The Elusive Mountain

Today we have flown to Moshi in Northern Tanzania. We’ve been here before as part of our trip from Lake Victoria to Victoria Falls and back again last summer. On that occasion our three days in Moshi were set between two  12+ hour bus trips, this time it has been an hour flight from Mwanza.

We’re here at the start of our safari through the Serengeti and also to meet our visitors from the UK, returning with them to Mwanza for Christmas.

A bonus would be a sight of Kilimanjaro – the elusive mountain. Last summer we saw nothing of Kilimanjaro in our three days here. Although we had hoped for a view of the mountain from the air cloud cover made this impossible even at height. 

Moshi is the Kiswahili word for smoke and the town is aptly named as it’s clouds shroud the town. El Niño hasn’t helped with a more intense rainy season is n 2015.

A colleague visited Moshi on this very day last year and saw this ….

 Our view today is this ….

 
We are here for a couple of days so we hope that at some point the elusive mount will reveal itself.

12 Months Ago Today : Appointment

Little did I realise as I turned up for work 12 months ago that it was going to be a life changing day. The thought of teaching overseas had grown in my mind for several months – rekindling a fire which had burned low for the previous two decades.

The previous months had seen me questioning the way British Education was going and despairing at the decisions of my school to downgrade ICT to an option at GCSE. I needed a change and having spoken with Anita in the New Year and having talked through the option with the children I embarked on a lot of research. The first post which came up was in Thailand – I thought long and hard but felt this was not right for now. I then saw two jobs both in Africa, one in Isamilo (Mwanza, Tanzania) the other in Malawi. Funnily enough it was the Tanzanian job which appealed more (given Anita’s previous experiences in Malawi this was a surprise to both of us). We looked at blogs written by ex-pats living there and did a lot of research. After nearly two weeks of investigation  I made the application to Isamilo in the early days of February (just four days earlier).

Everything was unreal even after the interview – as ever I second guessed myself, convinced I had ‘muffed up’ and ruined my chances. At the same time it was still unreal as no one had actually employed me and I was still safe in England – though increasingly unhappy with education there. Then it all changed….

Girls Day Out

For our a long time I wanted to have a girlie day out.  For various good reasons there wasn’t a free day until today….

So off we set…

Neither of us had eaten breakfast, so we stopped for chai + mandazi (african donuts + sweet black tea).

Bex has been saying for weeks how she wanted a new hairstyle, so we walked down to Talapia, where Guddy, a ‘Toni + Guy’ trained hairdresser works on the off-chance she might have a space, and sure enough she did and so the transformation began:

It was now lunchtime, so we stayed at Talapia for refreshment

Then we walked back home (via the supermarket that sells sweets!)

Upon arriving back at the compound, Bex + Graham spent some time together doing ‘Sporkle’ quizzes online – which takes great concentration:

In the evening (Matt was out babysitting) and we invited Bev, a neighbour on the compound, over for games – Mahjong + Black Queen.

So a great day – definitely one to be repeated.

Lifeline Lost?

It has been a mixed holiday. We have enjoyed ourselves here but the frustrations of slow (exceedingly slow) network connections and a faulty mic on my iPhone have combined to make contacting home a nightmare. This has been particularly true of my mum. All this leaves me somewhat cross and annoyed. There doesn’t seem to be an easy solution – the mic issue seems to affect FaceTime and Skype as well as video recordings and whenever I try to use Speakerphone, but is intermittent. The connectivity since Christmas has been ridiculously slow (see below). At times my 3G has been faster than WIFI. Changing from
Vodacom to Airtel has made no difference.
It’s not just calls, the use of the network for school work and social networking is restricted to one computer with a Zantel dongle. This is also the only allowing us the option of downloading our iTunes Christmas Gifts.
Before Christmas things were fine but now we might just have to bite the expensive bulletin and return to using the TTLC landline. 😦

Christmas In A Foreign Land

Our first Christmas Overseas was strange to begin with but ultimately great. Usually Christmas Day is spent with either Anita’s family or Graham’s. So this first Christmas in Tanzania was always going to be different. The weather added to the unusualness of the day with high temperatures throughout.

