Dar Es Salam

So I've arrived in Africa and wow! There is something amazing about walking through the door of the airport and a whole new wold opens up. I squeeze onto a bus into Dar full of people with the music blaring African dance music and looking like an English tourist. Full of smiles and four buses later I'm walking down the road to meet my hosts. I had decided to couch surf.. Free accommodation but with no idea what I was letting myself in for. I am met by two young African girls.. Who walk me through the streets of a shanti town.... And show me their  house! It's small, next to what I can only describe as a river doubling up as a rubbish tip. The kitchen is outside and the cooker is a round clay pot with charcoal. The shower is a bucket of water with a jug! There are seven people living in 4 rooms and I'm sharing with the son, a 20 yr old who is watching Ratatouille !( The film .. Not the evening dinner). But you soon realise that you are with wonderful warm and very kind people who share what they have and laugh and smile and joke. I'm immediately blown away by the warmth and happiness that resonates from people who have so little.    I'm immediately served am amazing meal. Stew, dumplings and spinach. No plates or cutlery. A jug of water is placed on the table with A bowl Which  they pass around and you wash your hands. You then break off some dumpling and dip it into the stew. It's wonderful!