Decisions, decisions, decisions

Decision, Decisions, Decisions

People come into our lives for a reason, we may not always know why or recognise that this is what has happened at the time, some come to test us, some to improve our lives in a greater or lesser way, some so that we can help them. People who know me know that I am pretty much a fatalist, certain things in one’s life are predestined although the way that we arrive there is largely a matter of the choices which we make. I am fortunate to have had many such experiences in the 5 decades which I have been around for and my life is pretty good.
Recently I went to Monduli, a small town an hours drive from Arusha. There I met an amazing woman called mama Junior who has set up an English medium school to educate the local children. She asked the folk what was needed and they all said an English Medium School. Job opportunities are far greater if you can read and write English.. She has used her own land and money but is due to retire from her job as a school inspector soon so will only have her pension to live off. She employs 1 teacher, has had to get rid of the cleaner and cook as she cannot afford them. The 24 kids aged 3-6 pay 20,000 Tsh per month for uji-porridge and to help with the teacher’s salary, the 1^st term 70% paid, 2^nd, 50%, 3^rd only 1 paid, but what should she do? The children need an education. I suggested that she get the parents to cook/clean/garden in rotation therefore reducing their liability for fees and helping her out. This had never occurred to her. She desperately needs a native English speaker to help the kids with their English . Herein lies the dilemma, I am a native English speaker, I was impressed with what she is doing but I have a job which I enjoy and love the people I work with. I went as far as looking at properties in the area but nothing was suitable. Fortunately school closes for December so I have time to think about it. Monduli is 90 minutes by dala dala, the school is not in the centre of town and the road to it in the rainy season would be hell but the kids manage to walk it so that is no excuse. The dala dalas run from 05.30, school starts at 08.00, am I trying to talk myself into a job?

The area has many needs, fortunately there is a government hospital and a Christian clinic so health needs are, at least partially, covered. There are government schools but these are taught in Kiswahili and the need is for the kids to learn English, also the classes can be as big as 80-120.

A friend is looking at a way to help the local Maasai population before harvest time they, like many others, struggle to feed themselves and their children. She made 12 bags of basic items, spoke to a local elder and gave them to the 12 most needy families, he did not take one for himself. She is looking at doing this once or twice weekly with his help so that she can alleviate the hardship in the hunger months

Lots to think about in the next 2 months, I will go again but this time on the dala dala to see how long it takes

Pics from Monduli

 

Thank yous, visits and the rains have come

Yet again it's been a busy time, I went out to Karatu to visit Mama Teddy, Teddy and Irene, they loved the new clothes, lollies and hairclips. Thanks Sue for the hairclips, the girls don't have much hair but they loved them all the same.
Next was a visit to Baraa school to hand over a second hand computer bought with ££ from Annie and Anne in Lancashire, Thank you ladies. The school is government run, has classes of over 80 and has a great team of volunteers from all over the world some are teachers others do admin and fundraise to get much needed equipment.
Friday I went to SOS children's village to see some of the children who I looked after on my first trip to Tanzania, 2 years ago they went to live at SOS which is run on the principle of a 'mama' in a house with 6-10 children. The site has 11/12 houses. They keep sibling groups together and leave when they are 18/19. The children have a great environment, will attend school and will be supported to go to university or train in a trade. Sorry no pics of the kids-SOS policy but they look great and have grown so tall.
Met Melio, his son is at SOS as he has no wife, cannot take care of him but visits regularly. He has a 2-3 hour journey to get there. Thanks to a generous donor I am buying him a water filter for his family so that they don't have to spend hours boiling water to make it safe enough to drink. He could ask his family to care for his son but he knows that the child will have a good life and an education at SOS which he could not give him, brave man to take such a decision.
The centre is as busy as ever, Juma is walking now so that just leaves Peanut and Emmy. We have had 2 births, teacher angel had a little girl and Riziki-who is part of the new welcome home project had a boy. Mums and babies are doing well
Now that the short rains appear to have come power cuts are frequent and, bizarrely, so are water cuts. Had to resort to filling bottles at the centre for ELF-emergency loo flush! Having no power is not too bad but no water for more than 18 hours can be tough. We can get a tanker to fill the tank but they will only deliver 10,000 litres, our tank is 3,000 and there's no way that we will waste 7,000 litres of the precious commodity.
Lori and Ben have arrived from USA bringing me an adult resus dummy which will make the first aid teaching so much easier, thanks L&B
Went for a great walk with Twende hiking group last w/e, walked along a river, through paddy fields and over a disused railway bridge. Tough in places but a great way to spend a Sunday morning.
Again I realise how lucky I am to be able to live here, I have everything I need and so much more than many people
picture time

