Where did the week go??

Friday tomorrow and suddenly the end of our last Tanzanian week is looming.

Funny how some weeks have seemed interminable when others, like this one, have disappeared in a flash.

What have we done....

One of us has turned 6 years old and gained a visit from the Tanzanian Tooth Fairy!!!

African Birthday complete with Chameleon cake (courtesy of Shim sisters cake decorating co). Cake choices limited with green being the only food colouring option available - a whole lot of tartrazine.

Next up 160 biscuits baked and delivered to school for the Standard 4 and Standard 6 farewell party for R & L. What I wasn't prepared for was that no teachers would be evident and hence I would have sole charge of 163 children in the school hall (with an occasional pop in from the headteacher who wished us good luck!) Our sound system wasn't up to the ambitious party plan of musical statues, though I think my demonstration was enjoyed by all except my own cringing children.

Just in case we hadn't had enough of parties, we progressed to our hospital farewell party that evening. We had invited the surgical department, hospice team, hospital drivers and our housekeepers and nightwatchmen to say thank you to them all. Organised by the hospital superintendent we were all ferried out to a party venue under the stars with catering by one of the surgeon's wives (not me thank goodness). We were treated in return to a heart warming send off - each team dancing their  way around our family and wrapping us in their farewell gifts of Kitenge (long strips of material). The surgical team had sent their anaesthetic nun for a secret wardrobe raid  - the his & hers results of this will have to find their own occasion to be displayed!

Today, for a final bit of enjoyment of African red tape I 'popped' into Tanga to renew our visas for the last time. A lot of huffing and head shaking, just to keep me on the edge of the seat, but a speedy 2 hours later and we were done.

In amongst all this, I have scraped in a few last bits for the hospice, settled in 2 new medical students and enjoyed the addition of a 15mth old to our family home. A definite bonus distraction for the girls to have a chirpy small person to  babysit whilst her parents helped out in theatre.

Here we are with a house half in packing mode ready for M's imminent departure back to the UK ready, we hope for  an interview next week. He has a bag full of everything we think may be incinerated by Australian customs.

Our housekeepers gave us their present too today

Us girls are heading for a last weekend in Peponi - fitting I think to end up in the place we spent our first weekend all those months ago.

All that's left after that is to cram everything else into the bags and make it down to Dar es Salaam safely for departure.

Almost time for me to stand back and say 'We did it!'. After all my talking, and planning, we actually came to Africa and had a really BIG adventure. The joyous thing is that it doesn't feel like the end, it feels like we're just beginning...I suspect there'll be plenty more adventures to come.