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Dags att börja förbereda inför nästa stora äventyr. Jag känner mig som världens mest upptagna person för tillfället. Har just återvänt till storstan efter att ha besökt lilla söta farmor i Bäckebo, moster i Emmaboda och syster och vänner i Götet. Nu blir det jobb i tre dagar för att tjäna in i princip lika mkt pengar som jag kommer tjäna under resten av sommaren på Irland. Men vad gör väl det. Ibland är upplevelser mer värt än pengar. Dock finns det ett orosmoln på himlen. Eller. Man kanske skulle säga askmoln från den dumma vulkanen på Island. Jag håller tummarna att askan ska ha blåst bort innan avfärd på Måndag. Enligt de senaste nyheterna är det inte helt osannolikt.

Actually just remembered I haven't uploaded any pics from my safari yet. So.....prepare for some wildlife from Pilansburg savanna...

I really dont know where to start. I have 2000 pics from the lion park and all of them are worth showing. Im just gonna pick a few I guess and try to tell the story from there.

I dont have a lot of time on the computer. And I am not able to upload any photos until I get home. But Im telling you.
I am in love. In lions. In Africa! In tigers!

You are all gonna melt when you see the pictures.
In one week time (this time), I'll be back in Sweden to break your hearts with my pics!

My time in Arusha is already over. Leaving for dar tomw morning and then South Africa. I have sooo many stories to tell, but not enough time to write them down!
Will just quickly upload some photos and give you an update since Im not sure there will be internet on the lion farm.
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Spent the weekend in a Masai village in Engalaoni Mountains. And there is just one word suitable to describe this place. STUNNING! I can’t describe it in words so Im just gonna show you in pics. The typical masai huts are sticking up as mountains in the incredible green landscape. Def the place to be poor on! On the way to Englaoni, where ML and M have a summer house, we had a masai in the car. Just gave him a lift to the mountains so he could pick up his daughter who is only 6 years old but had been grounding flour for a few weeks on her own. What did I do when I was 6???
We also participated in a TV production where some family friends to ML were filming some Tanzanian kid programs and ads. Gave us a chance to get some really good photos of the villages (something which is normally very difficult to get). The lady who let us use her hut for filming had 6 kids. Her husband died a few years ago and she had 3 children with him.  When he died, she became the “property” of his “brothers” (note: not his real brother, but all friends etc are brothers and sisters etc).

However these “brothers” only come every now and then to sleep with her and they don’t give a shit abt her the rest of the time. They just gave her another 3 kids to feed and at the time, there are food shortages in this region.

On our way up to Engalaoni where ML and M are working with a tree plantation project, so we had the whole car packed with at least 1000 small tree plants that we delivered to the village.

The typical masai huts in the Arusha region.

Dorini is playing with my hair.
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Apart from this trip, we have made one trip to another village called Ntukusi where Hope for Children have their own land lot on which they grow some foods etc.  (Pics from last time I wrote). In the same village, HFC are also supporting a school (but I will remember I already wrote about this).

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When we have some spare time, we play with the kiddos. Yesterday we taught them some Swedish midsummer dances, like sma grodorna (tiny frogs) and prastens lilla kraka. They were dying of laugh. We also played kom under ornens vingar (come under the eagles wings) and were totally exhausted when Morgan finally called us for dinner. When you start something, its impossible to just quit without a reason. Everyone required your attention at all times and it makes it very difficult. But it is wonderful to play with the kids and they really appreciate it.

Everywhere along the roads are kids and other people waiving to the Mzungos.

Rebecka and dorini are using bottle caps to play memory.
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Apart from this, I have been participating in some crazy “bonekvallar med pingstkyrkan” (pray nights with some Swedish mission church) and I really feel like I don’t fit it. I just don’t understand it.  The family friends (same once as the once making kid programs) was there. They have 3 kids themselves. The one that is 8 acted like she was 30. A lot more mature than me haha! I just dont agree with their way to explain things.

Me and Victoria dressed as masais in all kangas we bought on the masai market.
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Well, this is it. I need to go to bed soon and mentally prepare for the bus ride tomw. 10 hours with only one stop for toilet. Have prepared myself with drinking almost nothing today. Not that I think it will help. I mean. Its ME we are talking abt. However there are other reasons to prepare as well. Me and Morgas got stuck behind a learning driver yday and M explained that during practice, they are only allowed to drive in 20km/hr and they do never practice on how to overtake another vehicle, because the teacher is too scared. Add to this that the car is falling apart pierce by pierce and that the learning cars also serves as taxis and is fully packed at all times. The “driving up test” basically means that you drive abt 50 meters on a straight road and then get your license. No matter people here cant drive haha!
Im sure I will be fine though. Hopefully Ill get the chance to update the blog in South Africa. If not. I might have been eaten by a lion. Cause its LION TIME!

