Our day once again started off with breakfast at the Peacock, only this time it was pouring outside. According to the locals, this meant HOT weather in the afternoon. Nicole decided to try some yogurt and some funny looking cereal cake which turned out to be quite tasty! Everyone enjoyed croissants, fresh fruit, chi tea, and our favorite... coffee with "a little bit of milk." This request seems to confused the waiter every time. We learned that people in Tanzania usually drink their coffee "white" meaning they put enough milk in to basically turn the coffee white.
After breakfast, Amber and Marilyn felt ill, so we layed around a bit before Amber began to feel much worse. With Melanie's homework on her mind, she decided to stay back with Amber while the rest of us visited the school for the first time. Tonya, Marilyn, and Nicole grabbed a taxi and headed for the Autism Unit. As the three of us drove up the gravel road, elementary age children lined the street in their navy shorts/skirts and white polo uniforms. The look on their faces was quite a sight to see. It was as if we were aliens from another planet. The driver found his way to the gated unit and we set out to find Ella, the head teacher. Ella was waiting for us and greeted us at the lock gate. It was already evident how happy she was to see us. Jumbo's were exchanged and we were given a tour of the unit. Introducing ourselves to the teachers was easy, however, it was much more difficult to catch their names, as they were very unique to Tanzania.
The students displayed signs of class autism and it was noticeably evident that they had little materials to support both the learning and play of the children. A few desks, sensory items, a computer that is usless because their electricity does not work, are all they have to claim as theirs. Ella took us to her office to discuss the plan of attack for the week ahead. They are so anxious to have us help them, just as anxious as we are to get started. Lastly, we visited with the children one last time while they sipped on their tea and bites before heading home. Tonya's favorite part was modeling for one of the children how to give a high five!
Worried about the girls at home and anxious to get our supplies gathered from the hotel, we headed back to the Peacock to check up on Amber. Marilyn and Nicole were restless, so grabbed Mel who needed a break from homework and headed out to a "supermarket" to buy some tea and bites for our teacher training tomorrow. This journey proved to be quite the interesting one. Our driver, Gregory, with the intent to avoid traffic, drove us through a local neighborhood. The earlier rain, created extreme pot holes that made our drive a bumpy one. Again, we got stink eyes from the locals busy selling along the street sides. Silly Munzugu's (white people), is what we are evidently known as.
Somehow, Gregory managed to get us to the SuperMarket in the Tanzanian mall. This was no American supermarket! It's hard enough shopping in an unfamiliar grocery store in the US, let alone an alien market in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Mel, Marilyn, Nicole, and Gregory made a team effort out of it and found African Tea, Tea Bites, Raspberry Jam, Shortbread Tea Bites, Water, and Juice. Getting a little hungry, we decided to stop outside the coffee shop at the mall to enjoy some chi, coffee, and bites. So tasty!
The three of us plus Gregory headed back to the Peacock for some R&R. Along the ride home it was decided that we wanted to try Ethiopian food for dinner. Marilyn suggested the perfect place for this was Addis in Dar. We clearned that with the ladies back at the hotel and sat around catching up with email and facebook before cleaning up. We also worked on our "weighted animals" for the school. Amber proved to be a great sewer, while Tonya and Nicole ripped and stuffed with beans.
Gregory was waiting for us out front around 6:30 so we hopped in and headed for Addis in Dar. With hungry stomachs, the traffic was a bit stresfull this evening. Four loaded in the back of a hot taxi during rush hour is a bit stuffy. Before long we landed ourselves in the parking lot of Addis in Dar. Our breath was taken away before we even stepped in the door. The upside down hanging umbrellas along the huge upstairs ourdoor pateo were fascinating. We were seated around the communal bowl and orded the usual Fanta, Serengeti, and an added "Ethiopian Honey Wine." Mel and Marilyn being the only ones to have tried Ethiopian food before helped to order one chicken, one beef, and one vegetiarian dish to go with our injera (spongy bread). Tonya, Amber, and Nicole quickly became accustom and fell in love with the ethnic food. We ate it all up while also managing to enjoy some ice cream and tea after the meal.
Another long day gone, we headed back to the Peacock to shower and get ready for the day ahead. We are all so anxious to get started in the school. It will be especially nice to have Mel and Amber with us! We are starting off with an assessment piece to help the teachers identify some common characteristics of Autism.
Wish us luck!
Asante! (Thanks)
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