Travel Lessons Learned the Hard Way

Stopped at the Gate

I will try to summarize a really long and tragic (at least from my perspective) story so as not to bore you! And, to make sure you are interested, I'll tell you the punch line FIRST – we got to the gate to the Ngorongoro National Park and were kicked off the bus because we refused/couldn't pay the park fees. OK, if you are still interested, read on.

Immediately after climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, we wanted to go to Musoma (near Lake Victoria). We knew we wouldn't have time to buy a ticket, so a friend of ours purchased them for us. There are two ways to Musoma – one through two national parks and one around them. Obviously, the one through the national parks is much faster and with a much nicer road. However, there is a $50/person fee for each of the two parks; or $200 for Lisa and I (on top of the bus fare). We were told by some folks that we would not have to pay that fee because we have Tanzania resident's permits. So, we got the tickets going through the park – should have been about an 8 hour ride.

The day of the trip, we arose at 4:30 AM (after just coming down from Kili the day before!) and got on the bus. We rode along in peace - even saw some giraffes! Then, when we arrived at the gate to Ngorongoro, there was a park ranger telling us about the fees – and that we DID have to pay. I, of course, thought he was lying to me. So, I called my friend and tried to have him explain to the park ranger why I should not have to pay. That didn't get me very far! My friend told me he was "going to call someone to get this figured out" and hung up. Of course, the network went down right after we hung up, so there went that lifeline! I argued and argued with the park ranger. In the mean time, there is a bus full of angry Tanzanian folks wanting to get going! The biggest issue was that we had not brought enough money (and I still didn't trust the man to be telling me the truth). So, finally I conceded to get off of the bus with our stuff with the idea that the bus company would arrange our transportation back to Arusha and give us a partial refund. Long story short, both were lies!

We finally returned to Arusha at around 1 PM and were told to return at 4 PM to the bus company and they would get it straightened out. When we returned, we were told they would not give us a refund and they didn't even go to Musoma on the day we needed. So, finally we conceded (yet again) to purchase a new ticket to Mwanza going the long way (again departing at 6 AM the next day).

Let's just say, after all that, my feelings toward Africa were not very good! I'm not a confrontational person by nature. I was spent, wiped out and angry. We went back to our hotel and just sat in a semi-vegetative state for the remainder of the day!

The Longest Bus Ride EVER

If at this point, you are bored with travel stories, skip down to Veronica. If not, read on!

So, the next day, we began our journey to Mwanza. We had a better attitude from the beginning of the day. We again wake up at 4:30 AM for our 6 AM bus. About 3 hours in to the trip we start driving on these unpaved, bumpy and dusty roads. I mean REALLY bumpy and dusty. Soon, everyone is covered in a thick layer of road dust. About 6 hours in to the trip, the bus breaks down (reference bumpy roads). About 10 hours into the trip the dust turns to mud on us as we start to sweat. About 14 hours into the trip we arrive in Mwanza. Unfortunately, we still need to go to Musoma (about 4 hours away).

Thankfully, we had made friends on the bus with a man (Nickerson) who lived in Mwanza and he helped us get to the proper bus station to get to Musoma. Unfortunately, they were closed. Yet, somehow in the midst of things, we found another friend (Deo) who was also going to Musoma. He said we should wait by the secondary lot of the bus company and they would come by there and pick us up (I'm thinking "yeah right"). Anyway, it's about 8:30 by now and Deo said they would be there by 10 PM.

Around 10:30, the Musoma bus pulls up. Unfortunately, so did about 20 men – yelling and shoving. Evidently, there were not enough seats for everyone! Deo said, if we just go down to "this other place" we could get on there. So, we once again hop in a cab and drive "to this other place". We are told not to worry because the driver of our taxi is the young brother of the Musoma bus driver. I love Tanzania! So, we get to the "other place" and hop out of the Taxi. Deo tells us to hurry. The bus pulls up, but again 20 or so yelling and shoving men do to! Deo is not a tall man – maybe 5 foot 4 inches or so. Yet, somehow in all of the yelling and shoving he talked the conductor into letting us on! So, we literally had to shove our way on to the bus!

Once on the bus, there are exactly enough seats for all of us (thank you God!). Lisa finds a seat with her little back pack in between two slender college girls who are very happy to have her join them. I, on the other hand, have our honkin' big pack with all of the clothes! And, my seat is next to, let's just say, a rather large lady who is, no lie, taking up about ½ of my seat! Since we didn't have time to put our bags under the bus, I'm holding it in my lap! But, I had to sit sideways in my seat to accommodate for the extra ½ of a person. It's now 11:00 PM and my nerves are DONE! So, I tried to get as comfortable as possible – which already is very challenging. Unfortunately, the stress of the running and the shoving and then just general body heat, you know what happened. Yep, we started to sweat. And, the mud flowed once again.

So, to make a long story even longer, my seat mama and I sweated it out until 2:30 AM when we finally arrived in Musoma! After nearly 20 hours of travel time (that day alone) we were ready for bed!

Visiting Veronica

We sponsor a girl through Compassion International. Finally, after all of the fiascos of the past two days, we were able to meet her. After some brief introductions and a tour of the Musoma Compassion facilities, we were taken to Veronica's house. She lives there with her grandmother and siblings. I can't remember how long we have been sponsoring her, but over a year. She has been writing letters to us and they sent a picture too. It was so great to be able to meet her and spend the day with her. We took her to lunch. Lisa spoke all of the Swahili she knew with her! Veronica, like many other children in Tanzania, need financial help to pay for school fees, medicine and food. We were very impressed by the work that Compassion is doing.

Skyping with Family

We finally had fast enough internet to Skype with family. It's been great to see their faces! I especially enjoy watching my niece and nephew do back –flips while mom tries to keep the microphone from falling off of the computer. Lisa's family was kind enough to hold up the cheesecake they were eating just so she could see what she was missing! Thank goodness for technologies that keep us all together (when they work).

Christmas in Mwanza

We said good-bye to Veronica and her family and headed back to Mwanza. During our language training we met a couple, Rich and Carli, who are missionaries here in Mwanza. They run an orphanage called Starehe. Rich and Carli and their daughter Elise are from Canada. We struck up a friendship at training and decided it would be great to spend Christmas with them. So, for the past week we have been here in Mwanza! We have tried to help as best we can at the orphanage. It has been so relaxing to be here with them. Their house overlooks Lake Victoria which makes for some beautiful views. We miss our families a lot (as do Rich and Carli). But, if there was a place to spend this holiday, it was definitely here with them. A few highlights here have been on Christmas Eve we ate a feast prepared by Rich and Carli and then opened gifts. We were also introduced to the game Wizard (a card game) which Lisa promptly won. We also have really enjoyed their daughter Elise who just started walking. Thank you for a wonderful week!

Coming up Next – Uganda

Tonight (hopefully) we'll head to Bukoba and then on to Uganda. Hopefully our bus adventures are a little less harrowing!

