Passing through the doldrums

I've written a small blog each day since Monday....but keep forgetting to save!! The ups and downs keep coming but slowly we are assembling our lives here. R has risen from her chagrin at the thought of life here for 5 months and is ready to share with the world again - blog coming soon. Hats off to our eldest daughter who has determinedly blasted through this week. The other 2 are taking small steady steps to becoming accustomed to Tanzania life.

School this week has had sports day, football matches & parents day (same as our parents evening but the parents all just rock up during the day). The nuns had to persuade R not to participate in too many races - fearing sunstroke & dehydration with athletics in the equatorial afternoon sun. She came 2nd in the 200m sprint and pulled off a 3 legged race too (must be all the practice she did with her BF for her sponsored 5mile 3 legged walk before we came, raising money for the Holy Family School). We had a good giggle on parents day looking through exam papers - she & L got dropped into end of term exams on their first week - both of them were a bit put out at being marked wrong on their English papers, when they were indeed right. I couldn't work out the answers for their social studies paper, nor most of their music. The science papers were interesting, impressed R knew modes of transmission for HIV, and maths was impressive - algebra is not on the cards back home yet. 

 

I have managed some work this week, now feeling comfortable leaving girls with our housekeeper. Made my first forays onto the hospital wards to review palliative inpatients. There's a lot of very late stage  gynae cancers here - pretty grim stuff with horrendous fistulas & abscesses. I feel very handicapped without the nuances of language to rely on - but I can interpret so much from the tone of voice & body language of the palliative care nurse H who is fantastic. Her main challenge is getting patients access to regular pain relief, as even if it's written up, the nursing staff infrequently give it. We're planning some training sessions for  the hospital medical staff & students. 

Our home routine has blossomed with the addition of daily rituals and school friends popping by after school. We're looking forward to a rerun of pudding night on Monday. Dance night on Tuesday had to be rescheduled due to the witching hour. Wednesday games night was hilarious - thanks to the MC family for the suggestion of the adverb game (brilliant). 'Aunty' S joined us & taught us an alternative version called the psychiatrist ( though I'm left wondering if my children need one of their own, what with the themes they chose!). Further details can be disclosed if required! We also had out first successful Tanzanian supper for all of us from Mama Africa....B ate something other than just pasta....cue fireworks & champagne corks. The meal in question we shall now need to eat every week - chapatis & beans - yum. 

Last but not least, movie night - upgraded with great oven skills to pizza & movie night.

L& B kneading our pizza dough

After school playdates

So here we are on Friday, 3 weeks from our arrival, and I have more than a glimmer of hope that this family can not only stick this out, but perhaps enjoy it as well...…

Loving our email & WhatsApp correspondence with news from home...keep them coming x

Things I am getting used to..

How quickly the strange becomes normal. I must capture the things that make me look twice....before I forget!

Taxis running out of fuel....twice this week. Learnt his lesson today & stopped to fill up with my fare money before leaving town!
Taxis also feeling like they might just fall apart on every bump...most of them have handles & bits missing.

The rubbish dump in the centre of town....just a massive heap which gets trawled through for plastic bottles. These are stacked up in huge nets for reuse. Our house rubbish I now realize gets put in a hole in the garden. We have a compost hole but still terrifying the waste we produce. Have at least converted our housekeeper to using our shopping bags instead of getting new plastic bags each time. Plastic is strewn everywhere here

.

The stacks of chicken basket cages piled up by the rubbish dump.

The row of coffin makers next to the fish market....choice of regal purple covered or plain wood. They also make beautiful wooden beds.

The few Masai people selling their traditional wares ......elegant leather sandals & intricate beadwork.....need to sneak there on my own for some Xmas shopping. They themselves are taller, leaner, darker & elegant.

The feel of sweat slowly trickling off the backs of my knees.....no 'glowing' here!

The flour shops...each with small mill inside and sacks heaped along the store front.
Endless mobile phone kiosks...where you top up data.
The constant calls of bibi (miss) from the motorbike boys...all hoping you want a ride.
The ladies selling dried fish or deep frying chips on the top of barrels.

The sound of dawn...when the cacophony of bird & bat calls (which start at 5) get overtaken by the human onslaught of loud party music (who gets to choose, I want to know, it comes blasting from beyond the railway), motorbikes revving....all preceded by the mosque call at 4am. How the rest of my family sleep through it is astounding. 

The style of women's clothing.....so varied, according, I assume to religious background, though all fairly conservative. Fitted dresses (surely so hot) large floaty dresses (fear I would resemble a curtain) and then all the kangas (strips of cloth) which many wear over their skirts. Lots of head wear too. I am consumed by the desire to photograph all these every day details but I am wary of causing offence.

Dirty red feet...shoes or not...they are always filthy. The red dust is insidious..coating the floors and walls. We keep thinking of painting our rooms to freshen things up but I suspect they would rapidly revert to orange stained.

Tiny ants....eugh...I keep forgetting that the slightest hint of sugar and they arrive. If the bread is left on the side, or dregs of juice in a glass then  they are soon swarming.

