Living the dream

I hear that the UK has been experiencing some pretty heavy snowfall - well, enough to make to kids happy and cause the entire london transport system to break down in utter chaos. So not sure if you want to hear that I've just spent a week in the Whitsundays Islands...a real paradise! I was on a 2 day sailing trip around the islands on an ex maxi racing yacht called Broomstick.

Had a really good crew, and 24 other passengers from all over the world (mostly Germany and Sweden...they can't get enough of Australia apparently)! About half an hour into the trip we hit a mini storm (is squall the right term?) and things got pretty hairy for a few minutes! We thought the crew knew what they were doing so were pretty relaxed about the whole thing, but we later found out that they were absolutely terrified and we nearly capsized! Near death experience over and done with, we carried on to a sheltered section of the Great Barrier Reef and donned our stinger suits for the first time (at this the time of year the water is filled with potentially deadly jellyfish so if you want to get wet you have to wear one. I had heard some horrible stories about bright orange lycra, imagine my relief when mine was black). The fish were amazing, don't ask me names but they were all shapes, sizes and colours. It was really incredible to be so close - they would swim right up to your face as if they were curious!

We also went to a look-out over the number one rated beach in the world - Whitehaven. It's composed of 98% pure silica and is totally unspoilt; as a result they don't take boat loads of tourists there but was beautiful to see from the look-out at Betty's beach. There I saw sandsharks and massive rays about 2 metres from the shore! Later that night we were having a few drinks on the deck when we heard a commotion in the water...there was a reef shark using our boat as a hiding place from which to dart out and catch his dinner - pretty cool to watch.

After getting safely back to shore the next day I caught a flight down to Brisbane. I am now at my friend Yvonne's house just south of the city. She moved over here after high school and after 7 years i've finally made it to see her! It was so nice to see a familiar face after 6 months of making new friends every day (not that i'm complaining - it's just nice to have to have the same conversation - where do you come from, how long have you been traveling, etc..). I'm here for a week so am looking forward to being in one place long enough to catch up on internet, washing, and also just a few days without having to lug my backpack with me everywhere I go!

Well, Merry Christmas to everyone. Hope you have a happy one wherever you may be. If you find the time to post a comment I would love to hear from you x

The land down under

Well...here I am in Australia. I arrived 2 weeks ago and haven't managed to write my blog (thanks mum for reminding me) so have got a lot to tell you! After a good flight from Jo'burg I arrived into Sydney airport and was picked up by my friend and old Henderson colleague Brooke who now lives in Manly. She gave me a proper aussie welcome, not even letting me go home to shower before heading to a bar for a wine tasting! I stayed with Brooke for a week and explored the beautiful city of Sydney.

Then, conscious not to outstay my welcome I decided it was time to move on, so headed up the coast. After a 12 hr bus ride, my first stop was the strange little town of Coff's Harbour. Not much to do there, but luckily for me there was a dolphin park so the day was not wasted! Then I carried on to Byron Bay which is known amongst backpackers as a party town. Met a nice girl from Preston and we went out for a few drinks and dinner but the town was full of kids on schoolies (aussie spring break) so we felt about 90 years old!

From there I went on a day trip to a weird little town called Nimbin. Someone had recommended it to me as a good place to go, but as soon as I got on the bus I knew it was a mistake; Nimbin is famous for holding a hippie festival in the '70s and has clung onto this little bit of fame ever since. It is now full of ageing hippies and basically, somewhere you go to buy marijuana. Not my scene at all! So imagine my (quiet) delight when we arrived to see the town crawling with policemen.. mwah ha ha (thats meant to be an evil laugh)...

From Byron Bay I traveled to Brisbane. My friend Yvonne lives just south of Brisbane and I was hoping to see her on my way through, but she is working until 22nd Dec so I am going to come back down then. I really liked Brisbane, and spent a lovely day at the museum, art gallery and followed it up with an extra dose of culture at the theatre in the evening. Since arriving in Oz I have felt a buit devoid of culture so felt a lot more civilised afterwards! On Sunday I went to Australia Zoo, the home of the (late) Crocodile Hunter himself, Steve Irwin. Although I had seen loads of animals on safari in Africa, I have never before seen a kangaroo, koala, or many other australian animals so was very excited. The crocodile show was really good, and I had a guided tour in the afternoon from a lovely guy called Phil. He had known Steve and so had lots of interesting stories and anecdotes about him and the zoo.

From Brisbane I flew up to Airlie Beach, the gateway to the Whitsunday Islands. Tomorrow I'm going on a 3 days 2 night sailing trip around the islands, and will get to snorkel on the Great Barrier Reef - something I've always wanted to do so very excited about that! Will try to put up a picture of me in a fetching 'stinger suit' to give you a giggle next time...

Goodbye Africa

Well...after 5 months I have come to the end of my great African adventure. I have had such an amazing time and have well and truly fallen in love with the beautiful landscapes, sunsets, sunrises, animals and most of all people that make this continent so special. But am ready to move on, and really looking forward to seeing lots of friens - old and new - in Australia.



