so my time in Africa is running low (and i'm spending it online...hmmmm) and I can't believe it as gone so fast. I just got back from three weeks traveling in Malawi and Zambia. It was an amazing trip but I'm very glad to be done with bus travel for a long while. Zambia was just for a few days, me and my travel mates Luther (Australia) and Shannon (Canada) went to Livingstone to check out Victoria Falls, and they were everything and more that we had heard. Then I decided to check bungee jumping off my life list...and it was amazing. Jumped from a 111m bridge in the mist of the falls, and yes, I want to do it again!
Then on to Malawi where we chilled by the lake and I learned how to make a drum from sratch. I had to soak the goat skin, tighten it on the drum base, shave the hair off, and then I carved the drum. It took 4 days and is something I am super proud of now. Went to Vwaza National Park too, where the elephants passed witin 20 meters of our hut! I got some amazing photos and it was a truely surreal experience. Very different from the touristy Tanzania safari (which was also amazing though).
Now I'm back in Dar es Salaam and headed to Zanzibar in a day or so to finish off my time in Tanzania. Then I'm on a fligt back home July 1st, with mixed sadness and excitement. Thanks to everyone who took the time to read my blog and email me along my trip. It has been a very life changing trip and I hope I can share my photos with everyone who wants to see them. California, I'm soon on my way!!!
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Kenya, Zambia, and Bungee Jumping
I have failed on the blog recently, but now I have a few minutes so I'll try and catch myself up. The last 2 weeks I spent in Kenya with my professor. It was really amazing living off the land in the middle of no where. We had solar power and a charcoal fridge. There were giraffes and elephants roaming the property, as well with a lot of cattle and Masai. I was inspired to go into research of the Dik-dik, a small antelope, due to questions about its taxonomic grouping...we'll see.
Last week was pretty much travel. 9 hours from Nairobi to Moshi, 8 hrs to Dar, 48 hr train to Kipiri-Mposhi (Zambia), 4 hr bus to Lusaka, 8 hr bus to Livingstone...and this morning we went to see Victoria Falls! so it was all worth it :D and I conquered my fear of heights by going bungee jumping. It was absolutely amazing and magical and crazy. You are falling for 111m in the mist of the most powerful falls in the world. Also, the bridge is on the boarder of Zambia and Zimbabwe, so technically you are in no mans land and the jump is right next to this painted line that divides the two countries. Its funny as well, cause there are people everywhere trying to sell you Zimbabwean dollars...of which I bought 100 trillion...for $1. Its crazy to hold an actual printed note that says a trillion dollars...though now they have officially changed to the american dollar, so life is a little more stable, hopefully.
Tomorrow or Monday we head off for the 2 day journey to Malawi, where we will be able to move much slower on our return towards Dar in Tanzania. My time is winding down here and I am trying to make the most of it! Oh, and when I say we, my traveling team for the moment is me, Shannon-Canada, and Luther-Australia. Its another strange batch of English!
I'll try and write again before I get home, but only 3 weeks to go, so maybe not. Home July 1st!
Last week was pretty much travel. 9 hours from Nairobi to Moshi, 8 hrs to Dar, 48 hr train to Kipiri-Mposhi (Zambia), 4 hr bus to Lusaka, 8 hr bus to Livingstone...and this morning we went to see Victoria Falls! so it was all worth it :D and I conquered my fear of heights by going bungee jumping. It was absolutely amazing and magical and crazy. You are falling for 111m in the mist of the most powerful falls in the world. Also, the bridge is on the boarder of Zambia and Zimbabwe, so technically you are in no mans land and the jump is right next to this painted line that divides the two countries. Its funny as well, cause there are people everywhere trying to sell you Zimbabwean dollars...of which I bought 100 trillion...for $1. Its crazy to hold an actual printed note that says a trillion dollars...though now they have officially changed to the american dollar, so life is a little more stable, hopefully.
Tomorrow or Monday we head off for the 2 day journey to Malawi, where we will be able to move much slower on our return towards Dar in Tanzania. My time is winding down here and I am trying to make the most of it! Oh, and when I say we, my traveling team for the moment is me, Shannon-Canada, and Luther-Australia. Its another strange batch of English!
