Arusha Snake Park

Today, Saturday October 29th Laura and Helen invited me to come along with them to the Snake Park.Well, not just them, they were taking Razia (Laura's sponsored student) and Alex (Helen's step-mother's sponsored student for the day). I was very pleased to come along.

Razia is in Year 7 and Alex in Year 9. They had no doubt been up since the crack of dawn as these kids have very little opportunity to go out anywhere. A St Jude's bus brought them and Miss Helen from Smith campus into Arusha at 10am where Miss Laura and I were waiting with the dula dula that we had hired for the day.

It was about a half hour drive out of town and this included going past the airport (which Razia was seeing for the first time) and a Maasai boma.

At the Snake Park (which is a bit as Australia Zoo was before Steve Irwin took over) we had a guide who enlightened us on just how many snakes there were in Africa and the many different ways they could kill you. For example there is one that rears up and bites you on the top of the head! Another can simple swallow you whole whilst another spits in your eyes first to blind you before biting you!

Well it's a good thing that the park's main purpose is to collect venom for antivenins.

Here are Laura and Razia (and yes that's a snake around Laura's neck!)

Once through the snake section we moved on to other reptiles.

Here is Alex petting a 3 year old crocodile our guide is holding.

So what could be the final delight...............................?

Try to guess before scrolling  down

Did you guess camels? Now that was something I don't think they'll forget too quickly.

I left the happy foursome back in Arusha to do some shopping while they went on to lunch and a movie. Yes, first time in a cinema for both of them. Fortunately or otherwise the only suitable movie showing was Planet of the Apes. Would have made for an interesting conversation on the way home I'm sure.



St Jude's Day 2011

Friday October 28th was St Jude's Day and the school celebrated in style. Around 2,000 students, staff, volunteers and visitors came together to thank God for this school and the changes it has brought and will bring to so many lives.

The day began with a mass with the school choir in full gospel mode. After lunch (yes they somehow managed to feed all those people! ) there was a concert on the magnificently decorated lower primary stage.

Each class from Prep to Year 9 had had to prepare an item and over the last few weeks the best in each grade had been chosen for the big day. Each performance was excellent but in the end Year 9 took out the St Jude's Day Cup with their joyful and colourful item of dance and praise.

There were also a couple of items by the teachers and volunteers. Laura and Jane were in the drumming and as it is Ian's last St Jude's Day he had made the most incredible masks and hands which were worn in a performance by the art and music teachers. It was reminiscent of Indonesian puppets in a way with an African twist. Of course, it was accompanied by drums.

All staff and volunteers were asked to dress in the St Jude's kanga which left everyone to their own devices. My outfit was a simple shift which was made from two kangas sewn up the side and a round neck cut into it which Mary got organised for me - bless her. As you can see below, mine was way down the pecking order.(Don't worry if you can't imagine it......it's coming home with me)

The super heroes

The IT department

Angels from admin

Accounts staff

Mary with the "D" from Happy St Jude's Day

The maintenance team stuck together

Our sponsored teacher Anna

Laura with Chambi (secondary English teacher)

Those super heroes again

Head of the team of bus drivers

Meru East Community School

As you may recall, Ian (the art teacher here) and his wife Mary (the Administration Manager) have been working at building a school in Mary's village of Meru for some years now.

Yesterday October 22nd was the most wonderful culmination of so much hard work when the first 24 students were presented with their uniforms.

Most of the uniform and the school furniture have been made at the local leprosy mission. I was privileged to bring 24 pairs of green socks from Australia which they could not source locally.

The smaller block of land belongs to Mary's family and a house and stables have been refurbished to provide two classrooms and a residence.

The residence and office

Classrooms under the shade of a jacaranda tree

Through donations, their NGO - Tikundane- (which means love in Meru) purchased the adjoining block and they have had a multifunction structure built with an adjoining kitchen.

The children have been selected from the poorest and most needy families of the area. In Tanzania 50% of the population is under 25 years old and their simply aren't enough schools. Poor children have basically no opportunities.

At the appointed hour (give or take half an hour or so) the children arrived with their mothers, grandmothers or aunties.

This was the first time they had been inside their classrooms or formally met their new teacher Elly-Woo (in the orange dress).

Just sitting at their new desks was a new experience as some of their homes literally have no furniture.

Then it was time to collect their uniform. Uniforms are very important in Tanzania and a source of great pride.

The children had all been measured a couple of months ago for their uniforms and shoes however the jumpers only came in small, medium and large so the children were lined up in height order.

.

What a transformation..........................



The children's names include Glory, Happiness, Advent, Viola, Jackson, Nickson and Godrester. Aren't those green socks something special!!

This is Advent. He doesn't know it but he is the only child still needing a sponsor. He is a really bright lovable kid .The cost is $25 per month.

If you would like to read more about the project the website is http://www.tikundane.com/



I'm B-ack

Yes, it's true......I "re-arrived" at St Judes on Monday October 17th. This time I flew all the way connecting from Nairobi to Kilimanjaro via Precision Air. It was just on sunset on a clear evening as we approached my final destination and the sun shining on the snow of Kilimanjaro made a spectacular backdrop to what is becoming a greener Tanzania.

The "short rains" have thankfully arrived (this description refers to their duration rather than the size of the rain itself!).

Laura met me in a school bus and we were soon back at Usa secondary Campus (now re-named Smith campus after the family who has provided the funds to build this amazing facility). Helen and Bernice had made dinner and I caught up on the latest news before heading off to bed. It was wonderful to be in the horizontal position again after a 24 hour journey.

The days are longer here now so I was awake in plenty of time to have breakfast before starting the English Language Exams for the teachers at 8.30am the next morning.

Thirty five teachers undertook three hours of written papers which is a culmination of their ESL studies this year. (It is also the culmination of the work Laura and I have been doing for the last 5 months!)

Now the marking begins.............

Today, Wednesday we have had a full day of speaking tests with the same group of teachers. These will continue for the rest of the week. Next week Laura and I will go to the Primary campus to begin testing the 84 teachers there.

This morning, Cindy Smith (of Smith campus fame) was able to sit in on the first speaking test I conducted  (no pressure though!).

Also today, Laura and I laid out some mats Mr Rasul had found on the tiled floor of the ESL room to try to reduce the echo (especially with the listening test coming up). They work to some extent however, we were then informed by the teachers that, as the mats are in fact Islamic in design, we should, out of respect, take our shoes off before walking on them. Of course we can comply but footwear choices are now dictated not only by the mud and rain but also ease of removal. A lot to think about early in the morning!

No photos yet  (people taking exams is not visually very exciting) but hopefully I will be able to get some up after the weekend.

Hope all is well with you all on the other side of the world. Text me anytime.