While having a late lunch at Arusha's nicest hotel this afternoon, we were interrupted by a Brit in a suit, who hurriedly asked us whether we'd heard about London. He'd received a text about a series of bombings but wanted to know more.

The news jarred us out of the leisurely time we were having and we absorbed CNN for five minutes on our way out of the hotel to find out what was going on.

The news was on our minds as we walked to meet a guide who was to take us on a walking tour of a village just outside Arusha.

Incredibly, the tour managed to take our minds off of London. Arusha has mostly paved streets and feels like a busy urban center, but in the village, we were transported to the Africa of our minds--dusty, potholed roads, tin and mud homes, lush greenery, and curious kids having fun and calling "Mzungu" (whitey) as we walked by.

Unfortunately, once we arrived back in Arusha, reality hit once we flipped on the TV. It's incredible that after seeing the need first-hand for the top item on the G-8 agenda (African aid), terrorists perform acts that not only detract from the issue at hand, but also contribute to even more pain and suffering.

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