Jambo!

This morning I had a lye in, which was nice. I managed to sleep in until 9:30am as someone started ringing my Tanzanian number... no idea who it was! They kept shouting 'Yani' at me, so I started ignoring the calls. No exaggeration, they must have rang 15 times!

Breakfast was one slice of toast, with no butter or margerine, just plain. As I can not eat bread I gave mine to somebody else. Luckily I came prepared and brought some breakfast bars with me, so I had one of them which was most probably more appetising than plain toast.

After breakfast Andrea, Vale and I headed to the hospital. We were going to get a piki piki (motorbike) but it worked out cheaper to take a taxi. The hospital is nicknamed the 'Mzungu Hospital' because it is a lot cleaner than the hospitals in Karatu. I saw an american doctor, Dr.Frank, who called my accent beautiful, haha! I showed him the spikes that were still in my foot, after he poked and prodded it a bit he suggested that I have a tetanus jab. I told him that I only had one four years ago, but he said that with puncture wounds you have to be very careful as they are a high risk wound of causing tetanus. I wasn't going to argue, I'd rather pay and be well than suffer. I had my tetanus jab, which was less painful than I thought it would be. I also have to take a course of antibiotics for five days.

Dr.Frank asked how long I was here for and I said 6 weeks but he said that he would only charge expat prie instead of tourist price, which was very generous. I think it was because I went to the hospital with Andrea and Vale and they are working over here for 5 months+. In total, for a consultation, jab and antibiotics it set me back a mere 20,000 shillings, which is around 8 pounds (there is no pound sign on this keyboard at the internet cafe).

We walked around the town for a short while, and visited the local food market where I bought two bananas for 200 shillings, which is about 8 or 9 pence. Parachichi's (avacados) are 300 shillings each, so that is about 12 pence. Bargain if you ask me!

After the hospital we went back to the house and had some lunch. The food here is not exactly appetising. It was rice, with a thin tomatoey sauce and five very small pieces of meat. The meat just didn't appeal to me, and so I left it.

After lunch Vale and I went to the orphanage, which is about a 15 minute walk from our house. We played a name game in order for me to learn the children's names. There are currently only 15 children at the orphanage, 6/7 of them go to school and the others are at the orphanage all day. The children are ever so lovely and really took to me. Once the children returned from school we had chai (tea); it was made with only milk and sugar. I tried to drink it, but it tasted like there were about 6 sugars in it, and I just could not stomach it, so instead I shared mine between the children.

We went to play football on the nearby school field, safe to say that I am no David Beckham. I ended up sitting on the grass with a few girls and they were playing with my hair and taking photos on my phone. The girls all have short hair, and I think this is for hygeine reasons more than anything.

The orphanage is very basic. There are 8 boys and 7 girls. There are three beds for the boys and two for the girls. There is a separate room for Mama Anna who stays at the orphanage four nights a week, and us Dadas (volunteers) cover the other three nights. There are two toilets, well 'squatties'. There is a cooking area outside, but as there is no gas, a fire has to be lit everytime food is required.

We left the orphanage around 6.30pm when Andrea and Mathilde arrived to cover the night shift as Mama Anna stays at home on Tuesdays. Tea was ready about 8:30pm, by this time I was starving! Here they have green bananas which are used as a vegetable rather than a fruit. As you can guess, I had boiled green bananas for tea with boiled potatoes in a thick tomatoey sauce. I managed to eat about half of it, but I could not stomach the rest.

After tea, Vale, Lael, Delia and I all congregated in our room where we ate parachichi (avacado) on bread, although I did not have any, the tea made me feel sick.

Arnold and Rich rang me this evening, was so nice to hear from them! I told them about the house.... That there is one shower and it's cold water, we get one slice of toast for breakfast, that I had boiled banana for tea, that there is four of us sharing a box room, that I can feel the slacks of the bed through my mattress etc. And their response was that it sounds like I am staying in a prison. To be honest, it is so basic that it is probably very similar to a prison. But, I am paying $10 a day and didn't expect much else.

I am currently in an internet cafe, and so I am unable to upload a photo of my own - I have just used one from the internet. Today is Wednesday, and I am posting this on yesterday's date as I had no internet.

Hope you are all well. I am doing well and much happier now I have treatment for my foot. Although, I was very scared!

H x