Nashiavai

Moses gave me my Maasai name on our Sunday hike, Nashiavai, or person that smiles and makes other smiles. It is my goal to stay true to that name while I'm here!

I've quickly discovered that I'm actually in charge of the orphanage, and am pretty sure they think I'm going for some type of business degree, as I've already done this years budget and have tried to decipher the stacks of hand written donation forms over the past year, along with calculate the extreme deficit the orphanage has. What's really sad, is that despite my lack of Math 12, I'm still in a much better position to be doing this type of work than anyone here.

After the first day, I was more than frustrated. It seemed impossible to even begin getting this place into shape. I became somewhat angry at the lady running the organization, I mean what was she thinking getting herself into this mess? I had a huge moment of prejudice and thinking that never would these African women be able to successfully run this organization. Then I dove into the work, and have since realized that yes, it is possible for them to turn this organization around if I help them and share my knowledge.

After being at the orphanage for only four full days, I have already delved into a proposal (coming along at 10 pages right now), hoping to score them some land to raise pigs! The two other girls working at the orphanage with me that are from Israel were mugged for the second time the other day, and have decided to leave, so I'll be the only long term volunteer for the mean time. There are a few girls from Denmark who are also there helping temporarily which is nice. They have been playing with the kids that aren't in school during the day while I work in the office.

It's nice to have this amazing responsibility and be so trusted already, but it is also coming with huge expectations. If I don't flip this place, then it will more than likely be the end of the organization. If you have any medical supplies, band-aids, gauze, and general hygiene items such as toothbrushes and towels kicking around, please give them to my parents to bring here. Also little boys clothing, as they don't wear diapers and are constantly wetting themselves and needing to be changed. Thank you! I can tell that I am going to be kept busy, and am able to make a huge change here. This is exactly what I bargained for!

The extreme lack of concepts of time and urgency are really bugging me still. Everything is slow, really slow. And I can't emphasize that enough. Tomorrow morning we're heading to Tanga, www.peponiresort.com if you want to be really jealous, for a weekend at the ocean. This trip kept me going this week; motivated me to get as much as I could done so I'd feel deserving of a day off.

Best TIA story to end this off, took Teacher Juliete, the head teacher at LOHADA my organization... www.lohada.org .... to the movies tonight. She had never been! The power went of three times during the movie. TIA.

Celine Dion lives on in the dala dala's of Arusha. That is all we hear, every day, to and from work. Canadian pride.