Light...
... has been spotted at the end of the tunnel! I realized that all I have done is complain since I got here, when I really should look beyond the she*%!
And once I did that, things were not that bad. Amazing what a little bit of prayer, weekend in a heavenly cottage on a volcanic crater, talking to Julie and some sleep can achieve ;-)
People, Arusha is beautiful. You get off that plane and you smell Africa (if such a thing is possible.) Nowhere else have I been where a country's personality hits you in the face from the moment those doors are opened.
It had rained when I arrived. I was accosted by that smell of recent rain on open soil, the buzz of mosquitoes accompanying the crickets and the frogs, the big expanse of sky. It felt right. I was home. And breathing becomes easier - which is weird as I have just come from below sea level to several thousand feet above! My red blood cells were not too pleased after a couple of days. But they will just have to go forth and multiply.
The fur coat came off - YES! I did take it with me to Arusha. I missed it too much in New Orleans. A woman and her coat separated for considerable lengths of time is not a good thing.
At Susan's house, I sat on the veranda, overlooking a huge garden, dotted with Hibiscus flowers, avocado trees, spider plants adding an eerie white border around the newly planted lawn, the smell of jasmin from next door's garden. All intermingling with that smell of rain we all have childhood memories of and sometimes feel may be exaggerated by the nostalgia of youth. Heaven! The sky was huge, the stars within reach. Q: Why is the sky always so much bigger here?
It is wonderful just being able to drive through huge expanse of land, viewing mountains from your veranda, being able to listen daily to the lilt of perfect Swahili, being slightly overwhelmed and humbled by the politeness and graciousness of those around you (in my quest for independence I forgot how nice it is to have someone literally do everything for you! I am still finding it very weird to get used to!)
That evening as I slept (we had talked and talked and ..... Until about 3 am) you could hear the light rain on the lemon tree outside my window and all sorts of wildlife joining in. I wake up every morning to birds singing, a glass of mango juice and freshly ground coffee. What do I really have to complain about? The professional end - well it is only a tiny blip on everything else that this amazing country and Tribunal have to offer.**
**When I start bitching again - remind me to come back to this place! ;-)
And once I did that, things were not that bad. Amazing what a little bit of prayer, weekend in a heavenly cottage on a volcanic crater, talking to Julie and some sleep can achieve ;-)
People, Arusha is beautiful. You get off that plane and you smell Africa (if such a thing is possible.) Nowhere else have I been where a country's personality hits you in the face from the moment those doors are opened.
It had rained when I arrived. I was accosted by that smell of recent rain on open soil, the buzz of mosquitoes accompanying the crickets and the frogs, the big expanse of sky. It felt right. I was home. And breathing becomes easier - which is weird as I have just come from below sea level to several thousand feet above! My red blood cells were not too pleased after a couple of days. But they will just have to go forth and multiply.
The fur coat came off - YES! I did take it with me to Arusha. I missed it too much in New Orleans. A woman and her coat separated for considerable lengths of time is not a good thing.
At Susan's house, I sat on the veranda, overlooking a huge garden, dotted with Hibiscus flowers, avocado trees, spider plants adding an eerie white border around the newly planted lawn, the smell of jasmin from next door's garden. All intermingling with that smell of rain we all have childhood memories of and sometimes feel may be exaggerated by the nostalgia of youth. Heaven! The sky was huge, the stars within reach. Q: Why is the sky always so much bigger here?
It is wonderful just being able to drive through huge expanse of land, viewing mountains from your veranda, being able to listen daily to the lilt of perfect Swahili, being slightly overwhelmed and humbled by the politeness and graciousness of those around you (in my quest for independence I forgot how nice it is to have someone literally do everything for you! I am still finding it very weird to get used to!)
That evening as I slept (we had talked and talked and ..... Until about 3 am) you could hear the light rain on the lemon tree outside my window and all sorts of wildlife joining in. I wake up every morning to birds singing, a glass of mango juice and freshly ground coffee. What do I really have to complain about? The professional end - well it is only a tiny blip on everything else that this amazing country and Tribunal have to offer.**
**When I start bitching again - remind me to come back to this place! ;-)
posted by Snapshots of ... at 6:02 PM
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