Play time

This is a toy that a child was playing with when I arrived.
They were playing soccer with it.
Having a great time.

Ema having fun in the laundry basket.
He jumped right into it.  
He loves being dragged around in it.

Lucia
Jump roping in Rec. Hall

Neema playing in the sand near the swings.

December Birthdays

HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Faraja, Micha, and Gabriella

          On Saturday night we celebrated the kids birthdays of December.  There were actually three birthdays celebrated in Mikumi.  Neema (KLR), Faraja, Micha, and Gabriella.  Each kid received a personalized cake.  We sang all of them Happy Birthday.  It was a mouth full when it came to the part of saying "...happy birthday to..."  It was a lot of fun seeing them all open their gifts.  The three girls each received their own barbie of The Princess and the Frog.  Micha go a big truck that makes noise and lights up.  They all went right to their rooms and started to play with their new toys.

Faraja showing off
her new toys.

Ally, Elibaraka, and Micha playing with

Micha's new toy.

Princess Gabriella 

Slumber Party

       As kind of a tradition at the village a volunteer that is leaving may choose to do something with their house before they leave.  It could be either a dance party or have a sleep over.  Last night I decided to have a sleep over just for my house.

     So after dinner I returned to the house to prepare.  We took all of the mattresses off of the kids beds and put them on the floor in the common room.  All of the children got comfortable on the mattresses or chairs then we put in a movie, Flubber and had some popcorn.  Ashley and I stayed up with the children till around 9:30ish.  Then Ashley retired to her bed and I stayed out in the common room to sleep with the  children.  During the night it was difficult to get comfortable.  I eventually fell asleep in-between  of Faraja and Gabriella.  Then in the early morning I was woken up and moved to the end of a mattress to lay with Lucia.
      The kids arose this morning around 6:10.  At this time I had them return their mattress back to their bed.  Then they got ready for the day and I returned to my room to sleep some more.
  

Weekend 11/20-11/21

     This weekend it will be quiet around the village.  Maddy, Mogda, and Christy are away for the weekend.  They are going Christmas shopping and hanging at a hotel.


November 20th
     Today Jeff left for the weekend to meet up with the others to see the Christmas shopping.  So, it is just Ana and I here at the village for the rest of the weekend. It was really weird just having the two of us around.  Play time was actually not that hard with the two of us.  It was weird not having everyone around at dinner time.  After dinner we decided to go star gazing. We took some blankets and music and climbed the water tower.  It was a lot of fun.  Even though it was not that clear out, we still enjoyed each others company.  


November 21st
        Yay it is SUNDAY!!! Today Ana and I have decided to go to Gibbs Farm for our day off.  At Gibbs Farm we went on a 2 1/2 hour walk and did some sight seeing.  The walk consisted of two different destinations.  The first stop was at the Elephant's Cave.  The second stop was at the waterfall.  Elephant's Cave is a neat spot.

Elephant's Cave is actually
formed by the elephants.

The scratches that are seen on this cave wall are made 

by elephants scraping their tusks on the wall.

"O Christmas Tree"

     On Wednesday during the time between Uji and lunch I supervised the Mikumi kids while they decorated the house for Christmas.  Each house has a little fake evergreen tree that the kids in the house decorates with personalized ornaments and other festive decorations.  After we finished decorating the tree I gathered all of the kids in my house to try to get a nice group photo in front of the tree.  This did not work out to my liking.  We took three pictures and each one something went wrong.  When I cropped some of the photos I did end up getting a few cute shots of some kids.
     Ana made each house a December calendar to put up in their house.  This calendar is meant to act as a advent calendar.  The kids are so eager for Christmas.  They ask almost everyday.  So having the calendar the kids can see for themselves if it is Christmas yet.

Maria and Faraja in front
of the Christmas Tree 

This is all of Mikumi House

     On Christmas Eve each child receives a new pair of pajamas.  The pajamas are given to them rolled up nicely with a ribbon around them.  Then on Christmas Day the kids get a little something in their personal stocking.  After stockings all of the kids gather in the rec. hall to receive their presents.  Then at some point during the day the kids have a Christmas pageant. This pageant is like a talent show.  The kids sing carols that they have been practicing.

Tarangire Safari

    On Sunday I went on another safari.  The safari that I went on was Tarangire.  I liked this one SO much better then the Crater.  It just had more to see. There were so many animals out.  They were all active.  It was a site to see!

