Africa Experience - Tanzania - Day 17

July 12, 2014

Animals in the roundabout, Arusha

We woke in a Arusha this morning but would be leaving for Monduli after breakfast!  Brett, Pastor Jane and I got up before everyone else and went for a walk around town (7:30am).  We took some photos of the church, town centers, clock tower, and some of the sights.  We were on our own for breakfast this particular morning. 

The church we worshiped at.

The famous clock tower!

After our walk, we woke the boys and got our stuff packed up.  We had some time to do a little more last minute shopping.  We had a wonderful breakfast at the Africafe (where we bought mochas frequently).  The pancakes were yummy! 

Danielle ordered strawberries with her pancakes!

One of our favorite sayings was TIA - This is Africa.  We often said this as things 'unfolded', moved slower than we were planning, or didn't quite turn out how we expected it to.  This morning happened to move a little slower than we were planning. 

The finished product!

Just on the outskirts of Arusha, we stopped at a really cool shop that Elizabeth recommended.  They had really nice t-shirts, fabric, and table clothes.  We bought several things including fabric to make pillows! 

Women selling their goods on the side of the road.

There was just a little traffic!

At the Snake Park!
Toni~Jean~Elizabeth
 

We also stopped at the Snake Park to get Jean and have a quick Kilimanjaro beer!  Again, TIA.....Our vehicle of people arrived at the Snake Park and we waited and waited and waited for the other vehicle.  There was a road block on our way.  We were stopped by the police and allowed to move on.  The other vehicle was not!  They were questioned and required to show all the necessary paperwork (which they had).  In the end, unfortunately they had to pay some money to be able to move on. 

We made it to the Maasae Girls Lutheran Secondary School (http://www.isa.nl/tanzaniaproject/mglss.html) in time for lunch.  The Maasae Girls School was started by David Simonson.  It is a great opportunity for young women to attend school and have successful careers.   To learn more about the school and how to help, click on this link:  http://www.bootstrapafrica.org/#!mglss/cllz  We were greeted by the director Mr. Msinjili.  For lunch, we enjoyed rice, meat, gravy and fruit.

Meeting Mr. Msinjili

Off on our tour.......

Naramatisho shows us the classrooms



They have a very nice library.

They grow coffee and sell it to help pay for the school.

They also raise/sell chickens.

After our meal, we met some of the girls.  The girls were returning back to the school after a long break.  The girls were our guides and we spent about 45 minutes walking around the grounds.  We saw the classrooms, where they eat, where they worship, and their dorms.  The girl we walked with was named Naramatisho.  She is in her second year and would like to be a lecturer. 

Presenting the school with gifts!

We will sleep in a house on the compound.  It is like a duplex, with separate living areas on each side.  We had a kitchen, living room, two bedrooms and a bathroom.  Unfortunately, there was no working shower or hot water.  Rebecca (she had cooked for Jean in the past) would cook the meals for us.  We were on our own for breakfast (we had brought cereal, milk, bread an jam). 

5pm worship

The girls worship together each evening at 5pm and then go to dinner.  We met them at 5pm to worship with them.  It was really fun - we sang and (tried) to dance!


Rebecca cooked a wonderful dinner for us.  There was so much food......fried chicken, mashed potatoes, vegetables, salad, rice with a spicy sauce and homemade rolls.  It was all very good!

The kids played games before bed. 

 

 

 

 

 

Africa Experience - Tanzania - Day 16

July 11, 2014 - Our last full day in Arusha!



We woke to rain this morning!  It was the first time we had such rain since we arrived.  It didn't last long and was gone by 9am.  We were going to the orphanage today.  Many of us were already sad and not looking forward to our visit.  Just the word 'orphanage' is sad!  Boy, were we wrong!  We spent the morning with the cutest, smartest kids we have met yet!  Many of these young children have no family, or no one that is able to take care of them - due to devastating illness or AIDs. 

We were greeted by the children in song.  They are were all extremely polite and very smart children.  It didn't take long for them to warm up to us and melt our hearts.....they were full of love and hugs!  We spent several hours singing with them, playing games, and giving them our undivided attention.  Like some of the other places we visited in Tanzania, when I return again someday, I would love to spend some extra time at the orphanage. 

Brett bought a print and the money goes back to
the orphanage.....The kids were fascinated with the camera!

Ring around the rosie.....

Connor and the boys washing their hands!
 

A little boy we
drove past on
our way to the school

From there, we headed off to the Ngateu Secondary School in Arusha.  Our church has sponsored some of the projects at this school, and the last group from KLC to visit Tanzania 10 years ago did some work at the school.  Much of the good work done at Ngateu is done by the Safi Foundation.  To learn more about the Safi School Project, click on the link http://www.safischoolproject.org/about-us.html .  Safi School Project is a non-profit organization based in Lacey, WA with the mission of empowering and improving the lives of young people in Tanzania through education. Safi is in its ninth year working with its model school in Arusha, Tanzania, East Africa, Ngateu Secondary School. 



