Silly lizards anywaaayyyyyzzzz

I think I shall rename my blog, “The Gecko Saga”. Seriously, I don’t mind the lil’ guys! S’all good when they’re on the wall, or the ceiling, or scurrying away from me when I walk through the grass, but there are BOUNDARIES, people! As some of you may already know, I found one in my bed last week. I had gone into my room, and it was on the wall. Then I went to the bathroom, and when I came back, it was GONE. Of course, some people would’ve assumed it had just run back into its little hole in the wall, but not I! My gecko senses were tingling... So I THREW back the covers on my bed, and away ran the little rascal, straight off the bed to smack into the wall, sending me running out of my room, to my eternal shame. I went back into my room to find it had disappeared, leaving me slightly disturbed and more than slightly paranoid about the fact that I knew not whether lizards took vengeance on disruptors of their peace. Dramatic, I KNOW. So that was gecko encounter numero uno. Gecko encounter numero two..O? Uhh. Deux? Uhh.. Yeah. Sure. Gecko encounter numero deux! I was innocently washing my hands in the bathroom, and I turned around and grabbed my towel to dry my hands off, and the gecko went bookin’ it out from behind my towel and up the wall! I bet it was the same one as before.... Not quite as dramatic, nor as terrifying. Or maybe I’m just getting used to them! Yeahhh, that’s it... Just wait, by the end of my time here, gecko and I will be on first-name terms, and my leaving will completely devastate him. Or her. It, I suppose, would be the correct terminology in this case...

Onto more mundane, less reptilian matters! I like to brush my teeth. I bet you already knew that though, if you know me well. And if you don’t know me, go away, ‘cause it’s just CREEPY that you know how much I like brushing my teeth.  Har har, I jest. Uhhh well. I honestly don’t know what else to tell all y’all about, seeing as I forget stuff that happens almost instantaneously.

OH! Went swimming with Lis and Felis on Saturday, that was fun... Afterwards watched Pirates of the Caribbean, which is always good! On Friday there were people over here for Kim’s birthday, and we watched a movie that blew my mind. Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog! New fave, fo’ sho’. And on Tuesday, I’m heading to Nairobi with Kim & Jacob! Which will be crazy, I’m sure. Good times just waiting to happen. But isn’t everyday just a good time waiting to happen?! I think so. Well, most of the time, anyways.

Look! I don’t forget stuff instantaneously, after all! Yay me.

That reminds me! There's this dude at the church I go to, who I think looks kinda like a little Edward Cullen/ Robert Whatsisface. I laughed at him... In my mind..

Oh, look!

This is me. I have shorter hair. Well, I've had it for like 4 weeks. But you didn't know that. I posed. See that? That's me posing.

This is my room. I took the above picture from the chair on the left. Woohoooo for spacial orientation! Uhhh... Yep. There it is.

And this last one is taken out in Maasailand about a month ago by my dad. In Olerumo. Yeah, I like this picture. Dunno if you do. Heh.

WELL, there are some pictures. They don't upload very easily on facebook, so they're on here. ENJOY. :)

:)

It is getting HOT over here. Hot enough that I actually ENJOYED swimming. Weird, right? But I’m going to start with earlier last week, Tuesday morning, as a matter of fact. BRIGHT AND EARLY at 7, Davin and I went a runnin’. We tried to convince Jeremy to come with, but he wouldn’t do it. It was waaaaaayyy more difficult than I think it should’ve been. Now, to give myself a break, we were running on bumpy uphill roads, and the elevation here is about 1400m, sooooo.. I guess I did alright. We’ll see how much longer I last next time around!

All throughout the week, there was a plan being formed.. To go to the Hot Springs on Saturday! The plan worked out, and to the Hot Springs we went! There were two full vehicles of people that went, and I could name them all but it really wouldn’t mean anything to you. So I’m not gonna bother. BUT the main idea was that all of us had a great time! The Hot Springs has this awesome clear pool of water, and a spot that’s perfect for putting up a rope swing, which is what we did. 

