28.08.2012 Official debrief in Dar...

This morning saw us dressed in our smartest uniform which is saying a lot after it had spent three weeks in the bottom of our bags.  However, we scrubbed up well and went off to find the TGGA headquarters for our official debrief.  We met with a number of the Guiders who work for the TGGA and talked through how this years trainings had gone before discussing ideas for next year.  Whoever is lucky enough to be part of Tanzania 2013 will definitely have an amazing time!

We had a lovely meal in the Holiday Inn before finding an internet cafe with enough computers for most of us to be kept busy.  This evening we are looking forward to a visit to a local ice cream shop with Glory and Zorah before the Team's final packing session all together.  Tomorrow three of the team will be heading back to the UK while the others are heading on to Zanzibar.  Updates will continue if possible of our adventures but GOLD Tanzania 2012 is now officially completed.  We've had an amazing time and worked with many amazing people along the way!  For those of you awaiting snail mail in the UK you'll be please to know we finally located a post box in Dar so fingers crossed it may make it to you at some point soon.

27.08.2012 The longest bus journey...

Today was a bright and early start with us being picked up from the house at 4.30am!  We made it to the bus in plenty of time for the 5.30am departure which was optimistic as it didn't leave until 6.10am!  We were booked on to the 'luxury' coach and were very excited to see it was only four seats across instead of the usual five.  The trip provided us with time to watch Forest Gump as well as a Jackie Chan film in Chinese with Japanese subtitles.  The intermittent music included videos by Lionel Richie!  Part way through the trip Charlee braved the toilet visit in the 'outback' so we all watched intently to make sure the coach didn't leave without her!  We were all pleased to see the 'posh' toilets at the next stop!  Towards the end of the trip we all got sucked into random Swahili films which we didn't quite understand.  We finally arrived in Dar at 9.15pm - a LONG bus trip - and were met by Zorah and Glory before being piled into the back of a big people carrier and taken to the YWCA for bed!

24.08.2012 A day of frustration and excitement...

Today was a very 'mixed bag'.  We started well with breakfast underway by 8am and had made our way to where we were training well in advance of the 9am start time.  However, it was a little while until all of the girls we should have been training arrived.  We finally started training by about 9.45am and were able to move into a more suitable training space at 10am.  The morning session went really well despite lacking a translator as one of the groups were able to help with providing explanations in Swahili and both worked really hard.  We added an extra activity in where the girls made passports telling us about themselves.  There were some interesting entries including a 16 year old who had ambitions of becoming a pediatric neurologist, two girls who had been born in Canada and twins who's Mum worked as a miner.  We rounded off the morning expecting lunch to arrive at 12pm, this did not pan out so we returned to training until it finally arrived at 1.45pm and all 30 girls were served from the kitchen in our little house.  Despite the late start and lost time, the afternoon session was also successful.  After training we were taken on a highly entertaining sightseeing tour of Mwanza with our self appointed tour guide Raheem!  The tour included a visit to Bismark rock where we watched the sunset over the bay.

26.08.2012 Final day of training...

 Today was the final day of training for GOLD Tanzania 2012.  We managed to get training underway by 9.30am this morning which was a welcome relief after the delays of the previous two days.  Lunch was a surprise of burger/pizza and chips as well as fizzy pop.  The photos at the end today were much less intensive and it was a really nice and relaxed way to end our final training session.  We were presented with an Agakhan uniform shirt and Tanzania promise badge each which was really nice.  Following the training it was time to head to the house in order to pack bags ready for a 4.30am pick up the next morning.  We were collected for dinner this evening as we had been invited to Mama Susoma's house where we discovered one of the Guides we had been training was actually her granddaughter and the lady who had been cooking for us was her daughter!  Dinner was lovely and at the end we were presented with beautiful green and yellow kanagas with the words 'love' and 'peace' on them in Swahili for us to remember her family by.  It was then time for an early night before the long bus journey in the morning.

25.08.2012 Agakhan Scout Centre

Today we had a change of venues.  Following the disruption caused by food delays the day before we had agreed to move to the Agakhan Institute for today's training where the venue and food would be combined.  We arrived in torrential rain which produced the most amazing smell on the dust but quickly cleared to sunshine.  There was a bit of confusion with one of the groups going to the venue from the previous day but we were underway on our penultimate day of training by 10am.  The morning session was on self esteem and following being apprehensive of balloons the day before, the girls enjoyed the game where they burst negative feelings (written onto the balloons) so much they asked if they could do it again!  Missing our translator it was really nice to see the girls translating for each other.  One of the Agakhan girls, Naila, did an awful lot of translation for us and was a real inspiration, especially at only 16 years old!  After training we were taken to some of the local 'curio' shops to buy gifts including kangas and paintings.  When we arrived back at our house we were greeted by an amazing smell of waffles.  After our responses, Mama Naomi presented us with one each. Five minutes of silence quickly followed while we happliy munched away.

