Last link for pictures didn't work? Try this
http://www2.snapfish.com/share/p=873151155702938854/l=118676202/g=48759635/cobrandOid=1000281/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB

check out pictures from my trip at http://www2.snapfish.com/photolibrary/t_=48759635. they're not in the right order, because the website f-ed up the order, but you can see where i was.

so now i'm home.
but i thought i would do one last update about the last days in africa....
the greatest part of it would definitely be spending an entire day and night at anna's house. anna is one of the widows in the positive test club, and she invited barbara and i over. she has 6 children, and has adopted 2 who were orphaned by her her sister and brother. it was such a fun day. we colored, she showed me pictures, and we ate together. she showed me how to cook ugali and then how to eat it. ugali is basically boiled water plus flour. it's thicker than mashed potatoes and looks like them. you pick it up with your fingers and roll it into a ball. then we dipped it in the beans which we ate with it. it was amazing to see the family unit. the children are so disciplined and help out with chores. i watched a 10 year old use an ax to chop firewood for the outside wood-burning stove! we also sang songs together. they sang me some in swahili and sang to them in english. i sang mama cass's song "dream a little dream" and some gospel songs, too. i began to teach the children one of them. i slept there. they all sleep in 3 beds. i was in one with anna, pius (her youngest, who's 4), and ruthi (whom she adopted and is about 11). Another bed was shared by the twins, harry and harriet, and the oldest three who are 12, 13, and 16 shared a bed. it was such a fun time and the kids are all so sweet.
i did wake up sick the next day, and that was not all that fun, but it passed.
we've gotten a lot of work done on the website for the club. try checking it out at tumainipositivetestclub.org. i taught a few more english classes, which is so fun. on the last day we played simon says, and taught them "you are my sunshine."
another fun day was nane nane. that's the annual farmer's holiday that was held o tuesday, the 8th. in the morning we went to a fair in town, which sold and showcased different agricultural things. it was also like a market, with people selling things, plus there was a swings ride, and a little zoo area. the animals there, were so sad! there was a hyena in a cage literally the same size as it was. there was also a baboon in a cage the same size. plus, there were these boys who kept tapping or hitting the cages with sticks. while there, i held a hedgehog and a chameleon, which was cool, but i was mostly disgusted.
the afternoon of nane nane, cross cultural solutions played soccer against the positive test club. we lost 2:1. i did not play, because i'm afraid of the ball, but i did cheer. the club would get so excited when they scored. after the game, they were all so happy, and both teams turned into a mob of people hugging, shaking hands, congratulating. it was great. after the game, all of ccs went out for ice cream! it was a good day.
another thing was going to pete o'neils. he's a guy who was once a black panther in the us and was accused of carrying a gun across borders, so he moved to tanzania. he started a school where they teach different art and crafts, english and computers. he's been there for 30 years, and the school was awesome. every building and wall is a mural. pete is such a presence, and we had a group discussion with him and dinner there. he uses great euphemisms like, "that;s the biggest lie since the devil learned to talk!" while there, we saw a dance class that was going on and some of joined, and danced traditional african dances for half an hour.
my last night, we went to the bar next door for an african dancing show. it was pretty cool. there were 2 drummers, and one was so funny to watch--he just had the time of his life! i got pulled onstage to dance with a guy wearing a big mask. that was interesting...

so on thursday i left and had a long adventure coming home. every flight was delayed, and i missed my last one to LA, so instead of getting in at 6:30, i got to california at 10:30. it was long and tiring.
it was sad leaving and i could've used another week, but it's also nice being home. i've learned to appreciate so much, like sugar, the english language, hot running water, gas and electric stoves... it's strange being here, too. every one's white, and that's not weird! every inch of the city is developed and lit up! no stray dogs or hens. that was an unforgettable 3 weeks, and i've learned a lot. the best part of being home is family! (cheesy, yes), but it was great seeing my mom and sister at the airport. and tonight i'm back in my own bed in an air-conditioned house...i guess i could get used to that. but i'll always keep in mind what a luxury this life really is.
i guess i've given the moral of the story...

so now i've been here 2 weeks. how can i sum um 2 weeks??? this would be ridiculously long, so i'll just cover the main points.
i began my placement, which is at the tumaini positive test club. i'm there with an older woman from northern california, named barbara, who is one of the sweetest people you may ever meet! the club was started by a man named richard a few years ago, and we work with him and the chairman, emanuel. it's a group of people (now numbering greater than 100), who are hiv positive, as a support group and trying to relieve the stigma that goes along with being positive. they play soccer, showing others that on the surface you can't tell who's infected, and as a means for them to get exercise. they also have a choir, which is awesome! i taught them the songs "oh happy day" and "jesus is mine," which was fun.