Actually it seems there is still rather a lot which I am taking in...but now 3 weeks since our arrival.

Ruth: Stuff

Hi!!! Ruth's back!!!

Sorry I've not blogged for like ages, but I have got an excuse. Apparently I've just been through what's called the doldrums period. It's basically something that when you arrive somewhere very different to what you're used to, you get all excited but then sometimes the evil doldrums period can happen. It's when after the excitement of arriving is over you kind of gave a bit of break down because after all, it actually seems all rubbish and everything seems wrong. But that is not what I'm blogging today about , I think it'd be much more interesting than what we've been up to during my 'break down' and when I talk about it, it all seems far from rubbish! But before I talk about any of that I HAVE TO talk about what happened today, at the time it seemed like THE FUNNIEST THING IN HISTORY so hopefully you will at least find it slightly amusing!! So let's actually get to the point, we've discovered that all the school meals don't actually take to my fancy. Even the ones that taste nice, because there aren't enough plates for everyone in the school so once you've finished your lunch you you have to give your cutlery and plate in then some students on washing duty just give them a quick rinse to get any left over food off then they get given to the next person. Starting to see what I mean? So recently (since this Monday) I've been taking in my own packed lunch ,aka a jam sandwich, and eating it in Sister G's security's office. But this lunch at least 10-15 of her cats, she has a lot of cats, last time she counted she had 20 but that was 5 years ago now and her cat family has probably extended greatly now, just happened to be in the room. And when they saw me with food they all crowded round my chair in a big circle meewing their heads off. It was quite annoying actually. But now the funny part comes,1 of the cats  braved jumping on to the desk  once the others noticed they all jumped up. The secretary then chased them out of the room with a stick, but then they chased her back. Finally they all ran into sister G's office and jumped on her in the middle of her meeting!!!! On her lap, her shoulders and even on her head 😂

Modes of transport...

B spent bedtime extolling the virtues of motorbikes.....they are everywhere here: cheaper than a car and faster than a bicycle. Barely a helmet in sight though and scarily jammed with people. M saw a small girl fall off the back of one - must be a high motorbike death rate. According to B's observations people use them not only for transport but to sleep on, eat on, use as seating and instead of donkeys!
I am having my own transport bemusement as my taxi has just run out of fuel....the driver has gone with half my fare (£1.50) to get some more....

Ready to greet her fans...

and two steps back...

Ah yes, totally predictable but I needed to chop myself in half today!
B wanted to go to school, but only if I stayed with her and she could just sit in the library and play cards with one of the teachers. L had earache and didn't want to go at all. R on the other hand filled herself a 1.5L bottle of water in preparation for sports day and launched herself into a hot day of athletics plus egg & spoon races. We are now sending her with bread & butter and a hard boiled egg to slip off and eat at lunchtime.
This mummy felt torn in all directions, but soothed by the wisdom of Sister G who reminded me that we are only in our 3rd week and that after 20 years here she still sometimes finds herself wondering how she has found herself living in the medieval period. Give it time and patience, she says.
We attempted further baking, but the proportions of ingredients just seem to be wrong here and the erratic oven was no friend. B's lovely looking cupcakes tasted mainly of baking powder. Simple recipes for plain flour, baking powder, eggs, marge or oil please.....
I did manage to find some self validation as something other than just mum with a teaching session this afternoon. M made sure he came back in time to swap with me, and it has given me hope that we can juggle this together.
I have agreed to mentor the CO (clinical officer) in the hospice along with some of the Tanzanian medical students. I hadn't realised that as well as nursing school they also train approx. 60 medical students who all live in a hostel behind the hospital. It's a complicated tiered training system which I'm still trying to understand. But essentially, you can train for 3 years following A levels to be a clinical officer (first line clinicians who see everyone who comes through outpatients; they can either treat & send home, admit or refer to a specialist clinic). The specialist clinics and wards are run by MD's (medical doctors) and AMO's (Assistant medical officers). The MDs to traditional 5 years medical school, the AMO's are CO's who after working for 2 years go on to do a further 2 year course. Complicated, isn't it! But now I appreciate that the guy I'm mentoring, who runs most of the hospice clinics, is approximate to a fourth year medical student in the UK. Looking forward to helping him in some clinics.
Enough of the information overload...I shall finish with a smile as I think of my trip this evening, before dusk with B to the mini supermarket across town (the one with air-con). I have walked through the streets with R & L separately and both drew a fair amount of attention. But walking with B was like what I imagine trying to go around town with a movie star would be like!! Everyone wanted to stop to talk to her, shake her hand, asking for photos...it was like reverse tourism. She was a royal in training, very gracious despite being smeared with  ice cream(our secret), and using her full complement of Kiswahili greetings, of which there are many!

One step forward...