I'll try and write again before I get home, but only 3 weeks to go, so maybe not. Home July 1st!
Friday, May 15, 2009
The last days in Moshi, TZ
So I forgot I was keeping a blog for the last few weeks, but I haven't been up to much. After coming back from the jaunt to Uganda and Rwanda, I decided to make the most of my last few weeks in Moshi. The other weekend a group of us from the Hostel went to a Masai village outside of Arusha. It was really amazing to see. The Masai are famous for their beautiful bead-work and their jumping dance. We got to take pictures too, which was a plus. I can't even describe their amazing outfits. They wear bright blue, purple, and/or red plaid clothes draped over their bodies. They always have a machete at their side and usually a club in their hand. And then they have beads everywhere! But I'll have to wait till the slide show to tell you guys more ;D
I also have been keeping myself busy with dance. I got amazingly lucky one day after school when I was walking home...I heard a drum beat and decided to follow the music. It ended up leading me to an after school program that does theater and dance with kids. I tried to sneak in and watch, but being the only white person around, they kinda noticed me right away. As is common with the culture here, they instantly welcomed me in and before I knew it someone had wrapped a kanga around me and I was out dancing with all the kids. (fyi a kanga is a type of cloth here, it is beautiful and very colorful. All the ladies wear them wrapped around like skirts). And so I got hooked. I've been going for the last 3 weeks now, every Tuesday and Thursday. Sometimes I get to drum, sometimes there is no dance and I watch them practice acting, of which I only understand the words 'action!' and 'cut!'...Everyone there has been super nice to me and on my last day (yesterday) one of the leaders, Kisodu, gave me a paper with one of the songs on it. This song is about the region of Kilimanjaro and we sing it (or attempt to mouth along) as we dance. I was really excited to get it in writing so now I can keep practicing.
Today was my last day teaching and leaving all the girls was really hard. Karen, the English teacher, and I brought them all notebooks and pens and lollipops and then we played games all class. It was really fun to just hang out with the girls. It was really a challenge working there but I know I learned a lot. Patience is key and learning basic Swahili is a must. Some days were much more frustrating than others, but this last week as we finished up with geometry, the girls seemed to actually understand...so it was a good way to end.
The next month and a half brings a whole new level of excitement and adventure. I leave Moshi on Sunday and take a bus up to Nairobi, Kenya. There I will stay a night with a professor from study abroad Equatorial Guinea. Professor Quintin Luke, an impressive Botanist who is currently putting together a book on the flora of EG. Then I take a bus out around Mt. Kenya and to stay for a while with another professor, Dr. Tom Butynski. He is a very amazing biologist and I will be continuing my frog searches there...and the circle comes back to the frogs! I am really excited to get away from the tourist path and hand out in nature for a while. Tom lives next to a reserve where much research is currently being done, and we will be able to go on mini-safaris and check out some animals (fyi- safari in Swahili just means journey, so whenever you go somewhere, even if not to the Serengeti, then you are still going on safari).
After a few weeks playing with animals in Kenya, I swing back through Moshi for a night, then off for a 5 day train/bus journey/safari to VICTORIA FALLS!!! (Zambia side) I will be traveling with a girl I met at the hostel, Shannon from Canada and we are going to be doing a Zambia and Malawi trip for about 3 weeks. And so far, the country names is about all we have been able to decide on, but we figure with 5 days of travel, we'll have plenty of time to read up before we get there!!!
Once we circle back to Dar es Salaam, we will split up and I will head out to spend my last week in Zanzibar. This is a beautiful island off the coast of Tanzania and I will be able to rest and finish up my shopping (presents for all of you of course!) there. Then July 1st I fly home to see all my dearly missed family and friends.
Although plans are bound to change along the way, this is the current schedule for my last month and a half in Africa. I can't believe time has flown by so fast and I know the next leg will zoom by even faster. So I'm going to get off the computer and go soak up the last bits of Moshi before getting on the bus...
