Kili Marathon

Today was the Kilimanjaro Marathon, so we all got up around 6 am and headed to the starting line. There were so many people and everyone was getting pumped up to the Tanzanian music they had blaring through speakers. We were running the 5K which started a little ways down the road from the stadium. When the race started Deo and I had to manuver through lots of people since so many were running. We ran past Kool Bar and up the steep hill that goes past Alba, the internet cafe we use. That hill was killer...I was happy I made it up running at a good pace. I ran with Deo most of the time. Then it was back around and toward the stadium. There was a final hill up to the stadium that was rough after going through so many hills during the run. I walked for only about 10 seconds to wait for Deo because I wanted us to finish together, and once I saw him kept going. We ran into the stadium where there were hundreds of people cheering and music playing, it was so exciting! It was fun even though we were only running the 5K. Deo and I crossed the finish line together. I was pretty happy with my time since running in Africa is a bit harder than running at home because it's so hot and there is so much dust and so many hills. At the finish line we got bags filled with Vodacom stuff, one of the sponsors. We got a jersey shirt that says Vodacom and Kilimanjaro Marathon '10 on it, a Vodacom bandana, and a few other things like a visor and pen. Then we went to watch the 1/2 marathon finishers. The first people came through with incredible times. The first 3 people were Tanzanians, and the crowd was so excited about it. Kerry, one of the women in our group, ran the 1/2 and came through with a pretty good time. We were all so proud of her. The first place finisher for the full marathon was from Kenya. It's pretty awesome to say that I got to run with Tanzanians and Kenyans...they are such phenomenal runners! I really want to come back with Kevin and run the full marathon...it will definitely give me motivation to keep up my running when I get home. Part of me wishes I would have run the 1/2, but I know I'll be back. After the run we came home and had some breakfast, then just relaxed and I organized my stuff in my new room until lunch. Right after lunch Riley, Jay, Melissa and I headed to the pool and spent about 4 hours there. It was well in the 90 degree range so being by the pool all day was so so nice. Melissa and I got some sun and read our books and we also played some water football with the boys. Now we're just waiting until dinner then plan to watch a movie and lay low tonight. I can't wait to see my kids tomorrow, I've missed them all weekend. Only 8 more days in the classroom! That makes me so sad!!!