Kilimanjaro - Failure to Summit

Failure to Summit

It hurts to write that. But, I thought I would begin by telling everyone we did not summit Kilimanjaro - the tallest free standing mountain in the world. I'll be honest, it was a real blow to get within 1/2 hour of the peak and decide to turn around. But, eg0 now thoroughly in check, I'll try to describe what was, without a doubt, one of the best things I have ever been a part of in my entire life. The fact that Lisa and I did not make it all the way to the top (we turned around with about 1/2 hour to go to Stella Point and another 1/2 hour to Uhuru - the actual highest peak) pales in comparison to the beauty of the scenery, the friendships formed, and the personal challenges we all faced. Not to sound too contrived, but this has been some of the greatest days of my life. So, I do not take shame in not reaching the summit in light of everything else that has happpened in the past few days.

Mitigating Factors

Not to make excuses, but here are a few of the realities of Kili -

1. Cold - it's freakin' cold that high up. We were blessed with clear weather all but the first day. Nevertheless, it is just cold at night. Especially the summit day was very cold.
2. Altitude - I underestimated just what an effect altitude would have on everything. It is just difficult to move! Most of the time, especially toward the end, our group looked like we were walking some sort of a death processional - hunched over and placing one foot barely in front of the other. One of our group members actually became very ill with altitude sickness and had to be sent back down. Scary stuff.
3. Dark - we attempted the summit in the dark. It was way more mentally challenging than I could have imagined. Not being able to see the end point makes a difficult task that much more difficult. As soon as the sun started poking it's head up I felt rejuvenated. But, of course, we were already descending.
4. Appetite - as you climb, you lose appetite and consequently energy. I was fine with appetite (go figure) but Lisa started losing hers and had not eaten well for a few days prior to the summit attempt.
5. Headaches - I did not get headaches, but everyone else in our group did. Lisa especially suffered two nights from migraine headaches. The change in altitude really takes a toll.

OK - now that all of my "excuses" are out of the way, I'll try to briefly describe how AMAZING this experience really was.

The Food

We ate like kings. Hands down. We had warm soup every night along with some great pastas, meats and vegetables. Mornings were eggs, coffee, toast and porridge. To climb up an enormous hill and have fried chicken and french fries waiting for you is a real treat! Let's just say, I did not go hungry!

The Terrain

This was my favorite part. Kilimanjaro has at least five distinct ecosystems. We hiked through them all. I just cannot describe how beautiful it is to be above the clouds and watch the sun setting while the peak of Kili is in the distance. I saw plants I swear were out of a Dr. Seuss book. It is also a fairly easy hike. If not for the mitigating factors (see above), hiking Kili is just like any other hike. We went up the Macheme Route, which is a bit more arduous than some of the others. But, even that was not terribly challenging. I would strongly encourage anyone interested in this adventure to do it!

The Company

Lisa and I were joined by fellow teachers Scott, Ben and Victor. Scott's cousin JJ and two of his fellow pilot buddies Brian and Will joined us. Let's just say everyone clicked well. Poor Lisa had to spend six days on the mountain with all guys though!

The Crew

We went through Tembea Africa for the climb. They were so good. Imagine being a porter and having to carry a basket of stuff on your head, a backpack on your back and trudge up a hill past people to get camp set up before they get there. These porters, guides and cooks redefine tough to me. Plus they did all their hard work with a smile on their face.

Final Thoughts

This was easily one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences of my life. I feel so blessed to have experienced the country we did in the way we did with the people we did. It is a humbling thing to be out of breath because there is no air and also because the scenery around you is so phenomenal. So, not making it to the summit, even if only by a little bit, quite pales in comparison to the teeming treasures that were gained along the way.

Last Day Celebration – A Rainy Success

Rain and second thoughts

We are in the "little rainy season". However, there was nothing little about the rain this week! It rained nearly every day. One day it gushed water from the sky. It was difficult to see more than 2-3 yards. We were ready to drive home and I walked to the car with my umbrella. A girl asked me to use my umbrella to walk home. She had a jacket on with the hood up, but she was still getting poured on. I said no primarily because there were other students there. How can I be fair and only give it to one student? Then, a little while later a boy came up and asked to borrow my umbrella. He did not have a rain jacket or anything. He looked truly pathetic with rain dribbling down his face. I gave the umbrella to him, asking that he share it on the walk back. Why did I give the umbrella to him and not to her? Was my decision fair? I know it's not a huge thing, but my decision really troubled me. Who knows what the right answer is in this, or any similar situation.

Last Day Celebration

Friday was our last day with the students for this term. It was also the last day for several volunteer teachers who will return home now. Even though it rained most of the day, many parents and siblings came out to for the day. We showed them the science fair, the pre-form woodworking projects, a skit and some music. It was a great last day!

Snake Park

Jane and Lisa took the pre-form students on a field trip to snake park. There they say many local snakes – most of which will kill you! They also saw crocodiles and turtles. These Maasai students are strong and tough but put them on the back of a camel for a ride and they are terrified!

Lisa's Birthday Party

We celebrated Lisa's birthday last night by having a party at our house with the staff. My personal favorite event of the evening was watching Scott and Michael (local guy) doing Indian leg wrestling on our living room floor!

Heading out for Kilimanjaro

Tomorrow we begin our 6 day ascent up Mt. Kilimanjaro. This is the tallest peak in Africa. I'm pretty excited. After we return we will travel to western Tanzania to visit friends and then up in to Uganda. We will try to journal about the experience. Your prayers for a safe journey would be appreciated!

They ate the kidneys...raw

They ate the kidneys...raw

We had our staff party on Saturday. Wahoo! We killed two goats and cooked them in traditional Maasai fashion - chunks skewered on wood stakes. While one of the men ( men only get to slaughter the animals), one of them cut out the kidney, split it in half, handed one half to his slaughtering partner, and both of them popped the raw kidneys in their mouth. Later they made a drink out of blood and fat. We drank it. Not a fan.

Fluffy #2

Bad news - Fluffy the land tortoise went missing after only one day in the school garden. However, miraculously he returned - only a little smaller and with a different attitude. Not sure where Fluffy, the sequel came from. But, who am I to ask those sorts of questions?

You danced like you didn't have a spine - The Conformation Party

We went to a conformation party for a family member from one of our friends who works at the school. These Tanzanians know how to throw a party! It's not enough to give a gift. No, you have to dance it up to the person! So, we danced our way up to the front of the room and placed our money in a little hat. We danced pretty "stiffly" because we were all nervous. Then we got asked to come up again. So, we dug deep in the pockets, found more money, and danced our way up there again. This time I decided that I would cut loose with my dancing. Maybe not the best idea! But, I wiggled and I jiggled up in front of a whole family I didn't know. However, it seemed they liked it. They were clapping and cheering. Afterwards, a family member said to me "Oh, you did a good job when you were dancing. You moved like you didn't have a spine." I have been waiting my whole LIFE to have someone tell me that!

Climbing Kilimanjaro

We probably won't write next week because we'll be climbing up Mount Kilimanjaro. We're pretty excited about it, but I hope we don't die.

Egg Man and Little Rabies

Two staples of our house are the man who delivers eggs (Egg Man) and the dogs who dig through our trash (Little Rabies). Actually, there is one dog who runs around with a chain around is neck. He's DLR - Domesticated Little Rabies. Egg Man sells us eggs in broken English. He always demands a cup or two of water. He usually comes on Mondays. One time, he was at a staff party with us! He just shows up in random places. Just wanted everyone who reads this to know what we have to look forward to for excitement around here!

