My new home

My new, and I hope, final home in Arusha

Recently I moved into a 2 bedroomed house in the Kijenge area of Arusha, this is my 3^rd home in 14 months and I hope that it will be my last one. Moving is such a pain, no Pickfords removal firms here, you haggle with a guy for a pick up truck/motorbike truck to load up everything and unload at the other end but you have to pack everything and hope that nothing gets broken along the bumpy dirt roads.

I no longer have the luxury of a full cooker but I do have a 2 ring gas hob. A fundi recently made me a table to put it on along with a book case and a clothes rail-the 2^nd bedroom has no wardrobes, so it’s slowly coming together. The house is on a plot where the landlady has built 19 other houses, when I say houses some are mud rooms, others have been built with cement bricks then rendered, mine is the only one which would be considered a house by western standards, oh and hers, she lives next door in an identical house. Electricity is by prepaid meter and we get a water bill very 3 months or so. It’s a great house in a great location, only a 2 minute walk to the dala dala stop, a market at the back for daily vegetables and many dukas a 5 minute walk away. Helena, my landlady, has made improvements to the smaller houses by building a small wall in front of them to stop them from flooding when the big rains come. I hear so many stories of bad landlords, the signs are that she will be one of the good guys. Her son, Lowritch, likes to come in the evenings to practice his English as do some of the other kids. This is how I envisioned living in Africa, I know that I could not live as they do in 1 room with no water, electricity and a toilet shared by a few houses but I also don't like living the typical ex-pat lifestyle with a big house and live in help. Some do and each to their own. I feel that living in this small community is a good compromise. Selene comes once a week to do the laundry, she needs the work and I'm no good at hand washing, Juliana comes on a Saturday to clean, she needs the £3.70 more than I do

The photos show the house and the surrounding area, some of  my neighbours are goats
Life continues to be pretty darn good, thanks for taking the time to read this,
the outside of the house

the African bathroom, there is also a western one

the kitchen, note the fridge magnets from England/USA/Belarus

my lime green lounge, the crochet blankets travelled all of the way from Great Harwood, England, the rugs from Zanzibar

 The local houses with the new walls, these rent for around $30/month including water and electricity, the average salary is around $100-120, whole families live in just one room and I wonder what they think of mazungus renting such a big house-by their standards but relatively small by ours

 my house is at the back of these

 the view from across the main road, my complex is at the back of the shop with the yellow sign

Sorry, sorry, sorry and Happy New year

Sorry it's been almost 2 months since the last blog. Time just goes so quickly.
First of all a belated Happy New Year to everyone, I hope that you enjoyed the festive season and that 2015 will see everyone healthy, happy and have a £/€/$/shekel/shilling more coming in than you need.
I have decided to give the teaching thing a go. I have 2 great people looking for a house for me, I'll spend 2 or 3 days a week in Monduli and 2 days at Walk In Love. It should be a good mix, I love being at the centre and teaching first aid but this will give me another interest and bring me into contact with more people.
It's been great meeting up with my old friend Susan who arrived in Tanzania a month earlier than expected, sadly she had to go to the UK in December but, fingers crossed, she'll be back at the end of the month.
Said goodbye to my American 'daughter' Brianna who has returned to Texas but I did get to meet up with her mum again, this time with dad in tow as he was doing some medical work in Monduli. Great family but this is the life of a volunteer, great people pass through our lives so we just enjoy the moment for what it is. We may never meet up again but we share some great memories.
Met a local family who really need help, mum and 3 kids live in a shed made from tin sheets. They now have a water filter giving them clean drinking water for 5 years, also found some clothes and bits and pieces for them.
I spent Christmas and New Year in Israel where both are none events, I thought that Nazareth would be busy on their famous son's birthday but no, it was a normal working day.
2015, I wonder what else it will bring? New home for certain as the lease is up on my current house and the land lady is not renewing. I have found a great place near a market, lime green lounge but that's OK. A trip to the UK in July and I want to take time to explore Tanzania. I haven't seen much of it in my first year so I must make the effort to take long week ends and find out about the country which is my second home.
I continue to have 'pinch me' moments when I can't believe how lucky I am to be living my dream. I miss my daughter and friends so much that, at times, it physically hurts but it's a small price to pay. Thankfully there's Skype and email but it can't make up for the times when they need a hug and I can't be there to provide it.
Here are some of my favourite pics from the past year, enjoy xx