Creepy Crawly

So about the fourth or fifth night I was in Tanzania, I was unpacking my clothes and found a centipede in my pants! (trousers for you Brits) I screamed and threw them into my bathroom not really knowing what I would do. How do you kill centipedes???

I ran up to Delicia's room and told her I needed help - moral support if nothing else! So we went downstairs and quickly tossed the pants into my shower thinking maybe I can drown it?!?!

It didn't work so well, even with the hot water. All that happened is the pants got wet, which made them too heavy for my improvised pole (a wire hangar). I was trying to open them up and make the centipede come into the light. It didn't want to and the pants were now too heavy for my hanger. So I got two brooms. Why two? I have no idea, seemed like the thing to do with two people. :)

I used one to open up the pants and kinda shook them until the centipede fell out. Then quickly threw the pants to the other side of the bathroom.

Problem! The centipede now had nowhere to hide so he started to go up the side of the shower - coming in my direction! Ahhhhh! If I ran away and lost him now in my bathroom I wouldn't be able to sleep or use the room until I found it again!

So I got the shower nozzle and sprayed it with hot water making him go to the middle of the shower. Then out of nowhere Delicia came in with her broom and started smacking and hitting it. Probably about 10-15 times until he was definitely not moving. Lots of shrieking and jumping at this point.

Oh at one point I threw a shoe at it... not sure what I was hoping that would do... :)

I still wasn't completely convinced it was dead so I put an old tupperware container over it and then put the shoe on top. Just in case it was a super strong centipede and could lift the container. You never know...

The next morning I carefully scooped it up, it was still dead, using stiff paper, and put it in a ziplock bag. I was going to take it for show and tell at orientation but then decided I'd wait until chai break so I just left the bag by the car. When I went down to get it, it was gone...

I did take a few pictures of the thing. So here it is.

I know it looks small but...

I was later told it probably wasn't poisonous but look how scary looking it is with the two spike things on it's tail and the thing can move! It's quick!!

A "stroll" around Mbduya Island

A few weeks ago I went a whole group of people to 'the Island.' The island is Mbduya Island just off the coast of Tanzania. It's a national park and quite beautiful. You usually take a boat from one of the resorts along the coast. This was ours. Just about as simple a boat as you can get!




We then rented a Banda for the day. A banda is a wall-less, thatched roof structure - used everywhere in Tanzania. This is the view from ours...


Around 2:30, we decided to go for a walk around the Island. Now, I'm pretty sure I've done this before and it was a strenuous task, more of a stroll. So we started off on the beautiful white sand, 5 of us. 3 adults, and 2 teenagers.

It was beautiful! The sky is such a gorgeous blue and the plants such a vibrant green!



We came to a place where the tides have worn away the rock and caves are beginning to form...


We found this dried blowfish...



and what we could only think might be a eel skeleton ?


and then we kept on walking and walking...and walking. We made it to the other side of the island and could see the whitecaps far out at sea. So we kept walking and walking. Then we had to go around a bend, and another and by this time, the tide is starting to come in and we're walking in a little bit of water. No problem, just get through it to the sandy beach.

Doesn't it look like the end is just around the corner?

But Christa, one of the teenagers with us, did not bring her shoes. The first hint of a problem...

Then we went around another bend and this time, no sandy beach! The tide was coming in faster so we had to walk through the water. Christa, with no shoes, was very worried about sea urchins, and rightly so! At one point I started to give her my flip flops and promptly stepped directly onto a sea urchin. I had more than 10 spikes and holes in my foot! The last one just came out yesterday morning - almost three weeks later!

I also had my camera with me so I wrapped it up in my kanga (sarong) and held it above my head the whole time.

Our 'stroll' had turned into a trek.

We finally managed to make it to the next bend and I stopped to take this picture of where we'd come from...

Yeah, it really is as far away as it looks!

Moral of the story: Leave early and wear good shoes!

:)

First Day of School!