Hooray! Today has been a resounding success...well for most things.
Not the water tank (which has had partial success and filled a small amount...though likely not enough for showers).
Not pudding night, for which the ancient oven bears most of the blame. R had put herself forward to be first chef and having spotted an electric hand whisk, decided on meringues. Having finally managed to separate enough eggs (very fragile yolks here), the whisk made no efforts at life (despite the surgeons attempts at resuscitation) and she commenced hand whisking. Impressively the egg whites eventually became soft peaks and we carefully placed them on the lowest possible heat in the oven. Aiming for a good 90mins slow cooking we popped out to collect our new skirts. Sadly half an hour was too much and the diligence of R was put to waste. So no sugary treats for supper....other than the ubiquitous juicy pineapple.
Nor our new Tanzanian skirts, which although beautiful are rather fitted and not as floaty as we hoped. R pointed out that this may have something to do with our very vague directions for a skirty:  skirt shaped picture & the word skirty! Need to enlist a translator on our next dressmaking visit - in the meantime we have vowed to study all the passing women in the hope of improving our style ideas.
But I now realise that I have listed rather a lot of non successes! So the BIG success was B managing a whole morning at school (admittedly with me around for most of it). I was handed her class for the morning with the only instructions being to teach whatever I liked! B looked on askance as I launched into Old Macdonald had a farm, and the children couldn’t believe their luck at the crazy Mzungu (white) lady. We covered a lot of animals and noises, but it threw them when I suggested they drew a few pictures of their favourite farm animals. They mainly copy from their teacher rather than draw from their own imaginations. I then used the chance to introduce B properly and got them to think of questions to ask her. She felt confident enough to wander round the classroom asking them in return...and they all spent the rest of the time writing down their information. Pinched a few St James’ First School tips on classroom management and feel like I didn’t do too badly without prior warning.
Either way, has broken the ice for B. That and discovering the school library with the smiling faced librarian, a Tanzania Miss Honey who engaged her for a whole lesson just when her spirits were sagging. Think we have negotiated a mummy free morning tomorrow......though I am prepared for the 2 steps back.
I even made it in to the hospice for a short period this afternoon to get started on some training. So watch this space...
Plus the girls have adopted a surrogate Aunty, with the multi talented S who is staying in the house next door until March before she heads off as a mature student to start medical school. She’s here volunteering in the hospital lab through a church linked charity. Turns out having a non parent adult on tap is just what the girls need to let off steam. She has been so open to them popping round to the house she is staying in and they can’t get enough of her stories and drawing.
Now if I can just learn to sleep through all the noises at night like the rest of my family......

A slice of paradise

Thank you for the moral boosting supportive messages we have had in response to our last blogs. It's proving very therapeutic to offload our thoughts + feelings, and all the more beneficial for the lovely feedback.
24hrs of restorative time in a place called paradise (peponi in kiswahili) has put the smile back on faces.
I splashed out on a taxi for me & the girls for a Friday morning getaway. Just what we needed....they have barely left the sea/ pool and are in heaven with a dog for the weekend who trails them non stop.
Think I stand a chance of persuading them all that the next 4.5months are worth it if we can have weekends like this!
Last weekend's relief of sea in Tanga was fantastic but this has blown our minds.
A beach resort made up of bandas (traditional thatched cottages) amidst the shade of coconut palms and other trees with the deliciousness of a sea breeze. There are hammocks and tyre swings hung in enticing spots, the white beach is at our feet and the Indian Ocean is warm. We watched the local fishermen hoist sail at sunrise in their dhows and wonder at what point they will return.
There are 6 other guests (it's low season) who are a mixture of Canadian & European travellers seeking reprieve from winter for 3-4weeks. The girls were complemented on the harmonious sound of children playing (as opposed to screeching) so hoping that lasts for the weekend! Water and the freedom to wander certainly helps.
I spent the afternoon reading...and we waited for bated breath for M to find his way here just as night fell. He had to wait for a puncture to be fixed. Bit too close to dark for comfort as the last half journey was dirt track with deep puddles from the recent rain. The next few weeks will have plenty of showers for the short rainy period. Cooler for a bit too I think.
We've had some constructive family discussions as to how to 'enjoy' our week days. The girls have suggested some rituals....a bit like we would have Friday movie night back in the UK. So I think we're on for pudding night, dance night, games night & movie night (courtesy of my laptop and good 'old fashioned' dvds). That and mixing up some African school with home school.
Time to lift my eyes back up to the shimmering horizon, framed by my shady palm shelter. Shall drag the girls from the water soon for some shade time....but first some moments for me.....the sea is such a healing place to rest beside.

Reality kicks in...

It was inevitable that we would run out of excitement and reach the 'why are we here?' phase and 'please can we go home?'.

I think I was fairly accurate in my predictions for that being in week 2.....here we are 2 weeks from our arrival in Tanzania and I'm questioning what on earth made me uproot us from our perfectly lovely middle class English lives and stick us here (emotional children at bedtime).

Good question really....
I'm getting what I was after; which is a challenge for all of us, putting us out of our comfort zones, forcing far more time together without digital relief. Wanting to put something good back into the world...M currently achieving this....I have stagnated on motherly duties. It's far more dramatic being a surgeon and saving lives/training others to save lives.. but we did agree that before he came that he would get on with doing this. I (as most of you know) will only be able to throw myself into things once I've reassured myself that the children are settled....terrible guilt complex. I have managed to set up palliative care training to start next week for the current clinical officer (plus any other interested hospital staff) in the hospice with the aim of mentoring him over the coming months.