My trip has ended in Johannesburg, where I've spent the last few days trying to recpover from a stomach bug that knocked me for six over the past week. A few of us on the overland trip suffered from it, I think we drank some contaminated water at one of the places we stayed. After writing my last blog we drove up through the beautiful Mountain Kingdom of Lesotho which is famed for its Basotho ponies, blankets and stunnning scenery. I went pony trekking which was a lot of fun and we stayed at the famous Malealea Lodge. On leaving Lesotho we drove north to the Drakensburg Mountains. There I did a 25km hike along a gorge to the 2nd highest waterfall in the world. It was a beautiful walk but I wasn't yet feeling 100% and the sun was very very hot so unfortunately it set me back a few days in my recovery... from the Drakensburgs we drove up to Johannesburg. The weather in this area has been incredible - massive thunder storms with dramatic lightening. The place we're staying has a picture window overlooking the city which is pretty cool. I haven't ventured into central Johannesburg, partly because of the horrific statistics we've all heard about the murder and mugging rates, but mainly because I just want to rest! I did of course go to the Apartheid Museum. I have just finished reading Nelson Mandela's 'Long Walk to Freedom' so was interested to find more out about Apartheid. I must confess, before coming to South Africa my knowledge of the subject was very limited. I won't bore you with it here but needless to say I felt very humbled.

Next time I write I will be on the other side of the world!

Good times

So we continue our journey through the beautiful scenery of South Africa and the Garden Route. Yesterday we went to Bloukrans Bridge which is the site of the highest bungi jump in the world, at 216 metres. You may be surprised to hear that I swallowed my fear and surprised everyone by...not doing the jump. I watched a lot of my friends so it and that was more than enough adrenaline for me!

Yesterday we reached a place called Storms River where the big attraction is black river tubing. It's cool, you sit in an extra-strong rubber ring and fly down the river, a bit like one man white water rafting. Imagine my excitement at the prospect of doing this cool adrenaline-filled activity. And imagine my frustration and disappointment when I fell off a rock yesterday whilst hiking a coastal trail and sprained my ankle!!! So I am currently sitting in the hostel writing my blog while the rest of the group are out on the river. Bad times :(

I'm now almost at the end of my African adventure, and have had plenty of time to reflect on what I've learnt over the past (nearly) 5 months. When I arrived fresh off the plane in Tanzania in June I was shocked to see the level of what I saw as poverty but what I now regard as simplicity in which the people live. Coming from a western country, I was used to having countless clothes, books, cosmetics and plenty of food and to see first hand that that's not the case for so many was humbling. I remember the house girl where I lived (and by the way a house girl isn't a wealthy person's luxury, but usually a relative or friend of the family who does the cooking, washing and cleaning in return for free board and sometimes education), Neema once came into my room and was amazed at how many things I had - baring in mind that I had brought the bare minimum that I thought I needed to survive! All she had was a few changes of clothes, a bar of soap and bottle of a shower gel which I had given her as a present.

I didn't have time to write much when I left Longido as I was having to use incredibly slow and relatively expensive internet, but now I am back in 'civilisation' I have more time to reflect and sum up what was such an incredible and important time in my life. Although for only 3 months, living in a community with a culture so different to my own was amazing. The priorites of the people are very different to ours. For the maasai, cattle take more prescedence than even family. The past months have been dangerously dry, and what little water we had was first given to the cows, then to the people. Many herds were taken hundreds of kilometres away for grazing, and of those who stayed there were many fatalities; when walking in the bush it wasn't unusual to come across carcasses. The drought was awful. For me, the worst it meant was that sometimes I couldn't wash my clothes or have a shower (most annoying after a week on Kilimanjaro without washing facilities) but we had enough to cook and drink, unlike some. Puts the UK hosepipe bans to shame...

Community is also very important to Tanzanians. When there is a wedding the whole village is invited. During my time I was (unofficially) a guest at 2 weddings; once it was a friend of a friend who had a celebration in the village which was so full that we didn't even make it inside the hall but were given a soda outside and had to watch the celebrations through the window! The other was on a very random night out when 2 fellow vounteers and I jumped in the back of a pick up truck and drove to the Kenyan border town of Namanga and went to a nightclub which had been hired out by a wedding party, but instead of turning us away they invited us in to join the celebration! Although poor, all the people I met were unfailingly generous.

I think I have learnt a lot and probably changed a bit as a result of my experinces. I'm without a doubt a lot more relaxed and don't get as stressed as I used to. I have also learnt to really enjoy my own company - something that I always enjoyed before but had never had to rely on as much. Unfortunately I haven't lost as much weight as I had hoped, which I thought was a given in Africa! Turns out that even though I wasn't eating any chocolate, crisps, snacks or even drinking alcohol, the carb-rich diet undid any progress I might have made. But not a big deal in the scheme of things. On the plus side i'm very brown! Plus I'm very happy which is the most important thing.