I love the first day of school! Every classroom is neat and tidy with new displays, teachers are ready and awaiting their students, some anxiously, and the students all come in clean uniforms with new bookbags and supplies. It's a fresh start for everyone and it's so much fun!

Today was a little different from what I was used to. I'm not a primary classroom teacher so I didn't need to be with a class at the beginning of school. Instead, I wandered around greeting parents and former students. It's so nice to see so many familiar faces and receive so many hugs from 2nd and 3rd graders. I also designed and completed a bulletin board, organized the schedule for the computer lab, met with a few grade 6 students, and ran a few other errands. You'd be surprised at how tired I feel...

Though it's exciting to meet all the new teachers, I do miss my former 'coworkers' ... love and miss you all and karibuni to visit!

:)

Don't worry, I'm alive and well...

... I've just been going non-stop since arriving in Dar 2 1/2 weeks ago!


I have many things running through my mind right now so this post will be a bit random...

Orientation: I've been doing orientation with my mission since arriving August 3rd so I'm now an expert on all things Tanzanian. Ok, maybe not an expert but I do know a lot. Ok, maybe I don't know a lot but I do understand the culture. Well, maybe not, but I do now know what it is that I don't know - which is a lot! hehe ...pictures coming...

HOPAC: I'm at school right now. Yesterday morning I took some pictures of the soccer camp that's happening on campus this week. Today HOPAC teachers and support staff went to Bagamoyo for a retreat/orientation/teambuilding time. It feels so good to work at a school where we pray for each student by name!

Housemates & House: This year I'll be living with Juli, grade 5 teacher, and Delicia, grade 4 teacher...pictures coming... I've been setting up a house which included buying fabric for curtains and having them made by a fundi. Fundi means 'expert' but that's not always exactly true. :) Anything goes wrong, you get a fundi who will come and fix it as best they can. This particular fundi is a tailor so he made me curtains! Total cost for 4 panels: 21,000 TSH = about $19. Seems very cheap, and it is, until you compare that to the average monthly salary, 40,000-70,000. Ooh, then I can hardly believe I've spent that much just on curtains. ... pictures coming!...

Driving: After being in the country for a whole 15 hours I had to/got to drive. :) Thankfully my amazing Tanzanian driving skills are still just as amazing...and I drove with two British girls so I asked them to just remind me every now and then, "Left side ,Carley. Left side!"

:)

Lesson of the Day

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances,
for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

As I mentioned, I am in England visiting friends. What I didn't know was that by stopping here, the charge for excess baggage for the next leg of my journey would be per kilogram not per piece. Translation: total charges for my one extra bag: $1,200 instead of the $100 I was expecting. :) This has caused me to completely repack and reevaluate what I will and will not be taking with me to Dar.

My initial reaction was not 1 Thes 5:18 - and that's the lesson. My motto while repacking has been: "God is all I need!" Not these shoes, or that basket or those books. And I couldn't pack God in my suitcase even if I wanted to!

I am so thankful that I am with friends who are helpful and loving. So thankful that I called today and didn't find out tomorrow at the airport as I was checking in. So thankful that I am in England where they speak English and I could call around and find out for myself. So thankful for Debbie, who I'm staying with, who is giving me a lighter bag to use. So thankful that I am not going to Tanzania for the first time. So thankful that I can leave things here with friends to possibly take at a later date. So thankful that I will probably even save money by not having to pay excess baggage charges! So thankful that my joy is not based on my circumstances!!

And as my dad reminded me, this didn't surprise God. Which is very comforting to know.

Cheers!

After 9 1/2 hours on two flights, I'm almost half-way to Tanzania!

I'm in England enjoying a few days with friends before embarking on the second half of my journey to Dar. Saturday night I board a plane for Johannesburg, South Africa - a 13 hour flight! Then, after a few hours layover, I'll be on my way to Dar es Salaam - only 4 1/2 hours for this one...it'll seem short! :)

I miss family and friends :( but I'm very excited that I'm actually, truly, finally on my way to Tanzania!

Thank you for all of your prayers and thoughts...see you in Dar...