Day 32 – Sunday 28th February 2010

Our peaceful night of sleep juddered to a halt at 6:30 this morning, when the church choir over the road started a sound check.

We are awake!

We ourselves headed off to church this morning, again to the English service. One section today was a bit different to normal. Someone had brought some corn with her and had put it in the collection bowl as her offering. Lovely, we thought and then we then had an auction for the corn!

We giggled, and didn’t win!

The rest of the day has been a bit lazy, reading books and doing some Swahili. I went into the garden for some wildlife spotting. We have so many lizards around here, and they are so colourful.

‘Shall we make some flapjacks?

Why not we decided! We had to use honey instead of golden syrup, and guess on all the quantities, so they look a little runny but still very tasty with an afternoon cup of tea.

The night is now drawing in. Tomorrow is a new week and a new month, lets see what fun and games she has in store, after watching an ER of course.

Day 31 – Saturday 27th February 2010

Today was a national holiday in Tanzania so again we were both off. We had a lazy morning, reading our books and drinking tea.

It was a little chilly this morning, so I think we must be getting acclimatised.

We had then been invited out for lunch to the Orion, the site of the missing pizza last weekend. We were going with Jim and Margaret, who are heading back to the UK this month, Dr Ruth and a US couple Tim and Kim. You will pleased to know that all food arrived and we had a lovely lazy lunch.

We also found that the hotel also make bread. It is phenomenal and worth a weekly trip to the hotel just to buy bread. After a wheel change on Jim’s car we headed back home and took part in some rigorous exercise. Continued plumbing complications had meant that our water tank wasn’t filling. So I climbed up to the tank, about 15ft up, and balanced on a small ledge, enough room for one foot. Armorel, Dr Ruth and our security guard then proceeded to pass up buckets of water so we could fill the tank up. Thirsty work!

The afternoon soon passed and a fish and chip dinner was calling.

We had a quick visit from two local vicars. They wanted to pass on the services information for the next month, as we seem to both be preaching next month. Luckily in English!

Day 30 – Friday 26th February 2010

The question I asked as we headed off to work this morning, was would I actually have a half day at school today or not. Armorel wasn’t too bothered about it, and was more focused on her next round of training on patient hygiene, including mouth care.

As you can see, fun and games for the nurses.

I had completed the Bishop’s presentation and all I had to do was transfer it onto a disk. I started this process at 9:45am.

I finished at 3:20pm. I love IT!

So although I had come home at 1pm it didn’t feel much like a half day at all. I finally headed over to hand the Bishop his completed presentation to find he was now out, so instead passed the next hour with the diocese general secretary and another vicar talking about everything and anything. They were fascinated that we didn’t have any children.

Armorel’s training seemed to go well and she arrived home not long after me, but she still doesn’t believe me that my day was busy.

As Friday evening is movie night we settled down to our film, ‘Frost/Nixon’ with off all things a fresh pineapple. I think that was a first.

Day 29 – Thursday 25th February 2010

We are both exhausted as I write this.

We did not get in till just after 7pm. Not because we were working too hard, but as we were leaving work we were told,

“Oh, sorry we forgot to tell you. You have to come to Canon Isaiah’s leaving party, it starts now.”

So off we headed.

An interesting experience, in which we listened, sang, danced, ate cake and said goodbye, with occasional interludes from the DJ, who would randomly play music. We really don’t know why, but a fun evening in which we giggled and laughed.

I took the camera into school today to take some photos for this presentation I am doing for the Bishop. The kids found it fascinating.

The question for you today is can you spot the white man?

Day 28 – Wednesday 24th February 2010

Armorel left early this morning and headed out to Kilungu village, about an hours’ drive away for a mobile clinic.

She spent her day injecting and weighing babies, and having a fascinating time. Though, I am not so sure she was a fan of the screaming. My day was far less exciting, with the highlight being a game of body part hangman.

With Armorel not planning on being home till late, I ventured home on the bike. All was going well, I was getting a little warm but received many friendly shouts of encouragement, I think, and then I heard the sirens.

I looked up to see flashing lights and man waving a gun at me and shouting.

He was not stopping, so I had one option, head for the ditch.

I managed to stay upright, and then proceeded to witness a 15 car entourage for the President. Most cars were filled with gentleman reading papers, apart from one with a man smiling and waving.

I waved back.

It was the President.

I was not expecting that on my journey home.