We tried to keep up as many traditions as possible. The day started with stockings for the kids – though the lack of Satsumas and the limited range of little gifts made for depleted stockings overall. Then it was breakfast, as usual we indulged in our Christmas Breakfast of Kidneys and Bacon. The former Beef Kidney from the local butcher and the latter expensively purchased from the nearby supermarket at price of 11000 TZS (over £3). We also added in Oyster Mushrooms (somewhat cheaper at 5000 TZS), our first fresh mushrooms since our arrival.

After Breakfast we opened our presents. Many of these were vouchers for electronic downloads, these were a welcome addition to the physical presents which we had for each other and thanks to my Sister-in-Law. Whether real or virtual we thank all our relatives for their kindness – thank you emails / letters will follow in due course. We are looking forward to choosing and downloading our Books, Music and / or Videos in the coming days.

One major frustration was the internet. Our WiFi contract ran out at 10am, as we had used all our data. Not only did this prevent us from immediately downloading anything from our Christmas Gifts, but also destroyed any chance of a FaceTime chat with my family scheduled for noon. As we scrambled around to sort out an update the remaining 3G connection was too slow to support either video or audio and we gave up. Meanwhile Anita managed to source a top up from the local duka (shop), then embarked on the process of adding credit to the modem (not a straight forward process).

Then began the process of peeling, chopping and preparing vegetables for our shared compound Christmas Dinner.

Four families were going to gather together for a meal, along with relatives from the UK. We created some of our traditional family favorites including Mulled Red Cabbage (courtesy of a smuggled in red cabbage, locally sourced beetroot an apples and red wine with Zanzibar spices!) and Carrots with Orange and Coriander as well as Roast potatoes, ratatouille and peas. Others brought pork and Chicken together with stuffing, sausage meat, parsnips etc. We were also on puddings, the planned Compote of Oranges morphed into Spiced Orange and Plums due to the variability and poor quality Oranges we had. Even so it was delicious as was the Ginger and Mango upside down cake! Others brough Christmas Pud and Ice Cream as well as Chocolate Hedgehog. All in all a great feast  by 18 people in our living room (the largest on the compound ).  A power cut and heavy rain did nothing to spoil a great meal.

After dinner  (and washing up!) we embarked on an afternoon / evening of games including Wink Murder, the Elephant Game, the Chocolate Game and the the Cereal Box Challenge. These were all great silly fun helped by some wine, Kantagi and Amarula to liven up proceedings (in moderation of course!). All in all it was a fabulous party and for all of us made being far from home and loved ones a little less difficult, also creating closer bonds between the different family groups.

After everyone had gone home it was a chance to watch Doctor Who on iPlayer at 9:15pm local time. Sadly although we had restored our WiFi there was so little bandwidth that it kept buffering resulting in an unwatchable program. We resorted to downloading overnight for watching on Boxing Day. A Christmas tradition delayed!

There was however enough Bandwidth to allow us the chance to FaceTime my family again (Anita’s were sadly unreachable on Christmas Day, being away and out of reach of any form of broadband). It was great to speak properly and see everyone at home.

In the end Christmas here was a bit different to usual, but with a sprinkling of tradition and some new experiences to make the day better for all. We certainly miss our families but the ability to contact them using video chat makes things a lot easier.

We hope that all who read this blog wherever you are in the world have had a great Christmas and we wish you all (not for the last time) a Happy New Year!