I also have been keeping myself busy with dance. I got amazingly lucky one day after school when I was walking home...I heard a drum beat and decided to follow the music. It ended up leading me to an after school program that does theater and dance with kids. I tried to sneak in and watch, but being the only white person around, they kinda noticed me right away. As is common with the culture here, they instantly welcomed me in and before I knew it someone had wrapped a kanga around me and I was out dancing with all the kids. (fyi a kanga is a type of cloth here, it is beautiful and very colorful. All the ladies wear them wrapped around like skirts). And so I got hooked. I've been going for the last 3 weeks now, every Tuesday and Thursday. Sometimes I get to drum, sometimes there is no dance and I watch them practice acting, of which I only understand the words 'action!' and 'cut!'...Everyone there has been super nice to me and on my last day (yesterday) one of the leaders, Kisodu, gave me a paper with one of the songs on it. This song is about the region of Kilimanjaro and we sing it (or attempt to mouth along) as we dance. I was really excited to get it in writing so now I can keep practicing.
Today was my last day teaching and leaving all the girls was really hard. Karen, the English teacher, and I brought them all notebooks and pens and lollipops and then we played games all class. It was really fun to just hang out with the girls. It was really a challenge working there but I know I learned a lot. Patience is key and learning basic Swahili is a must. Some days were much more frustrating than others, but this last week as we finished up with geometry, the girls seemed to actually understand...so it was a good way to end.
The next month and a half brings a whole new level of excitement and adventure. I leave Moshi on Sunday and take a bus up to Nairobi, Kenya. There I will stay a night with a professor from study abroad Equatorial Guinea. Professor Quintin Luke, an impressive Botanist who is currently putting together a book on the flora of EG. Then I take a bus out around Mt. Kenya and to stay for a while with another professor, Dr. Tom Butynski. He is a very amazing biologist and I will be continuing my frog searches there...and the circle comes back to the frogs! I am really excited to get away from the tourist path and hand out in nature for a while. Tom lives next to a reserve where much research is currently being done, and we will be able to go on mini-safaris and check out some animals (fyi- safari in Swahili just means journey, so whenever you go somewhere, even if not to the Serengeti, then you are still going on safari).
After a few weeks playing with animals in Kenya, I swing back through Moshi for a night, then off for a 5 day train/bus journey/safari to VICTORIA FALLS!!! (Zambia side) I will be traveling with a girl I met at the hostel, Shannon from Canada and we are going to be doing a Zambia and Malawi trip for about 3 weeks. And so far, the country names is about all we have been able to decide on, but we figure with 5 days of travel, we'll have plenty of time to read up before we get there!!!
Once we circle back to Dar es Salaam, we will split up and I will head out to spend my last week in Zanzibar. This is a beautiful island off the coast of Tanzania and I will be able to rest and finish up my shopping (presents for all of you of course!) there. Then July 1st I fly home to see all my dearly missed family and friends.
Although plans are bound to change along the way, this is the current schedule for my last month and a half in Africa. I can't believe time has flown by so fast and I know the next leg will zoom by even faster. So I'm going to get off the computer and go soak up the last bits of Moshi before getting on the bus...
Monday, April 27, 2009
quick trip out of TZ...to Rwanda and Uganda!
Hey all! So the last week and a half have been the most jam-packed, exciting, and fun part of East Africa yet...yes, some friends and I took some time off work and decided to bus over to Uganda and Rwanda for a bit. It was absolutely amazing.
The team consisted of me, Claire (Aussie), Graham (UK), Amanda, and Kendyll (both Kiwi). We headed off on Wednesday afternoon from Moshi, TZ through Kenya to Jinja in Uganda. This took about 20hrs on two buses and added 4 stamps to the old passport. We rented bikes as soon as we got there and biked around town and the hills. The town is known for being an adventure capital as it is based at the head of the Nile River and hosts class 5 river rafting (of which I did not take part, mom, as I know i do not have proper insurance for that!). Its a very cute town and much less touristy than Moshi, so you are not attacked constantly by people trying to sell you things. Everyone speaks pretty good english as well and they are amazingly nice and helpful.
