Monday, February 9, 2009

Raining....again





The rainy season is upon us here in Tanzania…and it is very evident. Today we had a flash flood…the whole garage was full of water and the water came half way up the tires in the van. It ran through the fields and make waterfalls down the banks. It makes a mess! It also hailed for a while…just imagine that under a tin roof. It’s almost more than your ears can handle. Every afternoon you can see the dark clouds floating in ready to bring a downpour.
This week I have been doing some odd jobs again. I helped organize the storage room that holds all of the orphans clothes, sheets, toothbrushes etc. That was quite a task, but I got it accomplished. I also helped fix the bunk beds, put grout around the tiles and did my best to assist in fixing the generator. Tomorrow I will be going out to a town called Borega to meet some children. We are in our final stages of interviews and are searching for the right children to bring into the City of Hope on opening day. The time is coming near and we have lots to do. I am sure I will be busy in the upcoming days.
I have greatly enjoyed playing with the kids that live right beside my house. They are so cute and even though they speak Swahili, and I English, we have so much fun playing together. Their favorite game is chakula, simba…which means food, lion. It’s a game of tag- and they spend hours playing it.
I also like the evenings with the team. After dinner we often play games and then sit around and tell stories. It is so interesting to hear different experiences from people in all walks of life. It really is a sense of community here and I love it.
Even in this short week Tanzania has begun to feel like home. There are things I miss about my life in the states, but because things are so different here and there are always new experiences, I don’t think about the things I miss. The people here are so friendly and welcoming. I am lucky to live with those that I do.
Food… The food here is simple but good. We often have rice and beans, tomatoes and sometimes beef or chicken. I actually enjoy the food a lot more than I thought I might, which is good.

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