The kids started to run when I held up my camera....

Ngateu Secondary School

We toured the school including the new computer lab (with laptops donated by Microsoft and Jean's church in Bellevue).  The school recently added a chemistry lab, kitchen (with fuel efficient stoves), flush toilets, and a full library with curriculum based textbooks.  It's a very nice and efficient school!




The chemistry lab - laptops!

The school grounds - new kitchen - students carrying wood for the fires
to heat the ovens in the kitchen.

 


Sights along the way.....

We enjoyed lunch at Pastor Justo's with his wife and friends.  They cooked an amazing meal.....spaghetti, chicken, salads, potatoes, and soda.  It was more food than we could all eat and was most delicious.  We presented Pastor Justo with gifts for himself and his church. 

Pastor Justo and his wife - they have a beautiful home!

We had some free time in the afternoon to shop.  It was the last time to shop in Arusha before the drive to Monduli the next day.  We bought some really nice canvas prints of bomas and Mt Kili.  The boys also picked out some wood carved animals. 



The Impala Hotel

Dinner was at the Impala Hotel!  It was similar to a food court, but we stayed in our seats and were waited on.  She had choices of Chinese, Italian, or Indian food.  I had a headache most of this day, and my stomach didn't feel so good.  Kyler and Connor had pizza.  Brett and I shared baked ziti pasta and Chinese noodles.  It was very good! 







The boys enjoy pizza!



The kids hangin' out

It was a bitter sweet day.....I was sad to be leaving Arusha but anxious to meet the girls in Monduli.......

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Africa Experience - Tanzania - Day 15

July 10, 2014 - Happy Birthday Connor!



Happy 15th Birthday Connor!

We woke at the Mrefu Mountain Lodge and were excited for our climb!  It happened to be Connor's 15th Birthday!  We brought him some cards and candy, and had a bigger surprise for later in the day!



Emily holds up the fried bananas!

Fruit, fried sweet potatoes, beans/bananas

It was my turn to lead devotions and that went well.  Breakfast was 'traditional Africa'.  We had coffee with beans from the farm and many traditional foods that we had not tried yet.....beans mixed with bananas (reminded me of refried beans), fresh cows' milk, chai tea, cereal, bread, fried sweet potato sticks, fried bananas, fruit, peanut butter, fresh honey, porridge, nutella, and fresh juice.  After breakfast, we packed up our stuff and headed out. 

We stopped to see David's church and he explained a project they were working on there.....putting in a new walkway around the church. 

David's church

The drive to Mt. Kilimanjaro was not long.  We had hired 3 guides and rented poles for our trek.  There are many routes to take to the top on Mt. Kili, and we would take the Marangu Route to the huts, first stop.  There, we would eat lunch, walk around to see the different views, and hike back down.  It takes approximately 3 hours to get to the Mandara Huts.  Along the way, we saw so many things!  We saw black/white colobus monkeys, blue monkeys, dik dik, and waterfalls.  The area reminded me of a rainforest, full of green trees and healthy vegetation.  Every once in a while, we would be passed by porters.  Porters are hired by people climbing to the top of the mountain.  Porters carry the gear of the climber (and their own gear) including clothing, food, and sleeping gear.  It can take someone 5-6 days to make it to the top - that is a lot of gear to carry.  Porters climb the Mt. with gear on their backs and heads!  It's a difficult job. 

We are anxious and ready.....

And we are off......3 hours to go......

colobus monkey - dik dik - blue monkey

Beautiful scenery



Porters

Balancing act!

We made it to the Mandara Huts in about 3 hours.  We had each packed our own lunch to eat once we reached the huts.  At the huts, we took lots of photos and surprised Connor with a big Happy Birthday sign (When we got to the bottom, everyone signed it including our guides).  Some of us decided to take a few extra minutes and hike 1/2 hour further to the Maundi Crater rim to see the view including neighboring Kenya. 

We made it!

Happy 15th Birthday to our boy!

Mandara Huts

Enjoying our lunch!

Inside the huts...those hiking to the top rest here!



Walking across the crater rim....

The view

Colobus Monkeys

Success!

The hike back down took about 2 hours.  We had to hustle, because we had to be out of the park by a certain time or they would close the gate.

The boys with our guide!

Thumbs up - we made it!

Our drive back to Arusha was long, and it was dark.  Driving in Tanzania in the dark is an experience.  There are random speed bumps every so often.  And people don't always stay in their own lane.  The driving speeds vary and needless to day, our ride home was often scary and bumpy.  We didn't eat dinner and had some snacks to share with each other.  We did stop at a roadside store to pick up some snacks, and we bought ice cream cups for Connor's birthday.  We were all very tired and ready for our beds when we got back to the Lutheran Center, but what an amazing day and accomplishment  for all of us!!!  Per my Fitbit....we had 35333 steps, 321 stairs, 14.6 miles!!!