Hello all!
This weekend was full of adventures for us. First on Friday night we spent the night in Bandas (small huts) on the shore of Lake Victoria. We played "beach games" with the children from Uyacho orphanage (where we planted the garden last year) and ended the evening with a bonfire on the beach.
The next day we traveled to Ishozi, the village where William is from. We hiked, star-gazed, enjoyed a traditional meal eaten with banana leaves instead of silverware, and attended a church service in swahili in the morning. The weekend was all that you could expect from African village life, with many of the places being so secluded that you cannot reach them by road. One of the highlights for me was the church service, the music especially was beautiful. And even though we couldn't understand most of what was being said, we were able to appreciate the enthusiasm with which it was done.
Monday we spent enjoying Bukoba, and in the afternoon went with Izaas Medical project to donate soccer balls to the masai (traditional people of Tanzania and Kenya). We attempted to play soccer against the masai, and surprisingly we were pretty equally matched. They seemed almost as unfamiliar with the sport as we are, but they made up for the deficiency of skill with an excess of physical ability that often resulted in bruises.
This morning we worked revisited the home that as repaired two years ago by BWB. We had hoped to do the repairs today, but after consulting with an expert it was realized that even trying to repair the walls could result in the entire home falling in. We decided to partner with Izaas to ensure the home is rebuilt in the near future, even if it is not by us. Tonight we have plans to eat at the Bukoba Club (considered one of the fanciest restaurants in the area). We plan to treat some of the friends we have made to a good meal to thank them for all they have done for us while we have been here.
Tommorow night we take the ferry to Mwanza, then drive to Shinyanga to visit House of Grace, an organization working with people affected by Hansen's disease, or leprosy. We will try to update the blog after we get to the hotel there, or as soon as we can find an internet cafe!
-Becca
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