I was so damned excited to get the net up and running even if I had climb up Mr. Family Planning (That is the actual name of this species of trees – my African peeps are amazing when it comes to naming stuff). It took me four hours to upload those photos though and so I thought this time, I will type them out and resize before I connect to the net.

Earlier this week I helped out with the children’s health camp at the dispensary. It is a monthly camp to check growth and to give the required immunizations and medication. It’s a good practice and children here are growing up healthier than is other villages.

Yesterday I went to Singida – which is like a midsized European village mixed with a mini Commercial Street. It was very, very different – greener, funkier hair styles, BARS! It’s so hot in the afternoons here, I miss my beer. The beer here is called Serengeti and Kilimanjaro. I want to roll my eyes but then I miss beer too much. Plus, if there was a Taj Mahal and Howrah Bridge beer, I wouldn’t laugh … I think (LOL)

The funniest thing about walking around here is the tremendous need to be “Western” even if they don’t understand why or what it means. Boys with playboy shirts and Obama shirts and football jerseys. Skechers, Puma and Converse imitations. Girls who pay tonnes of money to get blonde wigs fixed and to buy “Fair and Lovely”, a fairness cream. Hotels named Florida and Washington and Orange County. Children carrying John Cena and The Undertaker bags. Saloons with Kanye West and Will Smith as adverts. By the way, in all Kanye West bags and shirts that I’ve seen, they call him R. Kelly – I wonder what he would think of that.

Since the girls are preparing for the rain which is to hit us mid November, they went to prepare the farm in Damaida (that really dry village) for the past 3 days. Today I start teaching English. I’m a bit nervous because I haven’t done this since last December when I was training APD staff on how developing a volunteer management system. Wish me luck?

Oh, and for those of you whose address I have, I posted all the letters at Singida yesterday. The lady said 20,000 Tanzanian Shillings and the girl who was helping me with translations almost choked and died when I took them out and paid without having a heart attack myself. I later learnt that maybe it would’ve been better if I pretended that it was big blow to my finances. Well, you learn something every day.

I caught the sunset from over the hill yesterday. The driver was telling me how they believe that the sky becomes so red in memory of all those Africans who died to provide people with the freedom they now do. It really is blood red, the sky. A beautiful, lovely red that you just want to drown in. I took a few photos but I guess it could never come close to how gorgeous it is when you witness it with your own eyes. Also, some of the photos were through the windshield of the Land Cruiser. The driver would have murderlized me if I told him to stop. “Bloody Ferengi” he would have said. It’s funny being on the other side of that curse 🙂

I need to figure out how to extend my visa and how soon I can move to Moshi, Kilimanjaro. I hear it’s beautiful this time of year. Can’t wait.

Nakupenda Sana (I love you very much) Kwa Heri (Goodbye)