Reasons we are wobbling:
R & I have both been feeling rubbish the last few days, so much so that Mark brought back a malaria quick test kit for her yesterday (negative result- phew!). Hopefully her preteen resistance to parental guidance on mosquito avoidance will now diminish. I suspect we picked something up on the plane and add in the heat means we've felt wiped out.
Plus a few days of just being in our house as no school most of the week....home schooling has been more successful than predicted... but the heat means we have been far less active than at home and I think cabin fever is setting in.
And the reality of school being pretty boring - lots of rote learning and long periods sitting still.
Getting used to a housekeeper being around much of the day (that feeling of always being on show) and lots of coming and goings of people to the house.
Girls missing their lovely friends (me too!!)
And it's just so hot!!!!

Solutions:
A) all come home
B) pull our socks up, stop fretting about school/work and do whatever works for us all
C) go on a lovely weekend break to Peponi (Kiswahili for heaven)
D) give ourselves a few more weeks and work out how to survive the weekdays

So...currently working with B, C & D......I am taking the girls tomorrow morning to the coast & M will join us in the afternoon in the hospice car for the weekend.

Diligent school girls..

In case any teachers are following us.....YES maths books are fun and a welcome afternoon activity sitting under the fan!

Instead of house rabbits we have geckos

This is our biggest resident gecko having lunch (I may stand corrected by any zoologists out there...not sure whether it counts as a lizard). He's about 4inches long - probably because he feasts on large cockroaches!

Hitting the shops...

Retail therapy is certainly hot here! Think I might've overdone it yesterday with 2 outings into town.
The first with R to try one of the many seamstresses in town. Our housekeeper recommended one just after the Masai ladies and before the market. Amazingly we found her just in time to escape a torrential downpour (When it rains we might as well go outside to shower!!) R cringed as I tried out my limited Kiswahili much to the shop ladies amusement. We think we have ordered R a skirt (skirty)....will have to wait until the weekend to see if that is what we get! R is very conscious that the girls are all in below knee skirts like the older women.
L then took me on a 2ND trip to the small supermarket on the main road which she has been to with M. Impressive navigation on her part across town, both of us dripping in sweat. We were rewarded with a very long look round the tiny supermarket in the air-con. We may have to go on regular lengthy browsing trips!

Mosquito proofing

Feeling a bit under the weather today with a sore throat and it's been very hot.
No school or work as it's a public holiday for Malidi day (Islamic). Though all the shops are still open and the hospital workmen turned up to replace all the window netting.
The windows are all glass slats which work like Roman blinds. Outside they are covered with metal bars, then a wide metal mesh and finally a fine netting. 
We have been puzzling over why there are quite so many creepy crawlies, and frustratingly mosquitoes, in this house. Last night there was a swarm of flying termites who crept in under the door and any crack they could find. M spent a good hour finishing them off with my flip flops. Became very apparent there were some big gaps in the netting which we hadn't spotted. The girls have been banished under their mossie nets every evening so far.
Very pleasing to have the new netting in place. Think I shall do a good treatment with bug spray and then hopefully we can keep the insects sealed outside.
On the water front, we have a small amount in our tank this week. Several blue overalled men stood around scratching their heads yesterday as the town water supply came on and once again our tank didn't fill. But we seem to have finally found the answer in that one of the pipes to our house had been turned off.... too late to rectify this week but fingers crossed for next!

The pineapples delivery bike!

World's biggest pineapple?

Just been delivered by a friend of Dr K & R who cycled all day on his hand propelled bicycle (he has no use of his legs due to polio as a child) to visit us. He brought oranges last week...all from his farm about 10km away (I think). He accepts no money, though I think we help with bicycle repairs in exchange at some point.

Daily grind....

So it turns out that moving to a different continent doesn't mean you leave behind the every day life stuff! I did know that really, but I think part of me thought maybe I wouldn't have to do the usual chivvying to brush your teeth, put your shoes on, we're going to be late....etc Ha...in fact I've just added to the list with suncream/ mosquito spray/ changing into long clothes/ drinking enough.....depending on the time of day. Trying to cut us all some slack as we're all still getting used to the heat, noisy nights and the hubbub of life in Africa.
Just walking down the road by our house is an assault on the senses: the motorbike boys all waiting for customers from the hospital to give lifts to, the house opposite which sells water & fizzy drinks, where a boy in R's class lives, the crowd of relatives waiting in the shade for visiting hours so they can bring meals to patients and do their daily care; all this just on the doorstep.
This road just leads to the hospital and the rest of it is free from buildings so it's a relatively peaceful 100m on tree lined dirt track down to town. There the stalls start up with fruit & veg, plastic buckets, chips, chapati, dried fish leading to the railway line. The train track seems to be a path in its own right...a direct route to people's homes..busier with pedestrians than trains. Apparently there are now only freight trains running....not sure what happened to the passenger ones. They certainly make it clear when their coming through....the loud blast of noise starts well before their arrival.
I have ventured to the market but have yet to explore the other streets. Tomorrow I'm planning on finding a dressmaker for the girls...they are very conscious their skirts feel too short here.  That and finding girls pants......having joked I'd forget someone 's I did....R is short changed!!