Good-Bye Jane, Scott, Lisa, Quinn

This is our last week of school. So, after this Friday, we say good-bye to new friends as they end their volunteer time at Orkeeswa. We've really been blessed by these guys. But, I guess transient volunteers are just part of the nature of this place. That... and transient egg salesmen.

Fluffy the Land Tortoise

 

Land Tortoise

For weeks Jane and I have been joking about putting a tortoise in the school garden. I had had a dream that that involved a tortoise (don't ask!) and so it inspired us to get a tortoise. I don't think either of us thought it would happen. But, be careful what you ask for! Last night Ben came strolling in, just as casual as could be, with a tortoise under his arm! He said some kids had found it and were playing really rough with it. Ben bought it from them. Now, we have Fluffy, the land tortoise!

 

Boma Visit – this time with solar power

We have written a few times about visiting student's bomas. These trips are always enlightening and fun. The visit this past weekend was a little different! We discovered a boma with solar power! They used it to power electric lights in one house. It's just surprising to see a building made basically from sticks and mud with this kind of technology.

 

Pregnant Student

We had to dismiss a student this past week for being pregnant. It sucked. This is a common practice in Tanzania. Just to be clear, it is also illegal for the guy to get a school girl pregnant. So, if they find him, he is in big trouble too. But, for this girl, her education is done. Now, this happens in the states too, but the ramifications here are so much greater.

 

Thanksgiving

We celebrated Thanksgiving this week as best we could – we went out for grilled chicken! Thanks to our forefathers who supped with our Native American brethren and brought us this wonderful holiday. Also, thanks to our friends and family back home who wrote about the pies and meats and potatoes they were dining on. We will just stick with our chicken here and be happy campers!

 

Mustaches

All through November I have been wearing a mustache. Just to be clear, it is my own. And, it is not beautiful. In Australia (and possibly other parts of the world) there is a platform called Movember (mustaches in November) where men grow out their best Mo for the purpose of 1) looking like an idiot and 2) promoting men's prostate and mental health. I'll tell you, I feel proud to have done my part to improve men's health. I personally feel I have contributed! As Lisa can verify, this will likely not be a recurring feature on my face due to the itchiness as well as the social ridicule from Lisa!

 

Sicknesses

Despite sporting the mustache for the past month for men's health, I have battling illness for the past two weeks. I will spare everyone the gory details, but it has been relatively serious. In fact, I took my first two sick days ever of my teaching career (yesterday and today). I'm not sure what is making us sick. There are so many possible access points – water that isn't boiled thoroughly enough, food not prepared well enough or just the dirt that just surrounds our lives. Several other volunteers have also been sick recently. So, prayers for health would be greatly appreciated!

Holidays and Corruption

Random Holiday

Apparently there are two random holidays in Tanzania. They are based on the lunar cycle and connected to the Muslim faith. Wednesday happened to be one of those days. The crazy thing with these two holidays is you don't know until just a day or two in advance when they are happening! So, we found out on Tuesday that we were not coming to school on Wednesday! Happy Ede.

Safari and Corruption

Since we didn't have school on Wednesday, Lisa, Jane and I went on a safari. We hopped in with our friends Beth & Deo (you might remember them from their wedding a couple weeks back) and drove to Mtu wa Mbu (River of Mosquitos). We were going to ride mountain bikes into a park and look at animals and then swim in a swimming pool. Great plan!

We headed out on our mountain bikes with our guide ready for animals. We rode for about ½ hours until we could see our destination in the distance. It was a lake that was supposed to be loaded with animals. We could even see some wildebeest in the distance! All of a sudden three park rangers roared up in their pickup and stopped by us. They were friendly enough to us, but called our guide over for questioning. Soon the conversation became more heated and animated. Pretty quick our guide came back, clearly angry, and said the park rangers had informed him he didn't have the proper paperwork to take us on the safari. Our guide then went on to say that this was a lie. His theory was that the park rangers had been hired by the other bike safari company in town to run our guide out of business!

We didn't know what to believe but we knew we weren't getting in to the park. We headed back for town WITH THE PARK RANGERS DRIVING BEHIND US AS IF THEY WERE HERDING US…LIKE CATTLE! About 2/3 of the way back, our guide stopped to fix his chain. He started yelling at the park rangers again. This time, the park rangers got out and actually shoved our guide! Later we found out that he had refused to offer them a bribe. We finally returned to the pool and started swimming until the entire mess could be sorted out.

Our friend Deo acted on our behalf (and the bike company) to go down to the police station and find out some details. He returned to tell us that our company did have the correct paperwork! We got some of our money refunded and just laid in the pool the rest of the afternoon. Who knows what the whole story truly is in this case. But, I think there is a strong argument that we saw blatant corruption in front of our eyes. Nevertheless, it was a great day with Beth and Deo and Jane.

Camping in Kolo

Yesterday we departed at 6 AM for an area south of us called Kolo. There were supposedly 20,000 year old rock paintings that Dr. Leakey had discovered. We found the paintings in several locations scattered amongst these rock outcroppings. It was really interesting…but it didn't take long before our group had seen enough and we returned to our campsite. We set up camp by a dry river bed…just the teachers from Orkeeswa. It was fun to eat hot dogs and marshmallows and play the guitar and sing bad country music!

Gardening with Maasai Mamas and Papas

On Friday, I was greeted with 20 parents of our students. I had them help break ground on our school garden, which I've been helping to organize. I've done a lot of strange jobs in my life, but this one ranks right up there! I was out there in my "professional dress" – a polo shirt and pants, swinging a big hoe listening to the Maasai mamas and papas chatter away! It was great! Plus, we got most of the garden ready to make terraces when the Form 2 students return! Even though I was exhausted, it was a great end to the week.

A Busy Week!

Camping at the "Hot Springs"

If you have ever watched a movie or read a book that referenced an oasis, it probably described this spot. Saturday afternoon we crashed through dusty back roads in the Land Rover and were finally led by a motorcycle driver to some hot springs that someone in our group knew about. To say it was a dusty and rough ride was a bit of an understatement. I think we were all pretty skeptical about there actually being any water in our path. Then, all of a sudden, there was a stream and palm trees and a pool of crystal clear (literally) water! We pitched our tents and hopped in. It was not exactly a hot spring - more of just a spring. But, it was beautiful, refreshing. Plus, it was great to be able to camp with the other volunteers out of the school and just have fun.

Exercise

We got a lot of exercise this week! Monday we did our usual run home from school - about 4 miles. Wednesday and Friday we played basketball. Friday morning we also walked to school from home. Plus, there is just all the regular walking that happens here! I wish I could say I had the physic to prove all this labor...but instead I only have sore muscles and achy joints! Sucks getting old!

Form 2 Exams

The form 2 exams are nearly over. All eduction leads up to culminating tests at forms 2, 4 and 6. If you don't pass, you don't go on. Clearly these tests are a big deal. So, after months of studying and weeks of fretting, the students finally took most of the tests last week. The only one remaining is agriculture. They felt confident they would do well after taking the tests. It is a huge relief to have them nearly over!

