Joshua

Dear Babyboy,

Remember when we first met? You were scooting around the nursery in the walker, filling the room with the sound of your gasps and giggles.

You came over to the big house not too long after our chance meeting and I got to see a lot more of you--just what I'd been hoping for. You found your place in my heart in no time. Nope, no time at all.

It started out as a very very active friendship. You bounced while I stabilized.

Remember that evening when we got to look out the playroom windows together? I showed you the monkeys playing in the trees and you sighed with delight and wonder.

I love the way you squint your eyes and smile real big when I blow in your face. You are the most handsome boy I know--even, scratch that, ESPECIALLY when your snotty nose is all scrunched up and you have big alligator tears rolling down your cheeks.

Tonight you crawled over to me crying after Mark had taken your toy--again--and you wiped your nose back and forth on my shoulder then laid your head on my snot covered sleeve. I didn't mind.

I like that game we play where you sit in my lap with your head against my chest then all of a sudden sit up to look at me, smile, then throw your head back against my chest. It's one of my favorites.

I know I should guard my heart--I won't be with you forever. We only have ninety-some days left together. Let's make the best of it, mmkay?

All my love,

Dadadadadadadaaa

Favorite moments of the day in no particular order

Jackson, who is a new participant in the potty training game, coming up to me in preschool with an urgent and guilty look on his face exclaiming, “Danielle! Potty!!”

Tanz-Hand’s with ALL the lady volunteers on campus sharing embarrassing stories.

Simon bringing chocolate to our apartment just because we are 5 (Alison) ladies and chocolate is chocolate.

Seeing the banana lady outside of our gate…that’s always a highlight.

Recognizing Hidaya’s cry for the first time from the apartment and rushing downstairs to collect her in my arms.

Bibi Helen coming around the corner to find James crying in the meal room and quieting him by simply pointing at him, holding his eye contact, and saying, “Ssshhhhhhhh.” Such POWER that woman has.

Explaining the significance of the Northern and Southern states during slavery in America to Staci and her spontaneously deciding that she wants to live in the north.

Singing Phantom of the Opera with Alison.

Kissing our nanny Agness goodbye just like the rest of the kids on our way out the door to darasa.

Lazaro teaching James how to play Duck Duck Goose by running around the circle saying, “See James, see??”

Sorting beans.

Frustration...a lot of it

Maybe this is why I haven't blogged in so long...that silly picture won't move. Ah, me. At least there are words and pictures.

It started storming pretty hard 30 minutes ago. Lightning, thunder, and loud rain drops. I don't think I've ever felt thunder so close.

Usiku mwema, finally.

What's been goin' on.

The past 10 days…scratch that, 3 months (since I’ve blogged) have literally been all over the place. I had the wonderful experience of traveling in Italy with Matt to visit a family that is very dear to my heart and to see a little more of the world. For the most part, we both enjoyed the cold weather despite our lack of winter clothes. I was only back in Tanzania for a week when my parents came to visit. During their two week visit we went on safari, traveled to Zanzibar, my mom did her amazing mom-thing in the volunteer apartment (cooking and cleaning and loving), my dad used his fix-it skills around Cradle and taught the toddlers how to do somersaults, and we experienced the miracle of baptism. Seeing the way the children responded to my parents was great. Hope and Lazaro are twins that are probably our most mature kids here. I told them that my mommy and daddy were coming. When they first saw them Lazaro came running as fast as he could with arms wide open and shouted, “Mommy, Mommy! Daddy!!” My mom scooped him up into her arms (she didn’t really have a choice) and they laughed together. My heart was so full!! It took me a week or two to gain the trust of those twins so the fact that they were excited to meet strangers just because they belong with ME really meant a lot.

My patience is being tested so much this year…I spend three hours every morning teaching the director’s daughter first grade. I think I’m learning about just as much as she is! Of course there are good and bad days. It’s an interesting experience, teaching one-on-one. Both student and teacher view time in a totally more relaxed way. The biggest struggle for me is that those three hours tend to go so slow-ow-ow and I don’t know how to get things movin’. We’ve come a long way, though. She’s counting by tens, learning the differences between plains and deserts, memorizing Bible verses, and the hugest one of all: she is reading! I am so proud of her.

The preschoolers are rockin’ it right now! The class consists of Hope, Lazaro, Anya, Nina, Tessa, Jackson, and Mariah. Anya, Nina, and Tessa are triplets and yowza, quite the handful. Sometimes intense sister-fights break out when one steals the other’s blocks but for the most part they are doing really well! The preschoolers are learning the names of animals and the sounds they make, how to count in English and Swahili, and that crayons go on the paper and not in their mouths. Most of them can do puzzles on their own, and that is huge! We’re going to add James to our class within the week. I’m bracing myself for that transition… ;)

Knowing that I only have three and a half months left in Usa River I have been going all around the mulberry bush with my feelings. I don’t want to leave this life here. I don’t want the changes I’ve been experiencing to come to an end. I want the growth to continue despite the change in circumstances. I want to bring at least 5 children home with me, a few nannies, and our taxi driver. But I have 105 left here to soak it all up, take it all to heart, and appreciate it too.