R's first week at Tanzanian school

Hi it's Ruth here. It's been a really busy week so not managed to do my blog sooner.

Highlights of my week: getting to know everyone at school, receiving all the lovely notes from my classmates and little presents from them, learning their clapping games, going to Tanga this weekend & swimming in the sea & swimming pool. Having delicious food om Tanga and a proper shower.

Lows of my week: some of the school lunches, having to look after my little sister at lunch break when she has been crying, when the power runs out, and the house running out of water so we can’t have showers, have to use a jug of water to wash hands.

When I walked into school on Monday I don’t know what I expected, but I do know it was very different from anything I had imagined. It was kinda terrifying, I was hoping it would be Lottie or Beth who got taken to their classroom first but it was me.  Everyone turned round to stare. The chairs and desk made a massive screeching sound when I sat down and I wasn’t really sure what to do! There were a few tests to start with that I didn’t take part in, like Swahili. Then it was break time, so I just sat there wondering what my first move should be, until all the girls rushed over and dragged me out the door. They all surrounded me, unsure what to do with me, until one of the girls, Esther offered to give me a tour of the school. (I’d already had a tour with SG but I said yes anyway). Her tour was actually way cooler than Sister G as she told me loads more detail & introduced me to the teachers. Since then Esther has been my go to person.

Lunch: on Monday was ok, rice & beans (which I managed), Tuesday was cassava, which was disgusting. I think I got a really bad piece which was like a hard slice of white parsnip with some vegetables to go with it, so I said to my friends that I’d had a big breakfast and didn’t eat it. Think I’ll take a packed lunch on Tuesday from now on. Wednesday I can’t really describe, round lumps of slightly chewy stuff which Esther brought in sugar to put on top – was really delicious. Thursday was Ugali, which lots of people call stiff porridge. It’s kind of rubbery, if you push it it just springs back up and it looks like little balls. There was papaya with it (which I don’t really like) but tasted delicious compared to the ugali. Friday was cassava again ☹. So packed lunches on Tuesday, Thursday & Friday. Luckily there’s only school on Monday & Wednesday this week – Tuesday is an Islamic religious holiday and on Thursday/Friday some of the years have national exams, but not mine.

Exams: I did some of the school exams this week, maths, English, science & music. I did try the history of Tanzania exam but I had no idea about any of the answers. On the maths test (though I haven’t got my score yet) the questions were pretty easy, but one or two were really confusing as I didn’t really understand what they were asking. The English exam I got an A on (84%) – but the reason I didn’t get 100% was that their multiple choice answers were incorrect, so I added the correct answer!

Getting to school: I would have liked to have got the school bus, but mum & dad aren’t sure how safe it is, and I would have to get on it at 6.30am. At the moment I’m only just managing to get up at 6.30! The hospital has kindly lent us their car, so the driver Emmanuel picks us up at 7.15 & then gets us at the end of the day (3pm). We’d quite like to try getting the bus home one day as it does stop right outside our house. 

Word of the day: Shikamoo - doesn't really have a meaning - it's a respectful greeting to your elders. They reply marahaba (sounds like mother hubbard).

Our weekend ride..

Spot the monkeys..

Think we've earnt it...

It's been a long hard week....seems a lifetime ago we were having our first day in Muheza!
I'm lying now in a room with air-con, having washed my hair and flushed a toilet: think we've earnt a few little luxuries....we decided to stay overnight in Tanga this weekend. It's less than an hour away and I suspect we'll be visiting rather a lot. 2ND largest port in Tanzania...we drove in past large cement factories and sisal plantations: 2 biggest exports. With some excellent navigation and without knocking anyone off their motorbikes we found the supermarket, cash machine & most importantly the yacht club for a swim & lunch. By which point it was a little too close to getting dark and driving in the dark is a big NO. Thought we'd try the Lutheran hostel which, although basic has filled all our requirements with the bonus of friendly staff joining in our evening card games and free range monkeys.
Need to get us a decent coolbox...splashed out on some cheddar but don't think much else would survive sweating in the car for long. We've been generously given free rein to borrow the hospice car at weekends which opens up so many options to us. The hospital driver looked askance when he realised I was going to be driving it, though I have let M have the first test drive.
Kids all survived first week...turns out ugali & cassava are NOT their favourites. B has needed me in school with her, but we seem to have broken the ice with making friends so hopefully we can build on it in the coming weeks. They've been playing football and marbles after school with the neighbourhood kids and I can't really work out how we fitted in any after-school clubs or TV back in the UK as the time just disappears. We've had plenty of grumpy moments, and I've certainly not lost the rush of the school run...just now we have to be leaving the house at 7.15...worse! Girls have all voluntarily suggested they go to bed earlier!!
M carrying big weight of responsibility this week...read his blog: the surgeons musing. A weekend of fun is certainly what we all needed...

