batiks, maji, and maasai tire sandals!

07/12/07
We didnt work today and spent most of the day in Arusha. We went to town with Makaay which is Untimama's best friend. Untimama is Munka's (the director figure) son.
We went to a local food market and then an internet cafe to touch base with the real world. After that we all went to a restaurant called Bamboo.

Arusha, Tanzania

After that we rushed to the Rwanda thing and watched International Criminal Tribunal For Rwanda. It was intense. The people that were responsible for the genocide in Rwanda were being tried and prosecuted. It was an amazing experience and I am very gracious for the opportunity. After that we went to the Maasai market again and I finished all of my shopping for friends, family, and myself :)
We baptized Bruno (Bob's son) and his new American/Canadian name is “Andy”.
Nakupenda = I Love you.  
07/13/07 
We worked on the school for half the day today...

George inside the school walls.

Admiring our work.

After working on the school we went back to the house to meet with Master Batikers. A Batik is a cloth with a pattern or picture on it made by using a manual wax resistant dying technique. It is rather diffictult - but we gave it our best shot...

Batiks made by the masters

Attempting to wax up my Batik.

2 Master Batikers.

07/15/07
Yesterday we went to Ngiresi (a small village about 25min drive from Moshono). We stayed at Loti’s Farm. He was a very nice man and had a lot of people who were at his house.

Loti''s Farm

We stayed in tents and it was VERY cold outside. I had 5 layers on my top (no joke). And I still needed a down vest.

The tests we camped in.

Kids we met on the walk to the waterfall.

Navaru Waterfall

After our waterfall hike we did more hiking and went back Loti's. I had the best dinner of my life - I don’t know how to explain it but it was rice and this carrot/veggie thing and I actually liked it. So we went to sleep at about 9pm and I woke up at 3am and then it started pouring outside and I didn’t know Hailey’s shoes were outside so I didn’t get them and they got soaked and I felt super bad. Then we waited for the rain to clear up which it didn’t so we basically sat around. Then right when I was about to fall asleep we went for a wet walk around the village and saw a traditional home. It was awesome. 

Traditional style home

Pot boiling inside the house

Hanging out inside the house with Maakay.

 The entire family stayed in these homes as well as the cattle (if the family had any).  They had makeshift walls that gave the feeling of rooms but it was for the most part a one room house. They did their cooking int here as well and it tended to get very very smokey in there. They had a ventilation system set up so the smoke would go out through the middle of the roof but it didn't work that well.

Baobab Tree in the mists after the rain.

Then after that we went and saw the village Traditional Healer and her name was Mama Chalas. It was amazing!!! There were leaves that you chewed on to make a toothache go away. Then you mixed the bark of two trees and boiled it and then it got rid of STDs and there was stuff that helped with Malaria and just a bunch of other things.

Mama Chalas's house from a far

 

Mama Chalas with her healing herbs.

Beautiful flower on the hike

After that we went and looked at a coffee plantation:

Headed back to the farm and had lunch then waited for Munka to come with the car. The car couldn’t come in the morning because it was too wet and couldn’t make it up the really steep hill that lead to the farm. 
We went back to Arusha for a bit and then back to Moshono. We went and played soccer today. Our favorite players are Dayos, Ben, Schevchanco, Toby, and Fester. They are only our favorites because we know their names. And they pass us mzungos! We call and say "Rafiki yangu!! Rafiki yangu!!" Which means "My friend! My friend!" or "Friend of mine! Friend of mine!" 

The group we play with (I am taking the picture)

Me and Monica getting ready for the big game.

07/16/07
So today we worked on the school but not really because there was pretty much nothing for most of us to do. There are only 1 person jobs to do now. I saw Ronald again...Ronald is the little boy who I bought a new uniform and shoes for. Hailey left for Dar-es-Salaam today. She is going to see the child her and her family has sponsored through World Vision for like...5-8 years now.

Walls are all up

Izzy, Monica, Hailey, and Me!

Maasai beading people came over and it was so much fun. They brought all this stuff and I bought my last gifts for people back home. Then I got some Maasai tire sandals and decorated them! Then I made a necklace that is amazing and Isabel made a bracelet and gave it to me cause it didn’t fit her ankle! It was so fun! 

Hard at work!

07/17/07
We woke up and went to work. Today we had to make A LOT of cement. It was hard. All they said was “MORE MAJI” Maji is Water in Swahili. Michelle, Ella, Kathy AND Monica were all sick today. So after lunch we didn’t go back to work and just relaxed at the house. We napped and read. It was very nice. It started to rain though so we went inside. When it stopped I went back out to just listen to music and sleep and we had our THIRD earthquake!!! It was absolutely CrAzY! It was the worst one yet. The one we 1^st had on Mr. Meuro was part of one that was in Nairobi, Kenya and then the ones today were from Arusha. No on was injured in either. And they were a 5.4 so not bad at all. It just feels really weird! Haha the ground is like…moving! I love it. Haha. 
07/18/07
Today we don’t have to work at all because all there is to do is cement mixing. So walked into to Arusha, which took about a 1-1 ½, walk, then in town we ate lunch after the internet. Munka gave us a ride home. Im tired...safari is tomorrow...very excited about that