Arrival

Friends and family, hello from Tanzania,

I have arrived safely along with the others on the trip. We spent the first day in Irusha organizing travels details for transportation to the villages. We also spent some time with a friend of John's (the founder of Compassion Tanzania), who is beginning a media company in Tanzania. They are producing some of the very first movies, shows, and CDs to be recorded in Swahili as the primary language.

The next day we traveled to the city of Mwanza, is in the northwestern section of Tanzania, situated on the shores of Lake Victoria. This will be our home base each night from now to the end of the trip.

Today we had our first day in on of the villages, the village of Ihaya-Buaga where a well was built last year. From the moment that we turned into the road at the center of the village, children ran to meet us. We were overwhelmed by how happy they were to see us. We sang with the children and were able to broadcast a story in Swahili for them to listen to, which they loved. Then we shared punch, gum, and bracelets with the children. I have never been met with such enthusiasm in my life! Truly dozens of hand instantly surrounding me. I had not never experienced anything like that before. Then, I experienced it again when I distributed the soap to the mothers. They we so anxious and grateful to each get some.

Tomorrow we are going to start drilling in the first village Nyamahanga. I'm struggling to get photos and movies off the flip video camera that I have so I'll try to send some later.

We are shutting down an internet cafe anxious to close, so I will write more soon!

--Merideth