Singing with pre-form

Between the Wyoming FFA leadership camp and growing up a Heinert, I have learned some really great and weird songs. So, by Lisa and Jane's suggestion, I started teaching them to our pre-form class. So, great songs like "Froggy", "You Are My Sunshine", "Bold Bad Man", and of course "She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain" are now being belted out in the Orkeeswa classrooms! My favorite part is there is one boy who really does not like this. So, when everyone else is just singing at the top of their lungs, he is covering his ears and looking like he ate something sour! Oh, the simple joys of life. One day while we were singing, Lisa found him in the library. He said "I'm sorry teacher. I'm just not like everyone else. I just really don't like to sing." I think too many rounds of singing "Lean on Me"with his classmates and I might not like to sing either!

Boma Visit

It is always so eye opening to visit student's homes (bomas). Saturday morning we walked to three student's homes. All had prepared us food. So, by the time we finished shoveling in corn and beans (an extremely filling meal in case you were wondering) I thought I would explode! They also treated us to soda and bananas. After the visit the kids walked us back out to the main road singing, you guessed it "Froggy!" at the top of their lungs.

Ben's Silencing the Lambs

Great news. Ben can cook. OK - we all knew that. But, we didn't know he could cook lamb so well. Oh sweet mother of pearls! I don't think I've tasted anything quite as good as his lamb. Tonight he made lamb curry. So, new rule - there must always be lamb available for Ben to cook for us!

A Few of my Least Favorite Things

I want to say at the beginning of this blog that this is not a complaint session! Especially after the tone of the last blog, you could easily think I was a disgruntled volunteer begging for relief. That is not the case at all! There are so many positive things that have happened this past week I couldn't begin to count them. However, I've been thinking of this blog for some time and wanted to share some of the areas I feel I have struggled with the most since I've been here. I think these struggles are mostly me trying to maintain my own comfort. But, some I think are God saying "pay attention here buddy because this isn't OK with me either." So, here goes. A few of the things that have caused me struggles since arriving.

No water! - I think this is easily the biggest factor on my mind now. It affects everything - showers, cooking, flushing the toilet, etc... Now, keep in mind I live in a house with plumbing which leads to sinks and flush toilets in the first place! And to be perfectly clear, all we have to do is wait for the water to come on and it fills a cistern and boom, we have water. We don't have to go fetch it or anything like that. I also see people driving their cattle and goats looking for water every day. I see people with donkeys with plastic jugs strapped to the donkey's back to go get water. It is just such a basic thing and yet its just a constant struggle.

Housing - our house is great. Many other houses here trash. The walls are mud and dung. And I thought coming in to this, "oh just keep an open mind and maybe it's not so bad." No. They are not good. Now, if you are a 50 year old man who drank away your life, I might think "OK, maybe that guy has earned his way into a mud hut." But, what I see more often are kids living there. I'm not sure why this bothers me so much. People have lived in similar structures, or less, for lots of years. But it gets to me.

Language - This is not a huge thing because most people here speak English. But, its a constant factor to consider. Plus, there are like 57 different greetings here and you have to know which one is the right one. Cripes!

Getting ripped off - You have to bargain for everything here. There are virtually no price tags on anything. So, you always have to ask "how much". Then, since we are white (or mzungu as they would call it), most people assume you don't know what the price should be and jack it way up. Fine. Fair play. However, when I know what the price should be and know they do this, it is frustrating. For instance, last week we were coming home from Arusha after going to church and had to take public transportation (dolla dolla). I knew the price should be 1200 Tanzania shillings (TSH). We paid. But, about 1/4 of the way through the ride, there weren't enough passengers. So, the driver pulled over, we got out, and we all had to hop on another dolla (which was more full). The first driver refunded us 500 TSH, which I later gave to the second driver. Of course, the second driver said this was not enough...I needed to pay 800 TSH. I argued with him for a while in Swahili. Unfortunately, I kept saying "I will pay" instead of "I did pay". In the end, I just gave him the money and sat there mad. Now, if you think about it, it's about 60 cents USD that I got all worked up about! I just don't like feeling taken advantage of.

Slow - Everything feels like it happens slowly. I want some wood for woodworking club. Just 13 boards. I want science equipment. I want a printer. I want scissors, glue, tape, rulers, paper, print cartridges and a nice steamy cup of luke warm mediocre coffee waiting for me in the morning. Come on, is that so much to ask? At home, if I had to wait a week, it was too long. I could run down to the store and buy it. Boom. Done. Plus, if I didn't like the price, quality or any other petty thing, I just went to a different store. Doesn't happen that way here bud!

I was/am so used to things being a certain way. Things I just took for granted that, by my estimation, everyone had or should have. It's probably good that this poor American gets to struggle just a bit with a big healthy dose of reality for how some of the rest of the world operates. As the mural on the side of one of our classrooms reads "Welcome to the world." I do pray for acceptance of the things I cannot change and courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference. And, an occasional hot shower.

Don't Fence Me In

E-mails from friends
It has been so good to hear from some friends from home this past week! I don't know why this was the week to write, but thanks if you did! And if you have not, please do! We love to hear about what is happening at home. Or really anywhere!

What does Monduli look like?

I finally figured it out today. The drive to Monduli looks a surprising amount like the drive north to Casper, Wyoming on whatever highway that is. There are mountains in the background, a lot like Casper mountain. The sage brush would need to be replaced by small trees. Oh, and the occasional donkey or camel. But, besides that, virtually one in the same! Monduli itself is quite a lot different than Casper...we are up on the mountain and there are lots of trees. In fact, now there are all these Jackaranda (spelling?) trees that have purple flowers blooming. They are all over the place and it's really pretty.

Where to go?
One thing I have discovered here is a lack of space! Now, don't get me wrong, we live well! We have a three bedroom house with a living room and kitchen. By all means, there is a plenty of space in the house. However, I've been reading a book that talks about a need for solace...just some space and time to get away and be with God. I think that's a great idea and I'm trying. But where! If I wake up early or stay up late there are people in my living room! If I go to my bedroom Lisa is usually sleeping in the mornings (correction, always sleeping in the mornings!) And, I can't really go wandering around in the hills. I'm being a bit facetious, but it really is an issue. Where do you go to unplug? I can't even imagine our students who often live in a one to two bedroom house about the size of our living room. Cripes! Try doing a "quiet time" there!

Netball

On Saturday, most of the teachers went in to a school for an athletic tournament. The girls played netball and the boys soccer (football down here). Netball is similar to basketball, but with several exceptions. For instance, no backboards. Anyway, after a long day of gaming, the girls won the whole things! Lisa was there and said it was a lot of fun watching them in action. Sadly, our camera was stolen there somewhere along the way. But, that's only a small cloud on an otherwise good day.

