The Social Gathering

As many of you know I am working mainly with three schools. These first few months have been essential in the building up of good positive relationships with the teachers in the schools.  I thought it would be useful to meet the teachers socially to develop these relationships by inviting them for a meal at my house.  The first teachers invited were from Masia Mamba.  I hope I haven't paid a too bleak a picture of my accommodation because apart from the continuous loss of electricity it is very good.  There were 10 to be accommodated which I just managed around my table as you can see from the first photograph.  I decided we would have pre-drinks in the gazebo with a few nibbles before then moving inside to eat.  That was my first hurdle - what should I cook. I decided on a starter of tuna with salad to be followed by Bob's version of bubble and squeak and followed by an assortment of cheese and finally finish with yogurt and fresh pineapple.  I have a small oven  which has two rings and two kerosene burners. The morning didn't start well with no electricity but I didn't panic.  The bubble and squeak is a beef dish with onions, carrots and leaks with a topping of  potatoes and cabbage.  Thankfully the electricity came on just as I put the two dishes, precariously balanced in the oven, to cook.  The guests should have arrived at 2 pm and by 2.30 I began to get worried.  Had they mixed up the time thinking I meant Swahili time.  That's another thing to tell you about - Swahili time!! Another time perhaps. They arrived at 3 pm (Andy Page and Sandra all is forgiven- an in joke with friends who are always late)  just as I began to think about abandonment and opening a lunchtime stall in the gazebo. Time means nothing to them and arriving at a set time unknown!  They all but 1 drank beer and thankfully I had purchased a grate of Kilimanjaros. The pre-drinks and nibbles went down well.  We didn't sit down until four and thankfully because the electricity is so low the food was just cooked to a turn.  The food went down really well and the conversation flowed for the next two hours.   They have the same hang ups, aspirations, fears, desires and needs as all my friends!   A home from home.  They loved the food and the different courses.   They particularly liked the yogurt which they had never had before.   Although I was amazed when they asked why the lettuce was not cooked.  We drank much beer and finished with a nice local coffee and whisky.   They now think I am the best thing since sliced bread!! But I think its cupboard love!!! 

The Weather

Every since I have been here in Tanzania I have done nothing but talk to my friends in England about this wonderful weather and the constant sunshine.  I am sure they are tired about me going on about beautiful sunrises with the sun pouring into my bedroom every morning and the magic sunsets.  But I am not sorry to say they are wonderful.  There has been the occasional drop of rain which has tended to fall in the evening and through the night.  Which is of course very convenient.  However, just so you don't think I have it all too easy I attach a few photographs of children going to school in the rain. Taken from my bedroom window.  Yes I said rain!! During the day!!!I t was raining so heavily I could not imagine that anybody would be outside but these children were making their way to school at 6.45 am to start their morning cleaning duties. Can you imagine children in England being do dedicated? Did they get wet!! They must have sat in wet cloths all day. But on the final note you will pleased to hear that by lunchtime the rain had gone the sun 'had its hat off' and all was back to normal.  But I must say the weather has changed - its getting hotter and every evening we have convectional wind rolling off the mountain and a few thunderstorms with such lightening I have never seen and such thunder.  Its particularly frightening as its directly overhead but what a display.  Thought you might like to see last nights sunset - spectacular.  Its all too much !

The Funeral

Living next to the local church has many advantages.  The bells wake you up every morning at 5.30 am on a weekday and 5 am on Sunday and so there is no need for an alarm clock!! They have the most beautiful church choirs and they often rehearse outside.  I can sit in my bedroom and hear this most beautiful sound. I have bought one of their cds and it is moving music. There could be copies in Christmas stockings this year.  Kings College, Cambridge, choir eat your heart out.  I also go and listen to them and the first time I thought it was recorded music and not live singing. it was so good. The other big advantage for me is that every Sunday I see the local community in their Sunday best. The children look so perfect with dresses, smart trousers and cleaned shoes.  A great contrast to when I see them pass my window on the way to school in their blue uniforms or when I pass them playing out in their 'playing cloths'.  But I also see the church in action when there is a funeral.  The church bells sound and the congregation troop behind a band to and from the church.  The pictures with this blog so such a funeral.  

The Puzzle

Thank you to all those friends that attempted to solve the puzzle.  Here are a few of the hundreds that responded:

"  Does the pig represent the restraint and bestial nature of modern living and the little hut the freedom of your current life style?"

" Venue haul for birthday bash?"

"Is the access to the platform where your looking forward to eating bar-b-qd pork chops"

"Are you missing the heavenly smell of bacon?"

"Have you been converted to a Led Zeplin fan?  Pigs might fly?"

Because of the vast and varied response the competition will remain open until the 27th November!!  For my French friends who ask about the valuable prize.  This will remain a close guarded secret until the 28th November. 

The attached picture is a rare one and will one day be a valuable possession!!  Keep blogging! 

Moshi Market

Moshi is the nearest town to where I live and its where I shop for major European type food like Orange Juice and New Zealand cheese and proper bread and yogurt - those little luxuries that I haven't yet left behind.  Normally I travel there by the Dala Dala but of late I have had the opportunity to travel there using the  Project car.  A lovely white Suzuki.  It is always an interesting journey because there is much to see as you drive through different small villages on the main route and hardly any other transport other than occasional heavy lorries or large buses from Dar es Salaam or of course the Dala Dala.  But you have to keep your level of concentration high as there are big bumps/ sleeping policemen to negotiate and they often come at the most unexpected time.  When I came out here last February I travelled to Kilimanjaro airport in the evening and followed a tipper lorry who obviously missed a bump and hit it too fast and his tailgate flew open and dumped 3 ton of sand and gravel onto the road which we narrowly missed and did it again at the next bump before we flagged him down.  So even in the daylight you have to give full attention.  But the purpose of this posting on the blog is to show the pictures of the market in Moshi and I have been distracted!! My age I think!!??  In Moshi  this is a covered market and you can buy anything there.  I go just for the food and particularly the vegetables and there is always hard negotiation.  I bought  a cabbage last week that started at 1000/- but actually finally bort for 500/-. It helps of course if you have fluent swahili!!  But it is very interesting and I love to visit. Enjoy the pictures.

The significant pictures?

I am learning more and more about the way of life her in Tanzania and in particular in Mshiri Village where I live.  I am following a teach yourself Swahili course and there are real protocols in addressing people.  Who speaks first and the response you should give to the greeting.  The unfortunate thing for me is by the time I've spoken what I want to say they have gone passed and even if I rehearse what I'm going to say as they approach their response is different. It is all related to age, the time of day, whether your walking uphill or down hill. I've come to the conclusion if I mumble everything I know as they pass it seems to work. They keep you guessing  So I attach two pictures with this blog and provide a puzzle.   I would like you to identify the link between the two pictures and their significance.   You can comment on the blog.  I'm got to find some way of seeing if people are reading the blog. Very valuable prizes for the right response!!

Left holding the baby

You never know when skills you learned years ago will be needed.  At a recent leaving gathering for an employee of the Project there was a need for me to leap into the breach.  Gladness's baby, Elizabeth, required holding while mother was eating.  She is a beautiful baby, even when awake, and the gentleness of  my holding thankfully kept her asleep. But you never loose the old skills