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Caribou!
Hi All,
So I just finished my first week in Moshi, Tanzania and I truly couldn't have asked for a more amazing time so far. Obviously, I made it here safely and was retrieved from the airport in one piece :D Melissa set me up in a great boarding house, and it's even better than some of the hostels kelly and i stayed at in Europe! The actual orphanage is beautiful, I didn't know what to expect but it is definitely beyond what I had imagined.
We have 13 children so far, and every week we are scheduled to get more. I actually was able to come on a trip to a place called Chicorini, which is pretty far back in the bush, where we brought home a little girl named Magdalena. Her mom had died of cancer and her grandma was too old to care for her anymore. SHe was pretty shy at first, having only ever lived in a mud hut with her family, but she adjusted incredibly quickly and can't get enough hugs from all of the staff. We also were sent a one day old baby whose mom died during child birth.
She is beautiful and such a good baby, I don't think I've heard her cry once.
This weekend we were able to go out into Masaii land (a local tribe that still lives in the bush and herds animals), and attend church out there. It was incredible and obviously got the anthropologist in me very excited. Although, my Swahili is pretty bad so all I could really say is welcome and thank you haha.
Otherwise during the days here, I get to play with the kids, and I have already started to teach them English, although its more difficult than I thought it would be considering I don't know Swahili, but I think both the kids and I teach each other alot everyday. We'll see how far I come by the time I leave!
I hope all is well at home and miss and love you all of you!
Tutaonana Baadye
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Sarah Jones
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So happy for you!
Hey Elizabeth! I couldn't be more touched to see that you are in Tanzania working at an orphanage. I've gotten to know East Africa and its diverse people over the last couple of years and I can appreciate what kind of life-changing experience this opportunity promises for you. Guess what? I'll be joining you soon! I'm leaving for Kenya in 3 weeks to stay for about 2.5 months. I'll be staying with a tribe called the Dassanach in Northern Kenya, working with a group to start a non-profit community development fund. I would start my own travel blog if I had access to internet! But in any case, I can't wait to hear more from you in the Fall. I wish you the best during your stay in Tanzania! I wish I could give those sweet kids a hug, too...maybe you can give them an extra squeeze for me!