i'm still alive

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hello

the internet connection here is really slow, so I'm not going to check it very much.

feeling much better now - several other people have been ill too so bowel movements are the hot topic of coversation

if anyone wants to write to me letters only take about 4-6 days and you can send to:

Phil Hatchard
xxxxxSPW addressxxxxx

I'm in Njombe at the moment and met all the Tanzanian volunteers here a week ago. They're all really nice and they all also have natural rhythm and put all us overseas guys to shame with their singing and dancing.

We've spent the last week studying development theory (AIDS/HIV stuff, gender equality, community participation, etc) and the Swahili is also coming along really well - we all have "wee jotters" now, to note down new words (Stuart, one of the other volunteers, is Scottish, and we're all starting to speak like him).

Also enjoyed the delights of the Manchester derby yesterday, while it was raining, so I felt really at home. The last couple of days were a bit more practical, to do with appropriate technologies - making ovens out of mud - just like scout camp! Also tree nurseries, composting, and home-made organic pesticides.

As you can guess, we're still in training so are still in complete luxury compared to what it will be like on placement in the village. We're staying in a Christian centre call the Nazareti Centre up the road from
the town, and have been having great fun travelling by daladala in and out of town. Daladala's are basically minibus taxis that cost 150 shillings (7.5p) to travel in. They basically cram as many people in them as humanly possible - the record so far is 24 people, including the driver and his mate.

Food is much the same here as in Morogoro (rice, beans, beef), except I have an appetite now, and the weather here is much nicer because we're so much higher up (hardly any mosquitoes too). I think it has rained at least a little bit every day this week.

It's been nice to get out into the town and not be completely enclosed like we were in Morogoro, although last Saturday night was fun when I was ill, traipsing round the health centres to find one that was both
open and had a doctor present. When I was there I got chatting to a Masai in the waiting room, whose brother had malaria. His name was Angus - comes from a long line of Scottish Masai, I believe (well, OK,
maybe not).

Had very interesting Valentine's day celebration last night (no luck, I'm afraid) - with a bit of a boogie afterwards.

Chocolate just isn't the same here.

Nuff said

Badaaye (later)

Phil :)