It's strange being back in the western world. Everything is much the same as back at home and although i'm having fun, being here isn't as interesting or educational as Tanzania was. My time in Africa will come to an end on 30th November when I fly to Sydney. I'm looking forward to it as I will get to see many friends who either live in or will be visting Australia while i'm there, but will be sad to leave this continent which I have some to love so much. I know i'll be back soon...

Back in civilisation

Well here I am in Cape Town! The weather has been pretty shocking. More wet weekend in Bognor than balmy urban paradise. I had really wanted to go to Robben Island and climb Table Mountain but the ferry to the Island has been cancelled every day this week, and the mountain has been cloaked in thick grey clouds. That is until today when they lifted long enough for me to queue for an hour and a half, see a guy get hit by a car due to the incredibly stupid and dangerous road systems in Cape Town and finally made it up the mountain. It was worth the wait though. Incredible views across the bay, and right the way down to the Cape of Good Hope. I've also used the opportunity of being in a big city to catch up on all the things I've been missing since leaving London. Namely; shopping, cinema and sushi!

It's a strange part of the trip because half the people are leaving and we are picking up a whole new set of travelling companions. Oh well, they say a change is as good as a rest, and although I am having a fantastic time, new conversation will be much appreciated. Although I have made some great friends so far who I will miss :( We leave Cape Town today and travel down to Cape Alguhas (?), the most southerly point in Africa. Not too sure what else we'll be doing along the way, but the basic itinerary is along the Garden route, up through Lesotho to Johannesburg.

Namibia

Namibia has been amazing - after Tanzania easily my favourite African country so far. We spent a few days in the strangeness of Swakopmund and then drove down the coast and inland through the Namib desert. The scenery was stunning; sculptured sand dunes stretching as far as the eye can see, and amazing flat topped mountains. We visited a place called Sossusvlei and Dune 45, which is the most famous of all the dunes in the world. You know the iconic picture of the dune with an s-shaped curve...No? Never mind.

http://images.google.co.za/images?hl=en&um=1&sa=1&q=dune+45&btnG=Search+images&aq=f&oq=&start=0

Then we went to Fish River Canyon in southern Namibia which is, geologically, very similar to the Grand Canyon. The main difference being the lack of commercialisation; helicopters, fast food restaurants, fat americans etc..! It was beautiful but unfortuately my camera had run out of battery so I wasn't able to take any pics. Grrr...

Yesterday we crossed the border into South Africa, and immediately I felt as though I was back home. Heavy drizzle and all the trappings of the western world. We're in wine country for a couple of days (Stellenbosch for conossieurs) and then onto Cape Town.

A great achievement

So...i'm now in Namibia and have travelled the entire width of Africa in 3 weeks! We are staying in a very strange litle town called Swakopmund for a couple of days. It's like being in a 1980's time warp! It's also the adventure sports capital of Namibia, so my friends are throwing themselves out of planes later today... don't worry mum I will be safely on the ground holding the camera! Although I did go quadbiking on the dunes yesterday which was awesome (and I don't use that word lightly or often, but I feel this warrants an awesome).

What else...? I am slowly turning ino the female equivilant of Bear Grylls. Bush camping every night; I've really had to toughen up. Neil, you would be proud of me (and probably quie shocked to see how quickly I can now erect a tent).

Shortly after writing my last blog I walked across the famous bridge that spans the Zambezi, spearating Zambia from Zimbabwe (stopping to watch a bunch of crazy people throwing themselves off it on bungee ropes)! In Zimbabwe I met up with the Oasis Overland group and after a very drunken first night, settled in very quickly. My fellow travellers are all in their 20s and 30s, and I get on well with the vast majority. Of course there are inevitable annoyances when you spend 24/7 with 25 other people in a confined space, but we are managing well so far...

From Zimbabwe we crossed into Botswana and Chobe National Park where we saw some incredible sights - including a herd of elephants crossing the river, lots of hippo's and a couple of sleeping crocodiles.

We then travelled onto the Okavango delta which has a long-held fascination for me. I wasn't disappointed! We went out on Mokoros (traditional wooden canoes) and camped under the stars within earshot of grunting hippo's (which was quite frankly terrifying). We swam in the delta and went on some lovely walks on the islands. I was also lucky enough to take a 45 minute flight over the delta which was incredible (and a real bargain - $60 US). From Botswana we crossed into Namibia where we vistied the Etosha wildlife reserve.

Last night I was at a watering hole and saw a black rhino from a distance of about 10m. Very cool. We also saw 2 huge prides of lions, plus the usual assortment of antelope, zebra, giraffe, buffalo etc which are, after 4 months of being in Africa, a bit old hat (but still lovely to see)!

Goodbye Tanzania, hello Zambia

Leavng Longido was as hard as I had imagined it would be. The kids at school were great, they put on a play for me and each gave me a little card to say goodbye. And they clubbed together to buy me a present...a packet of biscuits and a soft drink! It was so sweet of them, obviously they have very little so it was a very nice gesture. The adult class threw a small party for me and presented me with full maasai gear - which I promise to model for anyone who wants to see when I get back to the UK!

