July 9th
July 9th, 2017
(Written July 21st)
Well, writing this twelve days late may come with some struggles, so I'll try to remember the important things.
Tina was leaving that day, so we had our last meeting in the morning. We talked more about the beads, and when she went to pack, we picked out the merchandise we wanted to buy. I was the handy calculator and secretary on the trip, and my skills were tested that day. We said goodbye to Sephra that morning, and had to say our to Tina and Maura in the afternoon.
Back at our house Brad, Cindi and I just sat for a while. The food was fresh but hadn't been treating us well, but then I remembered the American snacks I had tucked away in my suitcase. I wasn't hiding them; I hadn't need them or even thought about it until then. Although Brad teased me for being a 'food hoarder,' he enjoyed the salty snacks. There were Pringles, Chex Mix, goldfish crackers, poptarts, granola bars, and cheez-its that all came to the rescue.
At some point during our "lunch," Jill came in to say her, Summer and Adam were all going for a walk. They went to visit one of the resorts in Karatu so Jill could have a better idea of what potential jobs could look like when she's working on hospitality curriculum. I think it was a longer walk than she'd anticipated. I heard it was at least a forty minute walk to the resort plus their several other stops. We gave her some money so she could pick up lunch supplies while they were out.
(Not my story but had to include). While on their adventure, Jill, Summer and Adam stopped for lunch. Jill had been stuck with us vegetarians the whole trip, so I'm sure she was excited when she ordered her cheeseburger. When it came out is was a cheeseburger; the patty was a block of cheese and there was no meat in sight. I don't think she had any meat until we were back on the plane coming home.
Before she left, Tina mentioned that if we didn't have plans that afternoon we could help Godi and Esia put up the fence around the playground. In the late afternoon we headed up the hill carrying large rolls of fence wire to the primary school. Man, I've never felt that weak! Sure the rolls were heavy, but I couldn't keep control over it. The bruises I got from my hips to my mid-thigh were gnarly, but I did it (barely).
Once we were at the playground we worked for about three hours to put up the majority of the fence. Godi and Esia were obviously in charge, but once it came to put the top wire through to keep it tight, I decided I wanted to learn and try to be of assistance. Again, language barriers weren't a problem because I just watched what they did, attempted to mimic the action, and they nodded yes or no. It was a lot of pulling wire through the fence which required strength and innovation. Godi and Esia used bags and sticks to make the process easier, so I copied them. I was surprised when I was able to pull the wire with my hands, and I was teased later for being a 'real fundi,' but I could wear that title with pride. :)
We finished just as the sun was setting, and we enjoyed a nice dinner under the stars. It was one of the first nights it was clear, so we just sat for a while after the meal. Ana and Gertrude were kind enough to make us coffee, so we enjoyed a nice warm cup under the bright Tanzanian sky. Life is good even when the showers were very cold. ;)
Much love,
Kami
(Written July 21st)
Well, writing this twelve days late may come with some struggles, so I'll try to remember the important things.
Tina was leaving that day, so we had our last meeting in the morning. We talked more about the beads, and when she went to pack, we picked out the merchandise we wanted to buy. I was the handy calculator and secretary on the trip, and my skills were tested that day. We said goodbye to Sephra that morning, and had to say our to Tina and Maura in the afternoon.
Back at our house Brad, Cindi and I just sat for a while. The food was fresh but hadn't been treating us well, but then I remembered the American snacks I had tucked away in my suitcase. I wasn't hiding them; I hadn't need them or even thought about it until then. Although Brad teased me for being a 'food hoarder,' he enjoyed the salty snacks. There were Pringles, Chex Mix, goldfish crackers, poptarts, granola bars, and cheez-its that all came to the rescue.
At some point during our "lunch," Jill came in to say her, Summer and Adam were all going for a walk. They went to visit one of the resorts in Karatu so Jill could have a better idea of what potential jobs could look like when she's working on hospitality curriculum. I think it was a longer walk than she'd anticipated. I heard it was at least a forty minute walk to the resort plus their several other stops. We gave her some money so she could pick up lunch supplies while they were out.
(Not my story but had to include). While on their adventure, Jill, Summer and Adam stopped for lunch. Jill had been stuck with us vegetarians the whole trip, so I'm sure she was excited when she ordered her cheeseburger. When it came out is was a cheeseburger; the patty was a block of cheese and there was no meat in sight. I don't think she had any meat until we were back on the plane coming home.
Before she left, Tina mentioned that if we didn't have plans that afternoon we could help Godi and Esia put up the fence around the playground. In the late afternoon we headed up the hill carrying large rolls of fence wire to the primary school. Man, I've never felt that weak! Sure the rolls were heavy, but I couldn't keep control over it. The bruises I got from my hips to my mid-thigh were gnarly, but I did it (barely).
Once we were at the playground we worked for about three hours to put up the majority of the fence. Godi and Esia were obviously in charge, but once it came to put the top wire through to keep it tight, I decided I wanted to learn and try to be of assistance. Again, language barriers weren't a problem because I just watched what they did, attempted to mimic the action, and they nodded yes or no. It was a lot of pulling wire through the fence which required strength and innovation. Godi and Esia used bags and sticks to make the process easier, so I copied them. I was surprised when I was able to pull the wire with my hands, and I was teased later for being a 'real fundi,' but I could wear that title with pride. :)
We finished just as the sun was setting, and we enjoyed a nice dinner under the stars. It was one of the first nights it was clear, so we just sat for a while after the meal. Ana and Gertrude were kind enough to make us coffee, so we enjoyed a nice warm cup under the bright Tanzanian sky. Life is good even when the showers were very cold. ;)
Kami
