My Tanzanian family

My Tanzanian host family:

Mama Godi, me, Praygod and Given

Mama Godi, Praygod, Given, Steve-o (houseboy), Godi and Babba Godi

Me and Mama Wambura... founder of LOHADA

Heath and little Neema

Amy and Prey

I am so grateful to all of these people for making this time in Tanzania possible. My host family was so gracious and kind and I feel like I received a true Tanzanian experience. Mama and Baba Godi work so hard to provide for their family and give their children a good education and life opportunities.

My adoptive family Heath & Neema and Amy & Prey, Liza, Vincent and Jacob... thank you for your kindness, compassion and friendship. I am so grateful to have had this time with you all and don't know how I would have survived without you ~ You inspire me with your hearts and compassion for others.

xoxo,

Mandy

A day in the life

Living room... where we gather and eat our meals

Clothes line, walk way and gate

Entrance to the house... everyone takes off their shoes

The house directly outside of our gate...

Pathway to the main road from my house

Walking to Camp Moses

Hi everyone,

Hard to believe but it is one of my last few days in Tanzania and I wanted to share some photos from my daily life... "My house," walking to the main road, walking to Moses to volunteer, etc.

The last few days have gone really well... Saturday and Sunday we had a chance to go a little way outside town to enjoy the Arusha Christmas Fair. It was fun to walk through the different booths and see what people were buying and selling... the proceeds went to Arusha charities which was nice. It was weirdly like a little America in an African field :-) I had my Sunday visit with the kids at Camp Moses and brought along some candy treats which they loved. Little things go such a long way!

Out of time, but will share more of my final days!!

xoxo,

Mandy

"Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive." ~ Howard Thurman

Out of Africa... Baby Emory has arrived!

Emory Noah Lowry!!

5 pounds, 11 ounces 18 3/4 inches
He's so little and sweet, I can't wait to meet him!

Dad and Mom, with their new grandson!

Beautiful (tired) "momma" Christina and Baby E

Back to America for a quick moment to recognize the birth of my baby nephew, Emory! My amazing sister Christina went into labor 3 weeks early so I am excited yet sad to report he has arrived and I am far away in Africa... He was born Wednesday morning, on her 29th birthday of all days and they are both happy and well. I have been fortunate to talk with them via phone and video chat (God bless Cody and his techno ways) and I cannot wait to get home next week and meet him and hold him! I am so blessed to have a wonderful, supportive family and group of friends so thank you a million times over for the love, support and encouragement and for standing in for Aunt Mando while I am gone.

xoxo,

Mandy

“Life is a series of experiences, each one of which makes us bigger, even though it is hard to realize this. For the world was built to develop character, and we must learn that the setbacks and griefs which we endure help us in our marching onward.” —Henry Ford

African adventures....

"Life is either a great adventure or nothing" ~ Helen Keller

Elephants on Safari!!

My water bottle is as big as her almost.... love that smile :-)

Funny faces... this was my attempt to make them smile?

Adorable Esther, love this girl and that sweet dress!

Enjoying my time with the kids at Camp Moses... they are truly hilarious to watch and interact with and I want so much to help them! I walked in their play area the other day and the were playing "church." Two kids were on a table, holding bibles and yelling in Swahili and raising their hands in the air as the other kids stood below them, throwing their hands in the air and falling onto the floor like a good ole' revival. They are all 6 and under, so needless to say it was a sweet yet humorous sight to see....

I was fortunate to go on a day trip Safari in Africa! Here are a few, quick pictures that I wanted to share, but I have more to come. It was a rainy morning starting out so we didn't know what to expect but after a long "game" drive we saw really awesome and amazing animals!! Giraffe, zebra, elephants, monkeys, buffalo, warthogs, impala, and more!!

Sweet Neema, driving the Safari car!Massai tribal village

xoxo,
Mandy

Lollipop, lollipop!

Lollipop treats for the kids at Moses!
On Sunday afternoon I treated the kids (thanks Leslie) to Chuppa Chuppa lollipops with bubblegum inside... they loved it and we had so much fun! They were enthralled with my blowing bubbles and I tried to teach them, but that turned into a sticky bubblegum chaos... All in all, it was a fun afternoon and it was amazing to see something so common and simple to us, brighten their days!
Things are going well, I am truly enjoying these precious kids and I feel so blessed to be a part of their lives in some way.

xoxo,
Mandy

"Think big thoughts but relish small pleasures." ~H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

"Hakuna Matata"... means "no worries"

Every day may not be good, but there's something good in every day. ~Author Unknown

Hakuna Matata ya'll, I am doing well and I know that this time in my life is all part of the bigger picture!
I don't want you to worry about me as I am doing well and trying to take in every experience that comes my way... A few happy things from the past week...
We took a morning drive on Friday to the town of Moshi which is where Mt. Kilimanjaro is... Sadly the gigantic mountain was hidden behind the clouds and I really only got a glimpse of the base. I will try again before I leave as I know it will be an amazing sight! I did get the chance to see a lot of "untouched" Tanzania as we drove and passed many villages and beautiful green hills between Arusha and Moshi.

I took this to show how strong and hard working the women here are... You see them daily walking with buckets of water, baskets of bananas, piles of laundry, or sacks of rice!

Africa's lush greenery from the road trip to Moshi

Neema's 3rd Birthday ~ Mama Heath and Neema



Snuggling with Prey and Martine at Neema's party

Saturday I spent most of the day with my new pals, Heath & Neema, Amy & Prey, Liza, Vincent and a slew of precious kids to celebrate Neema's 3rd birthday. Several of the village kids came and we had pizza and cake, true American style as Tanzanians don't celebrate birthdays like we do. It was a fun afternoon and a great boost for my spirit!

