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!