Sad, Fun, and Delicious

Monica left on Friday.  It was a sad good bye.  We have shared so many great experiences.  I will miss her dearly. Fortunately, there is always something to do and someone to play with—so I didn’t have too much time to dwell.  There is an amazing group of volunteers here.  I didn’t expect to connect so quickly with random strangers from America, but we’re all here for the same reason—to help make a difference.  We’ve all become close friends rather quickly.

I’ve been keeping busy with preschool, curriculum writing, and playing/loving. 

I’m normally not a nap/rest person, but during my mid-day break I’m wiped out.  I use the time to relax, read, watch a movie, work on the blog, and sometimes nap. My bed is on the right.

On Thursday night we had family dinner night in our house.  We had a blast eating together (YUMMY chapati), talking, and taking fun pictures.

Mamma Sophia--One of Manyara's (my house) mamma

Theresia

Fatuma

Zwadea (student teacher) 

Happy, Grace, me, Fatuma

Coletha, Happy, Grace, me, Fatuma  (GLEE!!)

Yummy chipati

Lucia & Theresia

Grace, Janie, Natalie, Coletha

Today, Sunday—our day off, some other volunteers and I took a walking tour of Karatu, Tanzania.  We saw the “real” life struggles of villagers.  The lack of water, food, shelter, and cleanliness was astonishing.  I thought I had seen this in the local village closest to RVCV, but I was wrong.  The local villagers we met on this tour were welcoming, polite, and eager to talk to us.  Our guide did the translating.  We were even invited into two homes.  I was close to tears several times.  The differences between life in America and life in these villages are devastating.  Rift Valley Children’s Village is lacking MANY comforts of home; but it is like the Hilton and Disney World of Tanzania. I will post some pictures of the tour (hopefully) sometime in the next couple of days.  Sometimes the Internet works, and sometimes it doesn’t.