The past week

This past week has gone by so quickly! I had Monday and Tuesday with my kids, then on Wednesday I went with the new group back to Arusha. We went to the morning session of a trial at the war tribunal. It was really interesting. They had a former high-ranking official for the Rwandan Army as a witness testifying for the man who was being tried. He was accused of several things and was charged with various acts of genocide and conspiracy to commit genocide. The witness had already been convicted and had been sentenced to 35 years for his crimes. It was very interesting, I was so happy I got to go back to the Tribunal 3 times on this trip. After, we went to lunch, where I had an amazing organic steak burger. Then a couple of the girls went back to the Tribunal to watch the afternoon session, and the rest of us went to the "Tanzanite Experience". It was amazing! This company mines 80% of the world's Tanzanite, and the mine is really close to where I'm staying in Moshi, it's right behind the Kilimanjaro airport. They have a museum which shows the history of the stone and talks about who discovered it and how it came to be so popular (Tanzanite is over 1,000 times rarer than diamonds, and the chances of it being formed in any other part of the world other than Tanzania is less than 1 in 100 million!). They also have the largest crystal ever found, and I don't remember the exact size but it was thousands of carats, so big! Then they showed us a video describing how the stone is classified. Then, we looked at some of the stones they had there. I fel in love with a pear-shaped stone (most of the stones they sell are loose and you have to get them set) that was 1.51 carats, but it was $870, so maybe I'll get it next time :( It was incredible to see. I already made Kevin promise me we would come back here to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro and he said we can get a stone then, so I guess I'll just have to wait. After the Tanzanite tour we went to the Maasai market and I helped a couple of the guys bargain since it's so overwhelming when you first go. It ended up being a super long day so we were all tired by the time we got home for dinner. On Thursday, after school Living and I were waiting for Ibra to pick us up and an old man at the bar wanted to buy me a beer. Since it's rude to refuse food or drink in Tanzania, I accepted. When I got back home Melissa decided to come across the street with me to Mzungu bar for a couple more drinks. It was a fun, relaxing morning! After lunch we napped in the sun. Nothing like a couple of cold beers on such a hot day! :) Last night (Friday night) Melissa and I got all dressed up in some cute dresses and went out with the boys. We went to Kool Bar for some pool and then headed to our favorite spot, Glacier. Hans, a local who has become a good friend, was there after being on safari for 12 days. It was sooo good to see him! We all had a great time dancing and chatting with the friends we've made here. I just love the people here, they are so amazing, I know I have some lifelong friends in Tanzania. Melissa and I ate popcorn when we got home then we decided to have a sleepover, so she slept in my tiny twin bed with me, so funny! Surprisingly we were very comfortable, although it was of course hot. I also had two new roommates...there are 19 students here from Northwestern Universtiy in Qatar. They are only here for 8 days and have a totally packed schedule, so we won't see much of them. They left this morning for a day safari, and should be back sometime tonight. Kat, one of Melissa's roommates, leaves for home tonight, so I think I'm going to move into Melissa's room, even though I've been in my little room and bed for 8 weeks. Melissa and I have become such good friends we decided we should just be roomies, plus there is a private bathroom in that room. So, I'll be making the big move tonight. This afternoon Riley, Andy, Melissa, Jay and I went out for cheeseburgers, which we were all craving after last night, and they were so good! Then we were going to go to the pool but it's well into the high 90 degree range so we decided that since we all weren't feeling fantastic to begin with we should just maybe go home and nap. Now we're just hanging out until dinner. Tonight we are going to lay low because the Kilimanjaro Marathon is tomorrow, and we're running the 5K. I'm hoping it's not as hot tomorrow as it is today, or it will be brutal, even though it's in the morning. I only have 8 more school days with my kids...makes me so sad! Melissa, Riley and I leave on Friday for Zanzibar, and we are so excited! I'm thinking my last two weeks here are going to go by way too fast. I'm getting so sad about leaving, I can't believe my trip is almost over. I'm going to miss it here so much!

The Weekend

This past weekend was for the most part uneventful, but it was fun. Friday was pretty low-key, because most everyone went on safari. Riley and I went to Living and Amani's soccer game at the Moshi International School, it was fun, and the boys won. Then we just hung out and played cards for the rest of the night. On Saturday in the morning/early afternoon Riley and I walked around town and ran some errands. He helped me pick out a hat for Kevin and we got some other small stuff. Then we stopped at Kindoroko and got a soda. After lunch we were going to go swimming but then Deo told us he was going to Malindi bar to watch the soccer game. Riley and I decided to go along for some soccer and afternoon drinking. We called Elle and she and Valentine met us there. The game was exciting (Manchester United VS Everton)...everyone expected Man U to win but Everton surprisingly won 3-1. There were a lot of people in the bar and it was pretty exciting. After, we went to Pub Alberto for some food. I had some awesome fries and a chicken sandwich. Then we went next door to play some pool, and I wasn't horrible...at one point I made 4 shots in in a row! Maybe I'll actually be able to play Kevin in an exciting game when I get home, we'll see. I made it out until about 9 pm (we started drinking at 2:30, so I was pretty tired by then). On Sunday we found out that that morning when Andy had gone running, he saw a human severed thumb on the road followed by a long trail of blood, just up the road from our home base. I wanted to go see it but the boys were being big sissies about it and used the excuse that they all wanted to go swimming. While they were swimming I finished the Transporter movies (I watched the first on Saturday night when I got home, and 2 and 3 on Sunday). I'm happy the rest of my weekends are busy, because I'm not one to sit around all day, so I was pretty bored. Yesterday (Monday) was fairly uneventful, Melissa was sick so Riley went with me to see if our skirts were done. They weren't, but we stopped at the Maasai market and Riley helped me pick out another pair of tire shoes for Kevin, since he thought that the first pair I bought was not comfortable. (Riley is the same height as Kevin, they have the same shoe size, and he has the same size head, so he's been my stand-in as far as trying stuff on so I know it'll fit Kev ok). Apparently according to Riley this pair is much better. We also stopped and got him a hat like I got Kev since he liked it so much. Afterwards I went running, and although the thumb was gone I did see the long blood trail. Every once in awhile there were large dried pools, as if the person stopped while walking/running away. Was a little cryptic for my run, but oh well. The locals think it must have been a robbery that happened during the night. Although it is very safe here, it becomes very dangerous at night which is why we can't go out past dark unless we are in a cab and why we always have 2 guards on duty all night, every night.
Today was fairly uneventful. It was a pretty good day at school, the kids are finally starting to recognize the letters of the alphabet we've been doing, makes me so happy! I'm getting so sad...I only have 10 more class days with them. I miss them even over the weekends, so I'll be super sad to leave them for good, I've gotten so attached to every single one of them. I've also gotten so attached to this country and its people, I can't wait to come back. Tomorrow we're going back to Arusha for my 3rd trip to the Rwandan War Tribunal and the Maasai market, but I'm excited because it's always a fun trip. Tonight after dinner a few of us are going to play pool, so should be fun. Right now I'm gonna get a quick run in before dinner-the Kilimanjaro Marathon is this weekend-I decided to run the 5K...running any further in this heat and humidity just does not seem like an option to me.

