Almost a month…
It is hard to believe that I have been here for almost a month now. Am well into the routine of school now. The kids are great! They are all very engaging and keen to participate at all times which is certainly a refreshing change. They are extremely competitive which regularly results in arguments no matter the game. They turn out in what ever sought of PE uniform they can throw together which is often no shoes and for many of the younger girls I think what is probably their underwear. It is so dusty that anything so they do not get their treasured uniform dirty is fine. I finish the day with an inch of dust all over me, and a fair bit in the lungs. Australia day was celebrated with a BBQ (coal fired) and picnic in the ‘vollie’ house which was attended by all not just the Australians. The festivities moved to the Waterhole (the bar just out of the school gates) and a good messy night endured. Have also been getting in to the African Cup of Nations (Soccer) which is almost into the quarter final stages. The waterhole which is no more than a shack has now got pay tv so they are showing all of the matches. I sit and watch the games with the locals with whom all bar one or two our only common language is sport. Is great fun though. Unfortunately Tanzania failed to qualify so I have adopted Mali as my team. Everyone is football mad which always makes for an easy conversation, “Who do you follow?’. I have that phrase in Swahili down pat. Weekends have revolved around getting into town to stock up for the week as it is a bit of an effort to go in during the week after school. We have a kitty for dinners which means I only have to cook once a week and it covers bread for the morning and snacks. Costs around $10 a week. You only need to buy cereal milk etc. Lunches at the school are pretty basic like rice and beans, rice and meat, rice and veges, ugalli (maze and water, looks deceivingly like mash potato) and beans, but is all very eatable. Once you have done a shop it has been good to chill out for a bit and usually go out for a meal on Saturday and Friday night somewhere in town. Some places you can walk to and have walked all the way into Arusha once which takes about an hour, but you would not walk anywhere at night (except to the Waterhole). Anyways I will try to make another blog entry soon as there is so much to tell but will save you all a bit of time today.
4 years ago