The fabulous sewing nun

R got fitted for the year 4 plus uniform...whizzed up by super smiley nun in the convent....she does all the habits and school uniforms. L will need hers for the new school year in January when she moves up to standard 4

Grubby feet...

So we all know B spends most of her life looking like she's just been sweeping a chimney....but add in red African dirt and it's spectacular. Takes a lot if scrubbing!
We seem to spend a large proportion of the evening pouring jugs of cold water over our children....not for the night's entertainment...but because the house water tank is empty so we've been brought a few tubs of water for washing/cooking. The town's water supply turns on once a week to fill the house tanks....but it didn't fill this week, nor last, so we ran out of water on Monday. And it's a technique the girls have yet to master on their own.
Certainly makes us very conscious how much water our household uses....we tried filling the loo cistern to see how much it uses...5 jugs!! I can wash B entirely using 2....
Looking forward to finding a swim & a shower in Tanga this weekend.....heading there for a big shop

Time for some work

How privileged I am to arrive in a new country and immediately be welcomed into the hearts of people's homes & lives. I've often thought one of the most special things about being a doctor is sharing in the greatest and most fundamental events of other's lives. Both the start of life and the end. I go from being a total stranger to someone privy to deepest secrets and intimate family times.
Two days in and I have waited at the bedside of an old dying man, sat on the floor of a 'mud' hut with the grieving family bereaved of their 23yr old granddaughter, examined people on their mat floors and driven miles along bumpy red dirt tracks.
It is a beautiful countryside, full of orange trees, coconut palms and the steep rise of the Eastern Usambara mountains. I have quickly learnt to shikamoo (respectful greeting to your elders) and finish a consultation with polle (sorry for your problem/troubles/ill health).
It is tempting just to keep being driven round the fascination of village life...chickens, goats, children toing & froing from school but I have promised my self to sit in on the various clinics so that I know what is on offer in the hospital and how things run. They are very keen to put me to work in the hospice and I think it will suit my skills well.

Noisy neighbours

Problem with living in the countryside back home is I'm used to a nice quiet night. R wondered if we lived in London whether it would be less of a contrast but I think it's all the noisy bats and crickets on top of motorbikes, loud music and the mosque call to prayers that do it...our house is surrounded by these heavily laden trees.

We all survived....

I arrived to collect the girls just as they were finishing assembly....all in 1 piece and successful negotiations of toileting arrangements! Overall positive but understandably overwhelmed by all the attention, especially B who was 'stroked' beyond the limits of her tolerance. And they ate lunch!!
So did I have a leisurely day of lounging....of course not, though it was tempting to hide myself away. We all went to the hospital meeting at 7.30 to introduce the family to everyone, then the hospital driver took the girls & me to school whilst M got sucked into clinical duties. I ducked home to meet our housekeeper, Mama Africa (that's what she has told the girls to call her). I think we managed to work out what each other wanted. Most importantly she helped me replenish loo roll. So mum duties, tick, house duties, tick...work duties deserve a post of their own....put it this way, emotional overload for us all today!

School starts today

They're in...I'm a complete jelly....they all swanned in! School exams today so they've been excused the Kiswahili & history of Tanzania papers! Mark disappeared off into theatres....so I'm on my own to sort myself out now....

The First Sunday

Sunday evening and all a little nervous at what Monday will bring.
First day at school & work...and I still vague as to what I shall be spending my time doing. Frankly, my head isn't really in Doctor space right now, far more a tummy full of butterflies for the girls' start at school. They all seem to be more excited than nervous, but I'm feeling more anxious than any of their previous first days at school. Hoping I'm a serene mama on the outside!
We visited SG (as R has dubbed her) at the convent today - a peaceful haven of flowered gardens and an equally haven like school. I suspect it is the opposite of calm once filled with 600 children.

They start school aged 7 in Tanzania, so B technically should be going to the preschool, but SG has thoughtfully suggested she go into Standard 1 so that she will be in the same building as her sisters for lunch & playtimes. She's going to be negotiating long drop squat toilets, school exams on her first day and ugali for lunch; she's made of tough stuff that girl, but even I find negotiating dry knickers on a long drop tricky!!
The hospital car has kindly agreed to be their school transport for the first week or so, until we have a chance to check out the school bus (which even SG has her qualms about). I should mention (as I don't think I have already) is a Welsh Catholic nun. We couldn't have wished for a more welcoming headmistress to put us all at our ease - though by self admission she says she has a fierce bark.
The girls are ready to start counting cats....SG thinks 20...we suspect more with the number of kittens in her office....of which these are just a few....

Orange season

Hooray.....inundated with fruit....it's orange season & obviously we have a juicer!

Home sweet home?

