GREETINGS FROM CELESTE IN AFRICA
Jambo Family!
I'm sorry I havn't emailed in a while but the internet has been down quit a bit. I CAN'T EVEN BEGIN TO TELL YOU HOW AMAZING THIS PLACE IS!!! I met a bunch of people from the peacecorps and I am 100% doing it. I was pretty sure I wanted to do it before but now there is no doubt in my mind. I also am going to start taking Swahili classes at MSU when I get back to be favored for East Africa if I get accepted. I have done and seen so many beatiful things here I never want to leave. It's just like I had imagined...the women here are all gorgeous and wear the most beautiful fabric wraps around themselves and carry there purchases from the market back on there heads. The children here are the most beautful children I have ever seen. We went to Morogoro regional hospital and explored and learned about the pre-natal and post natal care and what they do for HIV mothers and the steps taken to treat them during delivery. We went in the waiting room with over 50 of the most beautiful women and children. The nurses were wonderful people who were so passionate about their work. We traveled through a national park to visit the village Msimba where one of our proffessors is doing work with these people who live off less than $1 a day. He is helping them incorporate soy beans and cowpeas inton their farming techniques to increas the amount of protein in their diets. The village was the most amazing experience of my entire life. These people are so poor and the happiest, most hard working people I have ever met. The kids all gathered around us because our host proffesor say they hardly ever see white people. The were playing soccer with a ball made out of trashbags and they were very good. Elephants are like squirrels around here. They are everywhere. Girraffs, baboons, gazelle, and zebra's are not dificult to see at all either. The coolest thing we've seen was we saw a couple of hippo when we stopped by a water hole in the national park. THEY ARE HUGE! Today was our free day so we climbed up the maountain near our hotel and it was gorgeous. It had the most amazing waterfalls I have ever seen. We climbed up about 1700 feet and we could see all of morogoro. A local boy who's village was at the top of the mountain guided us the whole way and when we reached his village a bunch of the other children from we laughing and dancing with us and playing games. It was amazing! Another man made us a local feast when we got back down to the first checkpoint and it was delicious. I NEVER WANT TO LEAVE THIS PLACE! YOU ALL HAVE TO COME HERE AND EXPERIENCE THIS CULTURE! IT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE! It's so wonderful and I have learned so much and realized I am so fortunate to have the financial comfort I do. It's rediculous how cheap things are. Mom, I got you 3 yards of African fabric at the market for $3.00. Anyway, my internet time is almost up! I LOVE YOU ALL VERY VERY MUCH AND THANK YOU SOOO MUCH!
Kwahara (goodbye),
Celeste
I'm sorry I havn't emailed in a while but the internet has been down quit a bit. I CAN'T EVEN BEGIN TO TELL YOU HOW AMAZING THIS PLACE IS!!! I met a bunch of people from the peacecorps and I am 100% doing it. I was pretty sure I wanted to do it before but now there is no doubt in my mind. I also am going to start taking Swahili classes at MSU when I get back to be favored for East Africa if I get accepted. I have done and seen so many beatiful things here I never want to leave. It's just like I had imagined...the women here are all gorgeous and wear the most beautiful fabric wraps around themselves and carry there purchases from the market back on there heads. The children here are the most beautful children I have ever seen. We went to Morogoro regional hospital and explored and learned about the pre-natal and post natal care and what they do for HIV mothers and the steps taken to treat them during delivery. We went in the waiting room with over 50 of the most beautiful women and children. The nurses were wonderful people who were so passionate about their work. We traveled through a national park to visit the village Msimba where one of our proffessors is doing work with these people who live off less than $1 a day. He is helping them incorporate soy beans and cowpeas inton their farming techniques to increas the amount of protein in their diets. The village was the most amazing experience of my entire life. These people are so poor and the happiest, most hard working people I have ever met. The kids all gathered around us because our host proffesor say they hardly ever see white people. The were playing soccer with a ball made out of trashbags and they were very good. Elephants are like squirrels around here. They are everywhere. Girraffs, baboons, gazelle, and zebra's are not dificult to see at all either. The coolest thing we've seen was we saw a couple of hippo when we stopped by a water hole in the national park. THEY ARE HUGE! Today was our free day so we climbed up the maountain near our hotel and it was gorgeous. It had the most amazing waterfalls I have ever seen. We climbed up about 1700 feet and we could see all of morogoro. A local boy who's village was at the top of the mountain guided us the whole way and when we reached his village a bunch of the other children from we laughing and dancing with us and playing games. It was amazing! Another man made us a local feast when we got back down to the first checkpoint and it was delicious. I NEVER WANT TO LEAVE THIS PLACE! YOU ALL HAVE TO COME HERE AND EXPERIENCE THIS CULTURE! IT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE! It's so wonderful and I have learned so much and realized I am so fortunate to have the financial comfort I do. It's rediculous how cheap things are. Mom, I got you 3 yards of African fabric at the market for $3.00. Anyway, my internet time is almost up! I LOVE YOU ALL VERY VERY MUCH AND THANK YOU SOOO MUCH!
Kwahara (goodbye),
Celeste