So I am so excited for tomorrow!!! 3 of us are going on a vehicle/walking/canoeing safari in Arusha National Park! We apparently get to walk super close to giraffes and canoe in a lake with Africa’s number one killer –HIPPOS! Don’t worry, we have an armed ranger and will be safe. I promise.

I can’t believe I’ll be home in a month- I’m not sure I’ll know what to do with my self when I get back –and it will be cold. One of the new volunteers has a thermometer on his backpack and yesterday it was 36 degrees! Somehow I’m not burned yet –Sunscreen is good, but I am tanned.

Random Thoughts for today:
1.I got stung by this bee-like bug this week, it stung me twice, once on each shoulder so I have matching swollen patches. It’s not bad- just itchy. The bee-like bugs look like the have two bodies, they are huge!!!

2. My two new roommates are on a weekend long safari this weekend, and my old
roommate (Anna) is visiting her sister (who works in Tanzania) and her mom who came to visit, so since my safari is not overnight, I have the room to myself. I haven’t slept alone in 5 weeks. I hope I’m not scared!! –just kidding.

3.I recently filled up my first memory card, and have 750 pictures. The new people see everything as amazing even the things that I am now thinking are common, so I am taking pictures of my room, the house, the compound, walking down the road, my kids, people carrying things on their heads, the way the prisoners just wander around freely, the views, the houses. When I stop and think, it is really so incredible! I’m also trying to include myself in pictures, but somehow that is difficult, we’ll all have to share our pictures when we get back so that we can each have photos of ourselves.

4.I was thinking about eating food at home today, and what I want is a bowl of cornflakes with cold skim milk. We don’t have milk here, only if it’s cooked in porridge, and we can buy milk but it’s not pasteurized and I have a feeling I’d be disappointed.

Anyways, this week I met up with Mom’s coworker’s friend from university. Yes, read that again. Basically, a friend of a friend from home. She lives in Moshi so we met for coffee, which was actually a milkshake. We had a good time, and she was very lovely. She also gave me a heads up about a beach town about a 5 hour bus ride from here, so I am looking into planning that for the weekend after Halloween. People are very excited about Halloween, I personally have never liked the holiday so it’s no big deal, but I can’t believe October is almost over, and I only have 3 weeks left here, I really am a little in shock. Since we are “cross cultural solutions” we also are celebrating bonfire day as Ali calls it, or Guy Faux day. Some of the girls are going to be foxes just to be silly.

This week was pretty relaxing for me, I read a lot and have enjoyed the naps. School is good too, a little frustrating since I work with the kids and we spend a lot of time on math which the kids don’t get. We “anika moja, shika moja, wapi moja? Hesabu moja, anika moja tena, choma moja, ruka moja” and on and on. Basically, “write one, take one, point to one, count one, write one again, clap one, jump one” and on and on. But they are not really capable of ever grasping it since they’ve been doing it for months and for others, years. So I asked my teacher today if we could spend less time on math and work on more practical skills, she said of course, so I am excited to do that next week. We are going to work on days of the week, and reading more than math, but I am keeping my expectations low since I often set them too high. Many of the crafts we have done the kids have enjoyed but they have been too difficult for them. Oh well. My teacher, Mkunde also made a good point today. She said that since there are only two teachers and one spends the whole time cooking, with volunteers she can divide the class, and then she works with the kids who are learning to read and write, and I spend time with the other kids, and just by me being there, the brighter kids have the opportunity to be pushed which they may not have had otherwise, so that really helped me deal with some frustration this week. That, and I love my kids.

Everyday, Nick (the other volunteer at my school) and I pick up Kalisti and Zainabu (by the way, my first child will be named Zainabu, Zai for short) and walk them to and from school. They are the sweetest kids, and they just need love. They love to be hugged and have their hands held and such. Kalisti will come up and put my arms around him and then just bury his dirty face into my shirt. In African culture the kids don’t get much physical attention like this beyond age 2. They stay on their mothers backs, and once they are old enough for nursery school that’s it. Zai reminds me of Bambi, she has long limbs, and ears that stick out a little, (I’d post photos but it’s soooo slow), and her eyes don’t look straight ahead so she’s always looking to the side, which makes her look innocent –but she is not. She’s a trouble maker, and thinks she runs the show. She walks ahead and then runs into the bushes and “hides” until I “search” for her, she is sweet but sneaky so I keep my eyes on her.

We went on a home visit today, which was a reality check to say the least, but people are waiting and I’ve had my fair share of time, so I will save the update, and tell you about it next time. Let’s just say, we all have much more than our fair share of “Stuff and Space”.

I’ll try to update soon, as in Sunday or Monday! Love you all! Salama.
-Laura (aka Lola, teacher lola!)

written by  Laura Collins on October 24, 2008 from Moshi, Tanzania
from the travel blog: My Adventure in Tanzania
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Hi Laura - we will have the cornflakes ready when you get back to London - enjoy the safari! Love Gill x

written by  Gill Laver on October 24, 2008

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Can't wait to see those pictures! Though it may take more than one sitting (or one very long sitting).

It must be truly incredible working with those kids, I can't imagine how amazing it must be when they reach up and hug you. Wow.

I have faith in your hippo fighting abilities! I bet you could ward off even the biggest, meanest hippo (or at least talk it out of tipping your canoe), but maybe the ranger will do an even better job. Enjoy that day safari! I'm going to want to know everything. I was looking at pictures of giraffes the other day, trying to figure out which ones you'll be seeing!

Geoff

written by  Geoff on October 24, 2008

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Laura - you should have got Jenny to teach you how to take perfect pictures of yourself ! And I hate to be pedantic but it is Guy Fawkes !

written by  Ron Laver on October 24, 2008

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Enjoy the hippos. Don't forget to take a very large toothbrush with an extra long handle. Toothpaste is optional.

It's hard to imagine your trip is half over. On the positive side, u are that much closer to going back which you said you wanted to do.

Stay safe and enjoy every day. You'll have lots of time to rest when you get home.

Love Uncle Keith and Auntie Odette.

written by  Keith Collins on October 25, 2008

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just some random comments-
-hippos are the number 1 killer in africa?! really??? you would've thought it was something else!!! i don't understand how that works...haha

-the Moshi sounds good...i'd wanna try one...

-do the kids celebrate halloween in Tanzania too?

-i'm so glad that you're able to be there with the kids and give them that bit of physical attention that they need...

-i also can't believe that there's only one month left for you there...life passes by too fast sometimes...

written by  Shannon on October 25, 2008

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