The common cold.

Oh yes, it happens. Even in Africa. The first minute you have a fever, the next minute you are hyperventilating because you think you are going to die. It’s quite ridiculous, but it happens. Cornellie told me “You don’t wonder about malaria, you know.” In other words, stop whining, and go get tested - it takes 5 minutes. Lucky for me, as I planned to go to the doctor today, I woke up feeling refreshed and without fever. Today I do not have malaria. Praise the good Lord above.

I am feeling very weak, but I can hold my own. I still haven’t managed to get my appetite since I have been here. Please note, I am not complaining. In any other circumstances this would seem pleasing, but when you are working on a MAJOR budget and would rather go on safari than buy new clothes, it can become quite a problem. Oh well…when my pants actually fall off of me – and there is photographic proof – maybe Mum will feel sorry for me!

So if you didn’t catch that, no, I don’t have malaria. I just had a really bad cold. The more colds I get in Africa, the more level I feel. It’s a notch on my belt.

The French are funny. I met Romain on couchsurf.org and ended up meeting him and a friend for a whirlwind kind of night! They took me to all the hot spots for ex-pats and just for some good dancing. I had a ball. A ball until…my phone and flashlight were stolen!! It is amazing how fast things happen. We were literally about to leave, I spun around and saw my wallet on the ground. I thought it was odd, but didn’t think much about it. When I got back home I searched for my phone and it was clearly gone. I then checked out my wallet to find no money. Lucky for me I NEVER take my passport, cash card, or loads of cash out. It was a good day for me.

So WEEE, for yet ANOTHER cute little African phone. They really aren’t that cute now. Turns out Aleksi and Jens both had theirs stolen in ZNZ this weekend as well. I don’t feel as silly. No matter, I still had to spend 1/3 of my salary on this stupid little phone. It really puts things into perspective. New jeans or food? I think there is an obvious answer here.

Arusha is quiet. I am still awaiting the Dannish. And a miracle from Kari. I am hoping to go on the safari in the Serengeti with Bernie, Jude, and Svenja, but I may I have to wait. Pole Sana.

N

Chinese Food…in Africa…with the Finnish…and that odd English couple.

The ultimate cultural experience. My last night in Bahari Beach was filled with sea snails, duck, crab, prawns, live music, and a memorable evening with my new friends. I have had the best time meeting new people – Africans and Europeans alike. Leaving DAR was quite emotional, but it will make our reunions that much better.

I arrived in Arusha Monday night around 7:30. It was a long bus ride – 9-10 hours– which included many speed bumps and “detours” off the main roads. In the end, I can say that it was not a terrible trip and I met several nice people along the way. Half way to Arusha we made a stop for lunch and to use the toilet, but I was so nervous about the bus leaving me I ran to the toilet, grabbed a mango juice, and sat next to the bus. By the time I arrived I was light headed and in desperate need of some food. When I got off the bus I was hounded by men asking me if I needed a taxi. “Hapana Asante! Hapana Hapana!” They were persistent. One guy, who was clearly drunk, kept trying to hug me. I finally pushed him away and said “LEAVE ME ALONE!” He did, and I was proud of myself.

Lydia and Damien, local team leaders here, picked me up and whisked me away to a shop to get some water. I noticed how dark the shop was and I realized that the power must be out. Awesome. No power. No charge left in my laptop. Oh yeah, and there is no running water at the house – you must fetch it from outside. Lovely. I am hoping we can get some running water before the next big Dannish group gets here. They will arrive the first weekend in March and it couldn’t be any sooner! I am the only mzungu in the house right now, so I tend to keep to myself and do as much work as I can that doesn’t involve a computer. Juho left today for Moshi, so once he returns from climbing Mount Kilimanjaro he will stop by for a few weeks. FINALLY! A familiar face to see! Several others in DAR say they will visit as soon as they can, and I certainly hope they will soon.

Yesterday Lydia took me into Arusha to see the main attractions for volunteers and white people (mzungu). I asked her where the nearest Shop Rite was and she laughed. Typical mzungu. I know. But there is something comforting about walking up and down grocery aisles. On the way I saw several luxurious resorts, many electronic stores, the city market, McMoody (an obvious attempt to brand itself as McDonald’s), several banks and post offices, and some lovely gelati and coffee shops. This is a completely different atmosphere than the beach. Though our house is quite remote, and you have to walk for a bit, you are only one dala dala ride away from the Western World. The Masai Camp is just down the road, and there is a bar, restaurant, and showers that I think volunteers will find quite nice.