Day 27 – Tuesday 23rd February 2010

We had a wonderful night sleep, with nothing, not even music to disturb our sleep. If the alarm hadn’t gone off who knows when we would have woken.

it was a frustrating day for Armorel as the training session she had spent last night organising didn’t happen. The clinic was just too busy and so it has been postponed, annoying but not unexpected.

I had another day of teaching, making sure the students knew all the body parts. I have also been asked to prepare a fundraising presentation for the Bishop. He flies off to the USA for a month’s trip and would like to have a presentation he can show to potential sponsors for the school. He leaves on Saturday so I guess I will be busy over the coming days.

We finished work and headed home on hectic roads, the prime minister was in town we are told. There were police everywhere, just standing.

Tea and biscuits were had when we arrived home, when suddenly the sky went black and we had an almighty storm.

We must have been here a while as we sprung to our feet and grabbed our buckets to fill with rain water. We are preparing for the dry season. As you can see I also need to do some repair work to our guttering.

Day 26 – Monday 22nd February 2010

It is chucking it down and has been for half the night. Today we are even taking our coats to school.

We spent our second night in our bed under the new mosquito net, only to be woken by cracking and us both rolling into the middle. I think my carpentry skills are needed for more than one job now!

Armorel had a busy day at the clinic, doing some translating of antenatal charts, which caused some serious brain ache. She also did wound care on a young girl with an impressive size wound. I will leave out the details as when Armorel was recalling them earlier I felt decidedly ill.

Today I was called into teaching action. No sooner had I arrived at school than I was thrust in front of 36 expectant children to teach them the structure of greetings. Did you know we had a structure?

A very different experience to teaching in the UK, firstly no one seemed to understand me, which I am sure is a new experience, and secondly no one would speak. My dancing around the room did get some quizzical looks though, so no change there.

Lesson 1 completed and it must have gone well as I was asked to repeat the lesson to the other class straight away. I was exhausted by the end. Just under 3 hours of non-stop teaching.

Tonight we enjoyed a wonderful homemade pizza, thank you Monika, and Armorel worked away on preparing some teaching materials. She is running three training sessions a week with the nurses and staff at the clinic.

We go to bed tonight thinking about transport. We have no car which is making us feel isolated and very dependent on others, but can’t really afford or justify running a car. We are not sure what to do.

Day 25 – Sunday 21st February 2010

Today is an exciting day as we have our first social engagement booked in the diary, afternoon tea with Cindy and Case.

First, it was off to church to support the English service. Just as well we did, as when we arrived there was no vicar and no music, and we were asked immediately to sort out what songs to sing. We all muddled through and ended with a rousing version of ‘Bread of Heaven’.

Our support doesn’t end there. Armorel is now doing some flower arranging and they have asked me to make a wooden cross for the front of church.

“John you are English so you must be a carpenter.”

I love this logic!

The rest of the morning I spent studying whilst Armorel had a meeting about the clinic. She has got her work cut out but there are some really exciting things on the horizon. Make sure we have your email address for our next newsletter as Armorel will be writing a big clinic update.

Afternoon tea was lovely, if not a little bizarre as we started off toasting marshmallows on the fire. I don’t think either of us was expecting to do that in Africa. This was then followed with tea, cake and ice cream. We were truly spoilt!

Even better was that we left with rocket for the garden and a sewing machine. Yes, a sewing machine! Cindy runs a sewing group with local Tanzanians but had a spare machine, so after a quick lesson it is ours to play with.

It is time for bed now as we both have early starts. We go to bed feeling much better about life tonight as we have water again. Well we never didn’t it would seem. The water hadn’t run out, the plumber had just switched it off and forgot to turn it back on.

To celebrate Armorel is having a proper shower, in a bucket though to save water, just in case!

Day 24 – Saturday 20th February 2010

We wake in the night to an amazing storm. Praise the Lord, it is raining! It rained for a good 4 hours, which kept us awake for most of the night but who cares.

Today was our first day off, so we would have to decide for ourselves what to do. The first fun came with the irony that even though it had rained all night we woke to no water. We had run out. So we will be using rain water for everything, including bucket showers for the foreseeable future. Our tank gets filled once a month, but when during the month, no one knows. “This is Africa John.”

We had a slow lazy morning and popped into town to buy some juice and check our post box. Nothing in there, but there is not anything in anyone’s post box, the post plane is stuck in Dar so who knows when we will get post.