barbara and i do a number of things with them:
twice a week we teach english, which is so much fun! they're all so eager to learn and pick it up quickly!
we also do home visits once a week with emanuel and richard. we've gone to a man's home who has been sick, but cannot afford medication. he lived in a small house with his daughter. there was no door, but a curtain, and no windows. we sat in the living room that's the size of my bathroom, and filled with some chairs with him. i noticed that the door that lead into the one other room (the bedroom) was only slightly taller than the man (named paul) when he was sitting. here, arv's are free for patients whose t-cell count is below 200 (meaning they already have aids), but treatment for opportunistic infections and diseases is not, and paul could not afford it. we also visited a few homes of families who had taken in orphans whose parents had died from aids. that was a very humbling day....
we are also working with the club on capacity building. we're looking to write a grant for them, as well as get a website started. they were all sooooo excited to hear that they would have a website!
we're also making a pamphlet to hand out to them about how to care for yourself when you are positive.
the people are great, and i've found that the best days i've had here have been when working. teaching is so much fun and every one is so sweet and appreciative. i only feel like there's so much to do still, but only a few days left!

other things i've been up to have been:
a day trip to arusha national park, which is kind of mini safari-esque. we saw some animals like giraffes, buffalo, blue and collobus monkeys, and this big bird eating some rodent! we also hiked to a waterfall and got quite close to buffalo in the process. that was pretty fun. i didn't really like driving around in a car, though and just looking at animals. i'd rather walk around and whatnot. turns out i'm not going to go on a safari now, because time and money won't allow, but i don't really mind that much. that day was sufficient.
i've also gone around the city of arusha which is crazy! the drivers here are crazy and it's really frightening! pedestrians do not have the right of way! people haggle you wherever you go to buy their paintings or jewelry, or just to give them money; these people will follow you...this=not fun!
yesterday we took a day trip to moshi, the next region over. we hiked down to a waterfall and three of us went in the water, which was cold! the other two (jenni and ryan) decided to go exploring up the river, but were gone for so long and every one was ready to go back up. therefore, i was sent as the search party and climbed over rocks and trees upstream and found them after about 15 or 20 minutes. this was quite a difficult task, and coming back wasn't much easier. yeah...pretty hard core!
i've also taken a day trip to a maasai village. the maasai are basically the only tribe left in tanzania that really sticks to their traditional practices. we went on a hike down a crater and toured their huts, called bodis. we met the elders and the head elders 7 wives. the children there surrounded us and got really excited about us taking pictures. we would take one, show them on the screen, and they'd all crack up. we danced and sang, and they put their traditional jewelry on for us to dance with them. i also "lost" my money there--it's possible that it fell out of my pocket, but i believe this pocket to be pretty secure. the best part of this day was watching a goat get slaughtered. ok, maybe not the best--i cried. basically, a man strangled it, then they cut it up and showed us how they portion it out. some of the people i was with tried the blood, and ryan ate goat testicles!

anyway, i think that's about all the major stuff. i am having a really great time. the best times are when volunteering and going around the city is not my cup of tea. i'm learning a lot, and everyday is a new experience and an adventure.

i'm in africa!
i left on my birthday, but on the plane ordered champagne, and the french man next to me got wine and we clinked (what little sound you can make with plastic cups). i spent a few hours in paris, just wandering around with my carry-ons (which isn't as fun as you'd think), then slept in a nook on the floor in the airport. in the ethiopian airport, i befriended an ethiopian man who was a security guard at the airport. he told me things about ethiopia and gave me his e-mail, so now i'll have a pen pal on the other side of the globe.
yesterday afternoon i arrived in tanzania and stayed in a hotel. today we came to the cross cultural solutions home base, which is basically a fort! the accomodations here are surprisingly nice. there is a shower head and running water, and only on tuesdays and fridays are there power issues, and those days i'd probably have to take a bucket shower. but the food is good, and being a vegetarian shouldn't be a problem.
today i went to a graduation of this tailoring school for girls whose families are affected with hiv and aids. they sang and danced, and a few guys rapped. there was a skit about aids and the district chairman was there and he spoke about aids. after they invited us to stay and have a soda with them.
later we went into the town down the street from us (tengeru). on the way to the market we stopped and kicked a ball around with a little boy and a little girl. today was market day, and it was packed with people selling clothes, pots, produce, etc. we were stopped numerous times by people asking for money. some gave us long stories telling us what they needed and why. others just assume we're rich and ask us for it. little kids would be really excited to see us, and say "mzungu," (white) or just smile at us and we'd say "jambo" (how's it going?). one woman stopped my friend and i and took us in each of her arms and kissed us on the our necks. she was asking for sugar and chai, but she only spoke swahili. (the language barrier is very frustrating). a little girl stopped and translated for us. we then spoke with the girl, whose name is esther, and she's 11. i asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up and she said, "the director of the school." i was walking with my friend ryan and the people who spoke to us always asked if we were brother and sister. we would tell them we're just friends, but that's pretty weird. men and women really only are seen together if they're married or are siblings.
one man stopped us and greeted us. he knew a bit of english and kept saying, "peace, love." we were about to go, but when we went to walk back he was walking with us. we tried to piece together words saying we have to go, but he barely spoke english and we barely speak swahili. he asked us to get a coke with him, and when we said we couldn't he asked me to go alone with him to get a soda. eventually we were able to go after we said we had no money.
when we got back ryan, another girl rachel, and i, sat and practiced our swahili. i already knew all the greetings, which is a start, but we learned numbers and some other phrases. i think "i don't understand" would have been very useful today.
i suppose that's about all. i've met new people and tomorrow am going to arusha national park. monday is orientation, and tuesday my first day of work. excuse any spelling errors, but i am not going to proofread this, because it is 1:30 in the morning.