I am sooooo sorry I havent been writing for such a long time. You must all think Im dead. Which could have been the case, saying the bustrip from Sadaani to Arusha was a killer. It should have taken abt 10 hrs in total, but it actually ended up taking 16. The bus was falling apart piece by piece and it was like driving a RR in the bush. Constantly head banging for the first 5 hrs before we got on some asfalt roads.
The drivers are usually drunk and most of them most likely paid to get their licens. Just before we crossed a very narrow bridge, the Tanzanian guy infront of me did the hail marry (cross sign). You are better off Not knowing whats in front of you.
Surprisinglily, we made it to Arusha alive. Got into the first cab possibly just to get away from the bus stop. At the time, it seemed like a very good idea. We figured pretty soon that it wasnt. The cab driver stoped and told us he had to run away to get petrol cause it suddlenly was finished. He locked us into the car and ran away. We sat there for a few min and then decided to break out. I ran in to the closest hotel and Scott was hiding behind a tree to get our bags back. The cab driver return at the same time as two guys on motorbike who started to search the car. Scott bribed the guy to get our bags back and eventually we got away with all our belongings, just a few 1000 poorer. Gaaahhhh! Almost gor robbed. Grr. After that, we got the number to some reliable cab drivers so have been good since.
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moved into the orphanage on Tuesday morning. What I didnt know at the time was how extremely religious this place was. PINGSTKYRKAN (church) number one. I feel so very uncomfortable here. Its like Im the fifth wheel and I am actually getting treated worse just because Im not religious. And I thought everyone had the same value in Jesus eyes? Hmm...
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Anyway, the orphaage has 11 kiddos. Mostly girls for the simple reason that most projects are focusing on boys, although girls are in a higher risk group. The kids are between 7-14. We dont really work (we includes me and Victoria, another swedish volonter) a lot with the kids, but are doing more administrative things and get experience other ways. Its good though cause it gives me a picture of how it is to work like this.
Yday for example, we went to a Masai village to sort some land stuff out so they can grow food for the orphanage. We also went to a conference to set a budget for the village school and discuss how we could approve it. We got treated like the royal family. The kiddos had even prepared a dance for us. So adorable!

Pic from the maasai village in the mountains.
As you can see, Arusha has a much nicer landscape than dar. Its green and mountains everywhere. On the way out here, we saw Kilimanjaro. Looked so beautiful. I really have to climb it one day.

(Me and Vic sorting all clothes that have been given to the orphanage in different sizes and types. It took the whole day and we are still not done!)
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Morgan and MarieLouise have a lot of stories to tell and its very interesting just to listen to them. The moved to Tanzania already 1973 and have been through a lot. These parts, I really enjoy. But the morning prays and evening prays etc. I just don’t understand. The pretty much leave everything in the hands of God as well. Not much difference between the Africos and them. One of the Masais got really confused when me and Vic put sun block on. He had probably never seen such thing and we explained to him on broken Swahili its used to protect the skin from the sun. He laughed and said ‘hahahaha mzungos’. Morgan said he had explained to them before that ‘God made your skin black so you couldsurvive in this environment’. What abt evolution? However, I have learned NOT to mention anything abt that. I would prob get kicked out haha.
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Anyway. This is a nice place. I have only 4 days left. Then its time for lions and I am SO very excited. I feel like working with animals instead of people will be a very pleasant experience and I cant wait!

Some pics from Saadani.

I dont know where to start! I think I just witnessed African exorcism. Since I first arrived her, I have promised Salome to go to church with her on a Sunday. She told me the session would last for 3 hrs. It went on for 5 and it was really an experience! Goooooodness!

Went to meet Hatibu in the city today to talk abt my situation again. I think he was sad that Im leaving but he also admitted he has been extremetly busy. We went for a walk in the neighbourhoods of Tandale and to his house in Mwanaynamala. I think he was trying to make it up to me a bit. Although, he should have done this my first week already. A bit late now...