Water & Electricity
Monduli is situated next to a small mountain range called the Monduli mountains. These mountains provide the water for part of the town up the hill. This is where we live. In fact, we hiked up to the head of where they collect our drinking water and it's quite a good supply from a spring and then fed by gravity through pipes. The rest of Monduli is fed by water piped in from Arusha. Recently we have been without water. This has happened a few times in the past...mostly when our neighbor and landlord's father waters his plants and just leaves the hose running. But, this time was different. It was several days we were without water. Rumors started to spread. The most compelling was that someone had sabotaged the system! It's tough to say and even more challenging to get to the truth in an election year (which I'll get to in a minute!). Anyway, we were introduced to bucket showers (not to bad!) and extra efforts to conserve water. So, poor us, blah blah blah. Now, picture being a Maasai cattle herder in this mess! Granted, it's the dry season and they're used to this. But, literally, where do you go for water? The taps don't have water. The streams and reservoirs don't have water. I think part of the issue here is that traditional watering holes (at least places that would have been reserves during the dry season) are now National Parks. Water is a big issue here.

Ironically enough, the day our water came back on is the day the electricity went out. But, never fear, we have both once again. So now we can look at each other all sparkling clean under fluorescent beams after 7:00 PM - because that's when it gets dark here!

Elections

Today was election day in Tanzania. Every 5 years there is an election. The president can serve two terms. The current president was up for re-election. I have noticed a few things. 1 - no one talks about politics. Not seriously anyway. I'm not sure why but I have a few suspicions that perhaps it's just best to not be overheard. 2 - Rallies! Oh wow, they have these big rallies all over and loads of people show up wearing the caps and shirts and wraps. It is all over! and 3 - the rumors! It certainly has been interesting! I'm thankful to have been here at this time and see the hope that rests on a government in another place. As is sung in their national anthem - Mungu Ibiriki Tanzania...may God Bless Tanzania.

Goat Cake, Hiking Mountains and Quitting Smoking

Goat Cake -

You know how some things just grab your attention the minute you hear them? Well, "Oh, you'll have to come to our wedding. There will be goat cake!" is one of them. We met Beth at our language training earlier this fall. She is from Montana and was engaged to a man from Tanzania named Deo (just like the song...' daylight come and me wanna go home...'). After a few adventures with them we were friends. Last night, we attended their wedding reception. The event was held at a very scenic lodge - lots of green foliage around and a stream running through the property. There was even a full moon last night. We arrived and were seated with the rest of the guests on Beth's side of things. One trend I have found is for Tanzanian's to really draw out the festivities! So, from 5:30-9:30 PM, we rocked out to dancing, speeches, drinks, food and of course the cutting of the cake. People were dressed very nicely - suits, dresses. I just had a white shirt and a tie (in fact I was accused of being a Jehovah's Witness earlier in the evening by some guy on the street....guess I won't dress quite that same way again...) Now, since there was a western contingency, they did have a "European Cake" - a frosted cake just like at any U.S. wedding. After they cut it and fed each other, etc... it was time for the goat cake. Now, the goat cake is a wedding tradition in Tanzania. They brought it out and it was basically a cooked goat. The only thing was the head was still attached with the horns on! The chef brought it out and cut off a few slices. Just like the other cake, Beth and Deo fed each other pieces of the goat cake symbolically serving each other in the marriage. Then, we all got to dine on the goat when we went through the reception line! It was a very welcoming and memorable night. It was an honor to be part of such an event. But, I'm not sure I'll go out of my way to try goat cake again!

Hiking the Monduli Mountains

There is a small mountain range behind our house called the Monduli Mountains. In fact, we hike a portion of them every day to get to our house. This past weekend we took some time to hike a trail into the mountains. We were joined by a new friend from Australia whose name is Matt. We basically followed a trail all the way up a valley to a waterfall which also happens to serve as our water supply to our house. We saw monkeys and evidence of elephants. On the way back we left the trail and decided to go "bushwacking it". Not a good idea. All we found was stinging nettles and ants. Overall it was beautiful up in the mountains and we hope to go back and do more hiking. Although, next time we will hopefully stay on the trail a bit more!

Quitting Smoking

A friend of ours has been trying to stop smoking. He described the feeling to us as "constantly feeling something is missing... and emptiness." Not to be too sappy, but as I was singing in church this morning, I realized that his description really summarizes what I've been feeling since we left home - an emptiness. There is not a day that goes by that I don't think about friends, family and situations back home. I'm certainly not ready to come home- I don't think our work is done here. And, I'm certainly not sitting in my room clutching my pillow sobbing because I'm just so homesick (OK, I might do that one!) What I do feel is just a constant pang of emptiness where people who I love used to be. I knew it would be hard to be away from you all for so long. I just didn't realize that this emptiness would be such a constant companion. And, to be honest, I hope it doesn't subside. A smoker longs for the time when they can fill that void with something else. But, I think this longing will just remind me of things that should not be forgotten, replaced or "filled in." So, before I get too sappy here, I'll just end by saying I miss you, my friends and my family and there is a big hole that I'm waiting for you to fill when time allows. So, until then, I think I'm going to go have a smoke. (Kidding).

Teaching at Orkeeswa and Falling in Aardvark Holes

These past two weeks we taught at Orkeeswa. I taught Form 1 (equivalant of Freshman) Chemistry and Form 2 Agriculture. Lisa has been helping teach the pre-Form English immersion. The student's primary concern, by in large, is this national standardized class they have to take at the end of Form 2. If they don't pass, they don't go on for more school. It's really interesting for lots of reasons! First, they want to take notes! Second, they want to have more time to work with the teachers. They also seem, at least one of the forms, to be very resistant to doing in class activities. The perception seems to be that they need very detailed notes that they can go study in order to pass that test. Lisa has also had some interesting times with the pre-form English students. This past week she and the other teacher taught the students words such as fart, diarrhea, etc... You know the good ones! They also showed E.T. this past week... the first movie for most of the students! They were excited, scared and everything in between! They thought E.T. was real and possibly living in the States!

Anyway, we also tried to run again this past Wednesday. If this is going to be a tradition I wish my body would just hurry up and get in shape. We were only about 10 minutes into the run when the Land Rover with the other teachers passed us. Our friend Junior decided to try and "catch" the vehicle on the way by. No one is sure what he really meant to do! But, as he was running up just behind the bumper, he tripped in a huge aardvark hole and fell face forward in a huge cloud of dust! He just hopped right up and said "oh, I think that I made a bad choice" and kept going. I can't remember when we have laughed that hard.

We also went to two students' houses this past week. That is probably best left for another blog. It did offer some great insight as to why you don't assign homework, etc... as there is very little light in the houses and the students also have a lot of work to do.

Last week we attended a track meet at the International School of Moshi in Arusha. Imagine 90 Maasai students and their parents showing up and running/throwing/jumping! We dominated the distance events (go figure), but didn't fare so well in short distance or field events. However, put a spear (javelin) in their hand and they shined! We won the sportsmanship award and received a big trophy. You would have thought we won the whole event - there was dancing and singing! It was cool to be part of the festivities. In fact, many of the parents of the other students from different schools stopped and took pictures of our students and parents!

We are doing well...finding it hard to make connection with family and friends back home due to poor internet connections.

All the chickens are dead!

