Quick Update

Peace and love from Dar Es Salaam. I like the name of this city. :) I have not been good at keeping this thing updated, and I am sorry for that. I really do have a lot of valid excuses...power outages in SA, lots of travel, etc. Anyway, I want to provide a quick update before I take off for Uganda tomorrow...I may be even less connected over the next few weeks.

I spent my last month with Botshabelo in a new creche, working alongside my friend from California, Samantha (many of you know Sam or SHIZZAM :)). The work was great, just as it had been in November. We felt we were pretty successful in implementing the learning routine, and the children were awesome, as they usually are. There were some challenges, but nothing that could not be overcome. You become accustomed the heat, the dirt and the smells of the creches and the township...it's nice to become accustomed to these things and 'get over' yourself a bit. The women who worked in our creche were awesome, and most days we enjoyed tasty simple African lunches with the kids, cooked by these ladies. Sam and I liked ending our days at our favorite tuck shop down the road, where Sarah served us cold cokes under the shade of the tuck shop awning. She'd even bring us glasses and chairs and we'd have the chance to chat with some of the residents of the township as they came through for snacks and necessities. It was nice to really merge into the community a bit.

During this time we also worked some extra shifts in the Babies' Home, and even when we weren't on the schedule, would often find ourselves there, just because we love being with the kids. Sam and I would often get home from the creche and go right to the BH to grab some kids and take them to the coffee shop for icecreams. We laughed at ourselves for not being able to get enough. It's funny...kids are exhausting, but very addictive. :)

Graeme arrived from Seattle Feb 14 (awwww), and he had a chance to visit the creche with us on our last day. The next day we took the BH kiddies the pool. It didn't take him long to fall for them all-- nor they for him. The kids love having male attention and interactions, as they don't get these things nearly enough.

G and I then headed to Cape Town to meet up with Sam and a couple other volunteers. Cape Town is stunning, and we really enjoyed our time there, and also driving along the Garden Route (along the south coast of SA). G and I finished our time together with a few days on the beach in Mozambique, which was also beautiful and interesting.

The day before yesterday I said goodbye to Graeme and sent him back off to Seattle. Yesterday I packed up my room at Botshabelo and said goodbye to South Africa and all the children I have come to love so much. It's been pretty overwhelming.

BUT, I am excited about the next steps. As many of you know, I am not back in Seattle, as I originally planned to be March 6. Instead I am in Dar Es Salaam, the capital of Tanzania. Sam is here with me and tomorrow we leave for 2 weeks in Uganda (the safe part) and Rwanda. It should be a real adventure. I've already lost my luggage (hopefully to arrive today...crossing my fingers), and am hot, sweaty and dirty...wish me luck!

On the 23rd Sam and I fly to Zanzibar. She will stay for a week and we will visit all of our friends from December. Then Sam leaves and I'm on my own, yikes! I will be in Zanzibar for four months, involved in volunteer work much like I was doing in SA. I am so thrilled to return to Zanzibar and immerse myself in the culture and the people...it is truly such an amazing place. I have much to learn, and hopefully much to give. Believe me when I say the people are very deserving of whatever any of us can give them.

There is some chance a fellow volunteer from Botshabelo will be joining me in Z come May. She is a wonderful girl named Aline, and I am really excited at the prospect. My dear friend Jonathan also plans to come out in June and spend two months in Z. He is a medical student and would like to spend his summer volunteering in a clinic.

Thanks to my Grandmother's generosity, I am able to support myself while volunteering. This is a real blessing, as was the money I was able to raise in Seattle before I left for SA. By the way, I would like to thank again all the lovely supporters out there. Because I raised more than my goal, I was able to buy much needed resources for the creches and the BH-- the extra went a long way.

I apologize for the rather dry and brief update, but it is a million sweltering degrees in the lobby of our hotel, and I need to call the airport and appreciate the AC in our room, as it is the last I will be seeing for probably about 5 months. :)

I will do my best to stay in touch over the next months. Things are pretty limited in Zanzibar, so I can't make any promises, but there are a couple of internet cafes there, so I should be able to keep ya'll posted to some degree!

If you know G ask him to see all our great traveling photos! I'll try to post some as well.

All my love, lovers. I really miss my friends and family, every day.
Sylvie