24 Hours in Shirati

Some of you were worried that I missed out on Canadian Thanksgiving. Well, thanks to the SIL teachers here at MTCEA, I was invited to a Thanksgiving dinner in Musoma this past Friday. It was wonderful to be in a room full of native English speakers and share some of the experiences I have gone through acclimatizing to my new surroundings. We had roast chicken instead of turkey and TZ versions of other Thanksgiving staples. My highlight was eating my first piece of chocolate cake with whipping cream since leaving home!

After mid-terms, I decided to treat myself to a short getaway to a nearby town called Shirati and visit my fellow SALTer, Peter. I was fortunate enough to have Theo, MTCEA principal, along to show me the ropes of the local public transportation system. We walked to the next village to catch a dalla dalla into Musoma and, from there, another dalla dalla to Tarime, about 75 km away. The dalla dalla we chose appeared to be nearly full so we got in and waited, and waited, and waited some more. I had assumed (incorrectly) that the seating capacity of 13 was the required number for departure. One hour later, we were trundling along with 22 passengers and myself, wedged into a tiny seat between a large woman and the window. At least I could feel an occasional breeze wafting my way, dissipating the pungent odours of my fellow transit riders. One and a half hours and several unplanned stops later, we alighted in Tarime and promptly seated ourselves in a waiting car headed for Shirati. Again, the capacity of three to the back and two to the front was stretched to four passengers per bench with the driver sharing his seat. We were stopped by the local police for exceeding the front seat capacity (not the back!) and, after our driver paid a 'tip', we were on our way. By the time we arrived in Shirati, the journey by public transit had taken us five hours instead of the usual one and a half by private car.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that two fellow MCCers (Curtis and Carla plus their two boys, Ben and Aaron) were also in Shirati visiting for the day from Mugumu. We drove down to Lake Victoria and spent some time looking at their windmill-driven pumps. Peter hopes to use these to irrigate the land he will be using for his reforestation project. The rest of the afternoon was spent working on computers (the boys) and relaxing on the patio while the kids played (the girls). It was wonderful to catch up with Carla about the last few months, exchange stories and gather advice. After the long journey, I was exhausted but thrilled to be among friends.

Unfortunately, my planned departure date of Tuesday was revised when we were informed that the Hospital vehicle would not be going to Musoma as usual due to the Nyerere Day public holiday. Instead, I decided to catch a ride with Curtis and Carla that afternoon to avoid an arduous journey alone by dalla dalla. Peter ended up joining us as he had business in Musoma the next day. We had an uneventful and speedy drive with enough time to stop at a local shop and buy some ice cream (I haven't had that since home either!). What a great way to top off a 24 hour 'vacation'!

Prayer Requests: We're still waiting for our Resident Permits to come through. The KMT General Secretary was told they were nearly completed and not to bother buying us (expensive) special passes but no word yet on when the pick-up date will be.
Praise Items: I completed my first mid-term and am slowly starting to figure out this "teaching thing". I have also been blessed with an amazing host family and a group of staff and students who have all been very supportive and encouragin