My favorite picture from our time in Italy.

I like bananas, I think that mangoes are sweet

As we approached one of the few "stands" at the market (meaning the produce was on a shelf-like structure and not laid on the ground) last Thursday I looked over the cucumbers, lime-type fruits, and aha! There they were. MANGOES. Tiny little green things that look nothing like any mango I'd seen before but they had the tell-tale swoopy lip at the top. "How much?" I asked the young boy standing there. After a short English/Swahili conversation we walked away 13 cents poorer but two mangoes richer each! They were hard, but I placed mine on our kitchen counter with a great hope and excitement! I had heard only good things about Tanzanian mangoes and had been waiting for them to show up at the market. Yesterday I declared one of them ripe enough and YUM! Well, a new sort of yum. They're sweet...ish. They've got an interesting zing to them. Apparently it's just the beginning of the mango season. Ahh I hope it lasts for the next 7 months.

Yesterday at the end of preschool Kezia, Anika, and I took the kids on a walk to buy bananas from the ladies who sit outside of the ADRA gate, on the other side of the compound we live on. They were so well behaved! These kids love bananas. They love any food! I'm not sure if their bellies are ever full. Buying bananas is something that us volunteers do more than once a week. It's such a normal thing for us and so special for the children! They don't get to see very much. I love when they are given new experiences, like going to the local supermarket/restaurant for chips and Fanta.

Lazaro getting the last bit of Fanta that the straw couldn't reach (and taking it very seriously).

Two weeks ago we found out that one of the older girls from downstairs is 6 months older than what we've thought for the yearish that she's been here. A man who we believe to be her father came by to visit and told us this new information. It's not too surprising, she's big! But what's sad about it is how developmentally behind she is in comparison to the children that we now know are younger than her. She does not respond to much in preschool; not the music, hardly the coloring, and rarely with any books. I can tell that something is off with her...but I don't know what. I've asked a few of the other volunteers to look for signs of delay and they've seen it too. But still, we don't know what it is. Another thing is that she is a follower so if Musa is running around during song time and is getting attention for it, she will do it too. So she often ends up with her nose in the naughty corner missing out on games and puzzles. I don't know what to do! If any of you readers have suggestions, words of wisdom, or stories of experience that would be wonderful.

Anyways, it's time for this fruit lovin (especially for so cheap) girl to get under the mosquito net and catch some zzzz's. :) Usiku mwema!

Side Effects

One of my favorite things about being in Tanzania and working with Cradle of Love is that every time I step out onto our porch that overlooks the area where the children play I am greeted with, "DAHYA! DAHYA!" which is not a Swahili word, nope. It's little Jackson, Lazaro, Musa, Nina, and Anya yelling my name. I'm struggling now, as I have been so much lately, with putting how this makes me feel to words. These children are so adorable. But really what it is, is that they are mine. They are my children (along with all the other volunteers past and present and nannies) for the 9 months I am here and forever more. Because I don't get to spend a TON of time with the babies downstairs it is so meaningful that these children KNOW me! True, it is mostly my precious preschoolers that call for me but even still, we're lucky if we spend a full hour and a half together during school. Ahh my cup runneth over!

In other news...Safari was INCREDIBLE! It was quite the last minute decision for Anika, Kezia, Alison, and me but we embraced it with backpacks packed and our caps donned! Not really. But it's fun to imagine us looking so silly. Friday morning we ventured to Terengeri National Park. Mom, there were tons of baobabs!! You would love it. We saw zebras galore, impalas, wildebeest, warthogs, giraffes, elephants, ostriches, gazelles, babboons, and lions! The highlight of Friday was the lions. We sat around watching them lay under a tree for a while wondering if we would see some action with the nearby zebras. Apparently it wasn't their time to hunt...it was mating time! Our guide knew that if we waited long enough we would at least see them get up and move around. We did see that...and more!

See Mom! Baobabs! The elephants rip the bark off at the bottom for food.

Elephants kulala.

