The internet here is just like everything else-it kind of works some times--that is the way the electricity is and other things also. It is funny because you see Obamas name on many things here. it must be a brand- you see obama pencils and school supplies and obama pants and yesterday i took a picture of the Obama Hair Salon. In a small town when we were on our safari there was a Hilary Clington Shop- it was funny. Our driver said last week it was Obama but was changed to Hilary Clinton because she was in town.
Well, i found the girl i want to bring home with me! About 8 of us went to Tuleemi orphanage in Moshi. It was a small compound surrounded by a tall fence and a gate. We went in and there were about 20 smaller children running around and I also noticed several teenage girls. They were very friendly. We went around and played with the kids and talked to the girls. This 14 year old girl named Rose came and sat down me and started asking me all kinds of questions. She had the typical African hair style for young girls-a shaved head and then she had the most beautiful smile of straight white teeth. she asked me many questions about where i live etc and i asked her many questions also. She asked me about my family and i happily told her about everyone then she said- i don't have any parents. i said oh, i am so sorry how long have they been gone and she said 4 years. i asked if she had any brothers or sisters and she said-no just me. i said well now this is your family and you have many brothers and sisters and she said yes that is true. it broke my heart though because i could tell she longed for her real mother. i wanted to just tell her she could come home with me. we talked for quite a while and then she wanted to show me her room. the compound had a long cement building about 6 rooms long and there were 1-3 bunkbeds in each room. she shared her room with another girl about her same age. there was a sewing machine in the room so i asked her if she knew how to sew. she said she did and showed me a rack of skirts etc that she and the other girls had made. she said do you want to buy anything? So erika and i picked out 2 items and paid for them. after a while all the kids started getting in a big circle and we all held hands and took turns leading songs or games. like princess Pat and duck duck goose and ring around the rosies etc. they had some funny games like meatsie meatsie. some one would stand in the middle and call out animal names and everyone would either say meatsie if you could eat that animal or be quiet if you can't eat that animal. if some one screwed up then they would go in the middle. we played games like that for a long time. we got to meat their mama. she was an amazing woman who had taken in 48 orphans. the older boys and girls live in her house with her. all the children go to school if they are of age and she has 9 employees. i don't know how she does it. a bunch of us want to go back today and teach the teenagers how to tie the embroidery floss bracelets and then give them all our floss and instructions that we brought with us. erika is going to take some of her clothes that she doesn't want any more. i would also like to make a donation to them.
it is incredible how much need there is here and i am finding out that there are many people who are making a difference but it only scratches the surface. This is just one country in Africa and i am sure many of the others need just as much help. But for the most part people are used to how things are and they accept it and try to survive the best they can. i don't think they collect taxes of any kind- i will have to ask some one-but i am grateful we do have taxes so that we have money to pay for good roads etc. Remember what Don said-that it is a privilege to pay taxes.
love you all. we will see you soon.
-Mom
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