Happy Days

My first two weeks in Tanzania have been very happy and I have surprised myself in how quickly I have fit in and made friends. It usually takes me a long time to get to know people, but I think we are in the unusual situation that we are all foreigners thrown together in a different country and so you make friends fast. I like that!

My second week in Tanzania (first full week I suppose) has been busy and filled with babies and lots of laughter. These have been days of mess and changing dozens of nappies and being spit up on and jokes and encouragement (I just about screamed in excitement when Beulah sat unsupported for the first time yesterday and I couldn't have been more proud when Bahati managed to go almost five hours without a bottle) and lots of hugs and slobbery baby kisses and most of all, a lot of love. You can stand at the gate to the toddler room and shout "I love you," and there will be a whole lot of little voices echoing back "I wuv oo!"

Aldelien and I had an interesting experience the other day when we were changing Baby Bahati's nappy. She was helping me as there was a new type of cream that we were meant to apply for his diaper rash (Shermaine posted a picture of him on Facebook saying that he was unhappy that day because he had "butt rashes"!!!). Just as we took the old nappy off him, we smelled a suspicious smell and said, "Uh oh, he's going to poop when there's no nappy there" and we started to panic about what to do. We put a cloth underneath but nothing happened so we massaged his tummy as Lita had showed us (Lita is a massage therapist). Two minutes later it all came out as we were holding him, to the sounds of much shrieking from Aldelien and I, and much laughter from the nannies. I was getting ready to clean him up again when Aldelien yelled, "It's coming again!"(it wasn't) and I screamed and the nannies laughed. That's the meanest trick you can play when you're holding a diaper-less baby!

Poor Bahati. Everyone is telling embarrassing stories about him! He really is the sweetest baby - always smiling at everyone. And as with all babies, he is especially gorgeous when he's asleep!

One of the highlights of this week was going for a walk with all the babies. Most days they take all the big babies and toddlers for a walk, but I don't go every day as I'm often working with the little babies who stay at home. On Thursday we went for a long walk - there were 20 babies and 8 adults. You might imagine in your mind a group of adults and babies going for a walk, but I guarantee what you are imagining is nothing like the reality. None of the roads are paved and the majority of them are full of ruts and potholes which makes pushing a pram interesting. Not to mention the fact that toddlers fall over a lot because of the uneven ground. Half of us adults had babies strapped on our backs in kangas (long strips of cloth) the traditional Tanzanian way and then most of the prams had at least two babies in them, sometimes three! It was a lot of fun and I will try and go more often from now on. 

Gorgeous Anna doesn't look nearly so happy to be in the kanga wrap as I am to be carrying her!

Two babies on backs and another two in the pram.

This road was the nicest one we walked down. No potholes here!

Little Elliot fell asleep despite the bumpy ride.

Rozina showing the toddlers what fresh corn, still in the husk, looks like. "Chakula!" (food!) said Joel and tried to eat it.

Another highlight this week was my first clear view of Mount Meru. Last week was so overcast you would never have believed that we are living at the foot of an active volcano. Apparently it erupts approximately every hundred years, and it has just been a hundred years now since it last erupted. Lucky us! Mount Meru is the fifth highest mountain in Africa. This photo was taken outside the volunteer house (that's our dirty fence you can see in the left hand corner). 

Other highlights were....

Watching beautiful blind Malikia respond to the massage treatment and all the extra one-on-one time.

Eating delicious pilau for lunch today.

Finding a whole shelf of Cadbury chocolate in a supermarket.

Experiencing the Masai market for the first time. (Behind Shermaine and I in the picture above are the most beautiful handmade beaded boxes and jewelry - they must take hours to make).

And lots of laughs with Shermaine, my roommate (for only a few more days sadly). "Heelllooo?" Flop flips. The bathroom door that you have to throw your whole weight on to make it close. And a whole lot of other "you had to be there" moments that have caused great hilarity and me crying with laughter on more than one occasion!

My motto while I am here in Tanzania is 1 Thessalonians 5:16,17. "Be joyful always; pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

Amen!

xoxo,

-Hannah