Did I mention I went to Costa Rica for a month in February? I keep meaning to look at those photos or write something about it...
But lately I've been missing Tanzania. Big time. I miss the heat and the smells, the Stoney Tangawizi, fresh fruit at the market, the balcony at the Sea View Motel and bantering with the friendly locals. I miss the cool but fleeting evening breezes after a sticky hot day. I miss the noises - the several calls to prayer throughout the day, the thumping bass from the Dalla-dallas as they rip down the bumpy roads, the rhythmic rattling of tin cans full of coins as young boys try to sell their newspaper-wrapped peanuts and ubuyu. I miss the lazy pace of daily life. But mostly, I miss my friends. And man do I miss little Saumu.
She turned 14 this month. Back in June, I sent her a package with a dress and a new little hair brush, in hopes that it would get to her in time for her birthday on July 14th. I got a letter from her earlier this month too, covered in stickers and full of acrostics of each of my family members names. I miss her rambling stories about school and her friends, the daily happenings in her grade 6 class, and her memories from all her past experiences, life on the street, the orphanage, at home as a little child with her sister. One year is a long time to go between visits and 3 weeks last year just wasn't enough.
I'm already planning my next trip for December 2012. Travel buddies welcome.
I won't promise any upcoming blog posts, because I know that I will be crazy busy with work in the coming weeks, but please let me direct you to the blog for the Cradle of Love baby home where I spent a week with Saumu lending a helping hand in December of last year. Cradle of Love is an incredible project. During my visit there, I could really see that all of their donations are going directly to helping those babies. Local staff are employed to take care of the day to day needs of the children, and international volunteers are welcome to come assist with playing with and loving the little ones - I love to see projects that employ local community members rather than relying solely on foreign tourists out for an "authentic volunteer experience". The orphanage is struggling financially right now - if anyone has ever considered donating to the type of child sponsorship type initiatives you see on TV on Sunday mornings, please consider this as an alternative - the project is well managed, the children are VERY well cared for and honest updates about the babies are there on the blog.
Just a thought. The director of the Orphanage and her family are much better at updating their blog than I am.
Cradle of Love Blog
You can even find the baby home on facebook :)
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