Boma, Tanzania

i only have 8 more minutes of online time left. i tried posting for the last half hour and it is only finally working now. this place is wild. like walking into a page of a national geographic. i am living in a village called Boma, and traveled about a half hour to Moshi where i am using the internet. the village i am living in is small, desolate, and dry. the way the vibrant colors of the shops and hut walls contrast with the dusty brown of the streets, is stunningly beautiful. the people are friendly, but skeptical and curious of my intentions. they love my hair and my clothes. i have to constantly turn them down when they ask for money, which breaks my heart, but i do give out food when asked. i start my job as a school teacher of 6 year olds tomorrow morning whcih i am very excited about and will go on safari on friday. today, a parade of 300 people from another village walked thruogh our town singing and dancing to god. it was an unbelievable sight. we even got to join in with them. every morning i awake to the muslim prayer and song. there are two religions in tanzania; christianity and muslim.

i have to go because of the time limit. ttys. maybe wednesday.

cheers

"Are you two dark yet?"

So tonight was the last time Bran and I were able to talk before we both leave for our summer adventures tomorrow. Dad calls this "dark territory." Bran will be in "the field" and I will be in rural Kilimanjaro, which Dad likes to call my "hut."

I'm getting a little jittery about my future travels tomorrow and the weeks ahead, but I know that once I get settled in and meet some of the other volunteers, I'll feel more comfortable. I've received some good advice for my worries, and I really appreciate them. (Ben and Mike :] )

But other than that, I'm really anxious and excited! I'm all packed besides a few things like my phone charger and the malaria meds I'll need to take tomorrow before I leave. I'm going to have an international phone (it's the same # as my regular cell phone) so if anyone would like to text me, be my guest. I won't be able to answer your calls because it's about $5 per minute! The place I'm staying has a phone that is free for me to receive calls, ask Momma Mills for the # if you need it. Other than that, there's always the good ole mail:

Lauren Miller
Cross Cultural Solutions
Attn: Zik Alula
P.O. Box 311
Boma Ng'ombe
Moshi, Tanzania

Well, I hope to get online atleast twice a week, so I'll be sure to blog as much as possible. Take care everyone, and I look forward to sharing my experiences with you!

peace&love

laur

Expedition: Africa

Okay, so my trip won't be nearly as cool as that new show on the History Channel, Expedition: Africa that I have recently become obsessed with, but nonetheless, I will be in Tanzania in 12 days!
(Who wants to drink goat's blood anyway? I'd rather be volunteering!)

I received my placement just the other day from my adviser at Cross Cultural Solutions. I will be volunteering as a teacher at the Hannah Primary School. My students are 3-7 years old. (They're hardly students yet, just babies! I'm really happy with this!) The school is composed of four units in one building, with about 20 children per class. Another volunteer, Saffron, who is traveling from Australia, and I will be working together as teachers to help the children with conversational English and are responsible for creating fun and educational activities that are age appropriate for the students. Saffron and I would like to incorporate music as much as possible in their daily lessons, and if anyone has any ideas (for I'm not an education major, just English Lit,) please share them with me. I am open to any and ALL suggestions.

Well, the next time I will blog will probably be in Tanzania so stay tuned! I should have internet access two or three times a week :)

Peace&Love,

Laur