A Zanzibar Nativity

The Dreaded Lurgy

It had to happen in the end I suppose but the female side of the house have gone down with tummy bugs. Anita was first last night followed by Bex this morning. Where it came from we don’t know, but out here away from the hermetically sealed life we lived in the UK we are going to be prone to more illnesses. A lot of colleagues and their families have gone down with stuff whilst we have remained immune. One colleague was off for two weeks with something. The truth is that bugs and bacteria are more prevalent in Tanzania – not the deadly kind like Ebola – plain ‘common all garden’ sickness bugs, and of course Malaria – not fatal to us but not nice either. Thankfully neither Anita or Bex have anything dangerous but both have exhibited the usual symptoms of gastroenteritis and have spent the majority of the day in bed. The masculine side remains thankfully fit and healthy. I for one am pleased about that.
One advantage being here is we do employ a house worker to do the routine tasks – so it wasn’t as bad as it might be in the UK. Even so after work (and the running club which I and others help run for students) I needed to go into town to the bank to draw cash (we live in a completely cash society here!) and then some shopping (bleach, Dettol and shampoo) then straight to language school! Arriving home at 7:15pm.
Thankfully the girls were well enough for me to be able to go to the weekly ‘Boy’s Night’ Meal we have with other colleagues on a Thursday. Returning home at 10pm both are back in bed and asleep. Hopefully, they are on the mend now – we’ll just gave to see if it’s catching!

Africa

T + 1

So we are finally on our way. After a long check-in process – we had only a very little time with family before we were off. It was sad to say goodbye and we will miss them and all we have known in the UK.

After a delay of nearly 1 and a half hours we took of from Heathrow. As predicted we were well over our luggage limit but we are here in Africa, though not yet at our destination.
Very British weather to greet us on arrival. Raining and 16C 😦 I won’t say where we are yet on this blog so FB Friends don’t say yet. I’ll save that for a future blog (security and all that!).

Family Send Off – Part 2

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Today we were going to Bicester to visit Anita’s cousin (Owen) to celebrate his birthday; except we weren’t!

Family Send Off

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After our time in Cheddar meeting with Anita’s family, today a chance to touch base with mine, courtesy of Mum. My Aunts and Uncles are visiting along with one of my cousins. As we have grown older these gatherings have been fewer and farther between. It’s great to catch up and nice they could come. There are others in my family who aren’t here so to them fondest wishes too and hopefully we will be able to catch up when we return. Certainly we hope to keep in touch my electronic means.

Every Day’s A Last! (Familiar Haunts and Steep Ascents)

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So with Friday here – it is now the case that every day will be the last in the UK for the time being. It is amazing to realise how time has flown in the  last 90 days – it hardly seemed that long ago I was recalling the half way point but now we are in the final week.

Today was spent doing a little sight-seeing in my home town of Lincoln, plus a little more last-minute shopping ( picking up things ordered on Wednesday.

It was great to wander through the town and to descend, then ascend Steep Hill in Lincoln, thus ticking off another bucket list item. When you live in a place, you can take it for granted and so it is with Lincoln. The Cathedral dominates the city and is an amazing piece of architecture – it was the tallest building in the world in the Middle Ages (until 1589 when the central spire collapsed). It is far too expensive to go into (unfortunately) but the views are good from the Castle (much cheaper) and the square below. Steep Hill is a fitting name – it’s a good climb up with plenty of little shops on route. At the top the Cathedral and Castle are sited on opposite sides of a square. The castle is currently undergoing refurbishment prior to the arrival of Magna Carta in Spring 2015. Even so part of the  wall is walkable with some fantastic views, when finished the wall will be navigable.

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This morning it was great to spend time with my brother and to have a walk around Swanholme Lakes a local nature reserve. The old gravel pits have become lakes and surrounded by woodland. Blackberries and Acorns adorned the bushes and trees – still ripening away. Funny to think we will not be here for Autumn this year. The reserve is a familiar haunt and a walk we do most times we come to Lincoln – it was a slice of the familiar before the unfamiliar which awaits.

