on the road again

We arrived in Dar es Salaam yesterday, late in the afternoon, after a 9 hour bus ride from Mpwapwa. Interesting bus ride from Mpwapwa: we came upon a different bus that was broken down on the muddy road, and it broke down right next to a bridge that's under construction so we couldn't pass. After about 45 minutes of contemplating, our driver got the idea to pile rocks up on the not-finished bridge so make it more passable; then he told everyone to get off the bus. We all climbed off and waited in the ditch to see what his plan was: he gunned the engine and, at about 40mph, flew over the not-quite-finished bridge where the rocks were recently laid. It worked! We got back on the bus and waved at all the people who were still stuck in the broken down bus. After we got to Dar, we spent the evening walking around, eating everything in sight (Subway subs, ice cream, Chinese food.) Right now we're at Peace Corps headquarters taking care of some paperwork before we head to Zanzibar on a ferry tomorrow morning. Our plumbing problem is being repaired as I write this so when we return to our site, everything should be ok.

In the spirit of the holidays, I wanted to mention something about our intended projects in our town. For some of the things we have planned, we need to write grants to get the financial support to make things happen. Depending on the nature of the project (repairing a broken water tank, for example), we need to solicit the funds through the Peace Corps website, with something called a Partnership Grant. Tony and I have not finished writing our first grant proposal, but when we do, I am appealing to the generous spirit of our families and friends back home to help us actualize our projects and make our new home of Kibakwe a healthier place for everyone to live. I will keep you posted as this process continues. Thanks in advance for your interest in our efforts here in Tanzania.

Speaking of holidays, this is the first Christmas of my life that I haven't been in a cold, snowy place to celebrate. I suppose lounging on a tropical beach on Zanzibar in my bathing suit will have to be good enough! It's also very strange to be here without any of the Christmas shopping hype that is so pervasive in the US. Truth be told: I don't miss that part at all. So we're on the road (and on the water) again tomorrow--I'll write next time from Zanzibar.