Family of Elephants 

Mommy and Baby Monkey 

Add caption

Baby monkey going for a ride

Family of Ostreges

  

Questions from 3S

Today I re-read my letters from 3S.  Here are the answers to a few of your questions:

Q:  How many children are in the orphanage?
A:  There are 94 children who use the village.  Out of the 94 there are 25 children who use the village for needs. These kids are a group of KLR (Kids Living with Relatives).  The individuals who are KLR are kids who have someone who they live with outside of the children's village.  These kids are just at the village when school is out and on weekends.  These kids receive meals and clothing from the village.  The kids in this program stay here at the village until dinner time then they go back to their homes to sleep.  For the other 69 kids, the village is their home.  They grow up in the village and return here when they are out of school.  To them, the village is their family.

Q: Do you think that Tanzania and the orphanage will be even more cool then you expected?
A:  My experience at the village is not what I expected.  It is so much better.  It is such a loving place.  Everyone is so very kind.  It is one big family.  In reality this place is 100 times better than what I expected.

Q:  What are some things different between the orphanage and here?
A:   One difference is the toys that the children play with.  They can pick up almost anything and find some way to play with it.  Ema, a 2 year old, takes a building block and puts it up to his ear to pretend that it is a phone.  He goes around putting it up to peoples ears and saying "here".  The kids here of any young age (3-6 yrs)  put things in their mouth.  They just pick up something from the ground outside and it ends up in their mouth.  They don't get treats like candy. They also don't have free range of getting food for a snack.  They have two planned out snack times during the day, at 10:30am and 4:30pm.  Another difference between American kids and Tanzanian kids is that kids here don't have cable.  They do have TVs but they only get to watch a movie once a day.  These kids are used to what they have and are very happy in general.

3S~  Thank you so much for taking the time to write to me.  I absolutely loved reading your letters.  They put a big smile on my face.  Thank you for all of your support.  I cant wait to show you guys all of my pictures and share my experience.  Have a nice week.  Love, Julie

The Final Countdown

      I cant believe that I only have two weeks left of being in Tanzania.  I am having a GREAT time!  Today there are only two volunteers here at the village.  There is myself and Ana.  Jeff and Maddy are in Arusha.  Maddy is there doing stuff for her new job with RVCV.  Jeff is there to enjoy the Christmas festival with Monda.
     So far today has gone very smoothly.  I have been outside at the swings playing with the kids while Ana was doing Spanish lessons in the library.  This afternoon I am planing on working on the Christmas cards with the kids.  There are only two full houses that need to get done and like ten other kids.  I hope that it does not take that long.

December 2nd
        The week is almost over.  A new volunteer has arrived.  Her name is Jody.  She is 40 years old and lives in Washington DC.  She is really nice.  Tomorrow at 3:00 Ashley is going to arrive.  Ashley is a new volunteer that is going to be staying in Mikumi.  I will be showing her the ropes of the house.  She will be staying here for a YEAR.  I am starting to get a little sad about leaving. I really love this place and it has been GREAT.

Gabriel: The Child Whisper

     Gabriel is a student who is going for his teaching degree at a university in Arusha.  He is presently on break until January 2nd.  While he is here he is staying in Mikumi.  Once he finishes his schooling in May he will be coming back to the village and planing on being a teacher at the primary school near the village.
     To the village staff Gabriel is known as the child whisper.  After seeing him with interact with the children, I can see why the staff has given him this name.  When ever he is around outside a swarm of children are gathered around him. If he is on the move there is almost always a child on his heals.  Yesterday afternoon I was wondering why there were no Mikumi kids outside playing.  I went in to Mikumi to see if they were in there.   They were all in the boys room sitting nicely on the floor.  I looked in to see what they were doing there and sure enough there was Gabriel on the bed talking to them.  The kids looked like they were memorized in what he was saying.  So, if you notice that the playground is quite, then search for Gabriel and you will most likely find the kids with him.  :)

New Schedule

        Today was the first day of the children's holiday.  During their holiday the schedule changes.  I am no longer doing baby time in the morning.  Now I am teaching the Kindergartners some math and english so they don't forget what they have learned in school.  During this session we will be practicing the alphabet and doing some math equations and counting.  Todays session went well.  They seem to be getting an understanding in how to add and subtract numbers.  Some other activities that I am going to try to do is puzzles and matching.

