Hello family and friends of Nkula!
Kasey here! I am blogging from an internet cafe in Iringa, Tanzania! This week I have a special post for you all. I created a poem to give you a glimpse into our experiences this past week. I hope you enjoy it!
Waving goodbye to Rwanda
Kigali, a city that stole our hearts
The kindness of strangers
Smushed daladala rides
Are you sure we will fit?
Leaving the lush green scenery behind
Off again
A new place waiting
Waiting to be explored
Waking up before the sun
The early bird gets the worm
4 hours too early
And soaring above the clouds
Intending to receive meals
Happy faces and bellies when food arrives
And taking a pit stop in Nairobi
Slurping delicious smoothies
And soaking in the sun like a cat in the window sill
And rejoining those puffy white clouds
Karibu, Tanzania
Shades of brown and tan: our new backdrop
City traffic welcoming us to Dar es Salaam
Slowing moving toward our home for the night
Sharon House ( Shout out to my mom, SHAROON!)
Going up and up
That never ending staircase
Rooms filled by the hum of the air conditioner
Again waking up before the sun
Finding our way through the hustle and bustle of the bus station
Climbing aboard an endless bus ride
Are we there yet?
Apples, cashews, soda
All in our windows
Accompanied by antelope and giraffes
Baobob trees reminding us to be thankful
Arriving at River Valley Language School
Bellies full of food we had only seen in our dreams
Drinking endless cups of tea
Our first day of school
Excitement…and dread
Pens scribbling verb tenses
Sasa…
Now…
You tell time how?
Heads packed full of Swahili
A familiar fall breeze reminding us of home
Watching the river
Flies buzzing in our ears
Buzz, buzz
Bruiser running as fast as his little Chihuahua legs would let him
Mountains of red stone
Climbing through the erosion field maze
(And getting stuck)
Hannah?
Rock hopping
And seeing the view from the boulder
Sitting around an unlit campfire
And jumping at explosions of hot coals
Transforming fancy dinner napkins into cat ears
A sneaky rat on the hunt for protein powder
And haunting ghosts in the night
And playing leapfrog in the dark
All of us, just big kids
Growing together
Growing closer
Continuing our East African adventure
In just a few days we will be on safari! We are all excited to see the animals and don’t worry, we will take plenty of pictures for all of you back home. These next two weeks, we will not have access to Internet as well, but we will update you all as soon as we get the chance!
Much love,
Kasey
