Mambo from the first day of Placement!

(and so I've learned the response to mambo is: Poa!)

Today was my first day of placement. I am placed at the Save Africa Orphanage in Usa River, Tanzania. The orphanage houses 30 children, and 20 more come for "school" each day. Many parents will drop their children off at orphanages during each day, as they cannot afford to pay for their child's schooling.

Usa River is about a 1 hour 15 minute Dalla Dalla ride from my home in Arusha. Dalla Dallas are by far the most interesting experience I have ever had. They pack over 25 people into a car the size of a van. It is not a comfortable ride. Today, a drunken Tanzanian man proceeded to profess his love for me for 40 minutes on the Dalla Dalla. But, my friend wins, because she rode one that also had a goat and chicken as passengers. People here will refer to white people as "Muzungu", so you know they are talking about you, but have no idea what they are saying. It's slightly intimidating. Dallas have proven to be the biggest culture shock yet.

My placement today was great. I have two other volunteers with me, each who have been here for at least two weeks. It was helpful for the first experience. Francis, my placement director is very friendly and likes to hold hands with people frequently. There really is no such thing as personal space here.

When we arrived today, the kids were practicing writing numbers. There is the "baby" class, where they were learning to count, and the "preunit" class, where they started writing out numbers in words. Then, they ate breakfast. Each day, the volunteers I am with trade turns buying bread and peanut butter to bring so that the kids have more food to eat. Each meal is usually only a small cup of porridge. We helped the kids wash their hands and made peanut butter sandwiches for them.

Afterwards, we got to play with them outside. Piggy backs are their favorite things. They are very easily entertained and took turns showing off their cartwheels to me for about 30 minutes. They all call me "teacher" which is cute but also very overwhelming! At the end of play time, we all stood in a circle and sang songs. They all like to dance :)

After playing, I was handed a pointer and basically told "teach them the alphabet" which was scary. Me and Cecelia (another volunteer) worked together and it seems they were getting the hang of it by the end of the lesson. We read them a few stories after (acted them out really). They do not really know what they are saying but they like to laugh at us when we act silly.

It seems the other volunteers that came before me have been really good to the orphanage. They painted the building with new paint, built tire swings, and planned a party for next weekend! I am excited to look for a project I can help with. I haven't given the donations I brought from home but I think they will be useful for the placement, especially the socks. Plus, I am excited for the kids to get their hands on some musical instruments.  It is amazing that these children have nothing and they never fail to stop smiling. I can't wait to get to know all of them over the next month.

As for me, preparing for the Serengeti this weekend! Safari!! Four days, three nights camping. I can't wait! I will try my best to post pictures, as I have my cord that I can hook up to the desktop computers at the internet cafe. Other than that, the volunteers are great, the food is good, and it is warm! I am very happy! The Swahili is still awful, but my house manager and mama, Felister, is teaching me lessons at night!

Asante Sana for the support everyone.