The inevitability that diary (blog) writing comes last on the list is even more so with 3 children in tow. A little more bedtime supervision is required to remember things like not to use the tap water to brush teeth, if its yellow let it mellow, how to have a cold shower, tucking in mosquito nets (for the 5th time after we've remembered everything!).
Here we are a whole 24hrs into our stay in our new African home and I am finally making myself sit down to put some of my jumbled mind on 'paper'.
Our long long journey already feels a distant memory - still quite stunned that after 24hrs on planes, that first wall of heat, a first night trying to find essentials like torches in the darkness of a power cut, having to wake up and take malaria tablets again, that our children then continued on their stoical acceptance of 8hrs with 4 of us girls wedged into the back of a van (and yes daddy did get the front seat). Admittedly we had 1 hr of sobbing from the smallest person who woke from sleep completely confused as to why she was crammed into 3 inches of space, but miraculously, rather than scream at her and throw her from the moving vehicle, her sisters somehow coached her back to laughter. If moving to Tanzania for 5 months does nothing else than bring us sisterly bliss, then bring it on!
Oh alright, they haven't been total angels, but pretty close in the team building stakes.
Images, thoughts, come to fast for me to assemble; such a rollercoaster of emotions we have been through - veering swiftly from relief at being marshalled through our first assault on the senses by our friendly hospital taxi man, to the realisation that there is absolutely nothing we can do to 'blend in' as we take our first tentative solo steps onto the streets of Muheza,
We are mostly unpacked, compiling lists of how to make this place feel more like home, getting used to the nightly ritual of pulling down the mosquito nets. Definitely should have done more food preparation as I have to confess the nursery staples of spag bol, macaroni, fish fingers & sausages are most certainly not on the menu.
A thank you to Dr K & R, our lovely mentors who linked us with this place for the top tip of stopping at the supermarket in Dar for a few basic supplies. Our housekeeper greeted us with soup & bread (thank heavens the girls eat soup; shim family specialty is 'random' soup, aka whatever mum finds dying at the bottom of the fridge, the predecessor of which is the Stephens' family specialty of Lake soup, origin Malawi). However I need to work out vegetarian cooking and fast - so any of you with simple, kid friendly dishes please send me your thoughts. Our staple ingredients will be tomatoes, onions, carrots, cucumber, okra, eggs, lentils, dried kidney beans & fruit in abundance.
I risk rambling far too long and should really take myself to bed......fingers crossed for a better night ahead now everyone more settled in their beds x

Ruth: First day here

Today was all an adventure! Everything is so different and new. We all get stared at a lot but not in an unfriendly way everyone's just interested and we are the only white children here since years and years ago! Our neighbors are quite friendly there are two children a boy of 8 and a girl of about 16. We went to see SG ( the headteacher of the Holy Family School- the school we are attending) this evening so she could give us a tour of the school but unfortunately she was out in Tanga- hopefully we'll see her tomorrow instead. If we were to get the school bus in the morning we would have to get up super early in order to catch it at 6:30 (3:30 English time)!
Will keep updating,
Ruth!!!!😃😃😊😊😊😁😁😁😜😜😜😝😝😝😉😉😉😎😎😎☺☺☺😀😀😀

WORD/ WORDS/ PHRASE OF THE DAY: Twiga

MEANING: Giraffe
( My toy giraffe is called Twiga)!!

Ruth: We have arrived!!!

We have arrived!!!! Finally we have arrived!!! Not just in Tanzania but at our house!! Last night Juma drove us from the airport to a B+B were we stayed for the night. But this morning was the best part, I went outside to the part of the B+B's garden where there were lots of trees to look for monkeys because apparently the monkeys like the fruit there so they come a lot, but........... I didn't see any monkeys although I did spot a blue scorpion it scuttled right past me - bright blue I couldn't believe it!!! - I was more fascinated than scared, since it was soooooooooooooo cool!!!
Write back soon,
Ruth!!!!!!! 😃😃😃😊😊😊😄😄😄😁😁😁😜😜😉😉😉😝😝😝😎😎😎😀😀😀☺☺☺

WORD/WORDS/PHRASE OF THE DAY: 1) Jambo - 2) Hujambo - 3) Sijambo

MEANING: 1) hello - 2) hello - 3) hello

Confused yet?
Well confusion sorted. - What I mean is ,yes, they all mean hello but 1) Is the word hello, (example: You were talking about the actual word hello not using it as a greeting then you would say jambo) 2) is the greeting hello, ( You came up to someone and greeted them you would say Hujambo) and 3) is the response hello. (Someone greeted you with hello you would respond as cejambo)
Understand yet? Hopefully you do. And just incase, yes they sound as they're written.

AFRICA

Waking up to different noises & smells. Not quite there yet but the girls have made it to the African Continent for the first time! Flying in over Zanzibar, turquoise sea below, then the sprawling Dar es Salaam suddenly felt overwhelming. But we negotiated through visas & customs far more smoothly than in the UK.
So much to write but for now need to wake up sleeping children (surely there's a rule against that) and get going for the 6he drive ahead.
But it wasn't a dream and 5 months of Tanzania stretch ahead....

Changing planes in Doha

Think this just about sums it up @3am GMT....crazy long journey

Last call...

Made it....but only just...last call to the plane. Our lives are packed into 5 bags down to the last Lego man's gram. Goodbye UK...we're off. Thank you all for getting us here. We'll miss you but adventure here we come!

