We moved into the Makumira house 23 May 1997.
It was a busy time and there was a deal of emotion leaving our friends at Sanawari - in particular Mama Baraka, Nai and Olotu.
There was still a carry over of Hifadhi projects, especially the water project at Engorora with Francis. There was also the Muriet kindergarten and some tree deliveries to various villages.
While Paulina d
id a good job of cleaning the house, there was a lot to do to get rid of vermin (and a great big termite nest), air out cupboards (we had no cupboards at Sanawari), repair mosquito netting, set up nets over beds, wire up the oven and fridge. A bit tricky because were were there for a couple of weeks before I managed to get Tanesco to do their magic and make the electricity flow. Actually it was not quite right - Mama John kept getting 'tingles' from the range whenever she used it without her sandals on (Swahili they are malapa, New Zealand, Jandals) it was because the earth wire was not a good connection as the big Newtonia tree sucked all the soil moisture.
We were used to no electricity, so it did not bother us - we had a gas cooker, water filter and a pressure lamp. When the electricity returned, it was not always reliable and the pressure lamp had to be allowed to cool before relighting. Sometimes I would just get it going and the electricity would return, them moments later cut out again - 5-6 times per night or more. So generally we resorted to the old storm lantern ( kerosene but not under pressure) and candles.
I was nurturing Joshia as well, setting him up to run his NGO. He was busy too with various person projects that he was wanting to complete.
Missy arrived nine days after we moved in. Missy is a delight and we were pleased to see her return and to have her stay with us. She was doing her masters thesis on the effect our projects had on the rural women in the communities we had worked. This was special because we had arranged Joshia to be her translator and because they had no transport, I helped and went back to those projects.
There was trouble with Mama Mwuguzi (I have drafted what happened - not posted yet...), she and her husband faced some difficulty and I tried to help them through it. I don't think they really understood their briefing and were only ten minutes walk from the main road - yet they felt remote.
The fish farming vols were in the house next door but soon resigned and moved out. Then a family moved in - ah I was running the shop for the Agency Field Reps, Mo & Jo when the family, Watunzi Watoto, arrived back from Morogoro where they attended an English course. Well their house in the outskirts of Arusha was broken into and some things were stolen. So I had to do the police thing 'for insurance purposes' and the driving around of them. Then they wanted to move into the vacant house that the fish farming vols had left. This family cause different trouble but stuff that I needed to sort. Mostly smoothing ruffled feathers here and there. Oh well - the house belonged to DME so they made demands on them!
Because we had extended our contract, we were entitled to another forty hours Kiswahili tuition - ah no, not to Morogoro, or to the Danish (where the food makes any vol salivate) but using a room in the CEDAH complex being tutored by Mr. Kimaro. My Kiswahili was coming along well and these lessons were of value.
Something strange happened though: one day he carried the strong smell of alcohol around him, and maybe he even partook that morning - but he was upset about a family problem and was crying. He asked me to take him home, but as we passed AICC he asked to be dropped off. He left me still crying.
Mr. Kimaro's struggle to form Rafiki Trust and start a primary school came to fruition and I went there to share my knowledge and donated some trees to plant around the school. I looked at the website recently and it seems, sadly, he is the late Mr. Kimaro - but his legacy lives on.
Marie came to stay too - she was a vol in Zimbabwe and she stayed for a number of days, wanting to see the sights of the Arusha environs. We were able to her and Missy to Lushoto and Tarangire National Park. Ha! I stopped on the rise of a hill and there was a large bull elephant there and Marie wanted to take a picture - well the vehicle spooked the elephant and he charged us! There was a measure of panic in the vehicle and I must say that I did not waste time changing gear, I planted my foot to the floor. Elephants only bluff though - usually.
To top all this off, we had a family bereavement and it so happened that the telephones at the Agency office were again not working. The post office ones were going so we went in there to make a the call home. At the counter, you fill in a form with the requested phone number. You pay for the amount of time and sit in the waiting area. There was a row of cubicles with a number each and when the connection is made, in you go. The cubicles are basic made from varnished plywood. You get your time, but sometimes the phone link is broken and it has to be reestablished. Of course when the time is up, there is no warning - you are cut off.
It was a busy time and we had visitors. Locals came looking for work or assistance of some kind. Others just wanted to welcome us into the area. Of course, now we had a large house, there was room for the out-of-town vols to stay. They were welcome.