Home and back home

I've been back just over a week, the journey was ok but not easy with over 60kg of luggage. The kids at the centre love the musical instruments which were kindly donated by Lisa, Linda, Jill and others. Have used some of the donated ££ to pay for the excess luggage to get the, much needed, nappies here, will let folk know what I do with the rest soon
It was great being back in the UK, caught up with lots of friends and it made me realise how precious their friendship is even though I am now many thousand of miles away, but with these folk miles don't matter.
Picture time

sorry still no pics

I've been back in Blighty for 4 weeks now and I'm making plans to return to Tanzania. What a busy 4 weeks it's been catching up with folk who hold a very special place in my heart, I can't always be with them but, thanks to the electronic medium, I am only a click away.
4 days in London were particularly special connecting with old friends and my daughter. She is the number 1 person in my life and is fully supportive of my decision to tread an alternative path in my retirement, it also means that she gets her Christmas present at weird times of the year, 2013 it was November and September this year. 2 great meals with her, one vegan and the other in a completely blacked out restaurant where the waiters are blind and you are told at the end what you have eaten. A fantastically weird experience.
My house has now been sorted out, stuff moved into storage, estate agents visited and lots of bits of paper signed. I have asked that a photo be taken of the 'sold' sign if this happens before I return in July 2015. I am not presuming anything, it could take a week or a year to sell, who knows? It feels odd that it doesn't feel odd if that makes any sense. I am not materialistic so not owning a house is just not important to me although it has been hard deciding what to keep and what to give to charity shops.
This last week is going to be filled with more catch ups and some sad good byes, packing and repacking to make sure that I'm not over weight, double checking that everything re the house is in order and wrapping the marmite jar in superstrength bubble wrap.I do not want that exploding all over my luggage. What fun that would be struggling with 46kgs of luggage only to have half of it ruined by thick, black, salty gunk. I really need to wean myself off it
Am I sad to be leaving Blighty? In many ways yes but in equally as many ways no. My life has moved on from working in the NHS and I intend to embrace any experience which may come my way.
Lots of pics when I can access them, hopefully, next time
Thanks for reading x

drival but no pics, sorry

I've been back in Blighty for 6 days, managed to lose my phone en route but it was a cheapie with 2 quid credit on it so I'm not going to lose any sleep over it.
The journey was pretty uneventful, taxi to the bus, bus to the border, duly handed over £10 for my transit visa, dropped off at the airport and a taxi to the hotel. Fortunately I'd asked a Kenyan on the bus how much the taxi should be, they asked for 1500 KES and settled for 600, the advice was 5-600 so I did OK. The 'hotel' was a converted block of flats on a housing estate,no sign posts, a 6 lane motorway close by with 2 extra lanes either side with no visible means of crossing. The receptionists were less than helpful although the bed was clean and the shower very welcome.
Went for a walk to try to find some nourishment, found a decent looking local restaurant, african and european dishes. Things were looking up, no they weren't! 'Sorry no samosas, beef, omelette, rice, only chicken and chips' It was edible and cheap, the bananas and watermelon slice bought from a duka were better
Breakfast in the morning was inedible, dry sweet bread, the instant nescafe was ok bought to the room on a tray which they then took away so food was balanced on the bed. Transport was late going to the airport but I shared with a young American guy who became my nephew for an hour so that we could queue separately for checks and passport control then join each other at the front of the queues talking about non existent family members who would (not) be waiting for us. Worked well, I'll probably never see him again but who knows?
Life has been hectic since Friday, loved meeting up with some very special people, more meet ups to come. Oh how I have missed these people. I have some lovely folk back in Arusha but our memories are recent, with Gill, Tracey, Wendy, Lou, Rachel, Jill, Mags and Lesley I can say 'do you remember when?' which then leads on to other memories. Who needs a gold ring when I have these diamonds in my life? I am a very lucky person indeed
Sorting the house out has been relatively easy, I really don't need 'stuff'. I've been putting photos onto the computer and keeping only very special things. I am limiting myself to 1 large box. Plates can be replaced but a cushion which Meg made many years ago can't.
Hope to be able to post pics next time as I do now have a camera, no idea how it works though
I did get my bag of walkers cheese and onion crisps, they were pretty good too
Bye for now and thanks for reading x

