Thursday, September 1, 2011

Today










It was a beautiful hot, sunny day here in Usa, Tanzania. For those of you who don't know, I am teaching preschool for two hours every weekday morning here at the orphanage. The kids are definitely a handful! Some days are very discouraging because the potty-trainers will wet their pants and produce puddles on the floor while others are throwing temper-tantrums while others are tearing the decorations off the wall while still others are hitting each-other. BUT, there are also days like today where we have a blast and everyone behaves and no one wets their pants and we sing songs and make crafts! I will take pictures soon so you can meet the children in preschool. They are smart kids and I love each one of them very much already! After a great morning of preschool, it was feeding time at 12pm. (Feeding time is busy and noisy as you can imagine) When all the babies were fed and down for a nap, I went up to the apartment to make some lunch with Claire and feed the little twins. (They are 1 month old today and a whopping 6 pounds, 3 oz! They're growing and healthy!) Since I have Thursday afternoons off, I chose to go sit in the grass and take pictures of the monkeys. On hot days, they are extra playful and friendly so I was quite entertained simply watching them. While watching the monkeys, I heard a weird noise in the leaves a few feet away. My heart nearly stopped when I saw what it was! At first I thought it was a snake, but then I saw some legs so I figured it was some kind of lizard. I took a few pictures since I was too afraid to move and as it walked away, slithering its tongue, I called one of the nannies over to tell me what it was. She, then called one of the ADRA workers over to tell both of us what it was! He said it was a baby lizard that grows to be the size of a small crocodile...but it is harmless. I don't know if I believe that was harmless, but either way I am thankful that it was no bigger than it was already! When my memory card was full and my battery dead, I decided to walk to the post office to check for packages and to my surprise, I had one waiting for me from my grandma and grandpa! As I walked back, I had a clear view of Mt. Kilimanjaro and Mt. Meru which is special because they are usually bathed in clouds and hazy air. I returned to the apartment to find that the power was still on after being on continuously for almost three days now! September 1, 2011 has been a wonderful day for me so I just thought I would share that with you! These pictures are of some of the monkeys I happily observed today as well as the lizard. As soon as I take some more pictures, I'll introduce you to the kids in preschool with my next blog!

4 comments:

  1. Your pictures are amazing...and humorous! That monkey is quite a comedian! I can't imagine sitting outside and having these fine and funny creatures just chilling and living near my home!
    Other than dogs and cats and the odd deer or skunk...we don't see a whole lot here! I would love to sit out there with you and take pictures and laugh at the faces the monkeys make! Hope you are keeping well. Your schedule sounds busy, but so very memorable and fulfilling and heartwarming! Love you, Auntie Karen xo

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  2. I'm so happy that you had a lovely day!!! I will be praying for you and the preschoolers. I'm looking forward to meeting them in the next blog! Btw, you take such good pictures! I love seeing them. :) The monkey yawning has some pretty intense teeth there... :P Love you!

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  3. Oh I see Mr. Monitor Lizard is back around the premises. He's harmless, I'm told, and actually pretty interesting to watch whenever he makes an appearance. I'm SOO glad you're teaching preschool. We were hoping someone would come to take over that job and keep the kids on the learning track. I helped out on Fridays since I got done work at ADRA early that day. It's fun - have a blast with the kids! At least you have Hopu and Lazaro to help you out telling the younger ones what to do :)

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  4. Wow! That sounds pretty startling! Glad they are harmless! And I'm SUPER glad that you had an amazing day! Miss you lots!

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