It was a busy time and there was a deal of emotion leaving our friends at Sanawari - in particular Mama Baraka, Nai and Olotu.
There was still a carry over of Hifadhi projects, especially the water project at Engorora with Francis. There was also the Muriet kindergarten and some tree deliveries to various villages.
While Paulina d
id a good job of cleaning the house, there was a lot to do to get rid of vermin (and a great big termite nest), air out cupboards (we had no cupboards at Sanawari), repair mosquito netting, set up nets over beds, wire up the oven and fridge. A bit tricky because were were there for a couple of weeks before I managed to get Tanesco to do their magic and make the electricity flow. Actually it was not quite right - Mama John kept getting 'tingles' from the range whenever she used it without her sandals on (Swahili they are malapa, New Zealand, Jandals) it was because the earth wire was not a good connection as the big Newtonia tree sucked all the soil moisture.We were used to no electricity, so it did not bother us - we had a gas cooker, water filter and a pressure lamp. When the electricity returned, it was not always reliable and the pressure lamp had to be allowed to cool before relighting. Sometimes I would just get it going and the electricity would return, them moments later cut out again - 5-6 times per night or more. So generally we resorted to the old storm lantern ( kerosene but not under pressure) and candles.
I was nurturing Joshia as well, setting him up to run his NGO. He was busy too with various person projects that he was wanting to complete.
Missy arrived nine days after we moved in. Missy is a delight and we were pleased to see her return and to have her stay with us. She was doing her masters thesis on the effect our projects had on the rural women in the communities we had worked. This was special because we had arranged Joshia to be her translator and because they had no transport, I helped and went back to those projects.
There was trouble with Mama Mwuguzi (I have drafted what happened - not posted yet...), she and her husband faced some difficulty and I tried to help them through it. I don't think they really understood their briefing and were only ten minutes walk from the main road - yet they felt remote.
The fish farming vols were in the house next door but soon resigned and moved out. Then a family moved in - ah I was running the shop for the Agency Field Reps, Mo & Jo when the family, Watunzi Watoto, arrived back from Morogoro where they attended an English course. Well their house in the outskirts of Arusha was broken into and some things were stolen. So I had to do the police thing 'for insurance purposes' and the driving around of them. Then they wanted to move into the vacant house that the fish farming vols had left. This family cause different trouble but stuff that I needed to sort. Mostly smoothing ruffled feathers here and there. Oh well - the house belonged to DME so they made demands on them!
Because we had extended our contract, we were entitled to another forty hours Kiswahili tuition - ah no, not to Morogoro, or to the Danish (where the food makes any vol salivate) but using a room in the CEDAH complex being tutored by Mr. Kimaro. My Kiswahili was coming along well and these lessons were of value.
Something strange happened though: one day he carried the strong smell of alcohol around him, and maybe he even partook that morning - but he was upset about a family problem and was crying. He asked me to take him home, but as we passed AICC he asked to be dropped off. He left me still crying.
Mr. Kimaro's struggle to form Rafiki Trust and start a primary school came to fruition and I went there to share my knowledge and donated some trees to plant around the school. I looked at the website recently and it seems, sadly, he is the late Mr. Kimaro - but his legacy lives on.
Marie came to stay too - she was a vol in Zimbabwe and she stayed for a number of days, wanting to see the sights of the Arusha environs. We were able to her and Missy to Lushoto and Tarangire National Park. Ha! I stopped on the rise of a hill and there was a large bull elephant there and Marie wanted to take a picture - well the vehicle spooked the elephant and he charged us! There was a measure of panic in the vehicle and I must say that I did not waste time changing gear, I planted my foot to the floor. Elephants only bluff though - usually.
To top all this off, we had a family bereavement and it so happened that the telephones at the Agency office were again not working. The post office ones were going so we went in there to make a the call home. At the counter, you fill in a form with the requested phone number. You pay for the amount of time and sit in the waiting area. There was a row of cubicles with a number each and when the connection is made, in you go. The cubicles are basic made from varnished plywood. You get your time, but sometimes the phone link is broken and it has to be reestablished. Of course when the time is up, there is no warning - you are cut off.
It was a busy time and we had visitors. Locals came looking for work or assistance of some kind. Others just wanted to welcome us into the area. Of course, now we had a large house, there was room for the out-of-town vols to stay. They were welcome.
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