Jenn & Tyler's Visit

"Jenn & Tyler at Tandala Tented Lodge - Ruaha National Park, Tz"

"Lions watch as we get unstuck" 

Jenn and Tyler have been here and have gone home already. It was a treat to have them with us but 2 weeks is way to short of a time. We took them to the Tandala Tented Lodge, which is an adventure in itself. The tents are up on a platform about 8 feet high. The lodge owners have a pond that they keep full of water for the animals, they need a separate pool or else the elephants come to drink from the swimming pool. The elephants come there every day, as do giraffes and sometimes warthogs, lions and hyenas. From Tandala we went on a safari to Rhuaha National Park. This was an exciting adventure as we got stuck in the sand about 15 feet from a pride of lions, which we were observing, as they rested under a tree. They were not impressed by the noise of our revving engine and even less so when the driver had to get out to lock the wheels in four wheel drive. We were all very tense and nervous, but the lions didn’t want to eat us, so we were okay and we got unstuck.

"Bull elephant in full charge"

A bit farther away we came across a group of elephants. On one side of the road were the females and the young ones and on the other was a big bull. We stopped to watch them but the bull thought we were too close to his family. He crossed the road, stared at us while flapping his ears and trumpeting, then charged at us. The guide said he was only trying to intimidate us. It worked as we were all intimidated except the guide and driver. We didn’t move so he took some slow steps backwards, and then joined the rest of the herd.  We got to see many other animals also. They are so beautiful…… what a great experience.

"Lily's 4th Birthday" 

From Tandala we came back to Dodoma for a few days. Lily had her fourth birthday on March 13th. She got gifts and we had birthday cake. We have become quite attached to her. She liked having Jenn and Tyler here too, and was sad to see them pack up to leave.

"Could Jenn have found the same starfish?"

On Tuesday we drove to Peponi, a resort on the Indian Ocean. Jenn, Tyler and Ron went snorkelling there and saw many beautiful fish. I went along to take pictures and enjoy lunch together on Sand Island. This time I didn’t get sea sick.  All too soon, we had to head back to Dar es Salaam so Jenn and Tyler could catch the plane home.


Tukista had her birthday on the 18th of March, so of course we had another birthday cake. We’re really getting caked out and it’s not easy making a cake in an “easy bake” oven without a temperature control. We do the best we can.

One of our hens has decided she wants to hatch some eggs so she has been sitting on an empty nest for a week. What a silly old hen! The other 2 are laying very well and we are beginning to get quite a few eggs stockpiled.  Are eggs healthy now?

Ron has started his 3rd website.  This time the site is for the CCT self-accounting unit called WAMA which stands for Wakala wa Makanisa.  WAMA is the logistics arm of the CCT which is located in Dar es Salaam.

Update 3 March 2011

"Chris & Martin on Safari"

It’s hard to believe that it’s March already. Time goes so quickly.

"Linda inspects her student's work:

Ron and I went to Morogoro to do some more painting at the Morogoro Women Training Centre (MWTC). This time we did the large hall but it was a teaching session. There were 4 of the staff whom we showed how to paint so from now on they won’t have to hire ‘fundis’ to do the job. They were keen to learn and our limited Swahili worked just fine.

"Joshua & Michael admiring their work."

"Chris & Martin ready to embark on a Safari" 

Chris and Martin came on the 15th of February. We had a wonderful time. It was so good to see them. They arrived at 9:30 am so we headed to Peponi resort right away. We didn’t give them much time to recover from the flight as we wanted to do so many things. One day they went snorkeling in the Indian Ocean and the next day we toured the City of Tanga. Then we drove to Arusha where the boys were picked up to go on a safari to Ngorongoro Crater, Tarangire and Lake Manyara National Parks. They were gone for three days and had a great time. Their last 3 days here were at Dodoma where we introduced them around and enjoyed being with them. The 2 weeks went way too fast. On the day they boarded the plane in Dar es Salaam, we had time to show them around several craft shops where Chris especially, practiced the art of bargaining – ‘punguza tafadhali’ which is Swahili for ‘lower your price please’.

"Look mom what I found"

 

"Lily and Linda sad about Chris & Martin leaving"

Our return flight to Canada has been booked and we will be coming home on the 20th of May. Has it been a year already? Where did the time go? Before returning to Saskatchewan, we will stay with Jenn & Tyler for a few weeks to look after debriefings at the UCC Office. It is with mixed feelings that we anticipate this date. We look forward to the comforts of home in Canada but we have enjoyed our time here. We will miss our work and good friends that we have made. I’m especially going to miss Tukista and Lily. I’m trying not to think about that.


Our garden has been a treat. It is so nice to be able to plant at any time of the year. We have been eating watermelon and zucchini and the corn will soon be ready. It is taller than me. Our papaya tree has some fruit on it but they need to get a lot bigger.

"Linda admiring corn crop with chickens looking on expectantly."

Ron has started working on another website, this time for the Morogoro Women Training Centre. Being the chauvinist that he is, he chose pink as the ‘theme’ colour for the site. It looks very nice though and when he has more content from the director, he will be able to post it to the web. His goal is to ‘go live’ by the end of March.

The Land for Life Project is moving ahead in ‘fits and starts’. We experienced some cash flow issues as we waited for money to be transferred from the ‘Designated Gift’ fund at the UCC Toronto Office, but were pleased to learn that the amount in the fund is higher than expected. Some of the money from the Designated Gift fund was used to purchase four acres in the Village of Nzuguni which is just outside of Dodoma. Four foundations have been dug and the footing has been prepared for the 1st house. So far, the plan in the near term is to build 3 homes and an outdoor toilet. Then another two homes can be built in April. We are hopeful that this will demonstrate that CCT can complete this type of project, on a small budget. Then other donors may come forward to help more AIDS-affected families and families with Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVCs) have a better and more sustainable life.

Now we’re looking forward to a visit with Jenn and Tyler……