I think the hardest goodbye though was, of course, Issiah. It was heartbreaking to watch him walk away for the last time, knowing that even if I do come back to Longido one day he won't be the same little boy I knew.

I am now in Livingstone in southern Zambia, after an epic 4 day journey from Northern Tanzania. I took the coach from Arusha to Dar es Salaam, where I spent a few days arranging train ticket, visa, money etc... It wasn't all hard work though as I managed to get to the beach for a day and a night which was pure paradise. I then took the Tazara train yo Kapiri Mposhi, which goes through some amazing scenery and the Selous National Park where the animals are so used to the trains they graze right by the trackside. Unfortunately, we passed through at night so missed all that! I stayed one night in Lusaka which seems to be a fairly well developed capital city. It was strange to see petrol stations and fast food restaurants after so long in the wilderness!

I'm now in Livingstone, where I have found a geat backpacker's hostel (with pool) where I can rest for a few days before joining an overland tour group on Tuesday. To be honest when I have encountered these groups on the road my reaction has been to roll my eyes and thank God I am not part of one of them.. but I am going to have to out my prejudices aside and join the spirit as doing so will enable me to visit Botswana, Namibia and South Africa. I'm sure I will be fine, but my greatest fear is that I am on a truck load of gap year students. I know I've not exactly got one foot in the grave myself yet but I am hoping to meet people from different age ranges so that I will have some slightly varied and educated conversation!

Crazy adventure safari

The last couple of weeks have been eventful... last weekend I was invited by a friend to his sister's high school graduation, which is a big deal here in TZ. I have already been to one and it wasn't an experience I was in a hurry to repeat, but it meant a lot to my friend so I agreed to go. So last Saturday morning I was ready at 8am to make the 2 hr journey...and by 11am everyone else was ready and the very old VW Beetle we were taking had finally decided to start! I knew the journey wouldn't be without its pitfalls, so when we got stuck in sand 5 miles outside Longido I wasn't surprised - the poor car was filled with 6 people and not designed for sandy, bumpy dirt tracks in the African bush!

We managed to get the car out without too much trouble and were on our way. But not for long. As we neared our destination, the village of Kitumbani, the car decided it had had enough and well and truly broke down. The boys tinkered under the bonnet for more than an hour but to no avail. Eventually a dalla-dalla (beat up old mini bus crammed to the rafters with usually a minimum of 20 passengers) came along and true to Tanzanian fashion, the people were very helpfu and agreed to tow us the rest of the way. Unfortunately the tow rope that we fashioned from the Beetle's one remaining seatbelt wasn't strong enough and kept breaking. In the end we had to abandon the car and jumped on the dalla dalla for the last few miles. To my secret relief, we arrived at the school just as the ceremony was finishing, but in time for food! Afterward we walked back to the car and pushed it into the village. By this point we were extremely tired and thirsty, not to mention filthy from the dust...my cream trousers were a very dark brown! We decided to stay and try to fix the car in the morning, so they boys bunked down in the car while I splashed out 3,000 shillings for a very questionable guesthouse (my room had a dead cockroach being devoured by an army of ants - who says you can't get luxury for 1.50)?! Miraculously, a mechanic had fixed the car in the night and by sunrise we were on our way home. This time thankfully without any drama...although many sightings of garanack, Thompson's gazelle, giraffe and kudu. I also saw some elephant tracks while the boys were trying to fix the car and followed them a little way into the bush before deciding it probably wasn't the nest idea in an area known for its lions. It was then that I had one of those moments when I thought 'what would I be doing if I was at home - and decided that I would have been in Tesco's with mum and gran. Sorry mum and gran, but I know which one I would choose!

This weekend I have spent a lovely days and night in Moshi, the town at the foot of Kilimanjaro. I went with 2 other volunteers and we had a great time indulging in semi-luxury. Moshi is fairly touristy so I was able to have a sandwich and a real cup of tea. Doesn't sound like much but 3 months of rice and beans is finally getting to me!

It's now less than a week until I leave Longido. I am very sad to have to say goodbye to my many new friends and of course the wonderful kids at school, but am ready to move on. I am heading down to Dar Es Salaam from where I will catch the train to Zambia to meet up with my overland tour group and begin my next adventure in Botswana and Namibia.

Climbing Kili!

Well...I did it! Hopefully you're not too surprised... was a great week, much more fun than the week of hell I had been anticipating. I did the trek with 2 other volunteers, Fiona and Jenna who were really good company. We had a fantastic team of 7 porters, a cook, waiter (!) and 2 guides - one of whom was called Hallelujah! We did the Machame route which is meant to be the second most demanding, but is good because it allows plenty of opportunity for acclimatisation, which is the cause of the majority of failed attempts (including Roman Abramovich's last week).

The nights were freezing and the food pretty monotonous, but i'm so glad I did it. The feeling of achievement was great - but not as good as the feeling of my first shower after 7 days without washing! I am back on terra firma now and have only 3 weeks left on my placement, before travelling down through Botswana and Namibia with an overland tour group. While I am excited for my next adventure I am very sad at the prospect of having to say goodbye to the many friends I have made and of course the wonderful children who I will miss terribly.

