winding down...

Earlier today I was writing a blog, and a really good one at that, filled with quirks, stories, etc. I was only a few sentences away from posting it when the power went out. go figure.

The past weeks have been amazing! We have been staying in Hanga Village for the past week @ the Abbey. The monks there are great. The town is so different from Imiliwaha. There are 3 schools in Hanga Village; Seminary, St. Laurent, and St. Benedict. I spent a day teaching english to a form 7 class at St. Laurent. It was scary, i was very nervous, but it turned out to be a learning experience for both the kids and myself. I walked away from that experience knowing i made the right choice is choosing nursing as my profession!!!

Every Thursday and Sunday the monks play soccer. They were amazing!! The guestmaster at the abbey, Brother Amadeus (aka "Abercrombie" because he is soo cute!!) was by far the best, even if he is a bit of a baby :) I never really understood the fascination people have with the game, but i did throughly enjoy my time playing. I usually played defense, and was pretty decent if i do say so myself.

We left Hanga two days ago. Tuesday we traveled 12 hours from Hanga to Mikumi. Woke up Thursday and went on a safari at Mikumi Nat'l Park, which was pretty amazing. I was maybe 10 feet away from an elephant! AFter the safari we embark on another full day drive en route back to Dar es salaam (i am pretty sure i have spelt this differently in every blog)...

Now we are back where we have started. It is crazy to think it has only been a month since we have last been at this Abbey. I miss everyone at Imiliwaha and Hanga and it is going to be so hard to leave. We have nothing big planned before we leave. We are going to go to a beach today after lunch, which should be a good time. Tomorrow we are going to go shopping, then one person in our group (Christy) is leaves tomorrow night to Hong Kong.

Our time is coming to an end. And i will miss this place terribly. I have learned so much about the African culture. To say i love it here would be an understatement.

I will try my hardest to soak up the next few days before this wonderful, crazy, amazing journey comes to an end.

hope all are doing well. (especially you AHHHHH)

Love always,
MaryAlice

P.S. for those wondering, i got an email from Fran today. She is still discussing names, Grace is no longer a shoe-in. She now is thinking either Grace, Mae, or Theresa (Tessa)... I like them all!