Dear all,
Tomw, I'll be taking the bus to Saadani national park. Will spend a few days up to a week lying in the bush with my camera, loking for zebras and girafes. According to the rumors, there is no connection out there. Just wildlife, mozzies and relaxing beaches. (Dont be jelaous!)
I promise to take a lot of photos and update the blog as son as I reach Arusha!

Laters!

Had planned to go to White beach with Silje and Maria, but the long rain stoped us from going. Since it is there (and now also my) last weekend in dar, we decided to go to Mwenge hand craft market instead.
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Afterwards, we met their supervisor over a drink. He's a really nice guy who is doing his PhD in Denmark. He knew a lot of projects I could have worked on. What a pity I didnt meet him until now! However, I took his contact details in case I want to come back one day.
He tols us a story abt when his relatives came to visit him in Denmark. They came during summer so there were no stars on the sky at night. The kids thought they had reached the end of the world and started to cry hysterically. He said he felt sorry for the scandinavian people since they seemed so lonely and since they devided everything into mine, theirs and yours. Its interesting to see your own country from abroad and to hear other people talking about it.
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Scott and I decided to take the bus to Saadani after I had a dream abt a plane crash. Haha, better to be safe than sorry! Plus, we will save a whole lot of money! Things that we like!
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Sure came over later at night to keep me company since Salome was in church. I told him abt my new plans and gosh! He got so sad! He almost started to cry, poor thing. So, I gave him the muse key ring which was meant for Tapida and his happyness was compleet. He told me that Tapida told him she used to 'do things' to me at night. I asked him what type of things, but sometimes, communication fail. He didnt manage to explain to me. But I might be better off not knowing. I bet she cursed me!

Last day of March. Went to the clinic to meet Ahmed who turned up more than an hour late. We didnt really have anything to do and the clinic was closed so just to kill some time, I suggested we should go and visit vodacom again. I didnt expext the manager to be there, but since he hasnt picked up or returned my calls, I thought we may as well give it a go. He wasnt in.
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Afterwards, I went to Mlimani to meet Gizelle. She recognized the problem I told her about and understood there was nothing for me to do here. She told me that when she last contacted the group before I arrived, it seemed like they had things to do, and I dont blame her. There was a proposal and people claiming to work on it. However the whole group relies on only one person, who is working fulltime with five other projects. Unfortunately, he and Saleem is the only once who really seem to want this vision to become real. The others just want to dance for a living. And they should! Cause they are really good and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Its just, I cant help them to do that...
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Its always nice meeting with Gizelle. She told me abt her mother in law who kind of had two personalities. She could go from being really lovely one day to harassing people with a knife the next. So she was taken to the  Loliando man to get her 'cup'. Appearantly, the medicin is the (avkok) from the same kind of leafes as the girafes are eating. The are poisones as well. Hmm. And the medicine is the same no matter condition. Cancer, diabetes, HIV, schizofrenia! Gizelle told me that her mother in law became normal after she went. Still, she didnt know what to believe, but she asked if I couldnt smuggle some of the leaves to Sweden and analyze them. Haha! I told her that if this miracle medicine actually did work, iot would be worldwide already. But I have to admit I am of the opinion that placebo is the best treatment so I guess it gives hope to the people in this very uncontrollable situation. I understand that they at least have to try it, if that is the final way to go.

When things cant really get worse, Salome told me I had to share my bed with one of her massive 'sisters'. As sharing room with a witch for one week wasnt bad enough. I guess this is just the African way of doing it, but with high fever and bad cold, I wasnt really up for having a snoaring (barba pappa) like lady next to me, talking more than half of the bed. BUT. What doesnt kill you makes a good story. Right!?
Woke up and still felt like shit, but managed to make it to the clinic to Meet Ahmed. Had to leave without breakie, since Salome was still asleep. But got some chapatii on the way, which is prob better than rat nibbled toast anyway!
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Me and Ahmed walked to Mwananyamala kinondoni where AMREF (a swedish embassy funded organisation) had put up a show in pretty much the same purpose as the Tandale group wants to do and parts of the group were performing. I was randombly handed someones kid when her mum went up on the stage. Poor little girl haha. After been touching every part of my face, she decided that I wasnt very familiar with my white skin. And so she started to scream. 'Pole pole', hell yeah! Got to use my not very sufficient swahili to the poor kid. A nice muslim lady next to me luckily saved me after a bit of screaming.
Food packages were handed out at the festival and the kids went nuts! They must have been so hungry! The staff tried to give be a package and got upset every time I passed it over to a kid closeby. So eventually, I kept one and gave it to a little girl when they werent looking. They all needed it so much more than I did anyway.
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NOW:
Waiting to meet up with Gizelle and talk about my situation here. My plan is to leave on Monday, since there are no flights to Saadani during the rest of the week and I wanted to make a stop there on my way to the orphanage in Arusha. The organisation still hasnt got back to me abt this. Hmmm... Well.
My internet time is running out and Im gonna go food searhing! Laters!

