Greetings from (aerial view of) Arusha, about 50miles south of the Kenyan
border and 500 miles north of Dodoma....the area where "wazungi" come to see the animals/game parks/"safari's"! There are more amenities and shops here to provide for all the visitors - food prices appear double to Dodoma as a result but we are able to access more familiar goods!
After packing box after box after box of MAF equipment,
guesthouse contents and our home we made the move - just one or two remained to wave us goodbye (who needs removal men when we have Jezzie!)
We arrived in Arusha (via endless telephone conversations/arrangement making, hovering in hallways to find wifi) in time to unpack some cases and boxes, to repack then disappear for our “Christmas holiday week” in Nairobi (which means 'cold' in Maasi, apparently, where temperatures were cooler=delicious!) for Carina to
visit Nairobi medical centre then day surgery in the hospital for further
investigations, meaning we saw very few sights in addition to sunbed, hospital bed super size sofa
bed!
We’re thankful to report that all is well, praising God for
good health and now we embark on the many tasks at hand here in the MAF Arusha
office. Halelu-JAH today the Tanzanian Civil Aviation Authority granted permission allowing our 3 planes to take to the skies again: we don’t fly tourists on their
jolly’s or provide convenient flights for businessmen around this large country
(4 times the size of the UK) but offer life saving medical supplies and transportation out
of isolated communities/medical evacuations/emergencies, flying in doctors,
clinics and pastors where roads are impassable or just simply too far to walk
(even for locals who are used to walking hours/days in roasting conditions,
usually sick, sometimes injured and often heavily pregnant!)
We drove past Arusha airport where 2 of our 3 planes have been grounded at the
airport the past few weeks.
Below is Mount Meru from the road.
Here are some shots of Kilimanjaro and Meru from the air:
We have had our first visitor, mama Ruth who came to help:
She took a 9 hour bus journey north to be with us :o) Here she's preparing passion fruit for juice! Next week we have two more visitors to the Programme and we’ll “show you around” our new little flat and surroundings.
She took a 9 hour bus journey north to be with us :o) Here she's preparing passion fruit for juice! Next week we have two more visitors to the Programme and we’ll “show you around” our new little flat and surroundings.
This photo of Jez in his current corner of the world. You might recall an old Sunday school chorus: “Jesus bids us shine with a pure clear light, like a little candle burning in the night in this world of darkness we will shine: you in your small corner and I in mine” :o)
Happy February: enjoy your hats, gloves, scarves and
woollies - with no aircon and often no electricity/internet the rising heat is
strength-sapping, the endless flies and mozzies raising temperatures too (look closely and you'll see the "doom" spray on Jez's desk!) tho' our grass might look
greener to you over there in rain ‘n’ snow it resembles brown scrubland in
many places here – rains are due to reduce dust/famine.
Fond love from us both for now.
Keep shining :o)
Jez and Carina xx
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