Email written on 8th January 08.
Habari from Tanzania!
I have arrived safely and settled in to my new life!
I am very happy here and after only 3 days feel like I have been here forever!
I am living in a fantastic house in Soweto (just outside Moshi) with about 20 other volunteers from all over the world!
I transited through Kenya to get here and luckily encountered no trouble. All was very calm at the airport. It was very strange being back there - the last time I was there was when I left hospital in Nairobi and was flying home.
I feel very safe here in Moshi and the staff of the house that I live in are looking after us volunteers very well.
The food is amazing!!
No mozzie bites yet and no sickness at all!
I started work on Monday - I am now the teacher of a Kindergarten school!!
I know its very random but that is my job!
I teach the Njoro Kindergarten school from 9am - midday monday to friday!
I am meant to have 30 children (3 of them orphans) but so far I've only had 15 turn up.
For two of them it is their first time at school and so their mums come and stay with them and then they go home after 1 hour. I'm hoping that next week they will stay the whole morning.
They range in age from 3 - 6.
My youngest I think may be a little under 3 but no one will admit this to me. His name is Denis and I call him Denis the Menace because he is an absolute terror! He is secretly my favourite! Today he has been taken in to hospital and is very sick. I hope he is okay.
Teaching Kindergarten when you have done no prep what so ever (I believed I would be caring for kids at an orphanage in kenya until wednesday!) is very hard.
I have a lot of bits to buy but am doing it slowly. Today I bought pencil sharpeners. They have a whole tub of pencils but no sharpener and so cannot use any of them?!
Heads, shoulders, knees and toes goes down a treat!
I am having to learn basic swahili quickly in order to instruct the children! At the moment I am teaching with my phrase book in my hand! They all think it is very funny!
I taught them that when they are correct I will give them a hi five! They love it!
The school is in a lutheran church and today the staff took me to their house for tea after school!
Then the minister wanted to take me in to town on the back of his pik pik - motorbike!
No way!
I have got brave with the transport now but not that brave!
It takes me 1 hour and 15 mins to walk to work in the morning! It is a fantastic walk through a field, across railway tracks and through the poor part of town. All the children come running up to greet me and all want to touch my hands!
I really do love it here.
I get a Dala Dala back from work because they go straight in to town where I can get lunch and meet my friends.
The Dala Dalas are very old minibuses, generally without a door that you squeeze triple the capacity in to! Its very hot, sweaty and smelly and only costs 300 tsh! (17p!)
You often end up with a big african bum in your face but its very amusing and all the locals love having a mezunghu on board - everyone wants to make sure you get off at the right stop!
Did I mention that I'm living at the foot of Mt Kilimanjaro! The view is breathe taking and every morning I cant help but take more photos of it!
Its amusing living in this sweltering heat and yet looking up to see a snow capped mountain every day!
The view from our house is spectacular!
I have been getting to know the town - fav internet cafe, best place to buy water, best place for lunch... etc!
Today I bought 2 pieces of material with fabulous african prints on and a lady with a sewing machine on the street is making me 2 floor length skirts!
I have also found a great swimming pool which I can use for cheap and yesterday me and my friends spent the afternoon sun baking and reading books by the pool! The joy of finishing work at midday!
Moshi town has two pizza restaurants! I most certainly was destined to live here!
More soon!
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