The First Week - 09 July 2008

All I can say is that it is unbelievable here!

My class is fantastic! I believe the kids are around 6 years old and there is 30 of them. At the school there are 2 other classes as well. The other 2 actually have classrooms - ours is just a room with a corrugated tin roof and partial walls made out of tin and wood. The kids have benches and larger benches act as their desks. We are going to look into what it would cost to turn it in to a proper classroom. There is already 2 walls and a floor - so it may not be that difficult. The children love the volunteers, I teach with another girl and they can't take their hands off of us. They are always touching our hair and wanting to hold our hands. Today we did writing and yesterday was drawing and at the end of each class we sing songs - they love it! Then we start our journey back into town and the kids walk with us as far as they can. Today though we had some extra kids join us about 5 minutes or so into our walk - these two little boys. They followed us all the way into Moshi - about a 45 minute walk - we kept trying to say good bye but they kept following. Finally, someone on the street helped us to talk to them in Swahili and they said they didn't know where they were going. I think they were hoping we would have chocolate ;). So he gave them money to take the bus back home.

I also will start another project next week. It is a women's group and I will be working with them on their English. There is about 5 of them and they each have a small business that they run and they want to improve their English. Yesterday I went to observe and next week I will take over the class. They seem like an incredible group of women. I will also start soccer next week as well - when I finish my Swahili classes!

This weekend I may go into Arusha, another city near by, or on a hike to the waterfalls.

It's fantastic here and has been so incredible. I'm just not quite use to the cold shower yet though!

Kwaheri! (good-bye in Swahili)

I hope to be able to have pictures to post soon to share with you all.