Funny couple of weeks

First the bad news, my computer stopped working, found out that the new battery bought in February no longer holds a charge for more than 40 minutes, my camera shutter lens wouldn't open, got it fixed but now it's broken again. Not cost effective to do another repair so I'll have to wait until I go back to the UK to get another camera. It's still cold, Getting fed up with it now especially when I see UK friends posting on FB how warm it is there, it just isn't fair, moan moan moan!
Now for the good stuff
The centre was closed for 2 weeks so I had 3 of the kids here for lunch one day, a bit crazy but they loved the chocolate cake

We welcomed 2 new volunteers Themi and Ada from Nigeria, they were only with us for 2 weeks but they loved the kids and were kind enough to buy 2 tables and 2 benches for the school room, sorry no pics due to the broken camera but thanks Themi and Ada, hope you can come back in 2015

Sadly said goodbye to Ilse from Holland, she has been a may zing at the centre, the kids loved her enthusiasm, dancing and art, She will be missed                                                                               

The tailors are working on some new products, one great idea is an infinity scarf with a hidden pocket for a passport, also some new designs for quilts. They are a great bunch of women
We welcomed 8 new kids at the centre, Neema our social worker's 3 boys, one is there only when school is off, her youngest is clingy with mum but he will settle in I'm sure. Brighton and Bryson are twin boys aged 1 year 2 months so we now have 7 babies! plus Jessica and Isaac brother and sister, Jovan and Prisca That makes 32 on the register......HELP!!
I finally have my 2 year visa, thanks to Kelvin and his hard work. Actually I only have the visa number and not the stamp but it counts from the date on that receipt so I can stay here until 24/07/2016. It only took 7 and  half months!!
Look at this slightly odd but effective baby walker. I am getting a local fundi to make 2 thanks to a kind donation from a friend, it will help the wobblers to progress to walking.

Moving house on Monday, trying to sort out my trip home, went to Karatu on Wednesday to see one of our outreach families even though it was a public holiday, sorry no pics but the great news is that both girls tested negative for HIV, plus 2 days teaching First Aid. I'm busier now than I ever was when working full time for the NHS. So much for retirement! I'm not complaining, this is the life I choose and I am so very lucky to be able to live it.
Lastly, pic of the new house, I'm renting a room from a friend who is actually renting the house but I am setting it up because she is out of the country. Things move slowly here, 48 hours before moving in and there are no wardrobes or water, fingers and everything else crossed that it is all sorted out if not I'll be wearing crumpled clothes for 2 weeks, hang on I've been wearing crumpled clothes for 8 months because ironing was one of the things that I gave up on retirement

The next blog may be from Blighty or I may just squeeze one in before I go.

It's been a while, Sorry

Since I last blogged, lots of things have happened. Meg and Richard came for a few days, she had to study part of the time for an exam in September but we went out for some great  meals, visited Meru Lodge, had a fantastic 8 days on Zanzibar where she went diving and Richard and I went out to a sand bank and an island. Good to see them both, Richard got his exam results whilst we were there, a 1^st so it cost me a shilling or two in cocktails. Ever heard of a banana colada? No, me neither until I went to Zanzibar, it’s like an alcoholic banana smoothie-pretty darn good. Thanks to Richard for the stuff for the kids and to Meg for my jar of marmite and haribo for the kids, they really enjoyed them
The centre is closed for 2 weeks for the annual holidays, there will be lots of refurbing going on so it will be quite exciting to see it all. I have to go to Karatu during the first week of our return to check on Mama Teddy and the girls, I haven’t seen them for a few months so I’m quite looking forward to it-but not the 2.5 hour journey