The School – Orkeeswa Secondary School is where we are working. The school is currently three main classroom buildings designed in a horseshoe shape. Each building has two classrooms in it with teachers' offices between. There is also a cook building (we eat lunch outside), a garden, chicken coop, pit latrines. Unfortunately, all the chickens were all killed this week by, no doubt, a vicious and terrible creature! This was really sad because the chickens are actually managed by a student group called the microfinance club. No worries though, they had already made plans to buy more!

Monduli – After months of speculation and trepidation, we finally arrived in Monduli, Tanzania. The greater Monduli area is a town of around 2000 people. However, as I am learning in all of Tanzania civilization, a town really consists of smaller villages interconnected with dirt roads. For instance "Monduli" is really Monduli Juu (upper), Monduli Chini (lower), Mlimani (means Mountain), etc… By the way, we actually live in Mlimani which means we walk about 1 mile every time we want to go down to where the shops, etc. are located.

The Students – There are three groups of students – pre form, form 1 and form 2. Forms are equivalent to grades in the States. Right now, the form 2 students are working towards their big government-issued standardized tests. If they pass, they can go on for more education. If not…well that's unclear to me right now. Our students are primarily from the Maasai tribe. They are split pretty evenly between boys and girls. I am surprised at how much we have already learned about their personalities. I don't know what I was expecting! In general most have come up and greeted us. We shake hands regularly. They say "you are welcome" to our school. They also ask some very challenging questions. I quickly realized that part of what I'm experiencing is foreign to me because of cultural differences and language barriers. However, quite a lot of what I see is also just teenagers interacting with other teenagers coping with typical teenage issues. Boys want to be manly and girls want to be beautiful (gross generalization I know). Some are shy, some are bold. Some are intellectual and some are just looking for fun. I have been shocked by many things here in Tanzania, but this time I think it was just how similar teenagers really can be.

The Teachers - Our teachers are diverse! We have four from the US, one from Australia, one from Ireland and four from Tanzania. We are pretty well split male to female. Most have taught in schools other than their homeland. I am also pleased to announce that most of them like coffee…so we get along just fine! Obviously we have only been here for one week. However, here are some generalities I can find. We live together, eat together, work together, ride together in the same dusty landrover over bumpy roads, get covered in dust together and struggle with the same issues of scarcity. I've found them to be supportive, open and very passionate about what they are doing here.

The House – We live in the "Polepole (meaning 'slow') Palace." We have hot water showers, two flush toilets, a refrigerator and gas stove top. There is a gate and security guard. By any standards, this is a nice house! All of us here feel really fortunate…especially to have the hot showers! There are four of us living here and three in the other volunteer house. The houses are in Monduli town, about 4 miles from Orkeeswa. We did run out of water twice. Once was because there just wasn't water being supplied this far up the hill and it lasted two days. The second time was just because we used too much water and the holding tank had not had time to recharge. Obviously water will be a factor here. Nevertheless, it is so nice to be able to turn on a faucet and have water!

The Housemates – Lisa and I are so spoiled! Ben (Australia math/chem teacher) and Jane (Ireland English teacher) are wonderful cooks and both hilariously funny! By wonderful cooks, I mean they create things from their head that include food items Lisa and I have never even heard of! For example, we were sitting around on Thursday night and Ben said, "I think I'll make prawns in a garlic sauce." What the heck! Who does that! Further, given the fact that it gets dark at 7:00 PM, everyone goes to bed by 9:30. So, this past week Lisa and I have been better fed and better rested than possibly ever before! Lisa and I are, however, more than a little nervous because we have no idea how to cook like this. So, if anyone has a good recipe, please send it our way so we can contribute!

The Pig Feast – Friday night we dined on pork and drinks after work. By pork, I mean the place barbecued 8 kilos ( I have no idea how many pounds that is) of pork meat and we just dug into the pile of meat and ate it with our hands! It was cool to be sitting around swapping stories, learning Swahili and watching the personalities of our new comrades unfold.

Next Week - Things have a tendency to change from day to day. However, at this time it's looking like I will teach a two week course in chemistry to form 1 on fuels and two weeks of animal science to form 2. Lisa will start working with the pre form students on speaking English (helping Jane) in the mornings and then working in the office in the afternoons helping with getting an Academic Office started for the school and getting some fundraising materials ready for our Director's upcoming fundraising tour in the States. Please continue to pray for our students, our teachers and us as we move forward!

"I didn't know the black mamba would chase you!"

 

Snake Zoo & Maasai Cultural Center

I've never been what you might call a "diligent student." So, when Rich & Carli, fellow language learners, asked if I wanted to skip class and go look at poisonous snakes, I didn't hesitate. Lisa, not one to "break the rules"…or really enjoy snakes for that matter…took some convincing. But with the promise of danger and romance, she was entered and we were on our way. The snake farm took about an hour to get to because the president was in town campaigning. He "inconspicuously" flew in on a helicopter. And, just in case you missed that noise, the fact that every building in town had his poster or banner displayed might have clued you in. Some particularly fashionable advocates had cloth wraps called "kangas" with the president's face on them wrapped around their waist!

 

Nevertheless, we survived the increased traffic and arrived safely at the snake zoo. We paid the "local rate" of 5000/= (shillings) and entered. Our tour guide told us about the approximately 20 varieties of snakes on display. Nearly all of them were poisonous and, of course, resided in northern Tanzania…aka Lisa & Seth's back yard! We enjoyed the hooded cobras and python (complete with pictures of a boy that had been eaten by one). But, the show stopper was the 6 foot black mambas they had on display. Then, our guide told us that they will chase you…at 15 MPH! And…to avoid them catching you it is necessary to run in a zig-zag pattern from them. I'm thinking this might be something we can drill on at school…Fire Drill, Bomb Threat…and now Black Mamba Chase Drill.

 

After the Snake Zoo we were ushered into the Maasai cultural center. We learned some of the intricacies of Maasai life. At the conclusion of the tour, our guide said "this is the conclusion of the tour." Then, he stood in the doorway and looked at us as if to say "and now comes the part where you tip me!" It was about a 7.5 on the awkward moment's scale!

 

Overall, the snake zoo and cultural center a great excuse to blow off class!

 

Watoto Foundation Boys Technical School

This week we were treated to a field trip to a technical school for "hard core street boys." The students were between the ages of 13-18 and had previously been living on the streets. The school provided basic formal education, such as reading, math, etc… However, where the school really shined was in the technical skills arena. We (the language class) were ushered around by boys currently living on the campus of the school. The boys showed us the facilities where they learned skills related to agriculture, carpentry, masonry, electrical and welding. I particularly enjoyed their garden which had a drip irrigation system. Each boy started with an 18 month rotation to try out each of the trades. Then, the next 18 months would be spent focusing on just one trade. Finally, the boy would do a 6 month internship with a partnering company. If the boy performed satisfactorily, he would likely be hired by the company. In general, there was a feeling of optimism at this place.

 

Going Away Party

Thursday this week we had a rip-snortin' party to conclude our time at TCDC. The night was complete with live music, a DJ, a BBQ. I mean, we had it all! It was nice to be able to visit with our fellow participants one last time before saying good-bye.

