

My roommate and I have accidentally acquired a pet. For a few days we could hear some noise in the night. Thought it might be a mouse or something like that. Instead, a few days ago, Stacey figured out that it is, in fact, a hermit crab! That was really confusing at first. How would a hermit crab end up on the 4th floor of a UDSM dorm? Then I noticed that my desk – right under the shelf I keep seashells on -- was somewhat sandy… Evidently the last time I was at the beach, I must have picked up a shell that was not empty. So now we have a free-range hermit crab living with us. He’s quite cute. I don’t know what we’re going to end up doing with him, though!

On Monday I ventured into Mwenge alone for the first time. I like wandering around aimlessly looking at things, and the less people in your group the less you stand out, in general. Not that I’ll ever manage to be inconspicuous here… I’m getting more used to being stared at though! It’s fun to talk to people in shops and on the street too. I had one memorable conversation with one shop-keeper that went something along the lines of:
“Welcome! How are you?”
“Thank you. I’m doing well. And you?”
“Very good. How is your afternoon?”
“Good. How is your work?”
“Good, thank you! How is….”
And on and on for a while with various polite greetings and inquiries in Swahili. After a while I began to browse through the store, him following behind asking where I was from, what I study, etc. – all things I’m able to answer in Swahili, and basically an identical conversation to what you’ll have in the next five shops you step into. Then, as I paused for a second to look at a beautiful pipe carved out of wood, he enthusiastically exclaimed “ah, pipe for your husband!” To which I replied (in English) “I don’t have a husband,” prompting him to ask me why that is the case. So I said something along the lines of being too young, which he emphatically disagreed with, and this was repeated back and forth a few times until we said bye. In retrospect it feels like a very bizarre conversation to have with a complete stranger, but I guess here it isn’t.