Sad to say goodbye to Lori this week, she has been staying for 6 weeks and has achieved so much-sponsoring Samweli for school, visiting a medical centre in Monduli, getting sponsorship for Theresia to attend school to become a preschool teacher and renting a house which I am going to move into and run for the benefit of fellow volunteers. She loves to shop and bought many kitenge which have been turned into beautiful quilts. She’ll be back in October to do some medical work, a tailoring workshop and who knows what else? So fare well Lori and look forward to seeing you back in Tanzania

I may have 2 weeks off but I am doing 4 1^st Aid workshops for Neema House- a local baby home. They have 20 nannies who all need basic training in CPR, choking, bleeding, burns and hygiene but I am going to try and get a couple of long walks in. Much needed after all of the meals out with my, very welcome, visitors. It costs a minimum of $50 for a 3 hour basic first aid course, well above the budget of Walk in Love and Neema House, so I’m happy to do it. Lori is going to try to get an adult resus dummy, I have a baby one, so I’ll do updates in November if we get it.

Less than 6 weeks before I’m back in the UK, looking forward to seeing everyone but Tanzania has become my life now and I know that I’ll miss it

Sorry about the long gap in the blogs but here are lots of pics to make up for it xxmeg and I at Jambiani, Ilse, Brie, myself, Lori, Cassie and Kelly at Shanga, me at Jambiani, Peanut because he's beautiful, aubergine stack at house of spice in Zanzibar, 3 of us at house of spice, Richard and Meg at Shanga, Richard celebrating his 1st class degree with a banana colada,

 

 

House hunting, American/British sisterhood and more

Spent the past few days house hunting with Lori, we looked at some biiig houses and some small houses, some close to the main road-as requested, others close only in rental agent speak-1km and more. Found a great place not too far from where I am now, relatively new, needs a few tweaks but the potential landlord wants a deposit so that he can do the tweaking. Common practice here, they run out of money, ask for an advance on the deposit then carry out the repairs. Also common is 6-12 month rent at once, 3 months for the locals renting smaller houses. This is a big problem for any local person wanting to rent, even though the rent may only be £10/$17 per month trying to raise £30/$51 is almost impossible, this is where microloans are invaluable. Need to think about this. Bought a great sofa in the sales and they will keep it for me for a month, it’s a bit girly but I can cover it with kitenge fabric

Lori parked, badly, due to a piki piki being in the way, outside of the furniture shop. We both went in to look at the sale items leaving Brie in the car. 15 minutes or so later she came running in stating the car had been chained. Returning to the car we found that an overzealous parking ‘person’ had chained and spiked the front wheel of the car. He obviously hadn’t reckoned on 127 combined years of angry American/British sisterhood. Calmly we asked why the piki piki driver had not been chained, he then asked for 50,000Tsh ($30) refusing to answer the question. This circular argument ensued for 20 minutes or so with several Tanzanians siding with us. Then…a tow truck appeared, followed by us 3 sitting on the back bumper in a ‘we shall not be moved’ stance. When I saw them trying to move the truck towards the front of the car, I moved my bum to the front bumper. One ‘person’ attempted to touch me, wrong move sonny, I politely, but very loudly, told him that I was old enough to be his mother and that I considered it assault. Whilst this was happening another ‘person’ was trying to persuade Lori to part with the money. Ever heard 2 loud Texans shouting in harmony? I have now and it kinda hurts your ears. They then removed the chain and spikes without any money changing hands-we had quietly agreed to pay 20,000 in the smallest notes and coins that we had-coppering up as they call it in Lancashire, but it wasn’t needed. We got into the car pretty sharpish and left the scene of the none existent crime. Looking back, I think that we actually enjoyed it! Thought it inappropriate to take pictures-ha ha 

Lori is a little powerhouse, full of ideas and knows how to put them into practice, I feel that Tanzania will be seeing a lot more of her

Spent Saturday morning doing a 2.5 hour walk around the different areas of Arusha, need to get these last 3.5kgs off somehow. Returning home hot and sweaty I found the 3 mamas who we’d invited to lunch, Lori volunteered to cook whilst I was out. This is something that we’d like to do once a month, invite the staff from the centre to have lunch so that we can wait on them. She made spaghetti with meat sauce and chocolate chip cookies from the stash bought from Texas. Great afternoon with great company. Shepherds Pie next time, I’ve got oxos left over from a recent parcel sent from home.