Today is a day of realisation, we are living in Africa.

However, we did also pick up the mosquito net, and it fits. We finally get to sleep in our proper bed. This is exciting! Added to that excitement is the fact that we have also got some cheese, so we get to have some with our spaghetti tonight.

An afternoon of listening to the world service whilst studying went by and we headed to bed with the thumping bass of a disco pounding in our ears.

Day 23 – Friday 19th February 2010

Have you got that Friday feeling?

Judging by the struggle to get up this morning, no. We are shattered!

We both headed off for a day of work.

Armorel spent some time in the lab and took lots of blood from unsuspecting victims. She then spent some time learning how to be a cardiologist. This seems to be the role which they would like her to take on, only a small task and promotion.

However, nothing as worrying as the fact that I am called ‘Dr’ when I come to the clinic and that they want to train me up to take blood. These episodes of ER are paying off!

Friday is meant to be a half day at school, finishing at 12:30pm. We finished at 3pm.

Why? Well as the head told me, “This is Africa John”.

John the bus driver was called into action again today, though to not such a warm welcome. As soon as I got in the van, 5 got out, and ran off. I don’t think my driving is that bad?

It would appear that it is my Swahili that is bad. I had somehow managed to tell them I wasn’t taking them home but would only go to town, when actually I said I could go to town if they wanted. Maybe I need 3 hours a night.

Armorel and I have decided that Friday is Pizza and film night and so we headed out for Pizza with Dr Ruth, Dr Jim and his wife Margaret. We only waited 1hr15min for our food which supposedly is not too bad, but they managed to forget Armorel’s pizza. The options were;

A. Wait another hour for the pizza

B. Share food with the rest of us

C. Complain bitterly about ridiculous standards and ruin our chances of ever eating in one of 3 safe eating places.

Option B was opted for, though not supported by all.

By the time we got home, a film was out of the question so we went for another ER. They showed a student how to do a blood gas. I watched very carefully!

Day 22 – Thursday 18th February 2010

We have been woken by rain! It has just gone 5am and it is pouring! Amazing news!

Having a car to get in this morning meant we had an extra 10 minutes in bed, which was great as we had been naughty last night and watched some ER, and so went to bed very late. 10:15pm!

We have all but the last two series of ER to get through whilst we are here, so felt we should start early as there is some 500 hours or so to go.

We both had tough days at work today and felt we needed some fun when we got home. We walked into town to return the mosquito net and headed home for a game of scrabble to enlighten our evening.

Armorel is claiming a resounding victory, which to some extent is correct as she did score the most points. However, this victory was only possible by my foolish decision to point out a 7 letter word, GAMBITS, a word she still has no idea of its meaning. A score of 86 was calculated which took her 9 points clear and to victory.

Day 21 – Wednesday 17th February 2010

It was another busy morning for us both, trying to get to grips with our work and the cultural twists. Moments of despair may be often recorded.

Driving in Tanzanian certainly is lively!

I became a bus driver today. I was waiting for Armorel to finish work and was suddenly thrust the keys of the van and asked to drive all the nurses home. A group of 12 ladies, with little / no English who piled in the van and off we went.

Lefti! Righti! Straighti! Stopi there!

This must have been the funniest experience these nurses had ever had as it was raucous laughter from start to finish. Once the nerves of hitting cyclists and pedestrians who don’t look had passed we were able to enjoy the scenery of the Tabora suburbs. It really is a sprawling town with thousands of people, and still they are walking everywhere.

We picked up our new mosquito net, it didn’t fit! We will try again tomorrow.

Day 20 – Tuesday 16th February 2010

A restless night sleep in the heat meant the 6:45am alarm was not welcomed well this morning. A lovely cold shower, there is no hot alternative, certainly got our eyes open and ready for the day.

We both had full days at work today. Armorel went out into the villages to visit some terminally ill patients and I think the realisation that these people have so few resources hit home. More needs to be done for these patients but how, it is such a huge question.

I spent the day in school observing lessons and was hit by a definite culture shock, not what I am use too. Classes are 35 at the smallest and there are no resources, apart from pencil and paper. As such a lecture method is used and so learning is slow. I am also asking the question how more can be done.

Excitingly I have been asked to appraise the school and give my recommendations for improvement. Do they know what they have let themselves in for? I had filled 4 pages with notes by lunch time.

