Jan 25

Hello, It's four weeks into the trip and I've finally gotten to read my comments from everyone. It was so great to hear from everyone; it was starting to make me feel a little homesick. For the past few days now I have been trying to get my emails and have really been struggling with Africam internet; sometimes waiting an hour for a connection and then finally getting to your mail and having the power go out!! So today it was really great to finally have a good connection.
I can't believe that this is my last week here. The time has gone by very fast, faster than I expectd and I am having mixed feelings about leaving. It is so difficult to explain everything I am experiencing and being here now I realize how much there is to give these kids and adults in Tanzania and 4 weeks is just not enough.

My weekend was fun. On Saturday 7 of us went on a hike to some waterfalls and then did a coffee plantation tour. The waterfalls were the prettiest ones I've ever seen. The sun was shining down and the reflections of the water off the rocks were just beautiful. It was quite a muddy hike in but well worth it. We had lunch on a small platform over looking the waterfall; it was such a sureal setting. After lunch we hiked back to the coffee plantation; our guide ,Oscar, worked there. Actually it is his family's plantation and he now runs it for his father. The beans had already been harvested so we did the rest of the process of making coffee. First we put the beans through press that removed the bean from the first shell then we put those beans in a big barrel and took a huge round stick and pounded the beans to get the second shell off. We all took turns and Oscar sang a lttle song while we did it. It was a great arm workout; the girls took a little video of me doing this and thought it was just hilarious. Of course I was doing a little dancing( shakey, shakey as they say here in Tanzania) with Oscar as I was doing it. They promised to post it on the internet so I'll be able to show everyone! I know my kids will be excited to see their mother make a fool of herself once again. After all the shakey shakey we then sifted the bean away from the shell; took the beans and roasted them over an open fire for 25 minutes. As they were roasting the third shell was burning away. You could smell the beans as they were roasting; my mouth was watering. I couldn't wait for a decent cup of coffee!!!! We then had to put the roasted bean back in the barrel and pound them till they were very fine. Nothing like making us work for our coffee. The smell was fantastic; I didn't realize how much I missed my morning coffee.. After we ground the beans we mixed it with hot water then put it through a sieve..... it was delicious!!! Well worth the wait. I am bring home 4 kilos of the coffee so I can share with all my DD fans; you may never go back to dunkin's again.
We headed back to the homebase after that and everyone went over to Muzungu Bar to have a couple of refreshments!
Sunday we headed to the hot springs. Wasn't sure what to expect but that's the way this entire trip has been. The weather has been exceptionally warm since last week so I was looking forward to a relaxing day by some water. The ride to the springs was long, bumpy and dusty. It was out in the middle of no where and while we were driving we couldn't even imagine anything being out there. Jimmy, I think this is where you imagined me being dropped off, absolutely desolate! When the driver told us we were 6 minutes away we were shocked; all we could see was dust. Then we drove up to this shaded area with the coolest trees with their branches were stretched in every direction, and under these trees was the clearest water just like an oasis. It was just spectacular!! I wasn't sure about swimming before I got here but you couldn't resist. It was so relaxing, the water was warm and clear as anything. some of the branches hung over the water so you could jump off of them into the water. We all had a great time. Unfortunately after such a nice time we had that long dusty ride home so it felt like we never went to the hot springs.

I went to a new placement today; an orphanage and a nursery school. We got to the orphanage at 7:45 and helped the childern get ready for school. They are all so adorable; just wanting you're attention. The area is very poor and most of these children have lost their parents to aids. A lot of the people that help at these places are orphans themselves and they are really hoping for a better life. School is very important to them because that is the only way they will get a job.
Around 8:30 we walked 5 of the children to the nursery school down the road and then 5 other children joined us. The classroom was very tiny; probably no bigger then 8ft x 8ft. but the children were very well behaved. So much easier handling 10 children compared to 45! I was very surprised at how well they did. We made paper chain necklaces with them and they just loved it! we lined them up by the blackboard and took pictures of them; they had such big smiles on their faces I can't wait for you to see them. Tomorrow we are going to make them all crowns and let them decorate them! They get so excited over these things it is so sweet.

Today has been an emotional day for a few of us because there have been so many things going on at our placements with everyone and we all feel very limited with what we can do. We found out today at my placement the young girl that usually helps out at the school is HIV positive. She is just 18 and really wants to go to school to become a midwife. It so sad to see where their lives are headed and you can't do anything to help them.
At the street center the volunteers found out that the security guard at night has been raping the young girls. When previous volunteers approached the director about it they were told not to come back. It is very hard to approach anyone in authority about these things because they want proof or they say that it was consensual. What they don't seem to understand is that these girls are 12- 14 years old and it is just wrong. They have no families to protect them and the system is failing them also. It is such a difficult thing to wrap your head around.

I am just going to try to soak up as much as I can for the last few days; we are going to be going back in the afternoon to the orphanages and the street center to spend more time with the kids.

I am hoping to do one more posting before I leave and then I will post my pictures when I get home for everyone to see and hopefully be able to explain them to you. It's really been fun and I appreciate all of your comments.