Tanzi Pt 1

HI Everyone,

So I have arrived safe and sound in Tanzania...managed to sleep like a baby on the flights, so when i rolled in about 7 this mornign i felt quite fresh, albeit in need of a shower...Even at this hour, Dar Es Salaam is a hive of activity, streets bustling with bikes and cars, people on their way to jobs, people waiting for jobs,...the streets are mainly paved, in varying degrees of disrepair, and traffic weaves in and out of two lanes, dodging cycles and pedestrians, broken down trucks and the odd cow...its messy but it works, and we arrive at our accomodation after about a 45minute drive...the residence is a lot nicer than i thought it would be..full power, kitchen, fridge etc...and just this week they got dial up internet which is quite a coup for them...its slow as a wet week but better than nothing of course...

since we got in early, we headed to school pretty well straight away...no initiation, training etc required, just get amongst the learning...(i would say teaching, but i really feel these kids will be the teachers on this trip)...The morning classes have kids ranging from about 4 to 6, and they are adorable...all just so eager to have someone pay them some attention and love on them a little...i dont think i will need to do too much exercise here if this morning is anything to go by...with a good deal of the morning being spent hurling kids in the air, much to their delight, being the human helicopter spinning them around, and playing ball with them...the classes are big (around 50 0r 60 for each teacher) and so its hard work too...especially in the afternoon with the older kids, as by late afternoon their attention begins to wain...the afternoon class is broken up into four age groups, today i took the oldest...i did my best to teach them English, (fruit and food today) and they reciprocated in kind by teaching me a little swahili...

the team here seems a lot of fun..and im sure during our time off we should have a lot of fun...

hope all is well with everyone, and ill do my best to stay in regular contact...

lv Bruce