After one night in Jinja, we headed to Kampala, the Capital city and stayed there for 2 nights. We went out horseback riding on Lake Victoria and then made a day trip down to the equator (Uganda is one of only 10 countries through which the equator passes through). They had a cool little set up where you can really test the question about flushing a toilet in each hemisphere. Ans: Northern it flows clockwise, Southern: counterclockwise, and on the equator: it just goes straight town, no turning at all...
After this we headed to Rwanda, and spent an entire day in transit. The bus from Kampala to Kigali (Capital of Rwanda) is about 8 hr. We took a night bus and got there in the morning. Claire had decided to check Gorilla trekking off her bucket list, we we headed straight out to do that. We were really lucky its slow season as usually the $500+ tickets sell out months in advance...but we got one for the next day. So we grabbed another bus (2 hr) out of Kigali and headed to the countryside of Ruhengeri. This town borders the Volcano national park which is famous for its string of amazing volcanoes approx 3000-4000m high as well as the Gorillas (this is where Diane Fossey did her studies). We crashed as soon as we got there and curled up in blankets...this was a first in East Africa as usually we sweat ourselves to sleep.
The next morning we were up at 6 and headed to the park. The Kiwi's had decided to stay in the city (Kigali) and Claire was preparing to head out for Gorilla trekking. Me and Graham decided to go hiking (as we couldn't afford the Gorilla trek). We got to hike an amazing volcano and as it is slow season, we got to have the guide all to ourselves! Total altitude: 3800m+, the highest I've ever hiked before...my cheaper version of Kilimanjaro! It was a lot of fun and really hard. Also, there is a reason it is slow season...its muddy muddy muddy! We spent half the hike coming down on our butts and were covered completely by the time we made it back. Really cool experience though.
After two nights there we headed to Lake Kivu, which borders the DR Congo (we could see it on the other side). This is a beautiful town and kinda like a resort town for rich Rwandans. Many super nice hotels and pools...we stayed in a church for $1.50 a night. We spent the day wandering the beaches then got the guts up to check out the DRC, which was only a 2km walk from town. After peaking over the boarder, we decided to ask about visas (just curious mom, I swear I was not going to actually go in...) It was interesting though, cause they only give you a visa for the city as each city is pretty much run independent, so to move around you would need a ton of visas, and UN protection!
A night there and it was time to head back to Kigali (the Capital). We had had a lot of fun but it was time to go to the Genocide Memorial. It was an amazingly well done museum and included real photos of people lost as well as info on other Genocides around the world. They had 1/4 million people in a mass burial on the site of the memorial. Very moving.
At this point the mood was very somber and only Graham and I continued onward (agreeing to meet up with everyone at the hostel that night). We took a bus out of town about 45 min to a church memorial where another 5,000 people had been killed. It was so extremely real. Most western memorials are always slightly removed, behind glass casing, well organized, and deliberately thought out. This just was. They had clothes piled up on either side and in the rafters and almost 1,000 skulls just sitting on a shelf in the back. You could clearly see some of their causes of death.
We were very glad we had saved this for last, as we were ready to head home after that. The next morning we left Rwanda and went to Kabale, Uganda for a day. Claire had gotten sick so we couldn't travel too far just yet. This town revived our spirits with its beauty. In the south/west portion of the country, its labeled the 'Switzerland' of Uganda. Rolling hills fully terraced from top to bottom line the edges of a lake filled with little islands. It is all green and beautiful. Three little kids came up to play with us so we did cartwheels and farting sounds (yes, a very universal past-time) with them, overlooking the lake. It was a much needed refresher and we all felt much better after.
The next 2 days were travel home to Moshi. We all had work on Monday and had to fight to get back in time. We left Kabale at 5am on Saturday morning and were on buses almost 34 hr straight (literally running between buses). It took 4 buses and another 4 stamps to get back, we had 5 hr sitting on a bus not going anywhere (broken, police ck points, ect) or driving up and down main street for 2 hours to fill the bus (we don't drive until we are full...ahhhhh!!! a very frustrating trip).