I thought a pic of my bucket bath would be suitable in this heat. Its surprising how little water you need to use to clean yourself with!

Sinza madukani, my home for the last month. The open door to the right leads in to the 'kitchen' and just to the right inside, to my bedroom. (Havent got a pic of that yet). The two doors to the left are the toilet and the bucket bath room. Both doors are now broken so you cant actually close around you...

I may as well just show a pic of Chingy in the bucket, held down by Scott while posing for a pic. (Look how dirty the water is). Actually has kind of the same colour as it turned when I washed my India pants this morning. Haha!
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Ok. Thats it for now. Im hungry, need to find some food around here!

Decided to stay in bed today and recover. Woke up at around 8ish just in time for the power to be switched off. So far. It has been 5 extremely tough hours without fan and 96% humidity. Add fever to that. Its not a very pleasant experience.
Later:
The power got switched on again at 19, just before sunset. Certainly chooce the wrong day to be sick on! Will spend the rest of the night drinking rehydration salts to feed my cells. Soooo, another day without stories. Although. I could tell you that between breakie and 7pm, I got nothing to eat or drink at all. Just before I felt like I was going to faint, I dragged myself to the closest shop to top up my body with some water. But, Im done complaining! The fan is back on and I got some chochlate crackers from the shop. So. Im just gonna enjoy the salt, the sugar and the breeze! Tomw will be better! Lets bring this fever down down down!

Been feeling sick the whole day so I dont really have any stories to tell. Its a weird kind of sickness with flu like symptoms, headache, dizzyness and I struggle to breath. Coughing a lot and it Hurts! Went to duka la dawa (pharmacy) to get throaties and coughing medicine. Back home. I found out that the bottle was already open. I wonder what someone put in there. Either way, I would have died in a coughing attack anyway and had neither money or energy to take a bajaji back. So I had a sip. We'll see what happens.
From now.
I am resting!

My whole body is screaming for exercise. Very loudly! Gaah!
Tried to do some push ups in my bed before my now 2 slices of untoasted rat nibbled toast. Didnt go very well since the matress was to soft. But still. Gotta try it! I thought being in Africa would make me loose a few kilos, but I think it will turn out the other way around. From eating nothing but carbs and fat. It surprises me to see the very high percentage of overweight, especially amongst middle aged women. I know the HIV treatment sometimes makes people add weight, but that would still only explain a small percentage. The rest is prob explained by poor nutrition and total lack of exercise.
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I told Hatibu about my ideas from yesterday when he eventually turned up an hour late to our meeting. He seemed happy abt me doing these stuff. I also asked him how much the group got for having me there, saying I payed abt 10-12000 sek to the organisation. I woud have thought they got at least something, that we could use for transport and getting around etc. But he said they got nothing at all. Will never do any form of volonteering this way ever again. The money ends up in the wrong hands. I feel like someone just cheated on me! Grrr! I basically paid all these money for getting a contact, Gizelle, which I havent really heard anything from the last 3 weeks (although She is amazing!). I could have done that myself and paid 10000Tsh (abt 60 sek) per week to any african family for food and accomodation. And to be honest. There is not really any project around here. Its a good idea, but like I said before, its more of a vision which will just die as soon as I leave (in case noone else comes down to take over). I learned a lot, but mainly by observing and talking to people. The hole project was already set to fail, since the group didnt get back to the companies, who all set their budget in the beginning of this year.
Time is to valuable to waste. I need to re schedule.
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Add to this. Im sick. I dont think its malaria cause my fever isnt that high and it would be a joke if any of the 2 mozzie bites I ot so far would have come from a female malaria positive mozzie.

