Toto, We're not in Kansas anymore...

...I think we're in, like, Africa.

Yes, we sure are. After two flights (one wonderful, one terrible), and a 6 1/2 hour layover in an airport that rivals most malls, I arrived safe and sound in Tanzania last night. My luggage made it too, which is more than some of the others can say. The drivers took us to the home base (about 35 minute drive), and it was absolutely pitch black, so I couldn't see a thing. Except the stars. The night sky here puts anything I have ever seen to shame. There are just layers upon layers of little white specks. It was breathtaking.

We got to the house and were greeted by Mama Lillian, who was more than happy to see us. She hugged me and started jumping around! We were led to our rooms, and had the night to unpack or go straight to bed. I have 3 other women in my room. One is my age from the US, one is a middle aged mom from Texas, and the other is a young woman from Northern Ireland. We unpacked together last night and chatted a bit.

The room isn't bad at all. The bathroom area is quite large, as is the whole room, and we each have a drawer, a shelf, and 9 hangers. It is surprisingly clean. I am on a top bunk, right next to a floor to ceiling window with a beautiful, lush garden outside. We got into bed around midnight and secured our mosquito nets around our beds. There are glass windows as well as screens, so we opened the windows, and got the most beautiful breeze to fall asleep to.

I woke up this morning around 5 TZ time, and couldn't fall back to sleep for my life! So, I watched the sun come up, listens to the dogs barking and roosters crowing. The breeze was cooler in the morning than it was the night before, and the mosquito net looked so soft and beautiful billowing over my bed. I relaxed, and read, and rooked at the garden for a few hours until the others woke up. It felt like true minimalist luxury.

I got dressed and had a granola bar for breakfast, and hurried to the welcome ceremonies. Mama Lillian led them, and we introduced ourselves, and were invited into the Chagga tribe with a ceremonious dance. I'll teach you all when I get home. The staff were all singing and chanting, and the volunteers were trying to keep up and were laughing. It was a lot of fun. Then we took a ride into Moshi, and it was the first time I could see Africa in the daylight. It is more beautiful than I expected, more lush, and the people are much happier.

We stopped at a small local market on the way, then went to exchange our currency, and walk through Moshi. I must admit, it was overwhelming. People are everywhere, all staring at you, and as you walk you are surrounded by men trying to put bracelets on your arms and hats on your heads. They are not put off by a simple "hapana asante" (no, thank you). I decided I had enough, so I went to sit in our van and wait for others. Before I knew it, there was an arm reaching in the window, and a boy who looked like he was 15 years old took my hand and said "Hi. Are you married?" I laughed and spoke with him for a moment. He said he was 19, and was looking for a wife, as his tribe traditionally marries at 18. I told him I was sorry I couldn't help. And the best part, when I asked his name and was expecting something I couldn't understand, he answered "Jimmy Carter".

We came back to the base and went over rules and regulations, followed by lunch. Spaghetti, vegetable balls, ugali, and the most amazing salad of fresh avacado, onions, tomato, and vinegar. It was all better than I had expected. That ended at 2, and we have free time until dinner at 6:30. A large group of the volunteers decided they wanted to go back into town, and I was ready to join until they said they were walking there. 3 miles on dirt roads? No thanks, guys, have fun. So I may go take a nap or read a book.

The weather is absolutely beautiful. It is warm, but not boiling hot like NJ in the summer. The breeze is cool, and it feels great. There are mosquitos EVERYWHERE, but I applied bug spray this morning when I got dressed, and haven't gotten one bite all day! I am so impressed- I usually get a ton!

Well, I've been able to take in more than I can write now, but hopefully over the next few weeks you will get an idea of what life is like here. It is certainly different, but I think I like it.