August 8th.

Time quickly passes and it is now five weeks since we left home. What a learning curve that has been. despite the challenges, there have been many good moments along the way.
The building contracts for two blocks have been let and work commenced on the teacher's flats this morning and the preparation for the slab of the boy's dormitory should commence on Wednesday.
No work tomorrow as it is a Public Holiday to celebrate Independence Day.
The school students have to form a guard of honour for the dignitaries as they travel to the Teacher's College.

Home Alone. In the last week, Kevin spent some time in Dar Es Salaam purchasing building equipment and a block making machine. He flew back on Saturday and was actually able to take a photo of Mt Kilimanjaro in the distance at sunrise from the plane.
 No, I didn't get up to all those pranks like the boy in the movie while he was away.


Leaving Dar pre dawn on Saturday.


                                           
Mt Kiliminjaro at sunrise

What's on the menu?  For us the other day it was banana fritters with our last very over ripe banana but not so for the women doing the excavation. As they were digging they unearthed a termite nest about a metre down and so it was termites.The termites here are about 25mm long and very black. They just picked them up and bit them in half and swallowed.Not for the faint hearted Aussies.

Yesterday afternoon, the principal took me to see lake Victoria. The road made me think I was back in Bangladesh. It was so narrow and rough. We arrived at the last village before the lake only to get caught up in the midst of a funeral which lasts for many days. It was impossible to turn around and we just had to weave our way around the many bikes and dula dulas(taxis) and hope we wouldn't raise the ire of the village people. The principal was expecting a complaint at school today and would have had to send someone to sort it out. There was no other road back so we had to come through again. However on the way back through, there were people who knew us and got in our vehicle for a ride home and so that made it okay. At the time though it was rather confronting.
Lake Victoria was beautiful but I've yet to see it on a clear day and they also catch nice fish in it.

Lake Victoria
 
                                                   
Lake Victoria



The Anglican church on the cliff above the lake.
As I write this I'm being serenaded by a choir practicing for the annual choir competition  on Friday night. A drawing competition is being held at the same time for any interested students. Art is not part of the curriculum but a number of students have keenly come to the Library each afternoon to take part and I have stayed behind with them. It's been good as it gives me an opportunity to get to know some of them better.  I'm looking forward to Friday night.

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