We were offered a tour of the important shops in town today by Cindy and Case, an Australian couple. Cindy works at the clinic with Armorel. On this whistle stop tour we managed to find the essentials. Where to find honey, sold in large plastic bottles, it’s either 1 litre or 10, and where to buy curtains whilst getting an ice cream. We then headed into the maze of the market. It is a crazy place of small alleys, and random goods with some amazing smells and some less desirable ones. Especially in the fish and meat sections, which will turn most to vegetarianism.

A quite evening in followed, which we feel will be a regular occurrence. We are aiming to do a couple of hours Swahili each night.

We failed!

Day 19 - Monday 15th February 2010

We awake in our new house, it’s 6:45am and we are being picked up in 45 minutes. We have been invited to the Diocesan prayer breakfast.

There was no breakfast, though it was lovely to meet a large number of people and to receive even more warm welcomes.

We then had a meeting with the Bishop at 9am to talk about his vision and our plans. He is a very wise and humble man, who is very gracious and kind. I think we will get on very well.

I head off with Christopher to the school and leave Armorel with Mama Monika our house lady, who speaks very little English, to try and organise things. She must have done well as I come home to a fridge full and the washing being done.

I had a tour of the temporary schools buildings and then walked the new site, some 60 acres of it. It is an ambitious and exciting project. Building starts in March!

We were both only doing a half day to give us time to reflect and unpack, so walked into town to sort out a new mosquito net for our bed. It is huge! I mean huge, more than 6ft wide. The town is very busy but very different to what we would call a town. No real shops, just stalls, and thousands of bikes. We sought refuge in the Orion Hotel on the walk home for a cool soda. A quiet spot with fountains and nice lights, a real find, and somewhere we will escape to again.

Our second night, and although we still are feeling very overwhelmed by the whole experience we are feeling at peace. We have no idea what this year will bring and what our future holds, it is bound to be full of ups and downs but we can manage and hopefully grow and thrive.

The internet works, and we managed to Skype John’s mum. So lovely to see, and eventually hear a familiar voice. We do miss you.

A full day at work tomorrow, lifts arrive at 7:30am.

Sitting outside our new home looking exhausted

Day 18 - Sunday 14th February 2010

Happy Birthday to my brother Dave, hope you have a great day.

The 4:30am alarm call was tough, especially when you wake to the heat and humidity you went to bed with. Luckily the taxi driver arrived and we headed across town to the airport. The taxi driver, Juma, even gave us a short Swahili lesson as we travelled.

The plane took off shortly after 7am, a small twin engine plane of considerable years. We were even given a small breakfast of croissant and roll which I was certainly not expecting.

2 hours later and we are starting to descend. It looks greener than I was imagining.

We landed on a dirt strip and were collected off the plane by a small van, and driven to a tiny terminal building. I can’t really call it a terminal building, more like a small house. It is so beautiful though.

Our greeting party was there waiting, Ruth, a German GP who has set up the clinic that Armorel will be working in, and Christopher the manager of the school. We were then taken into Tabora along a beautiful tree lined road to our new home.

It is lovely, a large 4 bedroom house with lounge and kitchen that is usually used as the Bishop’s guest house. We do wonder how much entertaining we will have to do though.

Barely have we sat down than we are moving on, to the English church service that has just begun. We are warmly greeted and say a few words of hello, in poor Swahili.

The greeting here has been amazing, many kind words and excited people. We had a visit from the Bishop and the Diocesan General Sectary within hours of arriving, all wanting to warmly greet us to Tabora. We feel so very blessed.

These meetings are tinged with sadness as we have arrived in Tabora in a time of drought, and rain is needed soon. The rice crop is on the verge of failing and they say that if it doesn’t rain this week then the crop will be lost, bringing devastation to the region. It puts into perspective our fears, and the realisation that this is our home for the coming year.

We headed to bed after a cup of tea and our first power cut, feeling very overwhelmed by this whole adventure. For the first time since we arrived we sat down and the realisation of this journey hit us. An uneasy night.

Day 17 - Saturday 13th February 2010

We had a small lie in this morning but had some jobs we needed to get done before we fly to Tabora, as it would seem that you can’t really buy anything there. The most important is a modem so we can access the internet. If we unsuccessful you won’t be reading this as I will have no way of getting it all online.

Oh my word....6 hours to buy a modem. We have battled the Dar traffic, got very hot and sweaty, bumped into an Egyptian football team and finally managed to get internet after queuing for 45 minutes. It better work!

