Ngorongoro Farm House (again)

We went back to the Ngorongoro Farm House to celebrate Birch's 7th birthday. It was fun for all the kids to be there together and, by the smile pasted on his face, I think Birch really enjoyed the experience (and if I even get enough bandwidth, I have a video to prove it).

Since David was out of town, we all got to ride in one car together which was a great time to just be able to chat with each other. I think we may be turning into obnoxious expats when we start complaining about 'the help'. We really don't, but we were laughing about some of the things that they've been doing...beyond the things that anyone would do (Tierney's shorts in Anderson's drawer), there are some things we didn't expect: the constant cleaning of shoes - flip-flops, sandals, and even sneakers..you have to hide them or keep them in the gym bag otherwise your sneakers may be wet for days as they dry. Or the day after we had a fire inside (it was pouring rain and cold and the kids wanted s'mores) we found Anderson sitting in the fireplace. Immediate thought was 'oh crap' until we realized that the fireplace was practically spotless and all the ashes were cleaned out. It's nice to have a clean house, but that was over-the-top.

We had a great night at the Farmhouse and got to celebrate with Birch. We went on a tour of the farm where the kids got to pick some of the vegetables. Birch and Cole even got Joey to dance when they did the songs before dinner!

Even though we didn't go to the Ngorongoro Crater this time, we did have a great wildlife viewing day on the way home. It started with baboons in the road (which barely gets any reaction from the kids anymore). Right after we saw the baboons some local kids were waving us down from the side of the road yelling "snake, snake". So we decided to stop. Turns out it was a giant (I mean GIANT) python (African Rock Python). It had to be 5 inches in diameter - I have no idea how long because it was all curled up under a bush by the side of the road (and I was quite happy to leave it just like that). It's the first time I've seen anything like that in the wild. We stopped for some giraffe (herd of about 13) and then noticed some zebras across the street. We also saw a tortoise just crossing the road. It was fun.

Matt ran the Kilimanjaro half marathon this morning (alarm went off at 4:30 am). I'll see if I can get him to do a quick note about it because it sounded like quite the scene. Maybe next year we'll all go and do a 5k walk as a family to get the feel of it. Matt thinks the kids will really enjoy it.

Funky Toilet

So, after about 3 glasses of wine last Friday I finally had to pee. So, I went into Rosita's bathroom. As I was sitting there, I was noticing that there was no sink - very unusual especially in Africa where everyone washes their hands. So, I thought I must have missed a sink outside the bathroom. As soon as I flushed I hear water pouring from the back (a little frightening in someone else's bathroom). Well, there was a sink built in to the back of the toilet, so that the water that is used to fill the tank, can actually be used to wash your hands. I was highly confused (probably would have been even under the best of circumstances, but after 3 glasses of wine I was even more so). I didn't know how to turn it off (automatic it turns out, when tank is full, it shuts off). I came out of the bathroom giggling. It really is brilliant - no wasted water. (Apparently, their landlord is from Japan where these are fairly common).

This isn't theirs, but it was very similar.

Thought the Boulder environmentalists would love this.

Random

It seems that the rains have started. The past two days we've had torrential rains where it is just coming down in sheets. We've had to run around the house shutting windows and even that doesn't seem to keep it all out. I love it though. It has been much cooler and the weather has been perfect for sleeping. The kids have taken it all in stride and I'm happy that I made sure everyone had raincoats and rain boots before we left.

We have another birthday celebration this week. Birch turns 7 this Friday, so I think we are going to try and go back to the Ngorongoro Farm House to celebrate. The kids have a holiday on Friday, so between a birthday and a day off school it's the perfect excuse to go away for a night (no trip to the crater this time though).

Matt has decided that he's going to run the Kilimanjaro half marathon this weekend (who needs more than a week of training anyway?!) That is on Sunday. I can't wait to just go watch that.