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Last Trip to Lincoln

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Our grand tour continues as we make our way to Lincoln. Although not the place of my birth – it is the place I grew up in and now we have sold it is the closest thing to home there is (for now). A house I moved to in 1972 with lots of memories so a good place to reflect ahead of the move. I will feel the leaving of this place almost as much as my own home (perhaps more so as this was such a rush in the end).
It is a place I lived in until 1984, and came back to throughout the next four years whilst at University; rather like this visit with a tonne of washing (following our 10 days under canvas!). Even after 1988, it was still a home from home – especially in those years before 1993 when I bought my own house. Now we are homeless (in the UK) at least it has reverted to it’s prior role for the first time in 21 years.
Lincoln is the place I transitioned from
childhood through teens to adulthood; the place I became a Christian. Similarly MK was the place I transitioned from young adulthood to middle age; single to married to parenthood.
Life lived in phases (the seeds of another blog in that phrase alone!).
The next phase is rushing upon us – where will it lead and how will I (we) change?
For certain the next 5 years will see the transition in our family, as our kids finish school and start out on their own careers / university / college courses, becoming young adults (as I was when I left Lincoln). You never give up on being a parent but things will change, whether we go to Africa or not.

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T Minus 10

Time is flying fast and although much has been done, there still seems a number of things we need to do before we go and time is ticking.
We realised last night was our last in the UK as a foursome as we sat round the campfire at Petruth Paddocks in Cheddar
Son goes off to Soul Survivor (a youth camp) for 5 days whilst we three head for Lincoln. We regroup for the last frantic days of packing and repacking at Anita’s parents Abingdon but there we will be six.
Not until Tanzania will we have an evening together alone as a four.

On The Beach

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A day to tick an item on my UK Bucket List. This is a list of things I have done before but want to do again before I go. Last week it was Alton Towers, this week it is a swim in the Atlantic. It was a great day on the beach – a chance to unwind – and “boy do we need it”.
Great to spend time with family too as we share this holiday with Anita’s parents and sister’s family. It’s good for the cousins to get together before time and distance force a separation.
A week here in Newquay forms part of our “Grand Tour” which will allow us to see most of the family on both sides.
Today’s agenda included beach bowls, swimming, body boarding, sunbathing and relaxing!

Home From Home

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A second day in Lincoln, at the home I grew up in from the age of 6. It’s strange to think by the end of the week this will be the only house in the UK with which I can call home (I know I don’t own it but 42 years down the line I think it is very much my second home – the place you grow up is always your home whilst it’s still in your parents possession). We will return here once more before we leave for a few days mid-August.
It’s been a relaxing couple of days with Mum and my brother and his wife. The gorgeous hot weather has allowed us to eat al fresco. This morning we went to St George’s (my very first church) and though there were very few folk who were from my era it was nice to see some familiar faces and we were prayed out. Amazingly one of the members of the church (Lyn) used to work at Isamilo as a year 6 teacher. It’s such a small world! It was good get some insight into Mwanza.

SMB

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Today we will get ready as usual to go to church. We are members of St Mary’s Church Bletchley (SMB) a lively Anglican Church in South West Milton Keynes. It’s a routine which I have followed for almost 26 years. To quote from an earlier post

I came through the door of St Mary’s at about 11am in early November of 1988. I had chosen the wrong service!

I was looking for a lively and engaging service – but found something old fashioned and a little dull. I might never have returned but for a friendly man in a red sweater by the name of Tony. He suggested that I might prefer the 9:45am service as it was more modern than the 11:15 I’d just attended. He gave me a service book so I could see what it was like as long a I brought it back next week.

Of course I did and so started a relationship with the church that has spanned more than a quarter of a century.

St Mary’s is not stuffy, it is not old fashioned, it has a wide range of people of all ages, from a range of backgrounds and cultures. It is not a stereotypical Anglican Church. Having said that it doesn’t completely espouse tradition, thus throwing the proverbial baby out with the bath water.