Being Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving 
     In Tanzania this American holiday of Thanksgiving is not celebrated among the children.  Yet, this dose not stop us from enjoying the traditional meal.  Tonight the volunteers and elder staff will be gathering  in the volunteer house at 7:00pm to have the traditional meal.  Before 7 we are all going to meet at 6:00 and have drinks.  I am looking forward to this new Thanksgiving experience.
       Having Thanksgiving here at the village with everyone was a lot of fun.  We had all of the average things.  For dessert we had a delicious apple crumble that Christy made.  During cocktails I tried a new drink.  It was a bit of Tanzania alcohol mixed with honey and Sprite.  It was quite good.  I am hoping that I will be able to bring some of the alcohol home with me so I can share it with some friends.
 

Holiday

    For the next 6 weeks the children will be off from school for a holiday.  These 6 weeks off can be compared to our time for summer vacation.  During this time the activities at the village will be altered.  There will be no baby time, pre school, or play group.  Between 8:00 to 10:00 it will be a study time for the school aged kids.  I will be working with the Kindergardeners.  At this time the kids will be working on skills that they learned at school.  Then after Uji they will have free play until lunch.  Once lunch and rest is over at 2:30 the pool will be taken out for a chosen house to swim and the rest of the kids will be participating  in organized play.  After egg and bread the schedule will be as usual.  

Average Day

    My day starts around 6:00am with making the kids breakfast.  Breakfast consists of a rotation of porridge and PB&J sandwiches.  Then by 7 I walk the school age kids down the road to school.  When I return back to the village it is time for breakfast in the volunteer house.  After breakfast I go back to the houses to pick up the youngest kids for baby time.  Baby time lasts from 8 to 10.

Ema

                      Kids for Baby Time:      

Johann

Grace

January (Janu)

           At 10:15 the kids return to their houses for Uji Time.  Then 11 they come back out side for free play until 12:15.  From 12:15 to 2:30 the kids are in their houses having lunch and rest time.  At this point the volunteers are free to relax, go on the computer, or do whatever.  Then at 2:30 the kids return to having free play until 4:15.  At 4:15 the kids return to their houses and it is time for egg and bread.  For egg and bread the volunteers are in charge of preparing it.  Once the kids are done with egg and bread they are to stay in their houses.  During the time before dinner the kids take a bucket bath and they watch a movie.  The time before dinner is time that the kids wind down from their day.  Then after dinner the kids get ready for bed and lights are out at 7:30.
          While the kids are in their houses from 4:15 on the volunteers are free to do as they please.  Personally I just relax (read, go on computer).  Sometimes I may go on a walk with some of the other volunteers.  After our dinner time at 6:30 I return to my house and may read a story to either the girls or the boys or both.  Then I just get into bed and read.
       Well, that is my day here at Rift Valley Children's Village.  Hope you enjoyed it as much as I do. :)




                                                            
                                                                                                                            

At the Crater

 For my day off I went on a safari with three other volunteers.  We went on a safari at the crater.  It was an actuarial  crater.  The crater is home to a variety of animals.  The animals that we saw were Water Buffalo, lots of Zebra, Warthogs, Hyenas, Caribou, Elephants, Hippos, a monkey, some Flamingos, a Rhino, and finally some Lions.
    My favorite animals that we saw were the Zebra's, the Elephants, and the Lions.  The Lions were the last animal that we saw.  There was a young male and two females. It looked like they were getting prepared to hunt.  They were so amazing.  We just sat there waiting for their next move.  The Elephant was entertaining to see.  It was cooling  off by using its trunk to throw dust on its self.  Seeing the Zebras were amazing.  They crossed right in front of our car.  The crossed like we were not even there.  Even though all  of these mentioned animals are very lovely and interesting The Zebras caught my eye.   I love how each Zebra has an individual pattern of stripes.  While watching the Zebras we saw some babies.  The babies are quite cute.  Instead of having black and white stripes they have brown and white stripes.  The babies also has softer looking hair that looks like fluff.
   It was an amazing experience to see all of these animals in there natural habitats.  We were lucky to have such a nice day.

This is what the Crater looks like.  It was a wonderful day to go.  We ended up seeing a lot of animals.