But we made it back to Moshi just in time for dinner (of which we were very thankful) and then all jumped in the shower and went straight to bed. Now its back to teaching and we are all happy to stay in one place for a while. Overall, it was an absolutely amazing trip and I was so happy I got to go with such good travel buddies.
Best to all and thanks to our guardian angels that looked over us during our travels...
The team consisted of me, Claire (Aussie), Graham (UK), Amanda, and Kendyll (both Kiwi). We headed off on Wednesday afternoon from Moshi, TZ through Kenya to Jinja in Uganda. This took about 20hrs on two buses and added 4 stamps to the old passport. We rented bikes as soon as we got there and biked around town and the hills. The town is known for being an adventure capital as it is based at the head of the Nile River and hosts class 5 river rafting (of which I did not take part, mom, as I know i do not have proper insurance for that!). Its a very cute town and much less touristy than Moshi, so you are not attacked constantly by people trying to sell you things. Everyone speaks pretty good english as well and they are amazingly nice and helpful.
After one night in Jinja, we headed to Kampala, the Capital city and stayed there for 2 nights. We went out horseback riding on Lake Victoria and then made a day trip down to the equator (Uganda is one of only 10 countries through which the equator passes through). They had a cool little set up where you can really test the question about flushing a toilet in each hemisphere. Ans: Northern it flows clockwise, Southern: counterclockwise, and on the equator: it just goes straight town, no turning at all...
After this we headed to Rwanda, and spent an entire day in transit. The bus from Kampala to Kigali (Capital of Rwanda) is about 8 hr. We took a night bus and got there in the morning. Claire had decided to check Gorilla trekking off her bucket list, we we headed straight out to do that. We were really lucky its slow season as usually the $500+ tickets sell out months in advance...but we got one for the next day. So we grabbed another bus (2 hr) out of Kigali and headed to the countryside of Ruhengeri. This town borders the Volcano national park which is famous for its string of amazing volcanoes approx 3000-4000m high as well as the Gorillas (this is where Diane Fossey did her studies). We crashed as soon as we got there and curled up in blankets...this was a first in East Africa as usually we sweat ourselves to sleep.
The next morning we were up at 6 and headed to the park. The Kiwi's had decided to stay in the city (Kigali) and Claire was preparing to head out for Gorilla trekking. Me and Graham decided to go hiking (as we couldn't afford the Gorilla trek). We got to hike an amazing volcano and as it is slow season, we got to have the guide all to ourselves! Total altitude: 3800m+, the highest I've ever hiked before...my cheaper version of Kilimanjaro! It was a lot of fun and really hard. Also, there is a reason it is slow season...its muddy muddy muddy! We spent half the hike coming down on our butts and were covered completely by the time we made it back. Really cool experience though.
After two nights there we headed to Lake Kivu, which borders the DR Congo (we could see it on the other side). This is a beautiful town and kinda like a resort town for rich Rwandans. Many super nice hotels and pools...we stayed in a church for $1.50 a night. We spent the day wandering the beaches then got the guts up to check out the DRC, which was only a 2km walk from town. After peaking over the boarder, we decided to ask about visas (just curious mom, I swear I was not going to actually go in...) It was interesting though, cause they only give you a visa for the city as each city is pretty much run independent, so to move around you would need a ton of visas, and UN protection!
A night there and it was time to head back to Kigali (the Capital). We had had a lot of fun but it was time to go to the Genocide Memorial. It was an amazingly well done museum and included real photos of people lost as well as info on other Genocides around the world. They had 1/4 million people in a mass burial on the site of the memorial. Very moving.
At this point the mood was very somber and only Graham and I continued onward (agreeing to meet up with everyone at the hostel that night). We took a bus out of town about 45 min to a church memorial where another 5,000 people had been killed. It was so extremely real. Most western memorials are always slightly removed, behind glass casing, well organized, and deliberately thought out. This just was. They had clothes piled up on either side and in the rafters and almost 1,000 skulls just sitting on a shelf in the back. You could clearly see some of their causes of death.
