It has been awhile I know.....

So I have been slack and have not updated this badboy since August. You can chalk it up to me 1)being lazy, 2)e-mail being crap in Songea, 3)viruses flooding Babu John's computer because of the internet computer so therefore I cannot type on his comuputer and copy on a disk because John did not have virus protection, 4)me being super busy, 5)life finally settling in...all of these reasons are why the past 6 months of my life have not been recorded and displayed for you all to see.

As most of you know, I went home over Christmas break for Varsha and Bertie's wedding. Alot to say about that trip. I will save it for another time.

What I can say is that my best friend Amy wrote me after noticing my lack of entries in this blog "Since you have not written for awhile I am guessing that you are too busy at life in TZ and all is really falling into place for you finally"...she knows me too well. It suddenly hit me in September. The "IT" that Kate Iaconetti and I use to talk about waiting for in Reading had finally happened to me here in TZ. TZ was home to me come September. Not sure what sequence of events that it took for me to finally realize that I am at home here...maybe it was the fact that I suddenly had Tanzanian friends that I could REALLY talk to if I was upset about something, maybe it was the fact that I no longer felt bad leaving Namabengo on the weekends and coming to town...I am comfortable that I have a place in that society regardless of me being there on Sat, maybe it was that I had a party to go to every Sunday in my village, maybe it was that I had a matching outfit with all the mamma's in my village, maybe it was that I recognize that I have a family in Songea that loves and appreciates me for all that I am, maybe it is because I finally think I am physically attractive, maybe it is because coming home and chilling with my dog and staring at the wall are the times when I am most at peace, maybe it is because I am myself at school and dont mind standing up for what I believe in against other teachers, maybe it is because I no longer hear the name of the old oober volunteer who use to live in my village..I only hear Mamma Mila now, maybe it is because hordes of children run after me wherever I go in my village just because they know I will talk with them or smile at them (they dont ask me for candy or magazines like they use to), maybe it is because I know that my kids know that I would do any and everything for them,maybe it is because I organized a day to celebrate my female students and I think it helped them somehow, maybe it is because I love teaching...the list goes on and on. Suddenly it all clicked. At this point in my life, this is home.

So no worries about me. Don't get me wrong, life is not perfect here, but it works for me.

Later entries will include 1)More details about the last 6 months and 2)A cry for help for my school (need some monetary contributions folks desperately to build a water well (need $3,000, can be a tax write off since it through Peace Corps),get a computer & printer(need $700) , have an HIV/AIDS week ($500), take my health club to climb Kilimanjaro in November(need about $1,500)...let me know if you are willing to help. I figure God blessed me with alot of friends that even if all only gave $20, I could accomplish all of the above somehow.

Peace and love to all.