Tanzania: Week One

I already don't want to come home and not just because of the EU referendum results...

In the last week I have experienced a wedding, a christening, climbed gangilonga rock, been to church and attended a festival of Tanzanian heritage culture. In my foundation training, I have watched fellow Tanzanian volunteers take up role play dressed head-to-toe (let your whole body talk) in drag WITH PADDING and learned the African Macarena. I have been immersed in a culture that despite a 50:50 Islam:Christianity split, their peacefulness makes Britain look like a 1930s Soviet Union.

My first week experiences have exceeded my expectations for the full 13 week placement and I have picked up more Swahili than German -which I was taught at school for 3 years (sorry Mrs Stoddart).

On the other hand, my luxuries have slowly declined -I started with two long-haul Etihad flights, stayed at a kind of luxurious hotel (see my last post), spent a week in a high standard hostel, and moved to my new home with a concrete floor in my bedroom, waking up with back pain and a long drop toilet that doesn't flush in Iringa. But despite the latter, Tanzania is home. 

Tanzania: Day One

Tonight marksmy first night in Tanzania and my first taste of what life is really like for the locals (kind of). Our first night is spent in Dar es Salaam -about the size of Amsterdam- before tomorrow's 10 hour+ drive to rural Iringa to meet our Tanzanian counterparts. We are staying in a hotel - a nice surprise for us all after a hectic 15 hour flight with a 'HOT' transfer at Abu Dhabi. First thing we all wanted to do when we arrived was have a shower.

I spent my evening shower trying to clean myself from a drip in the pipe where the shower drain had split. Before too long I noticed a second shower head -meant for your butt- but it works! Then... OMG it's freezing. 

While I spent time flittering between a warm burst pipe (at this point there was water everywhere, except on me) and a shower head that only spurted out freezing water I laughed to myself... yep, literally. The local residents just outside can only dream about being in such a luxurious predicament. 

I continued getting myself ready for dinner in my room which was boiling hot -and those who know me know I am NEVER hot. I desperately wanted to open a window but I couldn't: I had no mosquito net, no idea where my deet was and due to the 15 hour flight was a little late taking my anti-malarial this afternoon. Instead, I had to find other -less effective- ways to try and cool myself down. 

Again, I reflected on the locals -they also have no mosquito net, no deet and would probably love to be stuck on a plane for 15 hours and have access to anti-malarials. I, on the other hand, will eventually find my deet and will sleep safe in the knowledge that I will be provided with a mosquito net tomorrow. 

I am lucky.

12 days of Christmas: Day 1, The Pintertest

WHY DID I THINK THIS WAS A GOOD IDEA? I am currently covered in hot wax... and so is my phone... and my jeans... and my carpet (sorry mum!) Why? Because I decided to 'customise' a candle - something that I'd seen on Pinterest.

After deciding to blog '12 days of Christmas' and seeing a number of DIY Christmas Crafts pinned all over the internet, I thought I would try one for myself and share my (non-existent) success. The first craft I clicked on - a snowman 'countdown to Christmas' decoration was apparently NOT A CRAFT but thrown in the crafts section to advertise someone's Etsy page (rolling eyes emoji). Moving on, the second craft I thought I'd try my hand at was a rustic-looking hanging Christmas-tree decoration and it was beauuuutiful. "How pretty is this Christmas tree?" It said in the description. "Very" I said to my iPad as I began to sing "oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree..." receiving bemused looks from my dog. "Get the instructions here" *clicks* WHAT? The instructions to make this lovely lovely decoration were GERMAN. Although I studied a little German at school, my proficiency is somewhat elementary - definitely not good enough to follow a set of instructions. Disappointed and ready to give up, I trudged on with the thought "third time lucky" running circles round my head...

Indeed, the third click was a lucky one and I found a set of instructions to create a 'personalised' candle - something I had a lot of! The post originated from hometalk.com and my final craft was promised to look something like this:

I think you already know it didn't quite turn out as planned...

The instructions seemed pretty easy:

You first have to print your pattern onto some tissue paper (I chose a Christmas tree - in loving memory of click number two). To do this you need to Sellotape the tissue paper to a sheet of regular paper to carry it through the printer... so far so good!

Once it has printed you cut out your pattern and position it onto the candle. Then over the top of the tissue paper, wrap some greaseproof paper round the candle before heating. Still so far so good!

I chose to heat mine with a hair-dryer and put it on the highest heat... It burnt my fingers, ouch ouch ouch! So I put it on my knee - protected by a pair of jeans - and held the paper in place between my legs. Before long the wax started to melt... and it got EVERYWHERE. Persevering, despite the state of my room, I continued to burn myself (and the image onto the candle). 

The final outcome looked like this: 

basically it looked like a picture that a child has Pritt-Stick-ed onto the candle...

If I wasn't so frustrated I would have maybe attempted to heat it further - I also think it would look better on a candle that is pure white but I'm going to rule today's Pintertest as a FAIL.

Think you could do better? Try it for yourself:

http://www.hometalk.com/5992638/how-to-add-images-to-candles?utm_source=editor&utm_source=editor&utm_medium=pinterest&utm_medium=pinterest&utm_campaign=featured&utm_campaign=featured&crlt.pid=camp.wxR0oW6UvNOp

Hoping tomorrow's blog is one of success - a Christmas bake!

Ciao for now xo

9 Benefits of Going on Holiday with your Family

Think you're too old for a summer break with your parents? WRONG. Of course, it's fun to go on holiday with friends and lovers too, but sometimes going with family can be just as fabulous - Here are 9 reasons why:

1. At the risk of sounding like a spoilt brat... they pay.

2. You've pooped in the same bathroom like a MILLION times before - embarrassment averted!

3. If seeing each other 24/7 isn't great for your relationship - you already know before you board the plane (headphones? check!)

4. Quality time. If you're a student like me, you've spent the year away studying. A holiday together gives plenty of time for that well-needed catch up about that holiday you had with your friends 3 months ago.

5. Seeing your parents drunk is HILARIOUS.

6. Selfies like this.

7. THE FOOD! With parents paying, there is no doubt you will dine like royalty for the duration of the trip.

8. It's a lot less socially demanding... if you're just not in the mood that night, your family don't care.

9. And if you do go out, you don't have to worry about who is best-dressed/who looks best in a selfie (despite number 6 you take a LOT less selfies).