On Saturday we woke up early to a wonderful breakfast of toast, crepe-like pancakes, papaya, tea, and coffee. After eating way too much, we were off to see Ngorongoro Crater! On the drive there we watched the sunrise. It was breathtaking. We saw a lot of the same animals at the crater but it was such a different landscape. A few new animals we saw were hippos, rhinos, and those birds that sit on hippos...herons I think? Lions came right up to our car on Saturday, it was great. I also got quite a bit of naptime in the afternoon while we drove around looking for more animals. :)

Sunday we went to Lake Manyara. I loved it. Lake Manyara is HUGE!! It's 127 square miles. It felt like we were oceanside and made me miss home. The air was cool and sea(ish)water scented. We got to see giraffes a lot closer and more birds. Oh! We also saw flamingoes!!! They were far away though. After a warm lunch back at our campsite we were headed home. I thoroughly enjoyed the drive back. I finally felt like I was seeing Africa. Watching the Maasai women walking a worn path across the African land with their empty water buckets in tow was one of my favorite sites. We had a few hours of driving which allowed me some time for much needed reflection. Again, Safari was incredible.

Us with our wonderful guide, Goody, overlooking the crater floor.

So, side effects. After getting all checked out by my doctor back home before heading here I was given a prescription for 9 months worth of Lariam, an anti-malarial. I started taking the pill a week or two before I left and didn't really experience any side effects. Since being here I have had some RIDICULOUS things happen, which I think are related to the drug. The first one was the "Lariam dreams". I had these incredibly vivid dreams of tarantulas crawling across my neck, my head covered in boils, and Anika and I flying through the sky hand in hand. The tarantula one was so bad that I jumped out of bed and kind of stamped in a circle trying to flick the imaginary spider off the back of my neck. Thankfully my roommate was on a camping trip for the weekend so I didn't disturb her. The next night when she was back I was awakened by the light coming from the object in my hand and my roommate talking to me. When I became fully aware I found myself at the foot of my bed, holding my flashlight, shining it under the covers looking for bugs. Goodness!! So the next side effect I've experienced happened two nights ago. I had an awfully fitful sleep because every way I tried to lay was uncomfortable. Each muscle in my body was sore! My wrists, neck, shoulders, legs, everything! And then today, while cleaning up my room I noticed that my hands started feeling funny. It was sort of like I'd been on a super long hike and all the blood had drained to my finger tips. Yep, swollen hands is another side effect. And the last side effect that Danielle has experienced goes to.....pins and needles! Yeah, now, as I'm writing this, my fingers are going bezerkos. It feels like they are "waking up" from "being asleep" and it's taking all day. I can just imagine waking up in the middle of the night tonight and feel like I'm rolling around in prickly little pins. Oh I think I've had enough of this drug! I'm nervous that the side effects will get more serious and more serious leading to the major ones like paranoia, depression, and hair loss!! Maybe it's better to just get malaria once and not have to deal with all this crazy, I really don't know.

Well....this sure has been a long winded blog post. I've enjoyed writing it though! I think I might be getting into the hang of blogging. Comment it up, write me, skype me, I miss home! I'd love to hear how each and every one of you is doing. :) And share more funny stories about the babies. Love you all. :)

Oh, and one more thing that deserves to be blogged about (as said by Shae): only in Africa would the one time you need to check the toilet (after use) for wiggly creatures would the power be out, causing you to go to the restroom with a headlamp. Sorry if that's too gross, but we found it amusing!

Writing at last...

Okay okay oookay. Here I am, blogging at last. You know, I really just need to claim this blog as my own. I think it would make blogging a bit more comfortable. In any case, here goes an update on things going on in Eastern Africa! :)

Preschool has gotten a ton better! It's so much fun. We've got our routine down and the kids have started chiming in now and then during song time making it less of Danielle's solo time. Last week I found a recipe for finger paint that Staci and I used for science/art, it was great! We had leftovers so I took it to preschool! They loved it. Thankfully it WAS edible so their curious little mouths didn't harm their pudgy little tummies. They've also gotten into Duck Duck Goose. Lazaro goes around the circle saying, "Duck, duck, duck....okay COME COME COME!!!" Musa has a hard time saying goose. He stands behind the "goose" with his hand placed on their head waiting ever so patiently. Oh, with a faraway look on his face to boot. We have fun. :)

The weather is hot hot hot! And getting hotter hotter hotter. I was pretty drenched in sweat after hanging my laundry to dry yesterday in the noontime sunshine. African sun doesn't mess around. OH I was doing laundry because I'M GOING ON SAFARI THIS WEEKEND! We're leaving tomorrow morning and will be back Sunday afternoonish. So three nights and two days. Woot! I will be better about blogging after safari, I promise!

Today I had an amazing opportunity to go with Anika to a village home and cook! We met Emmanuel this weekend through Darren whose work coincides with ADRAs. Emmanuel is 15 years old and goes to a sponsor school in Arusha. He dorms there most of the time but this week is holiday so he is at home for the week. He invited us to his home to see more of his life and to learn how to cook authentically!

I know I haven't blogged in nearly a month but I'm really not feeling wordy so this is where pictures will speak! :)

...Okay this is frustrating. Three days later and the pictures won't post. Check Facebook soon?