Kool Bar

Yesterday Riley, Melissa and I went and confirmed and payed for our Zanzibar tickets. It's official, March 5th-8th, and we are soooo excited!! Then Melissa and I went to the fabric store and I took her to the Mama who has made all of my skirts. She is amazing, such a great woman, and she can make almost anything out of the fabric you give her! I'm getting two skirts made for gifts and Melissa is getting a skirt and a purse made. We can go pick them up on Monday. Then it started pouring...you can just feel the heat radiating off of everything when it rains, it's like being in a steam room. The rain here aways comes in big fat drops, and it can rain pretty violently for awhile. There was almost a river running down the streets, crazy. We quickly walked to The Coffee Shop and got some ice cream and cake (so good!) before heading home to shower and get ready. Then, last night after dinner Melissa, Riley, Jay and I went to Kool Bar to play some pool. I was on Riley's team for the first two games and we won. I actually didn't suck! I was surprised at how well I played, since I never play at home and since I played so horribly the other night when we went. Eventually some better players showed up so Melissa and I sat and chatted with some local friends and had a few drinks. We saw quite a few people we knew, it's so nice to have so many local friends here now! We all ended up having such a blast! Today at school Asia (a-see-a) showed back up. She has been absent for about the past two weeks. She is easily the naughtiest child in our class. She never listens, she's ALWAYS whining and crying about something...she even has the guts to try to hit us and throw things at us! It is definitely a lot more work having her around. At lunch most of the new group left for safari, so it's just a few of us here this weekend. Tonight we are just hanging out, watching a movie and getting some rest. Tomorrow Riley and I were talking about going swimming, it's been so hot lately. We'll see what the weather is like. This is my last lazy weekend here, since next weekend is the marathon and after that is Zanzibar, time is going by so quickly! I will miss it here so much when I leave!