I managed to get back to Simon and Debby’s and catch the end of the Saints vs. Pompey game. I will leave it at that.

We then all headed out for beer and pizza as a goodbye to the real world, with a lovely view of the sun setting over the Tanzanian coast. It was then a very early night as the taxi to the airport arrived at 5am.

Day 16 - Friday 12th February 2010

It is a very early start; we are leaving at 7am. We have been very blessed with the offer of a lift to Dar with Andy Hart of Neema crafts. Although it may be a little cramped I am sure it is better than the bus would be.

The journey was hot and long but made bearable with numerous animal sightings and fun games with Andy’s two kids Grace and Rosie. We arrived at Simon and Debby’s in Dar where we were kindly being put up again at about 6pm after dropping the rest of the car off and we then tucked into a gorgeous lasagne, wonderful.

I don’t think we can believe that our Swahili learning has finished. We seem to have only scratched the surface and have so much to learn. I did get to practice my new found knowledge on the way to Dar when we came across a group of school children. Only one ran away scared.

Day 15 - Thursday 11th February 2010

Today is our last day at Riverside campsite, Iringa.

We both feel a little sad as we are just starting to make some good friends here, but we are also ready to move on and get settled in Tabora, and as lovely as the campsite is we need to escape.

For our last day of Swahili and we had the pleasure of Liverpool mad Theo teaching us, a really funny man, who enjoyed my mocking of his team today. We had a good day of learning but there is no hiding from the fact we have a long way to go. We are making progress though, slowly.

After lunch we headed into Iringa for a cup of tea. We met a couple, Andy and Miriam, in church on Sunday from Guildford and who went to the same school as Armorel, bizarre. They invited us over and we had a lovely afternoon of tea and freshly baked brownies, delightful!

Our last night at camp was celebrated with ice cream and popcorn and a game of cards called ‘Dutch Whizz’ or something similarly strange.

The clock has just struck 9pm and I think we are up for one last dodgy DVD. Last night was ‘Surfs Up’, who knows what tonight will hold.

Day 14 – Wednesday 10th February

Crocodile tea this morning, and a pet one in my bag. All very exciting!

We woke to bright sunshine and a promise of a lift to town today so spirits were much higher today. School this morning was tough, we are aiming to cram in as much as we can in the few days left, to make sure we have all the essentials before we leave. We have a long way to go, but the teachers here are amazing, and are being very patient and helpful.

We headed into Iringa this afternoon, and after doing a couple of jobs we headed to the internet cafe. So nice to be in touch with people back home and find out what is going on. Mind you, we do not miss the rain and snow.

It is now 8pm. Armorel is sat doing her homework and I am sat on the bed under the mosquito net. Tonight we plan to watch another dodgy film and then I am heading to find a TV, with Nate my American neighbour, to watch the Arsenal vs Liverpool game. It doesn’t start till 11pm though, so a late night it will be.

Day 13 – Tuesday 9th February

A bright sunny hot day and crocodile for breakfast.

Well I didn’t actually eat crocodile but I have new best friend, 4 year old Sam, who catches me an imaginary crocodile for each meal. A very generous treat to start the day.

Our brains failed to function today in lessons, and it was a real struggle. We worryingly only have 2 days left.

This afternoon we are both a little down. Our lift into town is currently sat with its bonnet up and men tinkering around. It does not look promising. We had set our hearts on a trip to Neema crafts for a tour and ice cream, and really wanted to escape the campsite. Hmmmmmmmmm.

Day 12 – Monday 8th February

Week two of Swahili, and after two days off we feel like we have forgotten everything.

Today is another cold day and the sun is hiding behind grey clouds. I thought we had left all this behind in England for you to enjoy!

We raced through some hugely complex Swahili today and are now exhausted. A small sleep is needed and then the huge amount of homework will be attempted.

The night has arrived already and we could go to bed, but it’s only just 8pm, so its DVD time. We borrowed a dodgy copy of 2012 off our American neighbours Nate and Lindsey, and wallowed away the night.

Day 11 – Sunday 7th February 2010

Not the greatest display of rugby and watching it has brought back thoughts of home. We also say goodbye today to Amy and Marcus our wildlife buddies. We will miss them.

We managed to get a lift into Iringa this morning so we could go to church. We found the ICF (Iringa Christian Fellowship) service in English. A nice little service and wonderful community of people from all over the world, including Guildford it would seem. Armorel got chatting to a couple that went to the same school as her, and who also knew my old housemate. What a small world.

