Jambo!

Well, just when I thought my bad luck might end, the airport staff directed me and boarded me on to the wrong plane! It wasn't until some passenger said that I was in his seat that they realised. Not going to lie, I was panicking, a lot! They boarded me on my correct flight and I landed safely in Arusha.

It's not an international airport and is very basic. Luggage bags were chucked off of the trolley and left outside for you to pick them up, no carousel. I met Andrea and her friend Morris outside.

We took a taxi to Arusha town where I bougut a cheap phone and we went for some lunch. Morris lives in Arusha so he went home whilst Andrea and I took a Noa (a car for 6 excluding the driver) it cost 7000 Tanzanian Shillings which is just over £3 for a two hour journey. But it's not as comfortable as it sounds. There were four of us in the back on two seats, tight squeeze for sure and by the end I certainly had a numb bum!

The orphanage is in a small town called Karatu. There are five other dadas (volunteers) here; two Swiss, one French, one German and one Italian, all girls and all very friendly. i feel a lot safer knowing there are others here. They have all said that I can help them with the English, which I don't mind, in return I may be able to learn a bit of their languages.

I am still awaiting my Tanzanian phone to activate but keep getting messages in swahili which are confusing and no idea what they say!

There is one bathroom in the house which only provides cold water in the morning and no water by the afternoon. If we want to take a shower in the evening, there are massive bottles of water that we have to use and pour over ourselves.

Tomorrow I have the morning off to sleep and relax which is nice of the girls and then in the afternoon Andrea is going to take me over to the orphanage to meet everyone and the children.

This evening we have played cards and are now just drinking tea and coffee. I will probably head off to bed soon.

H x