Power Problems

So, I'm now teaching music and LOVING IT!!!! So much more than art! My voice is wearing out after spending all day everyday singing but it'll get used to it.
We have no power a lot recently so I haven't been able to check my email for a while. This country and Kenya are in such bad drought that food aid is being shipped in much more now in the south plus the power source is hydro-electric but with no water there is no power. We started last week with our 2 days of power rationing, then this week the whole country was informed that no one would have power from 7am to 7pm everyday! For us that also means no water as our pumps are electric!!! It's impossible!!
The other thing about Tanzania is that times don't really mean much so the power doesn't usually come back on at 7pm... it may return as late as midnight or not at all!
Therefore, checking email has become very difficult. Sorry for the lack of info from this end but I will try!
The children are responding so well to the music it's unbelievable. Gemma would like to extend the African music in the school rather than only teach western songs but finding music resources here is impossible, I have more African music back home!!!
The small orphanage I first visited has to steal water to survive, the children traipse off in the dark to collect it each night unless Paul (volunteer here at St Judes) drives a load out. Paul can't really get there that often so he is thinking of raising money to dig a borewater hole at the orphanage. He needs about $6000 US so I'm thinking of contributing. If anyone would like to help me then let me know.
I visited the house of one of my favourite boys, Barnaba today and met his family. They are much, much poorer than I expected and yet so lovely. He had invited me last week and asked me to sleep over (this is common for volunteers), I agreed and he was so excited! Then today he came to ask to talk in private and told me that they hadn't been able to afford to buy enough food to feed if I was to stay. He still desperately wanted me to stay over but was embarassed that he couldn't feed me. He asked if I could bring my own food. I asked if I could bring enough for everyone and we could cook together another day as I needed than to go shopping. He was so upset that I wanted to change the day so I relented and said that I would visit but not stay for dinner or sleep over. This was ok as long as I promised to sleep over another day. So, Janet (my old roommate and one of the library teachers here) and I both went to visit bearing gifts of chips, biscuits, chocolates, a bag of sugar and concentrated juice. They had never experienced concentrated juice or potato chips before and they were so excited and grateful. The whole family spoke no English so Barnaba was our interpreter and he did a marvelous job.
I have seen a couple of houses of the students so I was a bit shocked that they had so little. 2 thin foam mattresses for 7 of them and not much else. It was a fantastic experience and we left on a high even though they had so little.

General local life

A couple of typical local houses in the area
the outside of the main volunteer accomodation and where all the handwashing, dishwashing etc occurs.
The cooks and kitchen staff washing dishes after a school lunch for 800!!!

Gemma organising the staff photo... these are just the teachers without all the other staff

more old pics

The day we had 3 personal guides to Arusha
So, we treated them to an ice-cream
I just LOVE African babies

Where one can stay if one wants comfort!!! Arusha Hotel (we just popped in for a cool drink)!

Old photos

The main room of the short-term volunteer house (the yellow vollie house) all pitching in with the chores.
Breakfast a few weeks ago with Anita and Andrew
Anita and I bargaining with the batik guy... he said he was very happy when he walked off so I think we paid a high price.
Lunch with the volunteers and teachers
Andrew and I after eating too much!

Gemma has made my day... no, my year!!!

I built up all this courage this morning to ask Gemma to consider a new idea. My colleague, Suzanne had the idea that when we split the class for art classes, instead of both halves doing art and taking turns in the artroom, half the class could do MUSIC with me!!!
I approached Gemma's desk, filled with apprehension and began:
"We've come up with an idea for you to think about for a while..."
I explained it all, treading kind of carefully and she just answered this,
"Whatever... a happy teacher means happy kids... whatever..."
I pretty much danced out of the office, I was soooooooo happy!
I went straight to the library to find ABC sing books and brainstorm any songs I could remember and think about ordering 600 recorders!!!
SO!!! I finish art for this week and then take the half classes for several weeks and then we swap. I was elated all day and I was dancing while on duty!!!
I loved teaching so much everyday at Orana with my great class and I just wasn't loving it here. I love the children here and I am really enjoying this country now and the experience but I just wasn't 'loving' teaching art this way.
So, now I will love my job too!
The only trouble is that I did not come prepared at all for teaching music and I really wish I had brought at least some of my resources with me... I didn't even bring my favourite music folder.

Flavours

Check out the advertised flavour!!! Of course, I'm mature enough to know that it's ASSORTED flavours
This is little Hans, a relative of Gemma's husband who is an orphan. There are so many orphans here that my concept of them has changed. I give him as much extra love as possible.
If you zoom in you'll see that this is Simon's shop... to remind me of the wonderful Simon back home. This is actually a pretty fancy looking shop for the area!

Donkeys at the Maasai Market!

BBQ afternoon

Hussein on the left and Pascal on the right... 2 of the newest boys
Baraka and I

Gorgeous Hussein
The guys before the BBQ

Sunny Afternoons

Mt Meru
The meat for the BBQ, all lined up after school... some of the less farmy volunteers didn't cope with meeting their dinner before the meal!
Mr Ben, the deputy... he's great, makes me smile but he's been sick with malaria recently, as have many Africans.
Warren, Barnaba and little Pascal... a few of my favourites!
Barnaba himself... he comes up to me and winks and says, "You're Beauty and I'm the Beast!" He cracks me up but is so helpful... he carries my things and sorts out his class so that they behave when I teach.

Watermelon song at assembly

singing
and a tortoise

Off to Marangu

Baraka took me to Kilsiya Waterfalls at Marangu on Sunday last week and it was so beautiful! It was a long, hot and dusty walk to get there, then the trek down the cliff (very hard on my knees) but the springwater was ice-cold at the bottom and we waded and sat in the spray... Lovely!

Kilasiya Waterfalls

Last Safari pics