A little something that people from the Dengie will appreciate - last week I was waiting for the bus into town (I say bus, its more like hitch-hiking) when a C.J Bardwell lorry went past - in my tiny little Tanzanian village a lorry from the Dengie was the last thing I expected to see. I was standing with a group of maasai school children and I started screaming like a mad woman, it was such an incredible coincidence!

Update

I am now about halfway through my time in Longido and am starting to contemplate having to leave the place that I consider (a kind of) home. I am truly integrated into village life now and the kids are used to me. I still get treated as a bit of a novelty by some but am generally accepted - now when the occasional tourists come to visit I feel more akin to the locals than the wazungu (white people). school is great, i have been teahcing some standard 7 classes (age 15-20) before their final exams next week. Is a bit daunting when some of the kids are taller than me by about a foot and a half...and in a class of 95 pupils!

In other news, I am preparing to climb Mount Kilimanjaro next week (uh oh...now i've said so on here there's no turning back...

Apologies for short blog. In brief, all is good. I am still survisving on ugali and cabbage but am feeling happier after investing in a pair of jeans so I feel like less of a hillbilly!

News

Where to start... all is going well in Longido :) School is great, I love the kids and am making progress,albeit slow progress, with my adult class. It is frustrating as some cannot write even in their own language so I have started extra literacy classes to teach them how to read and write. I can't remember what life was like before I came here, I am so settled and don't want to think about leaving (although I still have 2 months before I have to think about saying goodbye).

Last week my friend Bec came up from Arusha and together with my friend Rogarte (a Maasai / Rasta guide) we climbed Mount Longido which was very hard but rewarding. Had a brilliant night camping, singing round the campfire and trying not to worry about the elephants, lions, buffalos and who knows what else that were nearby!

The next day I watched my friends' football match - Longido Warriors -vs- Namanga. Was such an amazing atmosphere, the whole village turned out for the game and it went down to penalties... 2 of my students scored, was a great afternoon. And a beautiful setting for a football match - sunset over the plain was incredible and I had one of those moments when I realise how lucky I am to be here.

The only thing that I would change is the food... those of you who know me well will know that I am not fussy when it comes to food and will eat pretty much anything that is put in front of me. However, after a month of eating ugali, rice, beans, chapatti and goat, the club sandwich I have juts eaten in town never tasted so good!

Another thing is the personal grooming side of things...not normally one for being a girly girl, I am getting a bit sick of wearing same clothes day in day out - and never feeling clean no matter how many bucket showers I take! The dust is just everywhere... but it is all worth it. I have never been a meaterialistic person but here it is taken to new extremes. Most people have less than nothing. To give you an ide, today at school i gave out some little erasers to one of my classes. They were so excited and grateful, it would do children in the UK the world of good to see how lucky they are! Anyway, enough preaching... I am off to the hotel for a well-earned rest and hot shower.

Life in Longido

Firstly I apologise for being slack with the blogging lately - reason being I am really settled in Longido now - very busy and happy with school, friends and adult classes so haven't had time to get on the internet. There are so many things that were alien to me when I arrived three weeks ago, but which are now normal, so I thought i would share some of them with you...

Longido is a really beautiful village overlooked by the imposing Mount Londgido, which I plan to climb when time allows and I have plucked up a sufficient amount of courage! It is extremely dry here, the region is experiencing a drought and it is having a devastating effect on the cows which are so important to the Maasai people.

The village is filled with the most incredible abundance of animals... donkeys, cows, goats, chickens, dogs and cats and geese. There are beautiful birds which I couldn't even begin to identify but the most amazing animals of all are the giraffes which roam the plains surrounding the village. I saw 3 whilst walking home the other day - there are also herds of elephants and buffalos on the mountain - you have to take a warrior guide with you when you go walking in case there are any dangerous animals, including king cobras. Luckily for me i have lots of friends who are maasai warriors so am safe :)

The homestay is great... a western style house but without all the mod con we're used to such as a kitchen, water, electricity, shower or toilet. Yesterday I spent 3 hours down at the 'bomba' -watering hole handwashing my clothes!

My kiswahili is coming along, and I am picking up some kimaasai too to enable me to communicate with many of the villagers (and of course little Issiah). I showed him my i-pod the other day and he was listening to the Beatles 'She loves you' so has been singing it non-stop ever since!

I have started a lunch club at school for the kids to have some fun - singing/drawing/drama and story-telling. They are enjoying doing something a bit different. I want them to use their imaginations, soemthing which isn't really a priority for children here. Children are meant to work, not play...fetch water, firewood, look after goats and cattle, cook, wash etc so I am keen for them to be creative.