People continue to walk!

I continue to be amazed by the number of people just walking. Iringa town was bustling with people walking, all over the place and as we headed home there were people still walking everywhere. For some reason I find it fascinating!

Unfortunately, the blue sky of the morning has left us and we are cooped up in the banda with rain pouring down outside. What better way to spend a Sunday afternoon than practicing your Swahili grammar.

Day 10 – Saturday 6th February 2010

No school today so time for a late breakfast. Well that was the plan, but we were both awake so headed down around 8am. Another cloudy day and quite chilly. Armorel is not too pleased about this weather, and is hoping the rainy season ends soon.

With nothing to do today there was the real possibility of utter boredom setting in. So what better way to liven things up but to try and retrieve the Frisbee for the fourth time.

Fourth attempt FAIL. This stick is probably long enough but now fear has set in. We need something bigger.

Half a tree?

John appears from the bushes with a large branch with half its foliage attached. Stealth mode ensues as we careful approach this deadly swarm, cowering behind the leaves.

The wasps seem mellow. We are very close now. The branch rises up. Nearly there. Its coming loose. Slowly. Slowly. Be careful......Noooooooooooo!

The branch was too big! It got stuck and with it the whole branch of the tree with the nest came flying towards us and the ground.

RUN!

Run, we did! We seemed to be safe. We checked for damage. No stings, but no Frisbee and no shoes for John. His flip flops lay discarded under the swarm, along with the Frisbee. Success.

We waited a few minutes and Armorel braved the anger to recover the goods. Saturday had begun.

We had heard about a waterfall a couple of Km’s up river so decided to try and find that.

I think I have angered nature. 5 minutes into our walk and ants attacked. From everywhere they came, eating at our ankles and climbing ever higher for a bite to eat.

On we battled at warp speed not wanting to give these lovely creatures another chance at a meal. We daren’t stop for a moment, so we marched on through the woods.

I wouldn’t say we were lost but we didn’t know where we were. We found a track and followed it until a house where we met a lady. Armorel’s Swahili kicked in and we were soon heading back in the same direction we had come from.

Then came the ant gauntlet! We decided running was fool hardy so a speed walk would do. It wouldn’t, ants attacked and we were again picking them out of our socks and shoes. What have we done?

We will console ourselves by watching the rugby, England vs Wales tonight.

Day 9 – Friday 5th February 2010

We can’t believe we have been in Africa a whole week. It really hasn’t sunk in that this is our home for the next year or more. A very strange feeling, though we still have a wonderful peace about it all.

The challenge in lessons today was to go and interview the workers on the campsite, asking questions about themselves, and focusing on our newly found knowledge of asking about dates. Armorel wisely headed towards the ladies of the camp, I went for the workmen who at this time we cutting the grass with machetes. I hoped I wouldn’t say anything too offensive.

I think we both are feeling more comfortable with this language. The basics behind most of it seem sound, so I am hopeful of reaching expertise in the not too distant future.

After our week of school we decided we needed some fun time so headed out with the Frisbee. Playing as the clouds came in and thunder around it felt just like holidaying in France, that was until the Frisbee got caught in a tree.

First attempt FAIL. It was just out of reach of a jump. A suitable weapon was sought, a stick found and we went in. Second attempt FAIL. As we approached a large buzzing insect came hurtling towards us. Third and what would be the final attempt FAIL. A swarm of wasps attacked John, stinging his arm. The Frisbee had cleverly landed next to a nest.

We retired to dinner, with a throbbing arm. What would be next to attack us?

Day 8 – Thursday 4th February 2010

We were saved in the nick of time. We didn’t have enough power on the laptop but luckily just as the warning light started flashing the power returned. The only problem is we are now out of DVD’s.

Today was a challenging Kiswahilli day. The negative tense, but we both are starting to feel as though we can understand things and are getting to the grips with the structure of the language.

The power is off again, so we are heading off to the hills beyond our banda to see what we can find.

Snakes are supposedly everywhere so we walked slowly and fought off the flies and hundreds of other flying insects, and a giant millipede.  It has gone very cloudy and every afternoon the thunder seems to come rumbling in and we have rain. The smell is wonderful but it does bring the bugs out too. So we head home but…

Ants! Biting Ants!