Marangu Tour #2

We left CCS home base around 8:30 yesterday morning for Marangu. Although I did the tour with my own group Moses let me go again since I thought it would be fun. Our first stop was the giant Baobab tree. While Ibra told the group about the tree and its uses and while they took pictures I was searching for a secluded spot where I could pee. Just when I thought I found one, little kids came running down the hill excited to see the Mzungu's. So, I went and got Sara, our program manager, and she stood guard and made sure the kids stayed away while I did my business. In my quest to find some privacy I found myself in some pricker bushes and ended up with prickers all over, which were oh so much fun to pick off. So funny! Then we continued to Marangu. We stopped at the cave first. I went down again with Melissa since only one other girl in their group didn't chicken out. This tour guide didn't take us all the way to the back chambers of the cave which you have to crawl on your hands and knees to get to. I was happy I had gone before and our guide took us to the chambers because it was more fun crawling in such a small place to get to the little rooms and we saw so much more than this group did. The boys were more afraid than the girls of the giant spiders and bats that were hanging around. After the cave the group went to see the Chagga Live Museum and I helped Ibra get the lunches set up and hung out drinking a soda water at the resort until the group was done. After lunch we headed down to the waterfall. It started thundering on our way down, but we weren't sure if it was going to rain since it often thunders here but doesn't rain. We made it to the bottom and had enough time to take some great pictures before the rain came. We walked down farther away from the waterfall to the area where you can swim. Riley and Andy were the only two who swam (the water is so cold!) but we all sat on the rocks in the pouring rain watching them. It was so much fun, and the rain was so nice after having such hot days. It was the first good rain this group has seen here. I was happy I got to see the waterfall one day that was sunny and hot and one day that was raining. The rain looked so cool hitting the falls and the swimming pool. Eventually we headed back up to the top. On the way home we stopped at Unique Batik and I bought a quilted hand made blanket that I have wanted since the first time I saw it 5 weeks ago. It's beautiful! Totally worth the wait. We got home right before dinner and were so happy to find that Primo made a feast for us. By far the best dinner I've had here so far! He made kabobs with onions, peppers and beef on the grill, grilled chicken and pork, this amazing meat sauce, fresh hot garlic bread, rice, mixed vegetables, a fresh fruit salad, and a lettuce salad with fresh avocado (all the vegetables and fruits we eat are grown at the CCS home base), cucumbers and tomatoes. He also made fresh popcorn for an after dinner snack. It was amazing. We were pretty tired so after dinner we sat around, munched on popcorn and played cards.
Today it was nice to be back at school with my kids. We had one small incident involving blood which Living took care of since I was a little grossed out but overall the kids were in a very good mood. After lunch Melissa, Riley and I are heading to the Precision Air office where we reserved plane tickets to Zanzibar. We are going to pay and confirm. We will be going Friday, March 5th and returning Monday, March 8th (my sister's birthday!). So, we will have about 3 full days there. We are SO excited! That is my last full weekend here so it will be the perfect ending to my trip. I can't believe I only have a little over 3 weeks left, time is flying by!