Samweli modelling his clothes donated by Shelley, perfect fit, thanks Shelley, the ladies-and kids who do lunch and Peanut waving his new sleep suit around. Thanks again to Shelley, he actually tried to eat it earlier

 

 

 

 

Bye for now x

Funny sort of a week

It’s been a funny old week. Said goodbye to Annajane Ward, a lovely 20 year old from Michigan who puts the chavs of this world to shame. She’s a nursing student but works hard so that she can sponsor Zye at Walk in Love. She was only here for 10 days but she crammed a lot in. Mama AJ, you should be proud.

AJ (2nd right) with Ashley, Agnes-the cook at the Centre and Cassie at Agnes's food stand where she works on Saturdays to make extra money. An amazing woman

Welcomed Lori, mama Brianna, to the house after a long flight from Texas. She’s here for 6 weeks so I look forward to some long chats over a brew. Her 6, yes 6, crates of luggage failed to arrive with her but, fortunately they arrived the next day. She’s not doing a Posh Spice with endless suitcases, the majority of the stuff is for the centre, family and friends. Oh and she also bought me knickers that actually fit me, going down 3 dress sizes makes for extremely baggy clothes which can easily be replaced her, but the underwear, no, it just isn’t good. Thank you Lori   (no pics of the knickers, a girl has to keep some things private!)

Flew to Mwanza on Wednesday just an overnight trip to see the amazing work which is being done at Forever Angels. This baby home caters for all babies and has a great special needs programme. We learned a lot in the short time we were there. Thanks Lori for  arranging everything.

Lori with one of the babies, the amazing Monique, who is blind, having fun at the water table and Aubree with 2 more babies.

Owden, my landlord, informed me that the house is being sold but insists that the contract stands even though a lawyer has told me it doesn't. He told me the house was up for sale when I signed the lease so it was no surprise really. I’ve started to look for somewhere else, ideally I want to stay in the same area, but I’ve got at least 2 months to find somewhere. I’ll miss the mango tree in the garden but if I can get a more modern house it’s a small price to pay.

Came home on Thursday and this is what greeted me in the compound, there was a Masai woman close by but I've never seen them here before. Maybe they were collecting the grass which had been cut for fodder.

 

Finally, a picture of Peanut, why? Why not?

Until next time, I hope all is well with who ever has taken the time to read this. Thank you for taking an interest in my life as a volunteer at Walk in Love x

6 months on

It’s 6 months since I left the UK to start my new life in Tanzania. There have been some highs and one or 2 lows but it is definitely the place that I want to be at this time in my life.

I flew from Manchester to Nairobi, Kenya on 20^th November 2013 got a very expensive but worth it private transfer to Arusha, Tanzania on the 21^st November 2013 and settled into Kilahia Lodge as I started my search for a house. Thanks to friends in Tz I had several leads, the first place had no garden, I didn’t think that I needed one but looking out at a concrete wall and having nowhere to sit on my days off was not going to happen. I was shown several places too far from the main road/too isolated then I was shown what I called the Mango Tree house-2 bedrooms, secure fence, right price, all ready to sign up but at the 11^th hour the owners decided not to let it. Finally I was shown what is now my house above budget, 3 bedrooms rather than 2 but great location and secure. Ironically, it’s next door to Megan’s Resort. Over the past 5 months it has become my home, I am used to it’s quirks, love seeing the trees and hearing the birds in the morning. My friend, who came with me for 3 months left in February, I was grateful for his help but was almost glad when he went as I needed to start my new life on my terms. I then had a great house mate for a month she got transferred to Uganda after a month. In May a young American fellow vollie at the Centre moved in and is  staying until the end of the year. In October I have to decide whether or not to renew my lease for another year, not sure at this stage.

Visas-this has been one of the down sides, I still don’t have my 2 year visa, I have had a 3 month tourist visa, then a 3 month CTA-carrying out temporary assignment but I really need the 2 year class C visa. Hopefully this will happen soon otherwise it’s another CTA

Finance-I underestimated the cost of relocation. I had planned to save ££ before I came but due to Meg spending 2 more years at uni than planned and me being ill for 3 months before I left the UK the savings pot was substantially lower than I’d anticipated. That, having to pay 6 months rent in advance and my pension being paid a month late caused a few stressful moments. I was down to my last £100 when the NHS paid my first pension payment-after many phone calls. Alls well that ends well, everything is now in place and I can sleep peacefully knowing that I can afford to be here

People- I miss friends and family back in the UK emails, Skype and Facebook are not the same as sitting down with a brew putting the world to rights or just having a laugh. I have been away at some important moments in friend’s lives, I’m sorry for that Meg, Gill, Anita, Estelle and Michelle. I have met some great people here but vollie life is transient, people come and go frequently. I have met and said goodbye to some lovely people but it also means that we get to have some great goodbye meals.