We were very glad we had saved this for last, as we were ready to head home after that. The next morning we left Rwanda and went to Kabale, Uganda for a day. Claire had gotten sick so we couldn't travel too far just yet. This town revived our spirits with its beauty. In the south/west portion of the country, its labeled the 'Switzerland' of Uganda. Rolling hills fully terraced from top to bottom line the edges of a lake filled with little islands. It is all green and beautiful. Three little kids came up to play with us so we did cartwheels and farting sounds (yes, a very universal past-time) with them, overlooking the lake. It was a much needed refresher and we all felt much better after.
The next 2 days were travel home to Moshi. We all had work on Monday and had to fight to get back in time. We left Kabale at 5am on Saturday morning and were on buses almost 34 hr straight (literally running between buses). It took 4 buses and another 4 stamps to get back, we had 5 hr sitting on a bus not going anywhere (broken, police ck points, ect) or driving up and down main street for 2 hours to fill the bus (we don't drive until we are full...ahhhhh!!! a very frustrating trip).
But we made it back to Moshi just in time for dinner (of which we were very thankful) and then all jumped in the shower and went straight to bed. Now its back to teaching and we are all happy to stay in one place for a while. Overall, it was an absolutely amazing trip and I was so happy I got to go with such good travel buddies.
Best to all and thanks to our guardian angels that looked over us during our travels...
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
oh how internet time flies
Hey all, this will be a very quick update but the past easter weekend was too great not to comment on. On Wednesday two other volunteers and I went to a funeral for one of our students grandfathers. It was amazinging done and very emotional. The amount of color everyone wore just made me so happy...pink, purple, green, red, and shapes and patterns of every type. The family in mourning wore white, and I really liked that. On Thursday, we went to the neighboring Arusha and listened in on the International Criminal Tribunal of Rwanda, where they continue to question witnesses about the events of the 1994 genocide. Its conducted by the UN and is translated into english for people who want to watch. It was really interesting. For more info check out ictr.org. Classes are currently on spring break, so life at the hostel has been calm. Easter was really fun, with a 16 person family dinner and more dessert than imaginable. Everyone had to make something from they home country, and then you had to try everything...I got a pretty bad stomach ache by the end. But it was really fun. Yesterday we played beach volleyball, Africa style, which meant a sprinkler and a net that was actually a strung up mosquito net. It was really fun. Today is really really rainy, but its good that the rainy season has finally come as the corn crops were very dry. Today a few of us are heading to the fabric market as the fabric here is beautiful and its pretty easy to get clothes made just for you...Hope everyone else had a good easter as well and ate lots of chocolate!
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Life as I know it
Life as I know it has been amazing so far. Last week I started teaching the girls at KYGN (Kilimanjaro Young Girls in Need). I am trying to get an idea of what level they are currently at, and then we will move forward with finding the area of a circle and other such exciting things.
The most exciting thing of last week was my chance to go on Safari! And it was everything I had hoped for. The trip lasted 4 days, and 3 nights of camping. I went with a hodge-podge of other travelers, which as expected turned out great. The group was composed of two Germans, two Canadians, and me. It was really nice having a small group and only one car, meaning that most of our time in the parks were just us and the animals. We went to three national parks including Ngorogoro Crater and the Serengeti. We were lucky enough to see 'The Big 5', which included leopards, lions, rhinos, elephants, zebras, and more. I got some really nice pictures as some of the animals came close enough to touch!
I've been back in Moshi since sunday night and have been teaching again. The girls are really good and its a process to pass the language barrier. Last week I had a day off and got to go up to the small town of Shimbwe to see the work being done by Mengeni Woman's group. It was an amazing town up in the foothills of Kilimanjaro and the project is really having a beneficial impact on the town with their focus on health related issues.