I am loving Mama Jackie more every day. She's been making me lunch and she also made a nice lunch for some friends we had over on Saturday. Chicken, beans, rice, lentils are staples, but I've also had cold cucumber, green bean, tomato, onion or avocado, onion, tomato salads....I could get used to this. I haven't done laundry since we've moved in and I definitely haven't made a bed yet (although that's not unusual, but my bed is actually made now).


We received news today that the boat carrying all of our stuff is sitting in port outside of Dar Es Salaam. It's been there for 2 days, but at least it's a lot closer than we thought. We thought that it still hadn't left Durban, South Africa yet, so that puts it about 2 weeks closer. Once it docks, it should take another 2 weeks to get to Arusha. We are sort of getting used to the minimalistic lifestyle, but I really can't wait to get my bike!


We are getting settled into a new routine and I love (!!!) that school is only a mile 1/2 away.



(Ash, T, and Cole just hanging out)

Cockroaches and Toads

David, Myles and I had our first dad's night backyard fire last night while the ladies drank wine at Rosita's house. The kids found a huge toad and tried feeding it cockroaches and crickets. There was amusement and disappointment that the toad did not eat the huge cockroaches. All the brightly colored moths swarming around the lights kept them entertained until we brought out the marshmallows. The rains have come so the nights are cool here at 4,300 feet. The fire felt good and the kids loved playing outside in the coffee trees after dark.

Tierney's 6th Birthday at Ngorongoro

For Tierney's 6th birthday we went about 2 1/2 hours northwest of Arusha to stay at a lodge just outside of Karatu. It was about 10 minutes to the main entrance to Ngorongoro crater. We weren't sure if we were going to go visit the crater because it's very expensive ($200 for a vehicle plus $50 per adult), but once we decided to stay 2 nights at the farm house we figured 'why not'....this is exactly what we came to Africa to do. The farm house was more than we could have hoped for...with resident rates and a pool, what's not to love?

Since Friday was Tierney's birthday we figured it was a good excuse to take the kids out of school and make a full day of it. On the drive down we caught up with a TNC trustee trip to Manyara Ranch so Matt could give his talk about the work that they are doing there. Here we spotted giraffe and elephants (the kids first sighting of elephants). It was a great start to the weekend. After dinner we has asked that they make a cake...little did we realize the celebration we would get. It was so fun!

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oLF4WKX8uA

The kids also made fast friends with a little girl, Savannah, who is Canadian, but is living in Naroibi for 6 months. She even came and had dinner with us at the new house in Arusha. They loved it!

Saturday we packed a box lunch from the farm house and took off for Ngorongoro Crater. It was worth every penny! The view into the crater from the rim was amazing. It's a very steep, windy road into the crater and we passed several Maasai villages with children all along the way asking if we wanted to take their pictures for $1. As soon as we dropped in to the crater we saw herds and herds of wildebeest and zebra. We saw elephants in the distance, but we were determined to find one up close and to also find a lion. And boy did we succeed! The lion walked right up to the car and walked right next to it. The kids were scared and sort of freaking out, but then when they realized she didn't really care about us they were excited to look out the sunroof at her. Same thing with a big elephant that we saw. It was just like the Discovery Channel. I wish the pictures did justice to what we were seeing - zebra, wildebeest, reedbuck, and gazelle in the foreground with hundreds of flamingos in the water behind. In Tierney's words "this is the best safari EVER!" (in her vast wealth of experience).

[Interesting tidbit: I didn't know until I was reading the guidebook on the way there that there are no giraffe in the crater. They don't really know why, but think maybe it's too steep for them to get in/out.]

On the way home we let the girls pick out a few Tinga paintings to decorate their room which also made them very happy.

