Letter no: 13. May 6th, 2003

Hey Fam!

It's crazy to think that we are beginning end of term exams in just two and a half weeks, and then I'm off to an In-Service Training in Morogoro the first week of June. Where I did my first six weeks at site go? Heck where have the last 8 months gone? I won't question it, and just be amazed at how time seems to pass by more and more quickly each year.

We had an extra - long four day weekend last weekend, which all of us deep South volunteers took advantage of over break. We were all on Stand Fast over the long break at the beginning of April, and hadn't gotten together in over a month and a half so the respite from the Swahili was very much needed and welcomed. We went to a peninsula about 25km from Mtwara called Msimbati. It's really about as close to Mozambique as you can get without actually crossing the border. A french guy runs a pseudo place for wazungu there. There is a section where you can rent bandas (enclosed) for $50/night and another where you can camp out on string beds under an open banda for $3/night...Needless to say, we chose the camping and it was awesome! There was a guard for our stuff, and we were the only people on this beach peninsula besides him and the local fishermen who brought their dugout canoes onto shore multiple times a day to sell us all of the fresh fish they had caught. We cooked fresh lobster, squid and fish on the campfire - I have never eaten that fresh of fish before - and it was so plentiful too!

What was even more fun than that was snorkeling in the clearest blue water I have ever seen and seeing the same type of fish that I had just eaten swimming below me. The snorkeling was even better than it had been at Christmas in Mtwara. Charlie, the volunteer at Lindi said it was just like scuba diving, but with no time limit - we were that close to everything. Because we would have had to have walked 7km with all of our stuff before dawn Sunday to catch the bus, we decided to return back to Mtwara by Dhow, a small sailboat that the local fishermen use. That was beautiful as well, although a bit stressful with the fishermen trying to change the price....we had previously agreed upon once we were out in the Indian Ocean.

It all ended up well though, getting back to Mtwara just in time to catch the last bus to Masasi, and getting back to Ndwika yesterday morning before classes started. I'm feeling well rested and excited about starting next term, which is a huge change from the weeks leading up to last weekend.

There's something comforting about returning back to my house here, after going away for a few days. My students were all running to meet me when I went to teach class and everyone seemed really happy to see me. It was nice.

So, like I was saying, there are only a few more weeks left and then exams and then break. I'm not looking forward to writing my exams as it's somehow complicated here, but it won't be too bad. I AM looking forward to going to IST with my counterpart Mr. Abdallah in Morogoro. He's the biology teacher here and we signed up for the HIV/AIDS education seminar, which should really help me with the Peer Leader Group I've taken over from Cyndi.

Sorry this letter is really only about my mini-vacation, but not a lot of changes here, if you van believe that. My love to you all.

Jessica.

P.S. PLEASE send Kool-Aid!!!(Any flavour but grape) I really do need a constant supply, the water really taste.......unpleasant, even after it's boiled. THANKS TO ALL.