24th of November 2008

I landed in Tanzania today, what an experience the last few hours have been. The further away from western society you go the less European it really is, funny that. On my flight from Hong Kong I met loads of really friendly people like Peggi and Mbala, full of attitude these two half sisters from Zambia made my airport wait a breeze. These ladies were both very well educated and funny, Mbala is studing for her MBA and Peggi already runs a succesfull business and they were obsessed with the clothes the had purchased in China. Needless to say I got the complete run down on African and especially Zambian history as well as some tips on African fashion.

On the plane I sat next to a resident from Hong Kong named Roberta, she also had started her own business as a tour guide in Kenya showing Asian tourists around. I was so very grateful to have such interesting company for my 14 hour flight, Roberta was a wealth of knowledge and has been to Tanzania many times so she gave me plenty of ideas.
When I finally arrived in Tanzania the heat hit me, it is unrelenting and is sitting in the mid 30's as I speak, no wind. My organisation was late to the airport so I was stranded for a while, this was quite a scary experience as the people seemed to just see me a source of money and exploitative opportunity. Luckily Isac and Mairiam arrived before I started to really worry. Experiencing a third world country properly for the first time is something else, the infrastructure, standard of living and many other things are so different. Mariam head of organising my internship is a charming young woman with a fantastic African smile, her and 'zac' the sincere and intelligent counterpart, bore the brunt of my many questions and have proven to be great hosts so far.

Unfortunately though, they have brought me bad news. The principle of my intern host-school has closed the school early for the year and I will now not begin working there until mid Janurary. This has thrown a spanner in the works, I will be living in Dar-Es-Sallaam now for a while flatting with organisation members. Don't worry Mum, the complex is safe, trust me. Mariam and I plan to raise some other form of volunteer work to tie me over in the mean time.. she presently has high hopes for this plan and doesn't seem perturbed. I really feel like they have my best interests at heart. The news has a silver linning as it gives me more time for travel. With a good budget and a bit of organisation this could turn out for the better. So despite the set back, the heat, the many possible diseases and my current exhausted state, my spirits remain high...

Did I say the heat is unrelenting.