goodbye tanzania!

the first person i met when i arrived was the last person i saw when i left.  this is Mageni our company driver.  he was a good driver and never got me into an accident or killed.  i am very grateful for that.  

we spent a lot of time together while i was in country and we had a few crazy experiences together.  like the time we were in Arusha and we were looking for a the only place where you could buy plastic containers for retail.  i needed to see what they had for the vanilla sugar i wanted to bring to market.  there wasn't a sign advertising the business and when we called for directions the clerk shouted and abused Mageni to the point i was cringing.  i didn't even understand what she was saying but whatever it was she wasn't saying it nicely.  i told Mageni afterwards we would never need to go there again.  with his help i learned a few more swahili words and then immediately forgot them.

my smile says it all.  i am ready to go.  Mageni was always smiling and i love that this is my last photo from Tanzania.

those who change the world

i have met some wonderful people and made some fantastic friendships while in Tanzania.  some expats and some nationals.  with all of them there is a common thread.  they made me laugh and we did spend a lot of time laughing. sometimes it was about some cultural thing i didn't understand or the way i saying something in swahili.  

there were so many adventures as i look back over the last year.  the safaris, camping on coffee plantations, Kilimanjaro, trips to Nairobi, exploring Kigali, the mountain gorillas, a holiday in India, getting to spend time Zanzibar and whale sharks around Mafia Island.


i found strong, intelligent and independent woman who will be the next face of Africa and bring success through hard work and lessening in the sense of entitlement they get from the west.  

i met expats who were truly changing the world for better and my year living in the shadow of Kilimanjaro is an experience that will forever shape who i am.  

i am a better person for this experience and i leave with gratitude for all the blessings of my life and compassion for those who struggle in our world. 

  

the office luncheon

 amid the going aways [that's when you get together to say goodbye to the people who you are leaving behind] the office put together a luncheon which moved me to tears as i sat through the english, then a swhili translation, of staff stories about me.  the cake was good.