 

 

 

 

Dinner with Friends Rich & Carli

We have really met some great people here at TCDC. We hit it off with a married couple that is about our age named Rich and Carli. They are from Canada and moved here to manage an orphanage. They, along with their daughter Elise, have been good companions here. Last night we went to dinner in Arusha. The place we went could easily have come from any city in America. I ate a beef burrito and Lisa ate pizza. We have seen and felt a strange dichotomy of lifestyles in our short time here. This shopping center/restaurant was well stocked with virtually any product you could buy in the States. There were a variety of restaurants to choose from. However, walking around the compound, it was primarily "wazungu"…the Swahili word for white people. It felt strange to be in the middle of Africa yet surrounded by the same amenities you might find at home. Then, as soon as we left the gates of the shopping center, you drive by the local scene of open front shops with rusted metal roofs. It is almost like driving through two very different worlds in one trip.

 

Arrival at Monduli

We have arrived in Monduli and been to the school twice. We hope to have pictures and more detail posted soon!

“Who the #$!! let the cat in here!”

"Who the #$!! let the cat in here!"

This week found Lisa and I, well, a little frustrated with Swahili. It felt like our brains had taken a bit of a safari and said "we'll mail you some postcards." Toward the end of the week we were working on how to tell "Swahili Time"…which is a lot like my sister Noelle's time…about 6 hours off. Anyway, we are reading these sentences in Swahili which say things like "Mr. Jones went to the market at 6:15 and then he went to dinner at 7:00." Pretty rich stuff. It sounds easy, but it was like pulling teeth for us and the other two in our class, a really nice couple from Germany. You know on Dumb and Dumber when he is reading and it sounds like "will hos…will hos.. will host. Tuha…t..heee…the…" Yeah, it was like that. Anyway, at one point our friend Rosi was trying to read a sentence and the word for "until" is mpaka….which is really similar to cat, which is just paka. Anyway, Rosie is reading along a sentence like "Saa mbili na nusu mpaka saa tatu…" when all of a sudden her husband, Klaus, says under his breath "Who the #$!! let the cat in here!" Ahhh….just what you don't need to hear when you are looking for something to distract you anyway!

Skyping with Parents

One of the joys this week has been using a program called Skype with our parents. For instance I tried calling my mom and accidently got her at 5 am her time. Then, "something was wrong with her sound" and so Lisa and I had to type our responses to her for an hour because she couldn't hear. Or, sometimes for fun she would ask us yes/no questions. My dad refuses to stand in front of the camera…but we know he is there because every now and then he shifts his weight a little too far to his right and we catch a glimpse of his arm. Jeff and Kim (Lisa's parents) have taken to Skype like a duck to water. Unfortunately, our internet connection is really slow here, so every now and then they will be talking and then just freeze. Then, after about 3-5 seconds the screen "fast forwards"….right along with their voices and animations! It is really entertaining for Lisa and I…can't really say that Jeff and Kim enjoy it that much! We are, however, really thankful for such a media so we can keep in touch!

Market Experience

One day last week we were able to attend a local market near Usa River, home of our campus. Our assignment was to buy something speaking in Kiswahili and then get information on prices of other things. It was great! I bought an orange and some carrots and Lisa bought some oranges and tomatoes. Most of the produce was sold in small piles, called a fungu. Lisa was a better negotiator because her pill only cost 300 TSH (Tanzania Shillings) while mine cost 350 TSH. We also found a section of the market where you could buy clothing. Shoes, pants, shirts and undergarments for men, women and children all over the place! It was a bit overwhelming to push your way through the crowds. However, we later went to a store in Arusha and compared prices. It will be well worth our time to learn how to navigate the street markets if we want the better deals here! They were probably ½ the price, at least! Plus, at one point, someone bumped my arm, fist pumped me, and said "what's up my homie." So, that was a real plus too. My personal favorite shop was the "Yankee Wear" with a picture of President Obama painted on a sign with the word "Yank" under it. It appears they really like him down here (for real). Today, we even saw a Kanga (cloth wrap) with him on it!

Happy Birthday Seth

I turned 29 this week! Thanks to everyone who wrote kind words on Facebook! We went out for milk shakes. It was a good day. Now I celebrate my age by taking Ibuprofen when I wake.

Rehabilitation Center

One thing we have really enjoyed visiting while we have been here is this rehabilitation center for children and young adults with handicaps. It is just across the road from our campus. One of the other Kiswahili students, Hinrike, works there and introduced us to the place. In addition to helping improve the lives of these young people, they also make some AWESOME milk shakes.

Happy 5^th Anniversary

On Friday, Lisa and I celebrated our 5^th wedding anniversary. Thanks again for everyone who sent us kind wishes on this special day. We are so romantic…we watched a movie with some friends and went to bed early so we could get up and go on a safari!

Safari to Lake Manyara and Ngorongoro Crater

We finished the week by taking a quick safari to some incredible lands. Saturday afternoon we arrived at our camp site, swam, ate and rested. That evening we went to Lake Manyara. It was awesome to be so close to elephants, birds, and many other species. We even saw a lion hidden in a bush but couldn't get a great picture. That night we slept in tents in a campground and prepared for an early morning. This morning (Sunday) we awoke and had breakfast of eggs, chipati (pancakes), sausage (hot dog), fruit and of course coffee by 6:30 AM. We arrived at the crater by 9:00 AM and were treated with hyenas, lions, several antelope species, zebras, warthogs, elephants and at one point a cheetah. In fact, we thought the cheetah would chase a family of warthogs because the warthogs were heading right toward the cheetah. But, alas, life prevailed and the cheetah just stayed where it was sleeping. My favorite part, besides all of the wildlife of course, was when a monkey stole another tourist's Pop-Tart right out of her hand from the vehicle WITH THEM STILL INSIDE! Even though we froze this morning, it was a fantastic end to the week.

To see all of the pictures from the safari, go to http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=233375&id=658766625&l=0944c0d2e2

Arrival

Arrival – We arrived last Friday, August 27^th into the Kilimanjaro Airport in Arusha. Thankfully all five of our bags arrived. Our driver from MS-TCDC was waiting for us and so we went straight to the campus. Driving in we saw what looked like chaotic vegetation. I'm sure there was some order to crops and pastureland, but we couldn't make it out. In the background was Mount Meru. We spent the first few days just resting and getting settled in to our room on the TCDC campus.

Native dancers at TCDC

Hospital Encounter – Many of those who know me know that I have a love of poison ivy. Once again, I managed to find it in Ohio whilst hiking with my dear sister in law Laura. By the time we arrived in Arusha, it had made its presence known on my arm and leg. Since I have no defense to it, I knew we needed to go to the doctor. So, we took a taxi into Arusha last Saturday to the Luthern Hospital. After waiting nearly 4 hours, I finally was able to see the doctor. I told him my problem and what it typically took to cure it. The doctor wrote a prescription (albeit wrong) and we were out of there. I was actually quite impressed with the facility. It didn't seem as if anyone was in a hurry and I certainly didn't like the wait. But, it was clean and organized and had an in-house pharmacy. Plus, between seeing the doctor and buying the prescription, we paid only 9800 shillings which at an exchange rate of 1500:1, that comes out to only $6.50!

