Back to Dodoma for Tree Planting
on Kev in Tanzania (Tanzania), 25/Aug/2009 05:05, 34 days ago
Here is the weekends update - just a short one...Thursday 20th AugustWas a nice busy day at work, I kept working on Moodle and we had an ICT team meeting in the afternoon. Students back so we shared out the teaching load (problem is as they come from all over Tanzania its a week or so before they all arrive... Nothing like starting on time...)In the evening Matayo and Thad came over. I cooked spaghetti and we drank 2 bottles of wine as we played scrabble. Very late to bed but a good night!Friday 21st AugustWoke up feeling a little hungover... Caught the bus to Dodoma at 1pm. Bus was very crowded (possibly most crowded I have ever seen, but pretty sure I always say that!) Must have been around 30-40 people stood on the bus with all the seats filled. Glad it was only a short journey to Dodoma (3 hours on a bus is a short journey here...) Once in Dodoma I popped to Aladdins for some ice cream and bumped into Nelson and Corrie. Dodoma is such a small place it is very easy to bump into fellow VSO! I took my ice cream to Cana Lodge where I was staying.In the evening we planned to go to the Pizzeria in 'area C', I decided to walk there and got lost on the way but got there with plenty of time and ordered a safari before the other arrived. We ate inside this time as it was a little cold. Food was great, I had Rigatone Bolognese! Caught a cab back and had a nice early night.Saturday 22nd AugustWe met at the dala dala stand as we were going to the school were Saskia used to work to plant a mango tree. We all piled onto the Dala and they took us to the school. It was a lovely day for the tree planting and the children were very well behaved, they had a great time. We planted the tree, the children blew some bubbles and we gave them balloons. It was a nice fun way to remember Saskia. Nelson had made a nice banner which we all signed we placed some stones around the tree so that we it is bigger children can sit on them in the shade.After the tree planting we went to TCCIA for our Dodoma Regional meeting. The meeting was fine, lots of things to discuss and we voted for new reps. The new idea was bought up about having an emergency rep who will act when VSO are tied up trying to organise things in emergencies. I was opposed to this because we have an emergency number to call and then should be calling our reps. I feel adding another person will just cause more confusion and jam up the phone lines to VSO who have better Kiswahili and contacts than a rep. It also would work if we were all based in Dodoma town or Dar but because some of us are so far away it is better to have a plan with people in your town.In the evening we went to the New Dodoma Hotel for Chinese dinner, always a good choice. We had a laugh and it was nice being in Dodoma again - had not been since Saskia's memorial Service. We were all tired (possibly from meeting which was long) so after eating and drinking our fill we all went back to our hotels/homes. So much for dancing but I promised to return to Dodoma again before I leave!Sunday 23rd AugustCaught the bus back to Mpwapwa at 9am. Journey was fine and I had some brown bread and sausages to eat once I finally got home.I got in ate sausage sandwiches and then did my clothes washing. Lots of children hanging around near my house getting the fruit out of the trees (not sure what fruit it is...)Had a relaxing evening and am reading a good book 'Under the frog', its about Hungary from 1944-56 and the lives of a basketball team - its pretty funny!Monday 24th AugustHad upset tummy today and was glad to have running water! Stayed at home and did not eat all day to starve the bug (did have a soda in the evening though...)Good to power too as I could entertain myself with laptop.Tuesday 25th AugustStill not eaten, its been over 24 hours but am planning to eat at break or lunch time. At work today, adding pictures from tree planting to facebook and adding sample resources onto Moodle.Have a nice week - Liz is coming tomorrow!Take care