Hope Kimondo & Timbolo Primary - Ngaramtoni

John & Sylvia Barns July - August 2008

We had a lovely weekend in Marangu but as predicted, internet access was worse than useless. We struggled at the internet café here in Ngaramtoni during the week but weren’t able to make contact. The result is a double dose of newsletter this week.

However being cut off and out of busy Arusha did mean a peaceful weekend for us. Friday was a bank holiday so we were able to manage the hazardous public transport and still get to the hotel for a late lunch. It was warm and sunny so we made good use of the gardens. From our room we had a stunning view of Kilimanjaro and amazingly the sky was clear enough for us to see the snow on top both early in the morning and in the evening. We understand the top is rarely visible so we were very lucky.

The hotel was somewhat in a time warp (makes the Isle of Wight look positively at the cutting edge) but was friendly and comfortable. We were somewhat overwhelmed by the many international groups of young people noisily celebrating and triumphant after their climb. It really is a feat – on the last day of the ascent you set off soon after midnight in order to be able to make it to the top and back down to the highest camp before dark. The whole thing takes at least a week and is not cheap either. We resisted the temptation to change all our plans and to join in (a temptation more easily resisted by one of us than the other) but did go on a wonderfully informative walk with a local guide though his village and the plantations. We heard lots about the making of banana beer but unfortunately(?) weren’t offered a tasting. We did however buy some freshly picked coffee beans which were roasted especially for us. We have a small stash of emergency supplies (bananas, Snickers bars, tomatoes) in one of our suitcases all of which now have a hint of coffee about them but the aroma is fantastic. The guide took us to a dramatic waterfall where we shared a packed lunch. It was a very steep climb down into the gorge and an even steeper climb back up!

Back in Ngaramtoni Sylvia at last feels that her teaching might be getting somewhere. It’s still hard to persuade pupils that language is flexible – they are used to being given the one correct answer on the board and to copying it down without processing it. Offering choices and being determined that they learn something has taken them out of their comfort zone. However they seemed to love making postcards for display – displays of pupils’ work being unheard of. Next challenge is to string them up – postcards, not pupils – persistent dust means fixing anything to the walls is impossible.

John continues to visit grant recipients and to be given chai (very milky, very sweet tea) as an honoured guest. An early must-have for all Masai households appears to be a thermos flask from which the chai is dispensed at the end of a business review. The small businesses themselves are enjoying varying degrees of success and it’s sometimes hard to know how to help and disappointing that there are so few options available.

While on the subject of tea, John is reminded that his physics teacher, when explaining the effect of pressure on boiling points, claimed it was impossible to make a good cup of tea on top of Mount Everest as the water boils at less than 100C. (Note from Sylvia – don’t anyone dare suggest that John should test this out for himself!) At 5000 feet as we are, the tea seems fine but we notice (well John does) that automatic kettles don’t switch off, presumably because the steam temperature is too low but maybe the frequent power cuts don’t help. Perhaps teachers do know something after all!

We’re moving towards our final week of volunteering. Food remains a dominant concern. Mama Rose’ cuisine has taken on an international flavour following the visit of an American anthropologist who taught her how to make pizza. We now have ‘Italian night’ one a week – last week thick crust pizza with a little tomato sauce and cheese topping with spaghetti – plain, no sauce! This week we had the same pizza but with mashed potatoes! I do believe, however, she makes the best yoghurt in the world, we get a few spoonfuls at breakfast made from the milk from the cow in the stall next to the ‘shower’ -10 metres from udder to mouth! Not many food miles there!

We know we will make it to the end now. We’re aware we have a tremendous lot of processing of the experience to do – that will take some time. For now we are touched that the school have arranged a farewell party for Wednesday and John’s team another one for Friday. Immediate problem is how best to dispose of assets we don’t expect to need on safari. Anyone want to bid for a plastic bucket with lid? More about that (possibly) when we get home!