                                           Here are my two favorite animals that we saw.
                                                     I am so glad that I decided to go:)

Dance Party

     Yesterday after Bread and Egg my house was invited to join Ribondo for a dance party.  There  was a dance party at Ribondo because their two volunteers are going to be leaving this week.  When a volunteer leaves the village they usually have a good bye activity for their house.  When we returned to Mikumi after the party most of my kids started to ask me what I am going to do when I leave.  I am thinking of having a sleep over with just my house.

Day at the Pool

Faraja

Gabriella

    Last Saturday my kids had the opportunity to spend the afternoon in the pool.  The pool is blown up and only fits a few kids at a time.  Even though the pool is not a full size pool the kids still have a BLAST!  Each kid does not own a bathing suit for them selves.  So, there is a container filled with bathing suits and so the kids get to choose one that fits them and can wear it for the time being.  Here are some photos of my kids enjoying an afternoon at the pool.

Elibaraka & Micha

              

    

Another week has passed

    I can't believe that another week has come and gone.  The days get so busy.  All though this week was like any week it had a few changes.  On Wednesday it was the Muslim holiday of Eid ul Adha.  This holiday gave the school aged kids a day off from school.  So, we had all of the kids around the village.  Wednesday's schedule was like a Saturdays.  It was nice having all of the kids around.   This past week the volunteers have been told to start getting the kids to make Christmas cards for their sponsors.  Christy appointed me to be in charge of placing the cards in envelopes and addressing them to the sponsors.  Each kid has a lot of sponsors.  It seems like they have at least three sponsors.  They have multiple sponsors because if one drops out then the kids will still feel like someone is there for them.  Having a sponsor is like having a personal friend for the kids.
       This weekend for my day off I am planning to go on solo adventure to the Gallery.  At the Gallery I have been told that there are great shoppes and food.  While I am there I will be able to get free internet and I will be able to down load my pictures of my trip!!  So stay tune to check them out.  :)

Birthday night

 Tonight after dinner we are celebrating the November birthdays.  To celebrate every house gets a cake to eat and the individual with the month birthday gets a few wrapped gifts.  There is one birthday boy in my house...  It's Ema!!!!  I have his gifts locked in my room.  I can't wait to see what he gets.  This month Ema is turning 2 yrs old!  I can't wait for tonight.

Happy Birthday Ema!!

Playing with his new toys.

Day at the Market

       On Sunday is the volunteers day off!  Today we all went out to lunch and went to a big market.  This market is only around one time during the month.  It was an intimidating place.  Everyone was trying to sell you something.  People would not give up.  They continued to badger you to buy their product.  I was very annoying!  While we were there I just bought two little items.  A bowl and a bracelet.  I guess it was interesting to go.  I don't think I would rush and do it again. When I arrived back to the Village the kids were wild.  So, I grabbed my i-pod and went on a little walk.

First few days

My bed at KIA Lodge

My room at KIA Lodge

Jambo~ (Hello in Swahili)
    The adventure has officially begun!  On Sunday October 31st I left my home at 5:00pm to caught my flight at 7:30pm.  Both of my parents drove me to JFK airport.  When arrived at JFK my mom went in with me and helped me get my boarding passes.  Then my dad joined us and we went to security and that is where we had to say our good byes.  This part was very emotional.  I cried all the way through the security line. I was so nervous to go on the airplane by myself.  When I board the plane at JFK an unexpected thing happened.  I was taken aside and informed that I was unable to take the little red rolling suitcase as a carry on.  I was unable to take it because there is not enough room in the overhead compartments.  So, I had to check in the bag.  This took a while because I think that they forgot that I need to do it.  This conflict made me  nervous and up set.  No one seemed to care.  Well, this conflict was resolved by having the bag just be put on a flight to Tanzania.  There was nothing to be worried about.
   When I arrived in Amsterdam I was really disbobulated.   I had not idea what to do for the two hours I had till my next flight.  At this point all I wanted to do was get in touch with one of my parents.  But that was not posable because I had NO service on my phone.   I was a mess at this airport.  I had a whole bunch of emotions flowing though me.
    On November 2nd I finally arrived at the Rift Children's Village in Tanzania.  I absolutely love it.