Not a welcome addition to the family as they cling to and eat your legs and ankles. The only cure is stripping and showering. Luckily no one else was around!

Day 7 – Wednesday 3rd February 2010

Happy Birthday John’s Dad!

We have had it confirmed by the wildlife expert that it probably was a Genet. We didn’t tell her about the Leopard thought. She still thinks we are mad about our Rhino sighting.

We can now count to 99,999.

Moja, Mbili, Tatu, Nne, Tano, Sita, Saba, Nane, Tisa, Kumi, Kumi na Moja, Kumi na Mbili....

The power is out and now it is raining. There is not much else to do but read, and do our homework.

Tonight’s entertainment, if the laptop has enough power left, is the next Bourne film.

Day 6 – Tuesday 2nd February

Today we moved on to the present tense.

Ninaitwa John. Ninatoka Uingereza. Ninapiga Mswaki.

I am called John. I am from England. I am brushing my teeth.

After lunch we headed into Iringa to try and get onto emails and to visit Neema Crafts. Neema is a project run by two CMS mission partners that works with the disabled to make crafts for sale and has a very good restaurant. You should check out their website they do phenomenal work in the community.

After forking out 50p for an hour of internet we headed to Neema for tea and cake. I must say the chocolate cake was better than I expected. Especially, as I hadn’t actually ordered it. I must work on my Kiswahili.

That evening after dinner, John nearly died!

Sat outside the banda, I was taking some photos of the stars and enjoying the sounds of Africa. We had managed to find a DVD of Bourne Identity, so I decided to head in to watch that.

I turn on my torch.

I am greeted by a pair of eyes, not more than 6ft away. Its orangey brown, it has spots, its cat like. I am in Africa. Its a ........ Leopard!?!??! Run!

 

 

 

It wasn’t a Leopard. It was a Genet, a large spotted Genet according to my wildlife of East Africa field guide. Quite a bit smaller than a leopard and probably more scared of me than anything, but still, up close and personal, my heart was racing.

Day 5 – Monday 1st February 2010

We must admit that last night, after our bus journey, unpacking in a small room, and realising we had left some things on the bus, we were not in the best place, and wondered what we were doing. We had prayed for peace and for smiles.

We woke to a beautiful sunny day and smiles all round. This place is beautiful!

Kiswahili classes started at 8:30am, and we were in a class with just us and one other, Marcus. It was soon apparent that learning a new language was going to be tough, but also great fun. Today was just about greetings. There are about 101 to learn.

Habari Asubuhi? (Good morning) Nzuri (the reply meaning good)

Oh...and we get homework.

So after classes and lunch we did our home work and had a small sleep and then it was dinner, which is great as it is communal. There is a real mixture of people here from around the world, Irish,  Norwegian, Canadian and American, doing work all over Tanzania and in all different settings from mission to wildlife conservation.

Then it was 7:15 and, we have nothing to do. It’s pitch black. So we read and listened to the radio and headed to bed.

Its 9:30pm. Are we going to get cabin fever?

Day 4 – Sunday 31st January 2010

We have managed to pack just one big bag and a couple of small ones for this trip, and we are armed with mango, dough balls and pink wafer biscuits for the journey ahead.

The luxury part of our semi-luxury bus seems to come from the fact that animals aren’t allowed on board, and that we get given a complimentary bottle of water. Lucky us!

We have seats just behind the driver, so have a wonderful view of life, and can see death coming too!

2 hours in and we are still in Dar, traffic is bad and we keep stopping to pick up people. I have a feeling these are the mates of the driver after a free ride.

3 hours in and we are now in the countryside. Very green, deep orangey red soil, and people. People everywhere, walking, Massai men with sticks and spears and local women with bundles of wood on their heads. Amazing!

4 hours in and we have our first stop in Morogoro. A quick 5 minute stop for a bathroom break and on we went. Then 45 minutes down the road we come to Mikumi, a national park. I am afraid I don’t have pictures of the cool signs on arrival as I was too busy munching on pink wafers.

Look left, giraffes! One, two, three...... wait more on the right!

Elephants, 5 just by the road. Elephants! More of them over there.

Giraffes, there and there.

Gazelles and other deer here there and everywhere! WOW

Arms, is that a Rhino? NO, it can’t be. Wait, maybe, Yes is it? At this point we must state that we 100% believe we saw a solitary Rhino grazing. However, everyone we have seen since and told has laughed at us and explained how it is impossible. Only half a tick allowed!

