Our Tanzanian christmas was just lovely. We spent christmas eve with the family that Adam did Maasai English teaching with (Nick and Heidi with their girls Hannah, Hayley and baby Nolan), some of their friends and our friend here from Pembroke, Gary. Everyone brought a dish and we had a lovely spread for tea. They had also organised a present parcel passing game for the kids, read the kids "the christmas story" at bed-time and finished with farewell carols! Very festive! Sugar overload and a very late night meant it ended in tears but luckily this was after we left.
Christmas day was very special too. It started early (of course!) at 5:30am with 2 very excited little ones discovering Father Christmas had found them in Africa and left gifts under our xmas Baobab tree. Zoe and Zac were VERY tired from their late night and there were initially quite a few tantrums but it all settled down thankfully.
It was lovely to skype and phone home and feel a little bit a less far away. Isn't internet wonderful!? We then packed up the 20 bears hand-made by the Pembroke students and drove to the hospital. We first visited my lovely patient with the spinal cord injury and decorated her room with a few xmas decorations. The poor thing couldn't make it home as her equipment has not yet arrived and she will need a carer. So, her 2 children got sent to the grandfather's home in Moshi and as her husband was working, she was having xmas alone. Such a hard situation. She's always so positive though- a really inspiring person.
We then went on bear delivery !!! It was really heart warming. Met some very ill little ones who were too sick to go home for christmas. A little toddler with terrible burns, another with surgical complications, one with head injuries just to name a few. Zoe and Zac would go to each one with a bear and pass it over. So cute! Most were too sick to play though. Its such a lovely thing the students have done to cheer them up for christmas.
We then headed to Plaster House for the Christmas party with the kids and staff there. The Plaster House kids had all been carried into the main room for the party. They all sang songs in Maasai and Swahili and received a hand-made christmas bag with their name on it filled with surprises. They were so shy in receiving their gifts but the room was soon filled with balloons, and happy chaos as they discovered the contents. It was fantastic. We ate ugali with a delicious beef stew, cabbage, roast chicken (a special treat here) with chips and watermelon and bananas for dessert. It was all washed down with cherry fanta (urrrg-sickly liquid sugar and preservatives!).
The day did not stop there... we then had been invited to Meshak and Grace and baby Zakaria's house. Despite us saying that we would have already eaten, they had made spaghetti.... as they knew our Italian background. It was the least Italian spaghetti I've ever eaten but such a lovely gesture. They also had mangos for dessert and spicy chai. On arrival there were a group of about 10 ministers there. They visit everyones house in the area on christmas day! We had a great afternoon playing with baby Zakaria and chatting with the help of their friend Daniel who speaks fluent English. Zoe and Zac took it in turns to kiss baby Zak's enormously chubby little cheeks and had a ball getting filthy playing in a pile of soft dirt outside (Zoe in what was once her best white dress!). We got a dose of scripture in between it all.
Headed home for an early tea with Gary (by the fireside!!) and crashed into bed. What a memorable christmas!