We’re in Tanzania – Finally!

Dear Family and Friends,

Seventy four hours after leaving our home on Wednesday afternoon, we finally arrived on Saturday afternoon at the Kilimanjaro Airport in northern Tanzania. Once we were able to board our Ethiopian Airlines flight in Washington, the seventeen hour trip to Moshi was very pleasant and uneventful. We flew from Dulles to Addis Ababa on a very new and comfortable 777 aircraft that was in its third week of operation.

That’s the good news. The bad news is that we’re still in the same clothes that we left home in! But we’re glad to be here with our luggage. A sound night’s sleep will take care of a serious case of jet lag.

A Cross Cultural Solutions representative met us at the Kilimanjaro airport and brought us and other volunteers who were on the plane from Addis Ababa to Moshi. Twenty one of the volunteers are new this weekend, and 11 others are continuing. So it’s a large group. Our early impression is that the group will be fun and compatible. Some of us are in our 60s, and others are still in college. So far we have met volunteers from 7 or 8 countries. The table conversation will be very interesting. Jean and I have been assigned a private sleeping room with a shared bath. The facility reminds us of a YMCA camp, but it will be fine. Tomorrow we begin with orientation sessions and a tour of Moshi.

The point of this brief posting is to let you know that we are safely in Moshi, and are making lots of new friends. Moshi is in its dry and hot season so the countryside looks parched, dusty, and drab. As expected, the sun is very overhead, direct, and hot. In fact, the high temperature tomorrow will reach 101 degrees. It’s good that a lot of what we do is outdoors. For example, our meals are enjoyed in an open, outdoor pavilion. This is where I sit as I write. A pleasant breeze is flowing through to make things very comfortable.




It’s 7:30 and we’ve just finished the evening meal with lots of fruit, good food, and visiting. As you can probably tell, we’re dragging and in need of a solid night’s sleep. Jean and I will know a lot more when we write again tomorrow evening.





Love you all…
Kirk and Jean