Anita and I were married there, we have brought up family there. We have shared in the ups and downs of church life (no church is perfect!), but we have been happy there. I have taken my share of responsibilities and roles; youth leader, drama team member/leader, sides person, deputy Churchwarden, webmaster, PC operator, volunteer present wrapper for Christmas Food Cupboard, member of the Christmas Choir and above all member of the PCC. Anita has played in the music group and served in the crèche and on the “Sunday School” rota. Matt has helped out with the same.

As we bid farewell to so many friends and familiar faces it is going to be strange and sad. More than any other last we have so far this is the biggest.

We will share a lunch with some of our friends at St Mary’s at the end of the 11am service – it will be a great send off but a “bitter sweet” experience I am sure.

God will still be there wherever we go but we will miss our St Mary’s family very much. It is highly unlikely we will ever be part of another church for so long (as a couple for 20+ years).

Whenever we return (and we will when we come back to the UK) it will be as visitors. Nonetheless the wonders of modern technology will allow us to be visitors from afar throughout our time in Tanzania. In that sense we will always be part of SMB.

Update: It was great to chat to so many SMB folk today and say our goodbyes. It was lovely to share a meal with some of them and to read their comments in cards.
We were presented with a lovely photo of SMB which we will place in our new home – a reminder of the place I have called home for a quarter of a century.

Endings

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Today is my son’s last day at school in the UK. This week is his birthday. The last of our family’s birthdays on UK soil.

Today was my last Heads of Faculty meeting. Today also was the last test I will set as Year 10 took their mocks. There are 4 weeks exactly from today until the end of term.

I realise I am watching my last UK Wimbledon – not sure how much coverage of the Tennis Championships there will be in Tanzania.

Endings are coming thick and fast now as we move into the final stretch. Looking forward to some beginnings though they must wait for The move abroad.

Hidden Costs

T Minus 86

Moving abroad isn’t cheap!

Nineteen

1. T minus 87

Today is our 19th Wedding Anniversary and a time to reflect on the past as well as look to the future – I share here  wedding pictures from that day almost two decades ago. These come from Anita’s Creative Memories scrapbooking album.

Ultimate Bank Holiday Monday

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With awe I have just realised that this is our last Bank Holiday Monday in the UK. Another milestone! The next one will be three days after we leave on August 25th 😮
In general I’m not (like most people I think) a great fan of Monday’s. It’s not that I don’t like work per se although the first Monday back after a holiday can be a pain. I don’t get thoroughly depressed, work has it’s own interests too (and in teaching no two lessons are ever the same – even with the same classes week by week). For me it’s the return to structure and formality (in my case a defined timetable) after the freedom of a weekend which can feel burdensome. Bank Holiday Mondays are an exception, a day of possibilities. Today we are spending time with Anita’s family – a good chance to catch up with all, play silly games, go for a walk if the weather holds out.

Mondays often feature, often negatively in songs. On my iPod I have several Monday tunes – here they are (YouTube versions) for your listening pleasure.

New Order – Blue a Monday

Boomtown Rats – I Don’t Like Mondays

Bangles – Manic Mondays

Duran Duran – New Moon on Monday

Flunk – Blue Monday (cover)

Finally and because it’s a Bank Holiday

Blur – Bank Holiday

Have a great Monday wherever you are.

The Sands of Time

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It’s difficult to believe that today is the end of my penultimate term. Like grains of sand rushing through the narrow neck of an hour glass, time is rushing by at an ever increasing rate.

Suddenly we find ourselves nearing the end of May. In three months time depending on how you measure it, we will will either be spending our last day in England (Friday) or our first day in Tanzania (23rd).
I think that part of the issue has been the business of work and also the plethora of Bank Holidays concentrated into April and May, another Bank Holiday weekend is upon us and will allow us to meet up with Family. The rest of the week will possibly involve a trip to Lincoln to drop off some stuff for storage and some further house clearance. We aim to of some trial packing to see how much it all weighs. We are also looking at some options for our equity and considering the possibility of investing in a smaller property.
It will be a busy week – probably our last week off before we move. We hope to make the most of it.