On my way home, I was waiting at the Impala Round-a-bout for my Dalla Dalla van and had the chance to witness fun wedding traditions of Tanzania. It was truly a sight to see as Saturdays are all about weddings here!! Bridal parties drive in big caravans of decorated cars and trucks full of people and a band that plays music as they pass thought the streets. They go through the circle and then they park their cars and line up to march down the street into the greenery inside the round-a-bout and take pictures... I saw this taking place and tried to snap a picture and was baffled to see three other wedding parties do this same thing in a matter of minutes... They had a "battle of the bands" as they waited to have their turns to march! So fun!

A few happy and random moments from the week, but wanted to share :-)

I am blessed to be here and I know that this experience in Africa is bigger than I know or can comprehend. Thank you for sharing in this journey with me ~

xoxo,

Mandy

Realities of Africa....

“The world is round, and the place which may seem like the end may also be the beginning.” —Ivy Baker

Hello everyone! Winding down from my second official week, hard to believe I've been in Africa now for 17 days! Things are still going well, I am really enjoying my time at LOHADA, especially with the cute kids from Camp Moses. They truly brighten my day and just seeing their sweet smiles makes me glad to have come. I've struggled this week with feeling that I am not doing enough for these people and this place and I have questioned whether I am making an impact in some way. I'm learning a lot more about the stories and lives of the children I am working with and that has truly opened my eyes. Many of them were simply "sold" because their parents or family member didn't have enough money to care for them... sweet little Esther's mother was shot and killed in front of her as a little baby and she's just 3 years old. Two little sisters were taken from their home because their father abandoned them and their mother's new husband did not want them, so he boiled oil and poured it on them... These are merely a few scenarios of the unimaginable circumstances and heartbreak that is the reality of so many of these kids.
Thank you for the encouragement and support as it truly does make a difference when Africa seems to get you down... It is hard to see people in such dire need of help, especially precious, innocent children who were born into these circumstances. I know that change comes in time and even if I leave here without physically seeing that change, perhaps I have helped plant the seed.
Love to you all and I will update you soon!
xoxo,
Mandy

Finding my way in Africa ...

Arusha hillside... behind Camp Moses


The infamous "dalla dalla" ~ My daily transport, entertainment and fright fest in 1!

Daily happenings on a corner in Arusha ~ fruit and craft selling

“Our Similarities bring us to a common ground; Our Differences allow us to be fascinated by each other.” —Tom Robbins

Hi there! A quick check in from my second week in Tanzania. Things are going well, getting the hang of things for the most part and learning to "go with the flow" Tanzanian style.

On Friday I had the chance to visit a baby orphanage " Cradle of Love " outside of Arusha ~ my new friends Heath and Liza both volunteered there in 2008 and it is also where Heath met her baby Neema. It was so fun to visit the babies and play with them for awhile! I spent time with Nina and Ava who are triplets... there other sister was sleeping. This orphanage is very nice and has all of the necessities for the little babies, including a slew of volunteers and paid "nannies" and "mama's" to care for everyone. I honestly did not know what to expect before we arrived, but was touched to see such a well run establishment and home for these precious babes.

The weekend was fairly low key, Saturday started off rainy but turned into a nice day. We were originally headed to the town of Moshi about an hour away from where I am, right at the foot of Mt Kilimanjaro.... but things did not work out as planned and with the rain and delays we were not able to go. Hopefully another day!

Sunday I visited the Vineyard Church which is comprised mostly of "westerners", volunteers, missionaries, etc. and enjoyed a nice service, spoken in English! :-) I then spent the afternoon exploring a bit of town and then went to Camp Moses to play with the kids for awhile. I think they were surprised with a weekend visit and we all had a good time! I somehow thought it was a good idea to get out the camera and take pictures, but soon realized that all of my new friends were aspiring photographers and really wanted a chance to snap away! I learned my lesson, so for now on I will have to sneak in my picture taking.

Life with my host family is going well... still adjusting to the daily Tanzanian lifestyle. A few days without running water makes you realize how lucky we all are! I've learned that security is a very big deal in Tanzania... all of the homes are gated or surrounded by walls with a guard or watchman of some kind. The house I am staying in has a wall that surrounds it, as well as a large iron gate and a house boy who is present all the time to let us in and out. I noticed this morning during breakfast that on the sides of the house, the top of the wall is lined with broken shards of glass Pepsi bottles?! I thought this was somewhat humorous and interesting all the same.

Hope you enjoy the random stories and hope to have more exciting adventures soon!

Camp Moses boys, being boys! (playing in the "washing tub")

Thumbs up! (Sweet Esther in pink is my little buddy! she's so tiny and cute!)

Little Esther swinging in her Sunday dress

xoxo,

Mandy

A few pictures from Week 1 in Tanzania...

"It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end." Ursula LeGuin

My room!

As promised, a few pictures! Sorry for so few, it is hard to upload or download anything with the internet connections! Please enjoy and I will share more as soon as I can!

Sweet Miriam holding Heath's baby girl Neema in the village

Muddy pathway thru the village with kids & Liza

Village life for these people and children...

Standard 5 choir, so cute and a little one wanted to join in! (the babies here are so bundled!)

Camp Joshua kids singing and praying in the afternoon

Just walking down the road... Animal encounters everywhere!


Beautiful Mt. Meru coming out from the clouds

City view of Arusha and Mt Meru

Xoxo,

Mandy