The rest of my week

I wanted to get that last post on here in case the power cuts out and loses my work (happens very frequently here!). So, on Thursday it was back to work as usual but at night we went to the dinner and dance with the new group at the restaurant Aventure. It's still so fun to go do this stuff because it has been such a long time since our group went! We all had a good meal and joined in with the traditional dancers. On Friday, we had shaky shaky time during class, and I took some videos on my new Ipod (thanks, Lor!) of the kids. I can't wait to show everyone back home! They are just too precious for words. After work we bummed around until dinner. After Josh, Katelyn and I took some of the new volunteers to our favorite bar, Glacier. They really liked it. I only had soda water since my throat was bothering me, but we danced and they met Abbas, the owner of Bushmen Safari's who took us on our safari and took me up to the first camp of Kili. They of course loved him, he's such a great guy. It was a fun night. Katelyn, my roommate, stayed out when we went home because it was her last night. She was with a couple of the guys and some girls we have become friends with who are staying at the nearby hostel. Her flight was scheduled to leave at 6 am Saturday morning so Ibra was going to be at the house to pick her up at 4 am. I woke up around 2:30 am and she wasn't home but I knew she was staying out late so I didn't think much of it. Then, later I woke up when she busted in the room, flipped on the lights, and started yelling certain obscenities. It scared the crap out of me. She said that she had "stayed out a little later than usual". I looked at the clock-it was about 4:15 am. She was late and she hadn't even finished packing yet! She was running around, telling me how she was still drunk, she was late, she went to La Liga (the skeezy club) and it was "not good" (have not yet found out what happened-stay posted) and she didn't know if she had packed everything. She literally threw things in her suitcase. I was going to go to the airport with her but she told me not to worry about it since she was so late and I had just woken up. I told her I would send her anything if she forgot it. We hugged, she told me she loved me and would miss me. I, of course, felt the same, and she was gone by around 4:30. She made it to the airport, but she had to fly to Nairobi then have a short layover before heading to London, so I'm sure she was exhausted and beyond ready for sleep by the time her plane took off from Nairobi. So now it's just me in my room. It's nice to have a room by myself in one way, but it's super lonely since I've had a roommate the whole 6 weeks I've been here. I really will miss that girl!
On Saturday Melissa and I started out the day by reading our books and magazines and listening to music out in the sun. It actually wasn't too hot so was a perfect bronzing opportunity :) We just hung out and enjoyed the morning. Melissa is this awesome girl in the new group. She's from Canada. I keep telling her that Kevin would just love her because her whole family rides Ski-doo's and she grew up playing hockey. She's such a sweetheart.
Josh (the very last person from my group left) had his dad come to CCS so he could show him around and so his dad could eat lunch with us. His dad came because they are climbing Kili together and were going to start the next day. His dad was exactly what I pictured-so much like Josh! After lunch Josh invited me to go with him and his dad (Josh and I have pretty much been joined at the hip the whole trip-he is such a good friend!) into town. We went to The Coffee Shop (world famous! US Presidents have even eaten there) and I just got a diet coke because it was so hot but Josh and his dad got the amazing coffee and split a piece of their amazing carrot cake. After we walked around and showed him some good shops and I helped them pick out some things for Josh's sister and mom (boys never know what to get!). Then we walked around a bit and I split ways with them once we got close to CCS because I had to come here to the internet and they had to get back to home base. Ibra was going to give them a ride to their hotel. It was so sad saying bye to Josh, I'm gonna miss that kid SO much! He was my buddy this whole time :( His dad was so nice, saying I always had a place to stay if I was ever in Chicago. It's now Monday, so they are on their second day hiking Kili, and they should be into or close to the second camp by now. Josh wasn't feeling the greatest the whole week before the climb so I hope they're both doing ok. I can't wait to hear how it went!
On Saturday I went with Living, Riley and Andy to Kool Bar to play some pool. I played a few games and pretty much totally sucked. Riley was on my team. Good thing he's patient! I made a few balls in. At one point, when I actually made one in all the men in the bar who were watching started cheering and clapping. So funny! Then, after a few games, good local players started to show up, so I decided to stop embarassing myself and just watch. Riley said he wasn't that good but ended up almost beating one of the best players there. So awesome! The balls they use here are a little smaller and the rules are a little different. You can't hit an opponent's ball first, you have to hit one of yours. It takes a little getting used to. It was a super fun night. Freddy and his roommate Felix showed up and I hung out with them while we watched the games. Then we went home and I went to bed because I was super tired.
On Sunday we just bummed around home base. I was a little sad I wasn't able to be with Kev on Valentine's Day, but he called me right after breakfast. Made my day! We talked for about an hour, it was so good to have a nice long conversation with him, we get to have so few of them while I'm here! I really miss him a lot, but I know that in one short month I'll be home! After breakfast I went for a run (I actually finally started running here, despite the ridiculous heat and the large amount of dust swirling around!) and then cleaned my room, read my book, took a nap and did laundry. Sunday's are always so lazy here. I don't like it! I would rather be at work with my kids. Nothing in town is open so there isn't a lot to do. But, only a few more left!
Today some of my kids who have been sick were back in school and I was so happy to see them! Omar gave me the biggest hug, he is such a sweetie! I also started a second placement in the afternoons at Mrupanga Secondary School. I make my own lesson plans and teach upper level English. After I grade the papers and help do any other administrative work that they need. One problem is that the Mama's want me to eat with them  in the afternoon. A large hunk of Ugali (it's a paste-like food that has no taste and is made out of corn flour, pretty much all carbs, and NOT something that will go well with my diet! It's kinda like grits but stickier) is not something I really want to eat every day. It's very rude to refuse food in Tanzania. I got out of it today, but I'm trying to work something out with Ibra picking me up a little earlier (2:30 instead of 3, since I'm done with all my work by 2:30 anyway) so I can just avoid this issue all together, but, we will see.
That's the update on my life lately! On Wednesday I'm going with the new group back to the Chagga village and to see the waterfall and the cave, and Melissa, me and Riley are trying to plan a trip to Zanzibar, and some of us are going to run the 5K in the Kilimanjaro Marathon in 2 weekends. So, my life here in Tanzania continues to be exciting!!
Badaye!

