Rain

The rain keeps coming down. For the past five or six years there have been no short rains in Tanzania. The short rains are usually for about a month or two in October to December. When we arrived it was quite dry and dusty, but about two weeks into our time it began to rain. We have had many beautiful sunny days, but many days and nights of rain as well. In the city, you don’t really think too much about the rain. Maybe your shoes get wet and you get damp. Here, there is MUD. It cakes to an unbelievable extent on all of your shoes and they become very, very heavy. Also, because you must dry your laundry outside, it is at times very difficult to get your clothes dry. You must be very sneaky and beat the rain!

For those of you who don’t know, Tony has just headed back to the states and he wrote to me about a mud adventure he had on the way to Nairobi to catch his plane. Here is his story:

"the road was flooded an hour into the trip, so after thinking about the situation for a half hour our driver decided to follow some other coaster buses and take an off road route around the flood. except that he went head into another flooded area and totally got stuck. watched him enlist a bunch of dudes to rock the bus while he tried to back out and instead sink deeper into the muddy water. then he got a dude with a truck to tie up and pull him out, but just sank even deeper. apparently never occurred to him that the bus never moved in any direction but down. I was mostly just curious to know how long was gonna pass until he called for another bus or sent us with someone else. The show lasted another half an hour and then he put me on a Bobby Tours bus, which I took the rest of the way. the driver drove like a bat outta hell and we made good time, which was actually kind of a bummer for me. I enjoyed
watching the countryside a lot more than the airport. the best part of the trip was seeing a baboon (!!!!!!!) crossing the road ahead of us. we passed by it and I got a pretty good view of it. funny that it took me two months to finally see a monkey, and then the motherload. pretty great."

On the drive here, we had some crazy moments ourselves on the muddy track from the school into Monduli. Thank God for 4 wheel drive.

On the other hand, I am very glad for the farmers and pastoralists here; this rain makes the cows and goats very happy as well. Without the rains the land dries up and the people suffer. These other minor complaints are nothing next to the blessing that rain is for the land and the people. I wish you could experience the beauty of Monduli. Even in the rain.

The Gurlzz

Pre-form C Class

Pre-form B Class

Pre-form A Class

These photos were taken today of the three pre-form classes. Altogether, 78 girls! I have finally memorized all of their names, but it has taken me nearly two months to do so! We enjoy their personalities, but it is hard work for sure. So much energy to put out and take in. And there are discouraging moments too. For example, Tony spent a solid week with one group going over and over how to say numbers in English and how to write expanded forms. He then gave a test and the results were not good. Bummer for everyone involved. As for me, I gave a test which asked for a list of English parts of speech, and one girl wrote "ouch" as a part of speech. Sigh. But overall, it is rewarding to be with these girls who are so loving, warm, funny, charming, and at times downright hilarious.

Zanzibar

As you can see, Kendwa beach in Zanzibar is nzuri sana; very beautiful. The sands are pure white, the water a glorious blue and completely clear and warm. Ah, it was paradise. We went snorkeling for $10 each and saw numerous interesting sea life and rode in a dhow. Stonetown in Zanzibar was also very interesting and we had fun wandering around the narrow streets, getting completely turned around. We also ate the unique and tasty Zanzibar Pizza at the Forodhani Gardens: pastry filled with ground meat, spices, veggies, and egg then fried=yum. Overall, a vacation that was well worth the 10 hour bus ride plus 3 hour ferry ride each way. (I think...) I would like to write more about it, but this time pictures will have to suffice. (Check my flicker slideshow on your left for more Zanzibari pics.)

More Whitman

"Expression of speech...
in what is written or said
forget not that silence
is also expressive,

that anguish as hot as the hottest
and contempt as cold as the coldest
may be without words,

that the true adoration
is likewise without words
and without kneeling."

-Walt Whitman
From Great Are The Myths