Day of travels & exploration

Today was a lot of fun! This morning we went to an orphanage near the base of Mt Kilimanjaro - the drive was beautiful and the orphanage was in a secluded part of what seemed like the jungle! We were not allowed to go in and see the kids because they are having an outbreak of scabies. But we got to see them through the windows and they were so cute! They were VERY EXCITED to see us wazungu! They started singing and dancing and screaming for us to play ball with them. It was sad but sweet. The sisters who run the orphanage were down to 4 adults tending to 45 kids under the age of 3!!! I have some pictures of them that I will add later (haven't figured out how to upload pictures to the volunteer computer, yet).


Then we came back to home base and had an hour of "cultural sharing" - we learned about greetings and some of the cultural norms that we will need to follow out in the community.

My roommate for the next two weeks, Simone, returned yesterday night from her holiday in Kenya - I like her a lot! She is really showing us the ropes, too. We had the afternoon free and Simone helped us take taxis into Moshi town and visit the "Unique Batik" shop where we purchased some skirts and purses from the local craftswomen. Here is a picture of Simone:


Then we finally got on a daladala!!! I had heard about these funny-named buses. It costs $0.20 to go anywhere in town, but you certainly get what you pay for. They are basically 8-person vans into which twice that many people are crammed. It's hilarious (and a little scary). You are sitting on top of other people trying to keep your purse secure from pickpockets and trying to not breathe due to all the incredible body odor. Quite the experience!

Everywhere we walk there are guys who surround us trying to sell their paintings or jewelry. They are very friendly but so persistent. At one point a police officer came to our rescue and shooed them away because they were causing a scene in front of a bank. They just moved a bit down the street and waited for us to leave the bank before coming to talk to us again.

We went to a bar on the roof of a hotel where the other volunteers tried some local beers. It was a beautiful view and a much needed rest - it is SO HOT here!!! I don't believe I've ever sweat so much in my entire life. I hope I will get a bit more accustomed to the heat after a few days. Then we took another daladala back to the house.

I'm having a great time so far and really looking forward to starting my placement on Wednesday, although I must admit I'm nervous. Thankfully one of the other volunteers has the same placement, so I won't be completely by myself in such a foreign situation. My Swahili still stinks!