War Tribunal Trip #2, Wednesday, February 10th

Jambo!
It's been a busy week! On Wednesday, Josh, Katelyn and I went with Ibra back to Arusha to the War Tribunal. It was fun to go just the four of us. We jammed out to Nelly's old album "Nellyville" on the way there-brought back quite a few highschool memories! The day was sunny and beautiful-you get such a great view of Mt. Meru (a mountain right outside of Arusha) it is so beautiful! There were a lot of dust tornadoes along the way. So crazy to see so many of them at once! We tried our best to get pictures but they come and go so quickly! Once we got to Arusha we sat in on a case that was currently in session. It was hard to follow because we hadn't gotten a background on the case or what the charges were prior to listening in. We listened to one witness, a formal General in the Rwandan Army at the time of the genocide. He was being questioned about weapons availability and if youth soldiers were being supplied with the weapons and trained how to use them. The General was an extremely frustrating witness. He was really cocky and gave really long winded answers to every question the Prosecution asked. The prosecutor and judges had to remind him several times to keep his answers short. The General was speaking French which I understood some of but it was translated to English for us. During the recess we decided to leave and bum around Arusha since we didn't really know what was going on with the case and they were not going to put a new witness on the stand until the next day. Ibra took us back to the Maasai market, which was so much better this time around! I didn't feel overwhelmed at all. Going during our 3rd week was so overwhelming, but after being here for over 6 weeks I feel like I finally know how to bargain and how to handle so many people trying to sell you their products and yelling at you from all directions. I got a present for my dad, a present for my mom and for Lori (Kevin's momma), and a necklace and pretty wooden hand-carved giraffe statue for myself. There are still a few things I want to get and I'll be lucky enough to go back with the new group. Since I'm the only one left from a previous group, Moses is letting me go on all the day trips with them, which will be lots of fun, even though I've done them already. After the market Ibra took us to get some ice cream. I didn't get anything as I'm trying to work off the weight I've gained from the food here (they cook EVERYTHING in LOTS of oil!). After, he took us to a t-shirt store and I picked out a t-shirt for myself and one for my best friend's 2 year old son. After that we had just enough time to head home for dinner. It was nice having a small group and being able to do whatever we wanted in Arusha, and Ibra is such a blast to hang out with!

