Blogs from Tabora, Centre, Tanzania, Africa

Tuesday Nov 18 2008 Travel to Dar Es Salaam Fell asleep last night watching TV, it was right after supper around 8:00. I woke up at 10:00, wrote Denise a text and fell asleep. I was feeling a bit better, took my diarrhea pills and think that made quite a difference. What did I learn? DON’T drink ANY milk products! Woke up a couple of times throughout the night, but was for the most part OK. Got up at 6:00 AM, had breakfast at 7:00 and left for the airport at 8:00. Once there we found out that our flight was delayed until 2:00. So went across the street and waited. We decided while sitting there all that time that maybe we’d try to fly out today!! We left at 2:00 and arrived in Dar at ... read more

Monday November 17 2008 SERNGETI!! What a treat this was! We left the hotel at 5:00 AM, in order to arrive at 7:00 when the gates open. It promised to be a great day … little did we know! Me and my stolen roll of toilet paper were off!! As soon as we got inside the Park we were met by all kinds of monkeys. We carried on and throughout the day saw Wildebeest, Zebras, hippos, corcs, hyenas, girrafes, elephants, lions, lizards, jackals, cranes, huge birds that look like eagles, gazelles, dik diks, Impalas, Topi’s, and water buffalos. (http://www.iserengeti.com/african-animals.html) It was amazing … the lions got within 10 feet of the jeep we were in. The roof on the jeep lifted up so that we could stand and see out. We followed a family of giraffes ... read more

Saturday November 16 2008 Well the journey as it was to be is now over, the events are now stories, the pictures are the reminders and the experience will forever embrace me. I can’t imagine that what I have seen and experienced will ever leave me. The faces, the smells, the scenery, the challenges, the events are too real now … they aren’t from a TV documentary these are real. As I now reflect I wonder what the future holds … will I ever get back here again? Will I ever see Alafati and his family again? Will I ever feel the pain and agony of the people I saw? This morning we organized all the kids to come to the church in Tabora. It poured rain beginning early in the morning and never quite until ... read more

Saturday Nov 15 2008 Wil fill in later ... just trying to add pictures... read more

Thursday Nov 13 2008 A much better day, we managed to get many of the kids done today. As it turns out we only have Friday to get the remaining kids done and I think we shall be OK. Its amazing how excited the kids get over the pictures and the letter writing. They get all giggly and begin to fix their clothes and try to look as nice as they can. Some of the kids can write others we’ve either had Sam do them or in some cases a sibling or other relative. It seems that AIDS has forced a number of grandparents into becoming parents all over again. The grandparents have to become the guardians, but that’s OK, I think it gives them a feeling of need at an elderly age and it allows ... read more