Today has been EXHAUSTING, but very rewarding. We walked to over 7 schools so that I could meet the teachers and see the kids. None of the school conditions were terrible, but several of them could definitely use some painting. We also walked to two orphanages and my heart melted. Some times your job makes you laugh, some times it makes you smile, and some times it just reminds you how big your heart really is. Now don’t ask me how we got to these places or how we got home. After the third dirt road and the second short cut, I was completely reliant on Lydia. That is very challenging for me. I hope in the next three weeks I will be seasoned enough to show the volunteers around myself.

Short Funny for the Day: Lydia and I were walking to the first school today and this little boy comes running up to me, so excited and happy! I thought to myself, I love it when the kids just want to hold your hand and give you a big hug. As he neared I was ready for the hug when all of a sudden I felt a tug on my mango juice box. Lydia and I both just laughed realizing that my juice was the target of his affection and not me.

Live the life you love. You’ve only got one.

N

the ugly truth...it's not that ugly!

Let’s be honest here. No one, including myself, thought that Tanzania would be a walk in the park. Many people asked me what my expectations were and I can never really say. All I can say is I never expected this. This week was very typical of what I would experience at home, yet somehow in Africa things to get a bit more exacerbated.

Sunday: Movie Day. And the stupid American couldn’t have picked a worse movie! Me, Nina, and Tuukka headed to the mall to see Tron. They are still giving me such a hard time about picking that movie! Oh well! At least it was air-conditioned and they had popcorn. *Sigh* Life’s little pleasures :)

Monday: I was welcomed with a pile of emails due to the fact that we had not had internet for over 10 days. I haven’t been able to really learn our new booking system, so I begin adding volunteers in it and the emails from Sandra in Germany kept on. “Nell, this is not right”, “Nell, this is already done”, “Nell, can you handle this?” I don’t even think it was noon yet. Lucky for me she is unbelievably PATIENT! Things seemed to calm down and we had a night out at Machunos to get away from the volunteer house, and all seemed good. Little did we know.

Tuesday: After a sleepless night with bits of crying here and there, I woke up – sunny-side up – bound and determined to have a great day, internet or not. Breakfast brought Nina and I a crying volunteer and a freaked out group of girls. The night before the girls had watched a movie with our projector and laptop (as we have done MANY times before), and brought the equipment to their room for safekeeping. The girls woke up to a flip flop in their door – to keep it from slamming apparently – and laptop, projector, several phones, a credit card, a hearing aid, and some other odds and ends nowhere to be found. We were all in shock. All proper homes around here have security guards so of course we have them. Unfortunately they have a way of “falling asleep” sometimes. The police here aren’t really any help, and it is doubtful that anything will be recovered. This has happened in the past, and it has actually been other volunteers stealing from each other, but this is not the case because our largest group is on safari right now. There are literally 15 of us here right now. The security guards will probably be fired, which is unfortunate because one of them is really great – and was actually the employee of the month. The irony.

I know some of you are ready to say “I told you so!” and “Watch your back!” but I want to assure you that this is just not as common as you may think. Please know that I am OVERLY cautious when I travel anywhere and I ALWAYS lock up at night. It is a rare occasion that I am ever alone and I am always observing others around me. Even after last night, I feel completely safe in my room and in our home.

Wednesday: Finally. No more drama. And would you believe it if I told you that today we have had water, power, AND internet ALL DAY LONG. This is truly unimaginable around here. I have been able to do work, answer emails, and even do some catching up on facebook. What a blessing today has been! This week I have already learned so much about myself. I have learned that it is okay to be wrong and make mistakes because tomorrow is another day. I have learned that you must follow your heart. Because at the end of the day, I am the one who has to live with the decisions I make. I have also learned that is okay to have a mundane day in Africa. I much prefer them now! And I have learned that running water and electricity is overrated. It’s the candlelit dinners with the most roaring laughter.

Not everyday will be a day at the beach, but I leave my work every afternoon feeling satisfied and content with the life I am living.

N