Living's Birthday, Soccer game and Kili

 Monday, January 18th
So we left around 8 am Sunday for the base of the mountain (Kilimanjaro). The driver was CRAZY and drove super fast. He didn't even slow down for the speed bumps (there are lots of speed bumps here so it takes quite awhile to get anywhere). Michelle and I were in the very back and one speed bump we went over sent us flying and we nailed our heads on the roof of the van. So he finally slowed down after that. When we got there our guides, Georgie and Robert, gave us our rain gear and some more water and we got all the paperwork done. We finally got going and it was so beautiful going through the forest. First we stopped at a really pretty waterfall then continued up. It was like rain forest really dark and lots of trees and plants. It was really green and there were lots of little waterfalls and springs coming down from the mountain. It took us about 3 hours to climb to the first camp. The top was windy and a little cold but the day was absolutely perfect, sunny with hardly any clouds in the sky. We ate outside and when we were eating we saw a family of monkeys running around by us. They were really big monkeys but were so cute. After lunch we climbed a little higher to the rim of a small crater created by volcanic activity. Once we got a little higher the landscape changed really dramatically, it was like walking through a door. It looked like out West Arizona-type climate with lots of pretty grasses and Dr. Seuss looking trees. We walked around the rim of the crater and on one side we got an awesome view of the border of Tanzania and then of Kenya, it was awesome. After some pictures we climbed back down which took about 2 more hours. It was steep in some places climbing up but for the most part a more gradual climb. Going down was a little slippery with the gravel but we made it. It was so pretty I can't even explain. On the way down we saw more monkeys and we also saw cows toward the bottom, which seemed crazy to see them in the forest but there is a Chagga tribe that lives in a valley right at the beginning of the hike, so that's where they came from. We were pretty tired (there was 4 of us, me, Michelle, Sabina and Karen) when we got back, so we had a big dinner and went to bed early. Our guides were so great, they really made the trip fun. They are so enthusiastic so we all had a great time. Today is super hot. I got some skirts made so Michelle and I are going to pick them up after this. I got two made for myself and a Barack Obama one made for Maggie (they LOVE him here, so close to where his family is from!). I'm gonna get Maggie another one also but haven't picked out a pattern yet. Living and Amani's soccer game in Arusha on Saturday was super fun. They are really good. Amani is a striker and scored both goals. They won 2 to 1. It's fun going on trips with everyone because our group is only 10 and everyone gets along well. This week I think we are doing a day trip back to Arusha to the building where the trials for the Rwanda genocide were held, we've driven past it both times we've been in Arusha and I'm really excited to go inside. Also, this weekend we are doing the coffee/hot springs/waterfall tour with Living and Amani. Should be really fun. It's been hot in our room the past two nights because on Friday after dinner when we went back in our room the light was on and there were about 30 huge flying ant looking things swarming around the light. Somehow we got a hole in our screen. The bugs swoop down to attack you and get in your hair. So nasty. We went and got Charlie (he is one of the guards--we always have a guard during the day and two at night since it's not safe at night, even though we live in a very safe neighborhood). They are so good to us. Charlie went into our room swatting them with his jacket it was so funny. He killed them for us and shut the windows, our hero. So, we had to keep the windows shut Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights so more bugs wouldn't get in. Today they put tape over the holes so hopefully that will work. Shaky Shaky on Friday night was also really fun. We went to Glacier, a bar where a lot of Mzungu's go (white people or foreigners) and then to Kool Bar, more of a local bar. It was fun. Amani and Living are very protective of us. All the girls dance together and if any guys come around us they will push them away or step in and dance with us until they go away. They are also really good about making sure we all get home safely, so we are all very safe with them. We continue to have a few more kids in class every day. Some are scared and sad but they all end up being ok. Today we worked on colors. It's hard to keep the attention of 25 three and four year olds! It's fun though, they are so cute.