Work- I have changed from being a mental health nurse in in-patient services to being a jill of all trades at a day care centre where 22 little people come whilst their mamas work and the cook makes meals for 35 people on charcoal stoves. I try to keep a check on the kid’s health and have been teaching basic first aid to the workers. I have managed to get the toilet refurbished, helped to get some soft play shapes and introduced a cause for concern recording system. There are no down sides to work, I love it

Health-I was pretty ropey when I came here but now I’m fit and well, have lost several kilos due to a healthy diet and walking miles. I can buy antibiotics and almost any medication over the counter. I’m due for a full MOT when I return to the UK in August, hopefully they won’t suggest that I am no longer roadworthy and need to be scrapped.

Over all it’s been a great 6 months, looking forward to new challenges and seeing Walk in Love go from strength to strength

Easter at Pangani-pure indulgence

This blog is purely about my fantastic few days at the beach

Left home early morning in the pouring rain to get the dala dala to town. Endless hassle at the bus station ‘you want Dar/Tanga/Barbati/Mwanza?’ Found Lucy and Brie already on the bus only to be told that we were transferring to another, obviously the companies were consolidating rather than running half full busses. So our carefully chosen seats went by the board and we were scattered throughout the bus. Lucy was convinced we would arrive at Tanga by 1.30, 2.30 at the latest. I had my doubts, these were well placed because we arrived after 4! Further hour and a half to the river crossing at Pangani, then another 45 minutes later we arrived at the Beach Crab resort at twilight but this didn’t stop Lucy and I running to the beach like 2 excited toddlers. After settling into our room, a beach bungalow made from coconut wood and matting with a salt water shower, we enjoyed a 3 course meal with the sound of the ocean in the background and a blue black sky lit up by nature’s lights-the moon and the stars

 

 Friday was spent walking along the beach scouting for places to eat and drink, we ventured out in the evening with the torch supplied by the resort only to see thousands of crabs scuttling along the sands. Part of the walk was in the water as the tide was still quite high. Great meal at Drifters, another at Mike’s Bungalow and the best meal of the trip was the beach barbecue at the resort. The lights were dim and we weren’t exactly sure what we were eating but is was pretty darn good and lots of it. I much prefer to eat fish than meat so I was in my element. Lucy fell in love with the waiter,who doubles up as a dive instructor,-see evidence, actually what she was doing was pleading for no more food.

I ventured into Pangani on a piki piki, I always said that I would not use one due to their horrific accident rate, but there’s little traffic on that side of the river and 15kms is too far for even me to walk. Interesting town, not in the least bit touristy, I spent a pleasant couple of hours wandering, watching the boat builders and chatting to the kids. The river crossing cost 8 pence each way-bargain! No ATM, nearest place to get cash is Tanga

 

Book of choice for this trip was the classic novel War and Peace, it’s actually a very good book but such hard work turning pages over to the sounds and smells of the Indian ocean but I did it. It remains a work in progress, 5 days is nowhere near enough time to even make a small dent in it. Rest was enforced as I’d, stupidly, trodden on a stick leaving a bit of a hole in the sole of my foot. Nature’s cleansing agent-the ocean-helped but it was pretty painful

On Easter Sunday there were decorated eggs on the breakfast table and small gifts of wooden eggs/bunnies. My bunny is now, earless, hanging from my camera

Tuesday morning we set off bright and early to go home, the kitchen staff made us a take away breakfast of sandwich, fruit drink and water. We stopped at a service station-not what you’d get on the M1 in the UK but there was a loo and food available, much needed on an 8 hour journey. The hustle and bustle of Arusha were not welcome sights or sounds but it is home-for now

Some random pics, I love natural shapes

 

 Great place, great company. Thanks to Lucy McMichael for arranging it