Changes, challenges and chalk.

I arrived in Arusha after a long and dusty bus ride and lengthy border crossing from Nairobi. The journey resembled many taken across Africa and as always was characterised by long delays, sweating under the sun and bumpy uneven roads. Although I had visited Arusha three years ago my memory of the town was rather hazy. As we pulled into the main street I recognised a few sites and instantly felt a warm familiarity with the place I was to call home for the next three months. Tanzanian hospitality truly is a wonderful thing.
Upon reaching the bus stop I immediately picked out my companions at Food Water Shelter. There is something about an Aussie smile that you don’t miss and Sarah’s was a nice sight to see after eight hours in transit. I heaved my ridiculously oversized backpack onto the back of the ute with Amy and Hannah and got a quick briefing from Sarah and Mudi on the way back to the volunteer village. There I was greeted with yummy lentil patties for lunch and given a tour of the ‘vollage’. My room was much more luxurious then I had been expecting and I set about unpacking and making myself feel at home. My first bucket shower that evening was much appreciated after a long day on the road (it’s true- you do appreciate cleanliness so much more when you have to work for it!) and I slept blissfully under my mozzie net that night.
The weekend was spent getting to know the other volunteers who all made me feel very welcome and comfortable in my new surroundings. After three months of running around it was a nice change to be settled for a while. But come Monday I was ready to throw myself into the work. My first visit to Kesho Leo gave me impressions that I will never forget. I was astonished at the efficiency and sustainability of the village and very impressed with the cleverly designed buildings and layout of the project. The ability of Food Water Shelter to make use of every resource possible is one that I hope other communities can emulate.
Teaching with Hannah and Amy in the afternoons presented challenges I wasn’t expecting. Everything from relating to the younger kids to writing on the board legibly with chalk has been a test of my skills and patience! The children are gorgeous but have so much energy and I have found myself exhausted at the end of each afternoon. But every day I am learning something new and loving the experience. I have spent my evenings giving myself a crash course in Kiswahili in an attempt to catch up with the others as quickly as possible. But as with everything here it is a case of pole, pole!
I have loved my first fortnight here and found that the days fly by and every one presents a new challenge to meet head on. It’s fantastic to be part of such a great project and contribute to realising some of Food Water Shelter’s goals on the ground. Now if only I could find that mosquito in my room...

Kate Brooks