The New Crew

The past week has gone by pretty fast. It was nice to have a week of quiet with just me, Katelyn and Josh, but on Friday new volunteers started showing up. There are 9 of them. They are pretty cool. They are a lot different than our group because there is such a range of ages among them. The youngest is 19 and the oldest is 59. They seem like a lot of fun and like we were when we arrived they are pretty overwhelmed. Today they are doing more orientation stuff, and they should start their placements tomorrow. This past weekend Katelyn, Josh, Ellen and I went to Glacier on Friday night for some shaky shaky. We had a great time. We've made a lot of friends from the hostel Hoff and friends that live here in Moshi, so it's fun going out and meeting up with them. It has started raining and cooled off a bit, which is a nice change from the ridiculously hot weather we have had the past couple of weeks. Saturday we took the two new guys around the town and to the coffee shop. It was a pretty lazy day. Yesterday Katelyn, Ellen and I went over to Ibra's house to watch some movies. We of course watched Rush Hour 2, Ibra's favorite. It rained pretty hard for awhile which cuts down on the amount of dust but also makes everything pretty muddy. It was great to see my kids again this morning, but we haven't had as many kids in class because a lot of them are sick with colds and some don't come to school if they think it's going to rain. It's nice working with a smaller amount of kids but I miss the ones who don't come. Ellen has come with me the past two mornings to school to help out and hang out with the kids. She leaves Thursday night, and Josh and Katelyn leave on Saturday. I'll be super sad to see them go, I will be the only one left from our group after they leave. I'm trying to work something out with Moses so I can go straight from Watoto Rau to Rupanga Secondary School and stay there until about 3:30 pm every day. That will help fill up my afternoons since the new group will be super busy the first 3 weeks and I will get to see some of the kids I worked with at Tuleeni orphanage, since that's where they go to school. Tomorrow we go back to the legal aid office, and I really hope we get to see some clients come in. I'm officially over half done with my trip, which gets me excited to go home but also makes me sad. Today after lunch I'm meeting Ellen for coffee then we're walking to Msamaria, the street center to hang out with the kids. Hopefully it won't rain. On Wednesday Katelyn, Josh and I are going back to Arusha to the Rwanda War Tribunal to watch another court session. I'm really excited, it's so interesting! Tonight after dinner we are taking the new group over to Abbas' house (he owns Bushmen, the safari company who took us on our safari-they are amazing) so he can give them his presentation about the services he offers. It's always so fun going over there, he is such a happy upbeat guy, so fun to hang out with. Another update soon!

Life Recently

This week has been fairly uneventful. We are all starting to get into our routines and our house feels like our home away from home. I always love seeing my kids on Monday morning. I miss them over the weekends! We continue to work on letters and colors, but it's hard since now we have 31 kids signed up for class! New volunteers (9 of them) come on Saturday, and one of them will be joining Living and I at Watoto Rau, so it'll be nice to have someone else there to help us with the kids. I went to the legal aid office on Tuesday, and Esther and I decided it would be better for me to go in the mornings after all, since that's when most clients come in. Katelyn and I returned today but no clients came in so we chit chatted with Esther and two other attorneys and had a break for tea. It was nice, but I hope on Tuesday some clients come in so we can start working with them. I talked to Mama Grace yesterday and she is going to try to hook me up with volunteering at Rupanga, a secondary school in the area. The school is only open until 3:30 every day, so I would probably go straight from Watoto Rau to Rupanga and eat lunch on the way or stop at CCS for a quick lunch and then go. It'll be nice to have something to fill up part of my afternoons, and some of the kids from Tuleeni orphanage (my first placement) go to school there, so it would be so great to see my kids from Tuleeni every day! We'll see how everything works out. Everything in Tanzania is pretty unorganized, so it's hard to get concrete plans made, but everyone wants volunteer help, so I'm going to try to go to as many places as I can while I'm here. Last night after dinner we all went to Ibraham's house (Abraham actually spells his name Ibraham, so I figured I should actually start typing it correctly). We watched Rush Hour. Ibra is a huge movie buff, he's always asking us about American movies he's seen. It was lots of fun but I, of course fell asleep around 9:30. Stanley, our faithful cab driver, picked us up around 10:45 and had us home by our 11 pm curfew. Today Ellen, one of the volunteers who was here for four weeks then is taking two weeks to travel, comes back from Zanzibar. We are all so excited to see her. She's staying at Hostel Hoff, one block away from CCS, and she's here until next Thursday. We missed her! We are all planning on going to Glacier tomorrow night to celebrate her return. Should be a blast! After this week I will have officially been in Tanzania for 5 weeks. Halfway done! 5 weeks to go! I already know I'm gonna miss my friends here and my kids so so much! So very sad.