This is Africa

The last few days have been a learning experience - welcome to the african way! I am meant to be assisting for the time being in english classes every morning at primary school, and teaching 2 classes for adults every afternoon. However, despite my very professional advertising (posters I made with some of the guys from class), attendance at the afternoon classes hasn't been great so far. I had one man on monday, a maasai family (complete with breastfeeding baby) on tuesday, so hopefully more today! I am finding it quite frustrating the way things are organised here - yesterday at school the teachers told me the school might be shut today for exams - but they wouldn't know until today!?

So...this morning i got a text saying school was on. I went in as usual, and the class i was meant to help in had no teacher and no-one was looking after the children or could tell me where the teacher was. So I improvised and taught them something which I thought might be relevant. The teacher showed up half way through - no apology - and then asked me to prepare a class for tomorrow! So the next period I had my favourite class (standard 5) and yet again there was no teacher. Luckily I had been in their class yesterday so knew what they were learning and was able to make up an exercise based around it. Then onto class 3... yet again no teacher! I am happy to take the classes but it would be nice (and coutesous) to let me know in advance so I could prepare a lesson, not just be thrown in at the deep end! But as the saying goes, 'TIA' - this is Africa!

However, despite the frustrations I am really enjoying being in Longido. As I said before, the family is great and I feel very at home here. The kids at school are great, they sing a song at the beginning of every lesson and every time I am walking down the road I have a trail of kids behind me like to pied piper ! I have also had some clothes made in the local style...pics soon I promise! I went into Arusha last weekend and met some of my extended african family and met up with some of the other volunteers at a mzungu cafe where the prices are sky high but you can imagine that you are back home again for a couple of hours!

I have a confession...

I am in love! Sorry Neil. His name is Issiah and he is an 8 year old maasai cattle herder. He mysteriously turned up at our house last night in only the clothes he was wearing - nothing else! He is a friend of the family's son and I understand is now 'ours' - which means we will feed, clothe and look after him in return for him taking the cattle out to graze every day.

He is so funny, he speaks only maasai and i can speak only a little swahili so our conversation is limited to say the least - he thinks my name is hello! I don't think he has seen white people before, so is fascinated by me and sits as close to me as possible, touching my hair and wanting to hold my hand and hug me. When I returned from having a shower, he asked if he washed enough would he be clean like me... he doens't understand that there can be different skin colours. It is really hard to get my head around how sheletered his life is - I gave him a toy car and he asked me to make it bigger so he could get in... and to make the lights work! He has had no education whatsoever - I showed him how to use a pen for the first time and when the family were singing hymns in the evening he was joining in using the only word he recognised...'hallelujah' over and over again! Was very very funny. I wonder if I can put him in my suitcase when I leave....?

School is good, I am teaching standards 3,4 and 5 (roughly ages 8 - 13) and is going well so far... not too many hours but from monday will be teaching adults in the afternoons so will be very busy! This weekend I am going to town with Mama Judith to visit her newly married son, and may have chance to meet up with some other volunteers too.

Longido...finally!

After months of planning (not to mention years of dreaming), I am finally in Longido where I will spend the next 3 months teaching english. The homestay family are great - really welcoming, and they remind me a little bit of my parents - Alais, the father is kind but slightly eccentric. He has all sorts of wires and contraptions around the house, much like my dad, and plays the keyboard too! And Judith is very kind - she gave me a big hug when I arrived and has told me they will treat me as one of their own while I am here. They are a Christian family (Lutheran) and every evening after dinner they pray and sing hymns. Last night Alais did a special reading in english for me (as well as the usual ones in kiswahili), welcoming me to their home and Africa. I was very moved, in fact it brought a tear to my eye; I feel very lucky to have been welcomed into such a loving family.

The house is nice (and not made of mud!) although understandably much more basic than houses at home in the UK. The kitchen is in an outhouse, and the washing up isn't done in a sink but in a plastic bowl on the ground. The shower is ok, the water is heated and poured into a small tank so I think I will manage to keep clean while I am here. The one part I think I will struggle with is the toilet - a stinking longdrop in an outhouse with cockroaches. Last night I went with my headtorch but I think I will do it in the dark in future!

I have a free day today as the stern headmistress told me to come in on weds to find out what classes i will be helping with, and i will start teaching on thursday. So this morning i am going to spend some time on the internet (at a centre run by another NGO but which has mondo connections), possibly see a tailor about getting a dress made, and exploring the village. This afternoon i am going to the boma school, which is my second project where i will teach english to anyone who wants to learn. I have said i will begin the classs on monday,and i was very impressed at the keenness of the people wo were hanging out there - they want to help me make some posters this afternoon to advertise - apparently the classes have been missed and they are very keen for them to recommence!

I had a lovely moment this morning walking through the village - I passed the kindergarten and the children came running over to me wanting to hold my hands. I took a fews pictures of them and showed them the screen - they were amazed! I will upload the pics when I can but having trouble with the connection this morning.

Safari

Hi all, apologies i don't have time to write much but just wanted to explain the pic on the right... I have been on a 2 day safari in Ngorogoro Crater and Lake Manyara, was amazing to be in such a beautiful area and see so many animals up close in their own environment - very different experience to seeing them in a zoo. We saw a black rhino (from a distance), lions (very very close - so close that one of the guys in the group nearly lost his arm when he stuck it out of the truck window!), elephants, lots of zebras, hippos, wildebeest, monkeys and baboons and birds.

