Friday, February 6th.

This week just keeps getting better. If I had a list of what I want to get out of Africa, most of it would be ticked off.
Yesterday we were relaxing in the sun, and I was half-heartedly making teaching aids. Groups of kids wandered over and played good-naturedly with paper and pens. One made a crown saying “King Nickson”. When they went, a group of girls came and plaited our hair while some lads played what I can only guess was cricket. My ‘cheeky-chappie’ mate Daniel from class 6A found his vocation as a photographer with my camera and shades.
Mama Hasani and Mama Kessy came over and spent a fantastic few hours making chapattis with us. I taught them an African song which we used to sing at church which sounded incredible and much more authentic!
In the evening we went to Via Via. Thursday is the night for live music and there was the most incredible band playing traditional music, with some enormously energetic dancers! I know it was a show for the Mzungus (a word for white people – kids shout it at us constantly), but the fire-eating witch-doctor was quite a spectacle. I have sampled the Tanzanian Vodka, Konyagi... I Salsa danced for two-and-a-half hours constantly, with pretty much everyone on the dance floor including three Masai tribesmen! The others had a very merry time too, and it was a real effort to persuade them to get into the taxi. We rolled into bed at a quarter to two – and had to be up at seven – Yuck!
There is a bit of an odd situation at school. The Arusha Teacher Training College has sent a group of Sekei for a month’s work experience. This means that most of us have to share our lessons. Some classes will have three teachers – thankfully, the plans for me are that I hand my class 3Bs to a trainee and just help out, and have class 6A as my own.
So that we do not feel a bit side-lined, we might do some days at other places such as the special needs class at the neighbouring school, and will throw ourselves into clubs next week.
Right. I’m off to bake a mango cake!
Bye for now
Love
Lucie xxx