FranznTanz!: July - August....The first 5 weeks of this term.

At the Maasai beauty salon!

Since this term started every week has brought new visitors, many wonderful experiences, new friendships and many challenges.

* SEGA ran an IT/Mathematics seminar for SEGA/surrounding schools... x5 pm sessions.

Thanks heaps Geoff and Rachel for sharing your extensive knowledge and IT skills. We really appreciated your professionalism.

Karibu tena...SEGA needs you!

* Introduced Peer support weekly teaching sessions.
* Consecutive visits from Nurturing Minds Board members and their families and friends over a period of about 4 weeks. This was during their Summer break.
* Hosted many of my own friends during this time as well. Many of them had their holidays later than SEGA and are still on holidays.
* Mentoring and guiding Kennedy Wilson, my predecessor in teaching Form 1 English. Such a young, enthusiastic and receptive young Tz man who is still waiting on his graduation results.
* Engaged in our first Community Outreach activity. The Form 1 girls devoted almost a whole Saturday to visiting and sharing with their sisters and brothers in our nearby Orphanage. Two of our students live there so the experience was very powerful and rewarding. The beginning of many more to come.
* Salome got married and was absent for 1 week
* Polly was away in Ruaha NP then returned to rush a very sick John straight to Dar IST.......then eventually to Johannesburg hospital...and they are still there. She has been communicating long distance for many weeks so I have taken on a lot more than usual!
* Meshack (Physics/Maths) resigned and we are trying to find a replacement. Not yet successful and he leaves next week (2/9)! The Form 2 girls are worried as their National exams are not far away!
* Form 2 Field trip overnight to Tanga...I found myself back up north after having just visited there some weeks previously!
* Form 1 Field day trip to Dar. Early start and late finish....not good timing for me but a FRANTASTIC day. The girls loved both Field trips and have wonderful memories...and so do I!
* Video skyped my Mum on her 80th birthday and my Non Formal girls sang Happy Birthday and taught her some Kiswahili!! " Ninakupenda Mama temu." .....talked to Gemma, Evie, Laura for her birthday, video skyped Camilla with the Form 2 girls and there was tears all around when everyone saw each other again..... IT is frantastic when it works!!

These are just the main things but as usual, everyday brings it own delights or challenges....I never really know what's going to happen but that certainly makes for an interesting day!! The girls are just like sponges and everyday they make me happy in so many ways!

This week is the first time in 5 weeks that I have had an empty house..... I love a bustling house but now I need time out to regenerate before the next visitors next week. I am going to Mpwapwa this coming weekend for our VSO Regional Volunteers meeting. They are always good fun socially and for networking.

I will add many pictures in the next few blogs to share these wonderful weeks but at the moment it's.....Yes, you guessed it....hamna umeme tena.... and Kelly's battery is about to die! I have so much to show and tell!