You can imagine the entertainment that was produced due to the swing... As well as the injuries that occurred. Well. Nothing major, but there was this ooooonnnnneeeee time, where we thought it would be just GREAT to get 4 people on the one swing. This was after an attempt with two, which was partially successful, and an attempt with three that really didn’t work. I guess we figured, “Hey, why not see how badly this can turn out?!” WELL. The plan was, for Jacob (there was a third Jacob there,  this isn’t either of the Jacobs from Pamoja) to get onto Nico’s back, and myself to jump onto Davin’s back, and Nico and Davin would grab the swing, and we would all go flying, and let go, and land with perfect form in the water! Yayy!! Yeah. No. Totally didn’t happen. Jacob, for some odd reason, took this running start to get onto Nico’s back, and he ended up just knocking himself and Nico into the water, hitting the big clump of roots on the way down. It was pretty much the funniest thing I’ve seen all week, and I almost fell over from laughing so hard. We didn’t bother trying again after that, because if it had actually worked, it still wouldn’t have been as great as seeing those two flop into the water, with the grace of a pair of sea cucumbers. Dead sea cucumbers, at that. On the drive back from the Hot Springs, it was the perfect time of day for seeing Mt Kilimanjaro, and lucky for us, she was out! The peak next to her, called Mawenzi, was absolutely clear, and although Kili herself was hazy, we could see the entire outline, which made me realize how absolutely MASSIVE that mountain is. Pretty darn neat, I’d say.

Soooo, the day after the Hot Springs adventure, was Sunday!! And that means church! Which I happen to enjoy immensely. What was also super fun, was my ride to and from church, on a pikipiki (motorbike). It sure beats going in the truck, on those bumpy roads. Later on, a few of us decided to go to the Cinemas to watch a movie. There were a bunch of people from church there, so while we waited for our movie to start, we hung out with a few of the kids. And ate ice cream. A whole 1.5L tub of it. Awwe yeah. Afterwards, in the car, I sang along with Justin Bieber (no hatin’ on the bro) Everyone seemed to love it, which doesn’t surprise me, seeing as my melodious voice, and Bieber’s great lyrics are the best of the best in today’s music industry! Psh, what’s not to love?

Ahhh, I crack myself up. Anyways, that was the hugest blog EVER, and I’m done now.

10/10/10

Okay world. Let me tell you everything that's happened in the past.. Little.. While. Today, after church, all of us Canadians on base (Plus a Namibian and four Aussies) went for lunch at Arusha Safari Lodge! We had super duper food, I got thrown into a swimming pool, Davin swam into a wall, and Natasha smashed two glasses. Good times, all around.

Yesterday, Kim, Kirsty, Davin, little Jacob, Natasha and myself all went horseback riding! Kind of. There was one horse with ringworm... Which we avoided touching in general..... And another horse that was to be ridden! So I didn't ride it, of course. But almost everyone else did. It was nice just being outside. Oh, by the way: Christine & Jeremy's kids are Jacob, Natasha, and Paul. If I mention them.. Now you know.

I can't exactly remember anything else fascinating that's occurred in the past little while, partially because I'm kinda tired. Swimming takes a lot out of someone, especially if most of the time is spent in evasive maneuvers, trying to avoid getting a faceful of POOL. But I'm sure I didn't swallow more than a litre of water today, so all is well.

That's all you get for now, I know I'm not a particularly avid blogger, but I post when I have something to tell all y'all about! Have a great Thanksgiving, with love from Kirsten! :)

I have a confession to make. Something I have dreaded, yet sensed was coming, has now become a reality. I. Have turned into... A coffee drinker. It breaks my heart to say those words out loud, but facing the truth can help the healing process. And there's nothing to be ashamed of, right?

. . Right! Okay, well I'm glad that's over with. I never know what to blog about, because I never know what people want to hear about. Soooo I'll just take a wild guess and tell you about the place I'm staying, just so you have a general idea of my life. 

The Pamoja Ministries compound contains 8 buildings of various sizes. Each building is called something, and the one I'm living in is known as 'The Brown House'. That's right. It's brown. I'm the only person in there right now, because there aren't many short-term volunteers around this time of year. It's kinda nice having my own place, with my own bathroom. Something to know about here: Don't forget to turn your hot water heater on, unless you like having cold showers. I've gotten used to them, that's for sure. All the buildings have grilles over the windows and gates that we lock at night and when everyone leaves. At night there is also a watchmen and three guard dogs patrolling the fenced in property. So, to all of you who had concerns: Don't worry, I'm safe! 

Also living on base right now are: Lis, Kim & Jacob, Jeremy & Christine, Jeff & Jan, and Davin. Visitors come and go fairly often, which can be fun. There's a ton of mission bases around here, all of which are run by great people. There's a baby home about 20 minutes away from here, where lots of girls around my age are volunteering. I'm possibly going to visit there on Wednesday, taking a daladala there and back. "What is a daladala?" you ask. WELL. It's public transportation! Think of a vehicle about the size of a minivan. With like 15 people in it, practically sitting on each other. That's a daladala. Gooooood times. 

Well, if anybody wants to know more random stuff about Tanzania, let me know and I'll include it in my next blog! Have a good day!