And now for a word from Mke (wife)

Yippee!
I've got a big challenge to do at work: deliver 108 pigs (nguruwe), 2849 chickens (kuku) and 119 goats (mbuzi) to PLWHIVA in 26 days. I have to make sure the people receiving the animals have business and livestock training as well as the facilities to look after the animals. It's going to be fun. (I really like the name for goats (mbuzi). I think it matches the cuteness of the goats better than the English word so I'll be using it when I get back to New Zealand.) At the moment I'm frantically doing a work plan as well as trying to impress my workmates with some of the Kiswahili I learnt on my course. I don’t think it's working. I can write some fragmented sentences but am so slow at speaking.

I did get some practice in after work though. A kijana (young man) chatted to me on my walk home (I didn't bike cos it was raining heavily that morning). I managed to say how old I was, what I was doing in Tanzania, how long I was staying and that I was married with two birds. I found out that he likes wazungu (white people) but not Wajerumani (Germans) pole! (sympathy!) And that he had travelled to Zanzibar. He was interested to hear that I had a younger sister but disappointed to hear that she was married. Ha-ha, go Christi - you have a fan on the other side of the world! ;-)

It's hard being back in Moshi after our time at the language school in Arusha. I'm having trouble finding safe places to go running and am concerned that my abs will soon revert back to their keg-like status. I went for a run the other night but people were less friendly than those I'd met in Arusha and seemed to look relieved when I turned around to run home. The other problem with Moshi is that it's still so hot! I might have to get up really early to run before the heat of the day sets in.

Doug and I made friends at language school with a couple from the USA who just happen to live very close to us. They also have a charming dog! Mbwa ni mzuri sana! (The dog is very beautiful!). We're going over to their place tonight to celebrate Cinqo de Mayo. It's a Mexican celebration commemorating victory in a battle against the French. Until now I'd thought it was a shop Elaine visited in a Seinfeld episode but I stand corrected. And it's a good excuse to drink margueritas!