The Chunder Bag - 06/08

Last night I met my friend Neka in Dar es Salaam. This morning we were scheduled to fly into Ruaha National Park for our first safari. The flight was delayed and when we finally took off I wasn't as nervous as I expected to be.  The flight was going to take us group by group to the different parks. I was unaware of this arrangement.
For the first two stops I was alright but by the third stop I was not feeling good at all and wondering what I was going to do as I didn't have any plastic bags. Thankfully there were some bags in the seat pocket labelled "The Chunder Bag" in English and "Mifuko ya kutupikia" in Swahili which apparently means "vomiting bag".
I used all three and was feeling less than fine when we landed in Ruaha. I wanted to cry when Doto, our driver, said we'd be going on safari before heading to the camp. I wanted to go to bed!
The drive was good though- saw a few elephants and lots of Maasai giraffe.
The lodge is breathtaking.  Our banda  (room) is quite impressive. Minus the unwanted guest - two geckos that Neka has named Tim and Albert, I have no complaints. I'll be sure to post pictures at some point.

{{photo to follow}}

It's So Hard To Say Goodbye - 05/08

Starting yesterday with Mama Thea's heartfelt thank you to all volunteers during reflection session I've been fighting off tears but this evening I couldn't hold it any more. 
The goodbyes to my students went pretty well - most  of them didn't understand that I was leaving.  Many of them calling out "See you tomorrow!" as I walked out the door... I wish that were true my little love bugs!
The goodbyes to my CCS Karanga Familia were notably harder... I'll truly miss everyone there.  Lots of hugs and well wishes were exchanged.
This was a lot harder to walk away from than CCS Bangkok... and I loved it there.  Is there anything deeper than love??
I'm not sure, but I think it's fair to say I left a bit of my heart in Moshi...

Farewell Friday - 05/08

This morning was a bittersweet one... the children are used to my style of teaching now and they've really made progress with the goal I set of being able to identify and not just recite the numbers through 100.
Unfortunately because it was so cold and overcast there was no assembly this morning, which meant no chance for me to record the children singing the national anthem for you. There was some playtime which was good fun. 
I had a special treat of chocolate pinwheel cookies for the children- they had to answer a question correctly to get them but of course I matched the questions to their abilities so it all worked out.  I was a little sad that Jesca and Julias were still out sick so we didn't get to say goodbye.  I gave Karim a hug when I saw him in the morning but unfortunately I didn't see my little darling Makee.
After lunch Teddy washed my hair for me before we practised baby wearing.  I'm feeling confident about my ability to wrap my future niece or nephew when they arrive (please wait a few more weeks, Baby Oz).
Once I finished packing I took a few more photos of Home Base and then played cards with the boys until dinner...

{{Photo with class to follow}}

The End Approaches - 04/08

Don't be sad that it's over, be happy it happened.  - Tasha, my favourite sister

It's her take on the Dr. Seuss quote "don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened".
It's starting to sink in that my time at CCS is quickly ending.  Even though I have an awesome follow up vacation planned, I'm still too caught up in this moment.  In actual fact, I'm almost 94% sure that if I wasn't meeting a friend for the next leg of my adventure I'd probably have cancelled it by now and figured out how to stay here in Moshi longer!
Here are a few updates:
* The number lines are being used with success by more students (yayness!)
* The teacher seems to like and have embraced the phonics based method for reading English
* Snapchat filtered selfies make excellent time fillers at the end of lessons but before lunch
* I know most of the words to the National Anthem of Tanzania and thanks to the local volunteers I understand the meaning (Shout out to you guys- Keydo, Nixon, Lordy and Teddy!)
* I have given suggestions on things I would do if I were staying at the school... hopefully some are feasible and practical and can be implemented
* I have once again fallen in love with the children and people I've worked and lived with for the past three weeks...

The Day I Was a Failure - 03/08

Okay - I know that title sounds harsh!  But man, oh man, was it intense! 
Picture it, Moshi, 2016...
A group of 8 volunteers is ready for the dancing lesson, accompanied by local volunteers.
Well... this little island girl stands out amongst the 'mzungu' {foreigners}... and for today not in a good way.  I guess the assumption was I would have a really good sense of rhythm and be able to pick up the steps easily... (not exactly). As we were learning the steps I was following along, marking the steps. I guess the correct thing to do would have been to go all out each and every time because I was soon yelled at for standing too stiffly... holding my hands across my chest...
Things got worse when we switched over to the singing part of our lesson. It appeared the assumption this time was I should know the words to the Swahili song we were singing! It was kind of funny the way the older man was getting frustrated with me. Oh well. .. Hakuna matata!
Even though it was good fun, I'll stick to my F3 classes instead of picking up African dance!

Visit with Bibi - 02/08

Today we had our community exploration outing. Lordy, Keydo, Teddy and two mamas from the village led the way as we walked to the nearby water source which provides water for our neighbourhood as well as Moshi town. 
The scenery was absolutely beautiful!
Our next stop was to see Bibi. Bibi is Swahili for grandmother and we had the privilege of meeting with the eldest couple around to hear about traditional marriage.
After the initial pleasantries, we sat around  Bibi on a selection of wooden benches abs stools. Keydo did a fantastic job translating for us. 
Bibi is now 100 years old. Her and Babu had 12 children, yet sadly they only have three living children. They also have many grandchildren.  He didn't talk but he kept the goats under control while Bibi told her story.  Perhaps that's the secret to a long and happy marriage!

{{Photos to follow}}

One Drop - 02/08

We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop. -Mother Teresa

Today Lewis completed his addition sums using his number line! 

You might be thinking that isn't a blog-worthy post, but it was a huge deal for me. 
It was the only thing I was holding on to about today because as a teacher it can get you down when things don't go as planned- with a little pep talk from my sister friend Jasmine, I was reminded that no matter the outcome in regards to my goals, I'm still doing a great thing by being here.
{{Photo of Lewis to come soon!}}