23.08.2012 Dancing with Snakes...



Jenni dancing with a python!



This morning we were lucky enough to get a lie-in but it wasn't long before it was time for our standard breakfast in Mwanza of jam butties!  Some of us also treated ourselves to some 'proper' washing curtesy of Mama Naomi (the house keeper).  We had some sad news this morning that Glory, our translator, would be heading back to Dar in the evening as she had to be back at work earlier than expected.  It wasn't long before we were introduced to Raheem, a Scout leader, who became our very funny 'fix it' man for the rest of our stay.  In the afternoon we were taken to a local museum which we were assured shut at 3.30pm.  Arriving at 3.15pm we were pleased to know they could fit in a full tour as well as a performance of local songs and dances!  We found out lots about the Sukuma people of Tanzania and the dancing was amazing.  A particular highlight was when Jenni was dragged into the group of dancers and forced to hold a giant python!

22.08.2012 Brake down in the Serengeti...

Zebra

A Serval Cat

Giraffe!

Buffalo and accompanying birds

Simba!!!

Crocodile

Hiding Hippo!

Monkeys!

So, the day started very early as we were expecting to be collected at 6.30am for our Serengeti trip.  We were picked up at about 7am by a very apologetic and friendly "Mr Money" (apparently we could call him any type of currency and he would answer)!  He had really good English and told us how proud he was that we had chosen to visit his country.  We then started the two hour drive to the entrance of the Serengeti.  Mr Money drove quite fast and made some very musical gear changes (we think he was using the clutch but who knows), he did ask if we were moving too fast and promptly slowed for every speed bump we encountered nearly rolling backwards off them!  The drive gave us the opportunity to watch the sun rise over Mwanza before having a mini history lesson at the gate to the park when we found out that the Serengeti is about the same size as Northern Ireland and translates to 'endless plain'.  We'd been warned that we might not see lots of animals but that Impala were pretty much guaranteed.  Low and behold there were loads of them within about five minutes of entering the park.  We developed a quick obsession with the Impala and passing Wilderbeast until we came across a group of Zebra and a new obsession began.  This pattern followed throughout the day as we came across more and more amazing animals including Lion, Hippo, Crocodile, a Serval, and Topi among others.  Even Mr Money was surprised at how many different animals we'd seen!  At lunch time we stopped by a rope bridge over the river which we were allowed to cross in groups of four, it was very picturesque.  Some of us had a brief toilet stop in the bush which was very exciting, all the time keeping an eye out for passing animals that might want to eat us.  It was the only time we saw something disappointing which was large amounts of toilet paper which had been left on the ground.  However, the real adventure began following lunch when our 4x4 refused to start.  Ever prepared we jumped out and started pushing it back and forwards for a jump start, it turns out 4x4s are rather heavy and dirty after a day in the Serengeti!  We had no luck so sat inside singing songs loudly until another 4x4 came to our rescue by reversing into us until it would start.  The situation was made all that more entertaining by the German passenger from the other car who videoed it "for youtube" whilst telling us that we were "too heavy" for our vehicle! (how rude)  It was then the reverse journey back to the entrance passing all of the amazing animals we had seen during the day.  We even got to revisit the Lions who had moved closer to the road.  Following a quick toilet stop it was back to Mwanza for dinner and an early night!

21.08.2012 St. Benedicts English Medium School visit...

And we're finally up to date on the blog again!  This morning we got up expecting breakfast at 8am and to leave to visit the school at 9am.  We're still waiting for the breakfast (it's 7.30pm) and we left for the school after 10.30am.  After a quick fix of jam and bread and the school bus getting lost we were finally on our way to the school.  The school is linked to Sue's school in the UK.  We were greeted warmly by all of the children present with every one of them shaking our hands.  Lots of the children were away at home for the census which is taking place at the end of the week.  We were introduced to the teaching staff as well as the Head Mistress and School Manager before being shown around the school.  Following our tour we were entertained with songs and poems from the pupils - they were really confident and it was nice to hear a number of songs which we recognised.  It was then time for 'breakfast' (at about 1pm) and fizzy pop before a very entertaining ride on the school bus to see the new site for the school.  Maxine provided many sound effects for every bump we went over!  We then had a quick visit to Barclays Bank which had lots of posters for the Premier League.  It was then back home to arrange our travels for tomorrow.  There were several discussions over what we thought was actually happening and about two hours later we found out none of us had been right.  We'd missed out on the post office as it had shut at 3.30pm (we promise to try and send the letters we have written soon).  However, we'd finally got a realistic quote for a trip to the Serengeti.  Fingers crossed the next update will have tales of amazing sites of animals.