The trip up and back from Shimbwe was the highlight of the week. The rainy season showed its first signs as we were walking the narrow footpaths to one of the patients homes. The drizzle turned into a pour and soon my silly flipflops were more of a hindrance than a help. They came off and we were soon running barefoot down the hills to find refuge in a friends home. The rains continued for over an hour before we were finally able to walk through the mud back to the Dalle-Dalle stop (mini-bus, main form of transport). The 2pm dalle-dalle was just leaving (the time was about 2:45) so we caught that back to Moshi. It was a very entertaining ride, and everyone kept looking at my bare, very muddy legs, and laughing. It was a really great day :D
That's all for now, hope everyone has a great Easter :D
The most exciting thing of last week was my chance to go on Safari! And it was everything I had hoped for. The trip lasted 4 days, and 3 nights of camping. I went with a hodge-podge of other travelers, which as expected turned out great. The group was composed of two Germans, two Canadians, and me. It was really nice having a small group and only one car, meaning that most of our time in the parks were just us and the animals. We went to three national parks including Ngorogoro Crater and the Serengeti. We were lucky enough to see 'The Big 5', which included leopards, lions, rhinos, elephants, zebras, and more. I got some really nice pictures as some of the animals came close enough to touch!
I've been back in Moshi since sunday night and have been teaching again. The girls are really good and its a process to pass the language barrier. Last week I had a day off and got to go up to the small town of Shimbwe to see the work being done by Mengeni Woman's group. It was an amazing town up in the foothills of Kilimanjaro and the project is really having a beneficial impact on the town with their focus on health related issues.
The trip up and back from Shimbwe was the highlight of the week. The rainy season showed its first signs as we were walking the narrow footpaths to one of the patients homes. The drizzle turned into a pour and soon my silly flipflops were more of a hindrance than a help. They came off and we were soon running barefoot down the hills to find refuge in a friends home. The rains continued for over an hour before we were finally able to walk through the mud back to the Dalle-Dalle stop (mini-bus, main form of transport). The 2pm dalle-dalle was just leaving (the time was about 2:45) so we caught that back to Moshi. It was a very entertaining ride, and everyone kept looking at my bare, very muddy legs, and laughing. It was a really great day :D
That's all for now, hope everyone has a great Easter :D
Monday, March 30, 2009
this little town of Moshi
I have almost met my goal of blogging once a week, but time here flies by so fast. I have really enjoyed getting to know everyone at the hostel (Hostel Hoff, about 20 ppl) and they are a really fun group to hang out with. I have explored the greater downtown Moshi and all the amazing art you can buy, I'm going to have to get rid of something to pack it all when I leave...
I've been exploring all the projects for the last week and finally get to start teaching my math class this Wednesday. As I've never done it before, I'm pretty excited.
This last weekend me and some friends from the hostel went hiking in Macheme (sp?) near moshi. It was very nice and calm, walked through a bunch of little towns and saw some amazing clothes. So many colors and flowers its incredible. We got to try fresh passion fruit and even sample some banana beer, quite good actually.
Sunday was day of rest, reading and hanging out with the tortoises and lizards. As my book list continues to expand with every conversation, I must make time to read to keep up!
As I continue to settle into the routine, its beginning to feel like a home away from home, and since all the people at the hostel are there for a long time, its really nice because they begin to feel like family. (we are excited for April fools day...)
I will post again within a week. Hope everyone at home is good and safe. Best, Kerry
I've been exploring all the projects for the last week and finally get to start teaching my math class this Wednesday. As I've never done it before, I'm pretty excited.
This last weekend me and some friends from the hostel went hiking in Macheme (sp?) near moshi. It was very nice and calm, walked through a bunch of little towns and saw some amazing clothes. So many colors and flowers its incredible. We got to try fresh passion fruit and even sample some banana beer, quite good actually.
Sunday was day of rest, reading and hanging out with the tortoises and lizards. As my book list continues to expand with every conversation, I must make time to read to keep up!
As I continue to settle into the routine, its beginning to feel like a home away from home, and since all the people at the hostel are there for a long time, its really nice because they begin to feel like family. (we are excited for April fools day...)
I will post again within a week. Hope everyone at home is good and safe. Best, Kerry
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