Tomorrow I am going to Longido to start work, which I am very excited about - I will meet the homestay family and some of the school children. My kiswahili is coming along nicely, so I will be able to greet everyone which is a good start! It is winter in Tanzania at the moment, but the weather is what we would expect in england in late spring, so still nice and warm. Haven't needed my thermals yet!

The african way

I have had an eventful few days since I last wrote in Zanzibar. I was in the beautiful north for a while but soon craved the excitement and buzz of Stone Town, so made my way back there and checked into a hostel for a few nights. St. Monica’s hostel was built on the site of the old slave market, so I was able to do a tour of the church, monument and the eerie slave chambers where 75 men, women and children were held for days on end to test their strength before being auctioned to rich Arab masters at the market. This was after having been forced to march for days on end without food or water – only one in five slaves taken from the villages of east africa made it to Zanzibar. So picture the scene: I am in the slave chamber with my guide, Elvis (?!) and he has just told me about the horrific plight of the slaves. Then he says ‘So, would you like to go for a drink with me tonight?’! I quickly said no and then asked a question to get him off the subject, but the Tanzanian men are nothing if not persistent and he asked me twice more before the tour was over! I don’t flatter myself, I think that every lone western woman gets asked the same but it happened with 2 other tour guides… cheeky beggars!

Anyway, my experience has been that the vast majority of people here are very friendly and just want to say hello and practice their English. Of course some are trying to sell you something but I have become adept at saying ‘hapana asante’ (no thanks in Swahili). Before leaving Zanzibar I also traveled down to the south coast where you can take a boat trip to see wild dolphins… (tissues at the ready linzi and rach). Unfortunately it was not the best experience of my life, as I love dolphins and didn’t like the fact that the boat chased them and everyone jumped in the water to try and get close to them even though they clearly weren’t in the mood to play. It was still a good day though as I got to go snorkeling again which is incredible. We also went inland to Jozani forest where the endemic red colobus monkeys, only found in Zanzibar, can be seen. Here we were able to get very close to a whole family which was a real privilege.

I spent the last couple of days exploring the atmospheric streets of Stone Town (which is a Unesco World Heritage Site) and had delicious cheap street food at the Forodhani gardens in the evening with a friend, Anna. I met some really great people in Zanzibar and had a fantastic time, but by yesterday was ready to move onto Arsuha, where I write from now.

I had a bit of a stressful day yesterday as I was meant to be at the airport for 10am, but had loads of missed calls from a Tanzanian number on my English mobile. I rang back and it was the travel agent telling me that I was now on a different flight to Arusha (via Dar es Salaam) and had to be at the airport by 9am – bearing in mind it was already 08.55 you can imagine my panic. To cut a long story short, I battled my way through the incomprehensible system that is Zanzibar airport and eventually arrived in Arusha at around 2pm. The hotel Mondo has arranged is very nice (and cheap which is a bonus)! Althgouh I now know why – it is right next to a mosque and the muezzin chants for about ½ hr every morning at about 4.30am, and ever afternoon. Good job I have ear plugs, but even they don’t do the trick!

Arusha is at approx 1000m above sea level and is very green. My first impressions of the town are good – lucky as I will be spending a lot of time here over the next 3 months. Last night I met some fellow volunteers and went out for dinner and a few drinks at the local wuzungu (white persons’) bar. Today I have had an induction by Leonard, the friendly and helpful Mondo Challenge guy in Tanzania, and a Swahili lesson which I have been practicing with the locals a bit already. Tonight there is a volunteer meeting followed by dinner at a local place. And then an early night as I am going on a safari this weekend with some other volunteers – to Ngorogoro Crater and Lake Manyara. I am very excited, I had expected I would do a safari at some point but hadn’t planned on it being so soon – however, I thought I would take the opportunity to go with the others as it is a relatively cheap deal with a reputable company, and will be nice to get to know the other volunteers. On Monday I travel to Longido, the village where I will be based – I am looking forward to meeting the family I will be living with and also the children at the school. The boxes of books/pens etc I sent over have arrived safely so I will be able to give the children some presents which will be nice. So to sum up – all is going well so far…

Stone Town, Zanzibar

Well here i am - in Zanzibar - such an amazing and incredible place I don't know where to begin... I arrived into Dar Es Salaam airport after having slept for only an hour on the night flight, so was very dazed and confused trying to make my way to Zanzibar. I made it here in one piece and have had a great couple of days exploring the town and surrounding area. I did the traditional spice tour, where they show you how many spices are grown and let you taste local fruits - very exotic, although the only one I remember is jack fruit, which is like a cross between a banana and a pineapple... very nice but strange!