Message to 3S

November 5, 2010

Habari za asubuhi 3S, 

Greetings from Tanzania. Habari za asubuhi is Swahili for Good Morning.  Swahili is the native language in Tanzania.  All of the children in the village speak both English and Swahili, so it is not difficult to communicate with them. 

This is where I live
Mikumi House

I am living in a coed house with 12 kids and two "mama's". Mama's are woman who care for these children like they are their own. The children in my  house  range from the age of two years to 11years old.  All together there are 63 children living in the village.  

Sharifa
Kindergarden

The only way that I can think of explaining the landscape in Africa is to have you imagine the opposite of our town's landscape.  It is so dry around here.  The ground is dust and the grass feels and looks like hay.  There are very few trees and shrubbery.  The weather here is like our fall weather. There is a brisk breeze with little sun and clouds. 

Gabriella
Pre-school

As you are reading this during your morning meeting, it will be 4:00pm in Tanzania.  Tanzania is 7 hrs ahead of New Jersey.  So while the children here are preparing for bed you guys are having your lunch.  Isn't that CRAZY?!  The children at the village attend school like you guys.  They start going to school in Kindergarden and go to 8th grade. In Tanzania the different levels in school are called primaries, so a third grader would be in Primary 4.   

 From, Julie:) 

  

  

Another step closer

Yesterday my mom and I traveled to NYC to get my travelers visa.   It was a very quick trip.  We arrived in NYC at 11:15 and took the 1:40 train back home.  The woman at the Tanzanian Embassy was really nice.

Yesterday I also picked up a cd from the local library to learn Swahili.  This cd consists of basic Swahili phrases.  When listing to this cd they first say the word and then you repeat it.  I hope hearing this cd will help me learn a little bit of the language so that I can communicate with the Tanzanian housemothers.

This is me, outside of the Tanzanian Embassy

A step closer

I have paid all of my dues for the Tanzanian Children's Fund.  I am soo glad that that is over with.  Yesterday my mom and I went shopping for clothing to wear while I am in Africa.  We bought a floor length summer dress to wear when I travel outside of the village.  We also bought some shirts that can be air dried.  I still need to go shopping for some items from EMS.  There I will need a travel alarm clock, head lamp.  I am getting really excited for my adventure.  I can't believe that I am actually doing this.  There is not much more that I need to do to prepare for this trip.

Grab your bags...We're off to Tanzania!!!

Today I booked my flight to Tanzania.  Doing this part of the planning has really made me realize that I am actually going on this adventure and that now there is NO turning back. 
I am really excited for this trip and a little nervous. 

Today I also am planning on speaking to two people who have gone to this location multiple times.  I am excited to hear what they have to tell me about their experience at the Children's Village.


Here are my travel plans:

(New York (JFK) to AmsterdamAMS) 10/31/10

 7:30pm-7:55am

Amsterdam (AMS) to Kilimanjaro (JRO)11/01/10  11:05am - 9:30pm




Kilimanjaro(JRO) to Dar Es Salaam(DAR)12/13/10 10:35pm - 11:35pm




Dar Es Salaam(DAR) to Amsterdam(AMS)12/14/10  12:45am - 8:10am




Amsterdam (AMS) to New York (JFK) 12/14/10 10:25am- 1:05pm

Step Two

Today I set up a little table outside of the Pennington Quality Market (PQM) to gather needed supplies for  the orphanage in Africa.  I was at PQM for 2  hours from 11:00 - 1:00. By the end of my 2 hours at PQM I had a the bottom of a small shipping box covered with donated items.  I also had a total donation of $15 to buy items with.  I am sooo thankful to the customers at PQM for helping me out with collecting things for this great cause.  This has made me even more excited about going on this adventure.  

Step One

Today I set off for my long journey to go to Tanzania, Africa.  The first order of business  was to go to the Passport Health to receive my first round of shots.  While I was there I received four shots, two on each arm.  The shots that I received were for Hepatitis A, Polio, Thphoid, and Yellow Fever.  During this appointment we were advised on some items to think about getting.  We were told about a Malaria Protection Kit and about a SteriPEN.
The SteriPEN is a neat contraption.  This product is a handheld water purifier that provides complete protection against the illness causing waterborne travel pathogens.  This neat product destroys over 99.9% of viruses, bacteria, and protozoa.  


This is the website for where I am going.  It describes everything.


www.tanzanianchildrensfund.org