Hi again! So what with only 2 1/2 weeks to go now (!!) time is definitely speeding up and I'm suddenly finding I don't have nearly as much time as I thought to do all the things I've been planning to do... Still, made a good start over the weekend with a 3 day camping safari to Tarangire, the famous Ngorongoro crater and Lake Manyara. Saw so many animals (except a leopard) and had some amazing close up experiences with elephants - was truly amazing. It was four of us going and it sums up the fun of meeting other volunteers from all over the world to say that, between us, we came from England (obviously), Australia, Iceland, and Italy!

Otherwise, I spent an interesting afternoon observing the proceedings at the UN's triburnal for the Rwanda genocide (it's a bit of a right of passage for anyone staying in Arusha to watch Hotel Rwanda and then go to see the trials). Was a very interesting insight into just how beaurocratic an organisation the UN is. It took them about 10 minutes to communicate the most simple of ideas, the translators kept forgetting to turn their microphones on and loosing the transcipts of the radio excerpts we heard, and the witness spent a long time complaining about the lack of TV in his room and that his electricity went off at midnight apparently posing great risk to his health. This was a bit rich seeing as even the judges have electricity problems, and the staff had called the technician out in the middle of the night to try and sort it out for him! I've also managed to track down a piano in an international church and have spent a few happy hours with it and the hymn book! The second time I've played since I left home I think!

At the hospital, we've been joined by lots of other volunteers which is very nice except it does mean ward round is a little crowded in the mornings now! Still, I've seen some interesting medicine including a skin graft, a laparotomy to look for a non-existant bowl perforation, eye surgery (this was very intesting with a faulty power supply as the operation had to pause every few minutes while we waited for the lights to come back on), some menigitus cases, severe pnuemonia, heart failiure and that is all I can remember without resorting to my notes which I have, once again, left behind!

2 1/2 weeks to go! I feel very lucky to be enjoying myself here so much whilst also being indescibably excited at the prospect of uni and returning home!

xxx