The town itself is made of tiny backstreets and alleys, with a market like how I imagine a Moroccan souk to be. It is very dark, with awnings blocking the sun and smells coming from offal on butchers' blocks, spice stalls and a million other things. The sellers see a white person and you see the $ sign light up their eyes - it is a strange feeling to be a novelty due to the colour of your skin, but the people here are very poor and whatever I have got is more than they will ever have (for some). I have met some great friendly people - my 'international family' from finland, canada, oz, uk and the states, and many many more. I am now in Kendwa on the north coast, a stunning beach resort where I plan to relax for a few days before heading down the coast either back to Stone Town or to Jambiani in the east. The volunteering will be hard work so am making to most of my time off before I start! Ele x

No going back

Well, 27th June has finally arrived and I am packed, checked in and ready to fly. Feeling excited, scared, nervous, all sorts of feelings in between but mostly very tired! This week has been great, catching up with friends and saying my goodbyes but it has left me in desperate need of a holiday (well that's handy).

Last night I had a fantastic evening with my friends and Henderson colleagues in London. I was completely overwhelmed by the kind words and presents from everyone, thank you.

My flight leaves this evening and this time tomorrow I should be in Zanzibar where I will spend a few days before heading up to Arusha and then Longido on 9th July to begin my teaching placement.

Will try and write soon and should have some good pics of stunning zanzibar (and maybe a door or two for neil)

Less than 2 weeks until I leave for Africa and my adventure begins - wow! I am very excited, although a small amount of apprehension at the enormity of the task I am about to undertake is starting to sink in. I cannot wait to meet the maasi people; everything I have heard and read about them says they are very welcoming and I am looking forward to learning about their fascinating culture.

I spent last weekend in Oxford on a TEFL training course, where I met some great like-minded people who are all undertaking similar life-changing experiences with Mondo Challenge. I learned a lot of fun ways to teach English to the children (and adults) in Tanzania and am itching to get in the classroom! I am under no illusions, it will be hard work – teaching children in the primary school all day (with classes from 70 – 140 kids) and adults in the afternoons in the boma school (see pic on right) I will be knackered, but hopefully happy and fulfilled too.

I am slightly worried about the food situation though… I have heard that the staple diet consists of rice and ugali (a starchy cornmeal substance which is apparently disgusting) – might have to take some cereal bars with me just in case! I have also been advised to take multivitamins as the diet will be a shock to the system. Everyone keeps saying I will lose weight while I’m away, but in the Maasi culture it is attractive to be bigger so I think mama Judith might try and feed me up – uh oh!

Karaoke

This week I held my second fund raising event – Karaoke! I think its safe to say that everyone who came had a great time - all had a go on the microphone and together raised £100 to help me on my way. Highlights included the Herald team’s theme song ‘The Only Way is Up,’ Gemma ‘Kanye’ Cox spitting some lyrics and Crista ‘I hate karaoke’ Toomey well and truly letting her hair down! Thanks to all who came, effort was much appreciated :)

So far so good

Saturday saw the village of Tillingham brought to a standstill as traffic flocked from miles around for the quiz night to end all quiz nights. OK, that's not strictly true... but 30 of my friends and family gathered at the village hall to lend their support to Mondo Chllenge and my charity project in Tanzania. The quiz was a closely run race which ended in a tie break situation between The Flying Pigs (Julie, Mr Mangum and their friends the Cecils) and Quiz Team Aguilera (the Plant family minus quiz master Mike and me). It was a tense few seconds but the Flying Pigs pulled it out the bag and emerged victorious - luckily as otherwise everyone would have said it was a fix! Thanks to everyone who came, I think everyone had fun and we managed to raise over £400 which was fantastic! We had people from as far afield as Surrey and Southend, and ages ranging from 9 to 95! Special mention must go to Chloe and Amy who were brilliant and provided extra entertainment with their olive eating challenge! Thanks also to Mum, Dad and Gemma for helping me to organise the evening xxx

My philosophy (bit profound - you have been warned)!

People keep asking me what is my motivation for doing this project, and it got me thinking...so thought I would share my thoughts with you. I have always wanted to do something momentous, but I had never landed on anything that grabbed me. Then I met Mondo Challenge and found the staff so inspiring and decided it was now or never! I have been in my job as a PA in London for 2 years now, during which time I have met some great people who I will be sad to leave, but I need a new challenge and to wake up every day feeling as though what i'm doing makes a difference. While I am not conceited enough to imagine that i am going to dramatically change anyone's life except my own, I hope that my being there helps the children with their english and gives them a taste of life outside Longido. Of course, I will get a lot out of it too - Africa is such a vast, interesting and mysterious continent about which I know very little and I am excited about experiencing life there and integrating with the local Maasi tribe ( where I will be living with Mama Judith and her family)!

I am off to a village called Longido in northern Tanzania at the end of June to spend three and a half months volunteering as an English and sports teacher to primary school children. I will also have the opportunity to teach French to local women. I will be living with a local Maasi family in a village with no electricity, running water etc, so will be a huge culture shock and personal challenge for me. Please click the link on the right of this page for more information on Mondo Challenge.

If you would like to make a donation please come and see me / e-mail or call 07826929014.

Thanks, eleanor