People in Africa never complain, it is true!
Me, I am learning patience, but man...it has taken me nine days to get onto a computer which I pray today, works!! Either virus..where you write a good long story, answer emails, etc..and you get PAGE ERROR...or, worse still you walk over an hour to get up to this Internet Cafe..and the electricity is off..this happens a lot...Today, and excuse me for complaining.....it takes me 3-4 hour to get here, soaking with persperation, hot, humid, but hey, i made it..we've been away over the last three days with no access..more about that in a minute..i sit down, turn the machine on. and for five minutes i am deleriously happy....it is humming along...and then the electricity goes.,...i should be wishing you all a very wonderful season, merry Christmas....and i do..but in a minute...it disbelief i force my woes upon the gentleman sitting next to me who is a pastor, he is very sorry...he arranges for me to buy two litres of fuel and they will turn on the generator next door and run a cable through to this machine..oh my gawd..but what an idea..!
So it takes another hour and a half, without bothering you as to why, but here i am..the first machine i tried had a virus over the last hour, so i am switching to this and we are ready to go..
So this is why i haven't written, anyone..sorry..and thank you for your emails..and concern.....
Where to begin..Christmas...it is hard to believe, so hot here 32 last week..and humid...Have given two two day workshops, art workshops...one in Handeni last week, the other up in Sindeni..which is about 36 kil of rocking and rolling roadways, cows, goats, the usual huge gutted holes, rambling and jerking along, that workhshop sponsored by World Vision...it was fabulous..of course, everyday here is wonderful, different, interesting, deep, memorable....I travelled with Benson who works in the ICA office, a dear man who was maimed by a motorcycle 7 years ago, whose heart is huge, who missed the Handeni workshop...and Ben age 20 who is the son of Eunice who works in the office as well...he is hugely funny, interesting and speaks English wonderfully, which is a godsend for me..everything here must be translated for me...so wish i could speak Swahili...!! and in Zimbabwe it was Shona...but English was spoken there fluently by everyone so that was easier..where was i!
After day one of the workshop, Ben, Benson and \i walked a few kil to town for a refreshing Tanzanian beer...settled into a dark drinking place, many people gathered outside in the dark, fires burning, roasting pieces of goat, beef...