Today is another overcast day that clears as the hours pass. Ben finally arrives in Gabon today, and I am pleased to be on the same continent as him, not to mention just one time zone away. I cherish every day I have at Noloholo, while also counting down the days to our August reunion in Johannesburg. I still have my computer set to California time ( Read more... )

The morning begins cold, all of us with our wraps and fleeces, shivering in the program office. Really it isn’t so cold at all; but Tanzania makes you a lover of the sunshine and warmth. You become, in my dad’s words “wimpy ( Read more... )

A beautiful morning and a beautiful day, my body a bundle of nerves. We get dropped off in the village to attend two women’s meetings - we can’t find one until the other one is supposed to start. Fortunately the other meeting goes well. We go to grab lunch, but then realize we have no ride back to Noloholo. We kill three hours visiting the Mamas in ( Read more... )

I haven’t been sleeping well, and as such, my will to write has faded. Nonetheless, the past two days have been eventful, and so I owe this entry ( Read more... )

After a brain-jarring ride into Loibor Siret, Neo, Kelly, Andrew and I proceed to teach and socialize our way through Saturday. We don’t take weekends off here ( Read more... )

At 6pm, Tuma comes up to the program office with a colander of warm popcorn - it is light, crispy and flavored with just a hint of butter - who would have thought that I’d have some of the best popcorn of my life in Noloholo? With this gift, he cements his place in my heart ( Read more... )

The day passes in a blur - work on the survey and business plan training. In the morning Kelly sits with us and we name all the items on the table in Swahili. I’ve memorized most of them by the evening, but have no idea how to put them into a sentence. Baby steps ( Read more... )

Last night Christy and I see “eyeshine” - the reflection of light against the back of many mammals’ eyeballs (consequently, also what makes your dog look like a freak in every flash photo you take of him/her) - in the trees. Christy goes closer and we discover bushbabies, no taller than a sheet of printer paper, with eyes the size of teacups. ( Read more... )

Crop protection can be a dangerous thing. Two nights ago a gentleman in the village shot a huge bull elephant in his fields; it died right outside of his house. He got taken to jail, and so for the past two days it has been up to APW to decide how to deal with the carcass. The wildlife department came and confiscated the tusks as they always do, ( Read more... )

I’m tired today, so this entry will be shorter ( Read more... )