I'm Back

Before I get into the blog, I want to say thank you to everyone who contributed to my birthday fundraiser for the school.  We raised $750.
Pre-Unity Class on First day of Second Semester
I am not sure why, but the first blog I write upon returning to Tanzania is a difficult one to focus on.  It is possible that it is difficult because of what I leave behind.  Family, my best friends and their pets, a hot shower with water pressure, washer and dryer machines?  Maybe it is difficult because I love being here and it is difficult to describe the emotions involved, especially when I am in town and not in the village yet.  

 I arrived back at site almost a week ago to find the house not yet complete.  It is close but not quite there.  It needed the plumbing supply line connected, windows and the bathroom door installed as well as the front entrance completed.  As always there are surprises when arriving back on site after having been gone more than a month.  The biggest difference between this site and the previous one is that almost all the surprises are positive ones.  There are four more students at the school since I left.  After our mid term exams, many of our students have moved up because they did so well.  
 The tiny house looks weird with the oversize hat style (dutch gable) roof instead of a simple gable roof.  There it is in all of its 185 square feet glory.  
When I paid the contractor to upgrade the house with tile on the floors to ease cleaning and allow us to remove the shower pan in the bathroom, I did not expect the tile to continue outside.  I am glad it only rains here a month or two normally because that will be a slip and slide.  

School has only been back in session for a day.  Unlike most USA schools where teachers report at least a week before school starts back, the teachers show up the same day as the students.  So the first day is more about setting up rooms after we had the walls repainted in the older classroom buildings.

 I expect by next week we should have the school back to a normal routine.  Hopefully I will be back to a normal routine here in Tanzania as well.  
The smallest class, standard 1 always likes to put on a show for their guests.
Location: Moshi Urban, Tanzania

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