More pics here: http://tandapictures.shutterfly.com/1858

Back at home we are settling in to our new house. Sunday was our first night sleeping here and it's so much more relaxing. We are experiencing a few new house hiccups, but it's still better than an apartment. Seems there are constantly fundis (workmen) around fixing something else...water leaks, doors that won't shut, etc. Mama Jackie has helped set us up and it's been invaluable having her to help with Anderson as there seems to be an infinite number of errands to run....try setting up a house without Target! Very hard! We also decided to hire her daughter, Elizabeth, to help around the house so that Mama Jackie has more time to devote to Anderson. We weren't sure if we needed (wanted?) an additional person, but we finally decided to just do it as much to help them financially as it is to help us. Matt drove mama Jackie home one day and saw where she was living: a cement one room house(?) with her daughter and three grandchildren....everything was done in that one room: cooking, sleeping, etc. That definitely made it easier to decide to offer Elizabeth a job. Her first day helping was today and they were both very gracious about us offering her the job. I got a lot of "praise Jesus' ". I think it will be good for all of us.

Joey's birthday and the Snake Park

Saturday we had a fun night out to celebrate Joey's birthday. We went to the Coffee Lodge. The kids loved it because they got their own table AND they got to share a Fanta. (I think Joey had a good time, too). Sunday we went to the Snake/Reptile park. The kids loved that, too. Anderson kept saying 'tuga' (for tortuga which is turtle in spanish). They got to hold turtles and chameleons and we got to see tons of snakes and even some crocodiles.

This Friday, (for Tierney's birthday) we are going to go to a town called Kuratu that is about 2 1/2 hours northwest of Arusha near the entrance to Ngorongoro crater. We are staying at Ngorongoro Farm House - it looks amazing. http://www.tanganyikawildernesscamps.com/camps/ngorongorofarmhouse/

The house is coming along. We are still hopeful that we can move in the next couple of days.

Arusha House

Click here to view these pictures larger

We started to move a few things in to the house today. Internet should be up and running on Monday. Hopefully we'll be fully in by Wedneday - yeah!

[in case link above isn't working: http://tandapictures.shutterfly.com/1828 ]

Anderson is learning new words and is adjusting to Africa well - this week he said "uh, oh.. power's out"

One month!

We left the US one month ago today. In some ways it feels like we just got here, but in others I'm surprised at how much we've learned and how we've just slipped into a somewhat normal routine. Matt thinks that of the 4 of us (him, me, David, and Joey) that he knows Arusha the least because he's just working behind a computer all day. I guess that is one of the benefits of doing half my work day at night is that I have several hours during the day to explore....well I guess, it's not exploring it's really just running errands, but the end result is the same.

This week Joey and I took the kids to the Masai (or Maasai - still not quite sure which is the correct way b/c you'll see both all over town) Cultural Center. We pass it every day to/from school, so the kids really wanted to check it out. The old center is really just glorified curio shops, but it's still interesting to see what might be available around town for about half the price. The new building is gorgeous and is still under construction, but it's more of an art museum. I definitely see us buying some big painting or sculpture from there before we leave.

I also braved the second hand market to try and find Ashlyn a pair of flip-flops. It was a little intimidating and I'm sure I paid more than I should have, but I came out with two pairs of flip-flops and two pairs of pants for me (a challenge in the best scenario when you can't try them on). Very few of the vendors spoke English, but they were all very nice to me and they all found Anderson adorable.

The beginning of the week was "Africa hot" - maybe 95 or so then it rained later in the week which cooled things down 20 degrees - we could even see a dusting of snow on the top of Mt. Meru - almost felt like Colorado.

Today my goal was to buy some simple chairs (think director chairs) that we can use until our sea shipment arrives.. After going to two stores and the builder's workshop we still couldn't find them. Then also grass mats, several stores and still unsure. Bar stools, ditto. Also need a table and bed made - did research, but didn't order anything there either. When I got home I was excited that I had done so much research and now knew where to go to actually buy something, but Matt just said "so, what did you actually accomplish today?"....I think he was ready for a cocktail.

So, technically our house should be ready to move in on Sunday, but we're still waiting for our mosquito nets (or 'princess bed' if we're talking to the girls) and also internet. We can't move without the nets and I won't move without internet. Our goal is by mid-week - yeah! It will be a little rough until our shipment arrives, but it will be nice to start to settle in and not be in an apartment anymore.

Anderson and I stopped and had some coffee and cookies one morning - I love that so many restaurants here are so child friendly and often have playsets and swings for the kids.