Ulifanya nini weekendi?

This past weekend we had a little weekend getaway to a place called Usa River (not USA river as we originally though:). Our friend, Melissa, who is also in our program is currently doing her internship there at a clinic (she is a nurse). Usa River is a little town about 30-40 minutes outside of Arusha and is in between Mt. Meru and Mt. Kilimanjaro. It is a little higher in elevation than Arusha so we experienced a little bit of fresh air, which was nice. To get there, you travel on the main road to the airport but eventually detour off to a much more bumpy and not so comfortable road. Luckily our driver, knew his way around and knew how to avoid most of the big potholes.

Melissa's house ( actually it is a couple from America's house that have allowed Melissa to stay with them) is very nice and located on the campus of the University of Arusha. The campus is surrounded by 5 villages with about 25,000 people. I really liked the way the houses were interspersed within the campus, made it fell more community oriented. We were actually visited by one of the village elders who came to check on Melissa because he knew she was staying there by herself.

A couple of big differences between Melissa's house and our apartment:
1. They house had a big kitchen which we actually utilized and prepared some great meals (we are not such bad cooks after all).
2. The shower was nice and hot and I did not have to rinse off with the spray nozzle. It was a "real" shower.
3. They have a washing machine!!! I actually got to wash a load of clothes although it did require a little extra work. You have to manually fill the washing machine with 3 big buckets of water and 2 more during the rinse cycle. It was better than hand washing though!
4. The house comes with dogs. I'm don't really do dogs but these dogs were really nice and well behaved so it wasn't bad.
5. Also in the kitchen we had access to alot of stuff we don't have at home like various spices, cheese and fresh eggs. I haven't eaten eggs since I have been here but did eat scrambled eggs this weekend (scrambled well with cheese, just like I like them). I also ate french toast, cinnamon toast, pasta with fresh vegetables, baked rosemary potatoes, and cookies (eunice's specialty).

While we were at Melissa's we also got to visit an orphanage where she has been volunteering. The kids are between the ages of 3-10 years and we spent about 2 hours playing with them. The kids are all from Tanzania and some have lost their parents while others parents are still alive but are unable to provide for them. I believe the orphanage was established by a German couple and they have put a lot of time and effort into making it a great place for the kids. The kids were all playing outside when we got there and invited us to join them. We played soccer, red light, green light and just ran around with them. I also hit them up with my ever famous "3 little bears" song that is always a hit with kids (apparently no matter what age or culture). They quickly got the hang of some of the words and the movements. It was a great experience to hear, see and feel the laughter of little children who despite their situation, really seemed to enjoy life and look forward to all it has to offer. They were such a joy to be around and I can still see the smiles on their faces as they played on the playground and invited us into their rooms to see their stickers and beds.

Other than eating, chillin with my crew and the kids, I also got a chance to relax and read this weekend which was also nice. I finished my book about the UN and I am starting another book about peacemakers throughout the world. This evening, since the power will be out, we are venturing to the cinema for the first time. Just like back home I have a bag of sweets to sneak into the movies with me thanks to my mom :) I got a package of German gummy bears and chocolate today that only took 2 weeks to get here. I am still waiting on packages from 2 of my other friends though that were sent about a month ago. I'm not giving up hope yet!