Rain forest houses

Art club

50 recorders+ 50 children....

At the waterfall

11.03.07 Safari ya barrabarra!!

Moshi chapter: After a ride down our little mountain on the back of a truck full of empty cocacola bottles on their way to be refilled (no cans here), i had an hour of the most scenic dalladalla ride to date - flat plains and plantations broken up only by views of Meru and, as we neared Moshi, Kili.Checked into a $2 a hoste headed to a reccomended crafts market - having spent up on jewellery though, we then found the most incredible leather warehouse, awarded for being 'most ethical trader in tanzania' (20 of their 40 employees are seriously physically disabled - honestly this is the only evidence so far of any kind of equal oppertunites for people with disabilities out here. The general perception seems to be that they are a hinderance to society.) Back at the hostel much chilling was done with US volunteers, and we found a hideaway tv with OC and ONe Tree Hill re-runs..perfect :) The next day we met a guy called Rasta who took us up into the Rau forest - full of genu8ine mudhuts with banana leave-woven-roofs - by far the most impoverished area we've been exposed to. But what a place to live! A treck through the forest, with Meru on the left and Kili to the right was indescribably stunning - much helped by the clear blue skys and blazing sunshine no doubt,but honestly the views were unreal. Half an hour and a Coke later (yes, even in the middle of a forest in the kilimanjaro foothills - the extent of that companys expansion in Africa becomes daily more unbelievable) and we were swimming in the plunge pool of an 100ft Merangu waterfall, 2200m above sea level.Check the pictures!! (if i can get them on that is..will just try now :) )

Just a little extra

One month in...

I can't believe how fast time goes out here!! Esp. the past week - due i reckon to our initiation of about a million and a half after school clubvs!they tend to revolve around standard 6 (our class) but others always end up joining in. Mondays is art club ( now you all know my talents are not especially geared in towards that direction!) but we're hoping to paint the school buildings in a couple of weeks with them - not too much detail needed there :) Tuesdays is recorder club - nightmare! 50 recorders in 50 young childrens hands = at least 100 painkillers for the rest of the week. But the plan there is to get them playing national anthem which they sing every morning before school. Wednesday afternoon follows tradition of sports:Tennis,football (one guy has a Wednesday Shirt!!!!!!!),netball,general games etc. Am in the process of organising an inter-school tournament and a local wood-carver is making us a wooden world cup as the trophey!. Trying to get the netball team to play more of the real game and less of their rugby version but not going to plan so far..its a prettyy good workout though. After their big exams we're going to have a sports day (obv including all the classi egg and spoon, sack and 3 legged races :) ) Thursday is extra english..anyone want a pen pal?my little group are desperate to make friends with english children. And we finish off the week with choral harmony..well progressive harmony would be a more accurate term, but they can just about get Londons burning in tune now! So another week has flewn by. We;ve met loads more gappers this week from the US-a little standoffish but really nice after a few drinks :) Am getting more an more into Bongo Flava - Tanzanian 'clubbing music' - pretty awesome! I'm not too impressed that the rainy season has arrived a little early. Its incredible though - going from boiing heat to tennisball sized raindrops , thunder thats mroe like an earthquake and really long sheet lightening. Last night we were sat out under the stars (also stunning in the 'big african sky') when one began - the lightening lit up the sky for miles. And the leaves of the banana trees outside our house make the best umbrellas!