Ahmed called in sick today so I got nothing to do. Neither TTb or Vodacom is picking up or returning my calls. I went to the food stall with Salome this morning to buy white toast for breakie. Must say its a wonder I havent been sick yet. The bread bag was lying half open on the floor and had been nibbled on by rats already. Yummy! Also, the bucket we use for shower is also used for washing dishes, clothes and cleaning the floor and bathroom. Lucky i bunked up with a whole lot of hand desinfectand and probiotics!
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Instead of watching Tanzanian movies on my day off. I went to Matts place in Mikimbushi to hang out with him, Scott and Geza. While they were working, I gave Matts adorable puppy Chingy a bucket bath, which I have loads of experience of by now. It was, however, Chingy's first time to have a shower, but I think he liked it. Muthlee, the other dog got jelaous so I washed him to.
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We also discussed some buissness. Looked into the opportunities for Scott to design a poster and tshirt for the group, which he said he could help me with. Adam, a third friend of them told me he had a printing shop and might be able to give us a good prize and even sponsor a bit. Matt also got contacts in the hotel world, so hopefully I can sign up the group for some shows around in dar. If I could ahieve these 3 things during my remaining time here, Id be incredibly happy. While the guys were working, I also started to put a HIV quiz together for the festivals. I wanna try to have as much as possible done for the group before I leave.
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Scott and I decided to take a bajaji to mlimani and get some dinner and surprisingly, Teresa from my nutritionist class in Sthlm called me on my phone. She told me she was in dar and came to join us for dinner. Nice with yet another familiar face! She had been working on a farm in Zambia and was now travelling for a bit. the world is small, even when it gets bigger!

Half of my time here in dar has already past. Although some hours have tended to last for ever, I must admit that March has been really quick so far. My little mouse pet scared the shit out of me again. He jumped from the floor onto the couch, in which he seems to live in a hole in the corner.
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Went to the clinic to meet Ahmed. I called Pepsi and ME. Pepsi aksed me to call back next week, ME in a few weeks. Never thought it would be so damn difficult to get sponsors for a good purpose. TTB did not pcik up. As advised by Matt, I convinced Ahmed to visit Airtel, one of the new phone companies that are dying to get advertisment. They explain sponsorship was only to be applied for in May, but said we are welcome to email them our proposal. Ahmed told me he doesnt know how a computer works. I gotta teach him one day...
We went to Vodacoms office after been spending a few hours looking for it. The manager wasnt in but we left our proposal there and got his contact details.
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Everywhere on the streets are people with polio. Its such a horrible sight and I really feel for these people. The disease makes their limbs (mostly legs and feet) to become twisted in a very strange angle. Usually kinda backwards, stopping the person from walking. Al they can do is to just sit on the street all day begging for money. I feel terrible every time I pass someone without handing them some coins. Its just....they are so many. I quickly run out of coins...
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Went to Precision air to try to change my flight to depart from Arusha instead of dar. People here are so..hmmmm, NOT service minded at all.
"I need your booking number".
"Well, this is my booking number".
"No its not"
"Yes it is"
Phone is ringing. Private call. I am waiting 20 min for the lady to gossip with her friend.
"Well, it might be. But I cant change it. However, you can buy a new ticket for 500dollars"
God DAMN IT! Make me sit on that bus for another 14 hrs instead! Im white, not rich! Grrrrr!
(Keep in mind, Im not complaining, just informing abt my situation here and I know it sometimes comes out like complaints, but I just have an ironic way of writing).
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Ahmed told me to come back to the clinic at night to watch the group practicing. While I got there, everybody was just sitting around and Ahmed said we could go home. So, for what reason did I spend these hours on the bus? So I could pay for the other peoples trip home? I guess so...
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Scott gave me a bunch of multi video dvd's on Zzb and cross the roof! When I got home, Salome was actually watching one of them! This is happyness on high level! Not having to watch Tanzanian soap operas for at least this one evening!
Yeah!

Putting up some more pics for you to entertain yourself with when Im lying flat in my bed, without fan, without electricity and without food, sweating abt 1 litre an hour. Sucks being sick in a country like this, grrr!
Anyway:

My couchsurfing place...haha, not too bad hey?

The pool is still under recuntruction, but the top floor in this house was my room during the zanzi time.

Pretty impressive sunrise from my bedroom!

The narrow streets in Stonetown

Fukachani ruins.

Pretty big....tree!

The typical mud houses most people on zzb live in.
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Ok, I need to be off for some resorb and water to put this fever down. Hope you enjoy the pics!