We leave the park and continue to drive; through stunning hilly countryside and amazing small mud hut villages and still people are walking everywhere.

7 hours in and we stop again, in Baobab Valley, a small valley with these amazing trees with swollen trunks everywhere. Lots of baboons everywhere too.

We continue to drive, this time stopping every 10 minutes for roadwork’s, but with the sun setting the bus stops at the side of the road and we disembark.

Welcome to Riverside Campsite.

Dinner had been saved which was a real delight, especially as the wafers had lost their appeal. Then in the pitch black we find our home for the next two weeks, a wooden banda, and a TV room where we manage to catch the last 30minutes of Arsenal vs Man Utd. Crazy I know.

Day 3 – Saturday 30th January 2010

We have slept well but now we have jobs to do.

First stop is the bank to get some money. We have found a Barclays. We are now millionaires!

Second stop is to buy our bus tickets for the journey to Iringa, where our two week language course is being held. That was easy, Tz 36,000 shillings for us both, for 9 hours on a semi-luxury bus. (The easy way to work it out, though not the most accurate, is to divide the number in half and take away three zeros. 36,000 ÷ 2 = 18,000, take of three zeros =£18)

Finally is to get connected. We are now customers of Zain, and have our Tanzanian mobiles.

Tonight, we had dinner with a couple from Dar, working in education and health so some very useful contacts to add to our new mobile phones.

The bus leaves at 10:15am.

Day 2 – Friday 29th January 2010

We wake to a view of Kilimanjaro out of the window. We are 55 minutes from landing!

This all still seems surreal, but as we step off the plane we are hit by a distinct smell. We can’t decide what to call it. Armorel says dusty, I just say hot. So after hitting the “dusty heat” we head for immigration. Standing in line we are greeted by a jovial man who speaks no English. He thrusts me a piece of paper, which has a photograph of me on it.

It’s my work permit. Now that is cutting things fine!

This has some benefits, as we have now skipped the queue and are having our papers processed. We are now residents of Tanzania.

All 7 bags arrive, and we head to the exit. Karibu Dar es Salaam!

We are met by Debby who has kindly offered to put us up for two nights. Debby and Simon and their daughter Miriam have been living in Dar for 2 years, Simon working for DfID (Department for International Development). We have been very blessed.

So first impressions of Tanzania....dusty heat and traffic. It has taken us 2 hours to travel just over 2 miles. What a great time to see life as it is in Dar and to get to the bottom of some of the most important questions on our mind. Why are the different coloured number plates? Well, those of a geeky disposition read on, otherwise feel free to skip to the next paragraph. The standard number plate is yellow, starts with a T and is followed by a selection of letters and numbers. However if it starts TD then that is a government car. Then you have white for the taxis, buses and hired vehicles, Blue is UN, Green is diplomatic and Red is NGO’s.

We have been blessed. Simon and Debby have a wonderful house on the Dar peninsula, among the embassy residents. We have air con and a pool. Luxury that I feel will not follow us for long.

We have had a swim and sleep and have just braved a walk to the local shops. No tarmac and really orange dust, we are in Africa for sure.

Dinner was an experience, and one I recommend. We headed out to Addis in Dar, and those who are geographically savvy will have worked out it was an Ethiopian restaurant. In front of you was a round wicker table to which they added a mass of foods, on this dough-like table cloth, and yes you ate the table cloth. We ate like kings and followed it off with some majestic Ethiopian coffee and popcorn. We are in Africa!

Day 1 – Thursday 28th January 2010

The chaos of packing up home, whilst saying goodbye to friends and family and then the small task of preparing ourselves for this whole new adventure has left us exhausted. We have though arrived at Heathrow on time and following a very smooth check-in can relax in the company of a Nero’s coffee. This still seems very surreal.

We have been cleared by security! Though it was close. Armorel was in trouble for not emptying her pockets of deadly change, and I was less than comfortable with the security guard undoing my trousers during the search. Nonetheless we are through and about to embark on the worst part of the trip for me, duty free.

Harrods is huge in Terminal 5, though luckily for me we had nowhere to put anything so we managed to escape that trauma. I did succumb to a short stop in Accessorize for some essential jewellery. Essential in the sense as we needed a fourth engagement ring. This seems to be a regular event whenever we leave home.

Gate B32!

No upgrade! Never mind, we will manage. I think we will both sleep well.