Classrooms at TCDC

Courses – We have been taking Kiswahili classes on the MS- Training Center for Development Cooperation. Let's just say that Lisa and I are slowly but surely making minor progress! We are in the "slower" group with a really nice couple from Germany and that is right where we belong. To date we can greet someone and say I want/like something. We also know important words like toilet, water, toilet water, and food. I am pretty sure I recognized "big headed white person" walking in town yesterday, but that's up for debate! Anyway, we'll finish courses in two weeks (September 17^th) and hopefully by then we'll be able to successfully say "I want to hunt monkeys with a blow dart and eat ice cream" and not have it come out all offensive.



Arusha – Yesterday we went in to Arusha. It's a little confusing what that means because technically the training center is in Arusha, but it's so spread out that it takes ½ hour to get in to the "downtown". So, people refer to it as Arusha Town. To us it felt like chaos. We were almost instantly pressed by street vendors to buy art work or newspapers. We did find that if we spoke to them in Swahili they would ask if we were a volunteer or a tourist. When we said volunteer, they would leave us alone. There were small shops along the streets selling anything from welding equipment to flat screen TV's. We walked from the city center to a "strip mall" near the outskirts of the town called the Shop Right Center. Shop Right is a chain of stores across Tanzania. Inside is just like any major grocery store in the states. It was a strange and welcome feeling to walk inside after the stress of the walk to get there! We found Red Bull and Snickers, so I think we'll be just fine.


Transportation – Yesterday we took our first daladala. This is Tanzania's public transport bus system. Basically we crammed as many people into a Toyota microbus as possible. At one point I had a baby on my lap, a tub of bananas under my legs and people touching me in ways I don't even want to describe. Overall, a pretty good experience!



Food – This has been a welcome surprise! Here at the center we have lived like kings. Each meal is set up in a buffet and there are lots of options. Primarily we have had a lot of starches and lintels. We have rice and some sort of beans at nearly every meal. But, there has also been salads, fruits, mutton, fish, beef, maize, ugale (this I understand is a staple pretty much everywhere – looks like mashed potatoes but has virtually no flavor!). I don't think this is a typical fare and we'll probably be very sad when we move to Moduli! But for now, we're carbo-loading!



Monkeys & Wildlife – This has to be my favorite part of being here so far! There have been at least three types of monkeys around our campus – grey ones, black ones and these black and white ones with crazy tails (they look like big skunks climbing in the trees!). I think the last ones are called colobus monkeys. There are also these enormous cranes that are in the trees near our room. They have a 5-6 foot wing span and when they fly their wings make a lot of noise! There are also lizards and spiders all over! I have a tough time focusing sometimes because there is a lot to attend to!



People we've met – Besides the wildlife, we've been blessed with some wonderful people! Our instructors, Mama Elda and Mama Frida have been very kind and patient. The other class participants in the beginner course are from Canada, Germany, USA ( Montana of all places) and Seattle. We have also met folks from World Vision and the Tanzanian government. Overall, there is a sense of purpose and passion with most of the people we've met and that has been really encouraging.

Ben, Lisa P., Seth, Scott

Meeting our Orkeeswa Colleagues – The capstone of the week was finally being able to meet the people we will be working with at Orkeeswa! We met for dinner in Arusha. I'm happy to report that we will be working with a Wyoming native and UW grad! Scott (Wyoming native), Lisa (New York native), Ben (Australian native and our soon to be roommate!), Quinn (Missouri native) and Peter (IEFT founder) were all there to welcome us and celebrate birthdays.

A few more days in the US of A

Our last few days in the States were filled with all kinds of good fun!


There was mud volleyball at Pine Bluffs Trail Days...


A trip to PBHS for some science equipment for Orkeeswa...

Fun times in Denver at the zoo and Water World with the Heinert's for Mary and Baxter's birthdays...


Some time on a lake in Georgia with friends...


A party with some of our favorite people...

A few days in Ohio visiting sister LauraBelle that included some good 'Amish-ing' as Laura calls it (or 'Amish encounters of the first kind' as Seth calls it), a visit to Smuckers (who has all the things we love to eat!), some nature adventures, a trips to Lehman's, visiting The Ohio State University, yummy pizza, a friendly church and of course a couple visits to the infamous Guerne Heights Drive In ice cream store that serves crunchy sprinkles!

After all that fun and 7 hours in the car, we got to spend a day in DC complete with tasty burgers at Tune Inn (check them out in September on Diners, Dives and Drive-ins!), lots of monuments and walking and a failed attempt at the metro.  

All in all a great way to spend our last few days in the USA!

Kids say the darndest things...

I was missing our DZ kids on Sunday, so I took a look through the notes they wrote for us during VBS. They are so sweet! Lots of the kids wrote notes of thanks for helping at church and encouragement for our trip. But, some of them are just plain funny. Here are some of my favorites:


Seth & Lisa, I know what you're going to do today! Good luck. 
Sincerely, R. 
P.S. You guys better have fun. Or else you wasted a bunch of time, which you won't be able to be at the end of VBS. I'll be driving to Colorado to get on a plane to California! 


Dar Seht and Lesu, have a god tim.


I hope you find a kungroo. 
From A. 


I bet all the peaple in africa really like you.


Dear Ben and Lessa, 
Have fun on your trip. 


Hey guys GL (good luck) and HF (have fun) but most important REMEMBER ME. 
from: E. 
P.S. be safe 2 but rember me!


Dear Seth and Lisa, 
I hope you have a fun time in Africa. Send me some of the pictures. 
Love, J. 
P.S. Don't forget Chadder.  
P.P.S. Chadder misses you.  
P.P.P.S. If you get a picture of a rhino I will be amazed.


Front:

Back: Thak you


We love our DZ kids and can't wait to share stories of our experience with them!

Getting ready...

Well, we are new to both blogging and to the adventure we're about to take on. For those that don't know, we are moving to Tanzania, Africa in August to volunteer at Orkeeswa Secondary School. We'll be there for about 18 months and will live in a village in a rural area of northern Tanzania. The school is in Lashaine Village and our house (with the other volunteers) is in nearby Monduli. We've been to Tanzania once before for a 2-week Habitat for Humanity trip and fell in love with the country and the people.

Everyone asks us if we are ready for the move, and we're not sure! Seems like getting ready for an 18-month stint overseas is a bit different than anything we've ever planned for before. But here are a few things we've done so far to get ready....

• Gotten 6 shots each to keep us healthy (we hope!), plus a few pills.
  
• Booked one-way tickets to Kilimanjaro International Airport. Yikes!
• (Still trying to...) convince our families this is a good idea and that we aren't changing our minds.
• LOTS of praying
• Attempting our best to get an 80-year-old house ready for renters.
• Signed up for a three-week course in Arusha, Tanzania to learn Swahili. (Apparently what we've learned from the Swahili words in 'The Lion King' isn't really sufficient to get by).
  

There's still lots to do before next week when we leave Lincoln, but we're sure it will all come together. The next few weeks are sure to be busy... between saying good-bye to our friends in Lincoln and at Horizons, spending a couple weeks in Wyoming and boarding a one-way plane to Africa, it seems the adventure has already started! We'll be sure to post stories and pictures along the way in hopes of sharing this experience with you all!