Bags packed, ready go....

Ruth:1 hour until we leave

Sooooooooo exciting!!!!! Only 1h until the taxi 🚕 comes to drop us off at the airport and everything is manic!!!! Mum + Dad are busy sorting out our luggage because turns out ( not surprisingly ) that our baggage is to heavy. As well as as all that there’s now the annoying fact that we have to take are Malaria tablets, 3 a day for me 2 for sisters just ‘cause I’m older - come on!🙄 Also ( To miss c ) I finished Viking boy yesterday, it was really good - especially the fight at the end, which book 📖 is next on the list???  And, just some more about the flight, WE HAVE TO GET OFF AT 3 O’CLOCK IN THE MORNING!!!!! - What about my beauty sleep 💤!!?!😭😭😭Lol😉
Will keep writing ✍️,
Ruth!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!😜😜😜😜😀😀😀😃😃😄😄😄😁😁😁😆😆😆😆🙂🙂🙂🙂😉😉😉😉😋😋😋😝😝😝😝😜😜😜😜🤪🤪🤪🤪😎😎😎😏😏😏

WORD\PHRASE OF THE DAY: Habari gauni
MEANING: How are you
(Spelt as it sounds- as usual)

How many bags have we packed?

Hours since girls left home: 10; Bags packed: 0; Style of packing: more surgical precision than supermarket sweep; Stuff spread round house: a LOT; Chocolate fingers found in cupboard & consumed: undisclosed.

The girls are leaving home....

Yes...they're off on the first leg of the journey. We follow in 48hrs after what surmounts to a travel version of supermarket sweep...as we stuff things madly in bags and try to leave our house in a liveable state for our lovely house sitter!

Time to empty the bathroom cabinet....

Here starts the packing....now wondering if I should've started sooner!!
Somehow feels better spreading things out on the bed but I fear it's just a delaying tactic for  actually putting stuff in bags.
And I still don't know what my baggage allowance is....do I go with BA hand baggage total allowance of 46kg or Qatar airways 7kg??? They both keep telling me conflicting things.
Catch 22 on the extra charitable allowance request (for donated hospital kit)...BA says yes if it was their plane, Qatar says yes if we'd booked direct with them. So it's a NO from both as we're booked with BA, using a Qatar plane. Grrrrr.

Ruth: Last day of school

Hjambo Ruth is back!!!!
Was last day of school today! But still doesn’t feel real. Said bye-byes to everyone and gave out prezzies. At the end of school I got a super 😊 card with some sweeties and all was good!👍🏻👍🏻Is going to the pub tonight to say a last good bye 👋 to some frenzies, that’ll be the  last we’ll see of anyone school related until we get back! It’s kinda scary!!! 😨😨😰😰
Write back soon,
Ruth!!!!!!!😀😀😀😀😁😁😁😏😏😏😎😎😎

SWAHILI WORD OF THE DAY: ‘mezza’
ENGLISH MEANING: table
( spelt as it sounds)

Jobless

Yesterday was my last day of work. M finishes tomorrow. An unsettling thought that we will then both be unemployed .....and for the first time in our working lives are not stepping from one job into another. Strangely not feeling at all bothered and rather looking forward to our ‘holiday’. M keeps reminding me that we will actually be working and likely well out of our comfort zones....and there I was picturing the Indian Ocean.

R has written her first post and can’t decide if she should be writing to her friends or as if she is explaining to a stranger what we are up to. I feel much the same.

Perhaps it would help if I offloaded the thousands of questions I am fielding......from the children, from others and from myself. I wonder if I shall ever be able to answer them all:

Why are we going? (Altruism;itchy feet; to open the girls’ eyes to the world.....)

How many deadly snakes are there in Tanzania? (I’m sure R did tell me......but they won’t come anywhere near us...will they)

And do we need to check under the toilet seat? (Hmmm....hopefully not in our house)

What are we doing there? (M will be operating & training, I’ll be helping in the hospice....maybe some other stuff eg ecg training, family planning)

Do they cane children in school? (Help...I hope not)

Do they speak English? (The hospital staff and teachers do....)

Are there great white sharks? (No....they’re all out at reunion island)

Can we drink the water? (Definitely not.....except from the filter in our house and the amazing water to go drinks bottles we’ve been given)

Are there African tooth fairies? (Absolutely, though I’m not sure what size they are)

Are we getting paid? (NOOOO)

How many Tanzanian shillings are there to the pound? (About 3000)

Why is it called Tanzania? (L has answered her own question....combination of Tanganiyika and Zanzibar)

How many cupboards does the headmistress have and how many cats does she have in each cupboard? (????)

Will they like me? (Why would they not?)

Can girls wear shorts or do they need to cover their knees like women do? (Answers please)

How much suncream should we take? (Total indecision.....do I buy an industrial 1L or take out shares in Piz Buin?)

Does Father Christmas stop in Tanzania? (Of course, but only to people who celebrate Christmas, and he is respectful of local customs, so children in Tanzania may have different things in their stockings compared to the U.K. or Australia....where apparently they get iPads!!!)