From an internet cafe in the town Moshi

Finally got my hands on a computer that works long enough to type out a blog I am currently in the town Moshi and it is a hustle and bustle sort of place. It is so different from any other place I have been. If you look around there are all sorts of people. There are people wearing bob evans hats and boy scouts of america shirts, but then there are traditionally dressed people, and a few wandering tourist. There is a local market across the street that we made a visit to yesterday when we came into town, the market is packed rows of fresh produce, this is their equivalant of a grocery store.

In the market yesterday someone was killing a live chicken while we were there and there was also an incredibly smelly meat row with carcuses just hanging around. I couldnt stand the smell so I stayed away from the isle. While in town yesterday we also got a bus tour of Moshi, there are always people moving around town but most are walking. I love seeing the occasional woman balancing a basket of bananas on her head. Today our country director, mama thea, showed us how to wrap up a head rset for the basket and proceeded to set a ceramic platter on another volunteers head. As Marci started struggling to even take a step keeping it balanced mama thea chimes in, "what is wrong with you! Walk normal!" The people at CCS are always joking around and their laughter is contagious.

Yesterday was our first venture out. First, during the day, we walked around the area by our home base. This area is full of houses made of mud brink and tin...but the people within the walls and area are so incredible. We walked around and I felt so safe. Every person we passed by would say "Karibu" which means welcome! The children around the rural area of Karanga are just adorable, I mean I cannot even describe it. There is a family that lives across the street from CCS and their little girl comes running out dancing with a HUGE smile on her face when she says that we are coming out of our gated community. She will follow us down the road singing and giving us "tano's" which is a fist pound or high five.

Around the corner is a small store and another amazing family. They talked to us for a while and there were too 12 year old boys that were interested in Kasey and I asking us our age, where we are from, if we had siblings, and what our mothers names were. We asked them all the same questions. Another young girl living there, Anita, was beautiful. Her smile made me melt as she picked up her little sister and showed her to me, trying her best to get the little one to interact but she was very shy. Their store sells drinks, and kangas (which are the traditional wraps worn by tanzanian women), spices, other miscellanious items, and Obama gum.

This brings me to my point..I am pretty sure Tanzanianas love Obama more than Americans! Just now I was in the van when a boy named Sam approached me. He spoke English really well. He greeted me by saying Mambo (whats up!) and then asking, are you from Obamas country too? haha. He was very smart, he told me about his town and the waterfalls there and then about a bar near the Moshi CCS location called the Mzunja (foreigner) bar. That made me laugh and he said hed hope to see us there.

The people here are so genuine. They make you feel welcome and safe. Sometimes they will approach you and say, salama, which means peaceful or safe.

We also ventured out into the night last night with some of the men volunteers. We went to a local bar called Kili View. The CCS directors have a network of taxis that they trust and so we can call those taxi drivers who pick us up right at the gate and then will either wait with you or come back at the time you tell them. Our taxi driver last night, Imma, had such a good heart. The whole way there he taught us fun things to say in Swahili..for instance, akunah matatah is considered slang here. Instead you should say akunah sediah. He was 24 years old and had a fiance. I joked with him a lot and while there was a language barrier we definitely understood much of what we were both trying to get at. I drank an African beer, Kilimajaro, and it was good. We paid in tanzanian shilings and it was confusing but we got it covered.

The staff at CCS is incredible. I love them all already. Mama Lilian is wonderful. The first night there she walked us outside and showed us the tanzanian stars and told us that this is our home for now and that she was our mama.

Baba Flugence is hilarious. From the start he got along with Kasey and I and our oh so hilarious humor. He pronunciates all his words very clearly and is really animated in the way he talks. He does the Swahili lessons and today was our first. He directed the lessons like a choir director and I laughed the whole time.

When Kasey and I first got there we got to spend 6 hours with them alone and the conversation was awesome. We all sat around the patio tables and just laughed and laughed. They made me feel at home immediately.

The rest of the staff are the guards (three walking around from 6-6) and then the kitchen staff. They are a bit shy but always greet us and are happy to serve us.

The accomadations are really nice. Kasey and I have our own room for now until the next group of volunteers arrive (we will be here long enough to see the transition) we have very comfy beds with treated mosquito nets and our own toilet and shower. We also have wardrobes and drawers where we can lock up our valuables.

We start our placements tomorrow. We are both at Bridge school right outside of Moshi. We will work from 8-1230 monday-friday. We met our director from the school today. She said the school was started in 2008. There are 60 children ages 2-5 and she said we can get there and decide where we think we should fit ourselves in. She was very sweet and we are both excited to meet the kids. A lot of them want to touch our hair and while they wont understand english phrases they know some words and I believe communication will be alright.

Sorry for the broken thoughts but it is crazy here! Lots of people in the internet cafe and I have so much to tell! It is hard to keep everything straight and remember all the great stories to tell. As the people here say often, "this is life" haha. They say that phrase for everything.

Well my time is running up. I hope that this fills you in more and hopefully I can get back to a computer sooner than later.

Missing you all and NiNaKuPenda (I love you!)

--Amy and Kasey