Of course, at this precise moment, the electricity cut out (why did I not have the forethought to reverse these weekend tasks??), so this entry will just be a short hodge-podge of images I've been saving up to share for, well, a time like this!
You might think high fashion is relegated to the developed world, but we've got designer duds here too. Check out fancy footwear in the village and some blatant branding in my own kitchen. Coco would be so proud....
This is Haika. She is a very special little girl! We were trying to move her from Msaranga Primary School to boarding at Gabriella, but her family wouldn't hear of it, and she is, in fact, now in Morogoro, quite far from Moshi, with her baba and his new wife.
I suppose you win some, and you lose some. But I think of her often and I loooove this photo because I had literally just pinched her cheeks and told her, "Nakupenda!" ("I love you!"). Her response? "Pipi?" ("Candy?")....
And when I tell people about Haika, I always compare her to a Snork from the '80s cartoon television show about wide-eyed underwater creatures. See the resemblance for yourself....
Another set of very special children are the infamous Shemganga brothers. They are not actually infamous, but come on, with a last name like "Shemganga," you gotta make some kind of joke (says the Rosenbloominator....) I feel like they should be characters in a movie about warring urban gangs or cowboys in the Wild West: Fast and Furious: The Remake starring the Shemganga brothers!
Their first names are Rashidi and Rajabu, but that point is negligible as both boys will answer to either name and, after interviewing their mama last year, I'm not sure even she knows who's who - a bit strange since they are fraternal NOT identical twins. We have since figured it out.... or at least made our decision which is which!
Back in our old classroom - a dilapidated, half-finished structure with just a dirt floor - we hosted frequent guests. Here's one that distracted me for quite a while, as I wasn't sure if he was friend or foe....
Just as with haute couture, we've got pop culture covered here in Msaranga. We all know what Miley is up to now, but remember her Disney days??
On a recent trip to Arusha, I parked in a lot next to this vehicle, the owner of which I VOW to find and make an offer. Anybody who knows me knows I have a serious "crazy cat lady" element to my persona and, I tell you, this car MUST be mine!!
I think that's just about all I've got time - or battery power - for today, so let's end this piece on a positive note.
Just next door to our classroom at Msaranga Primary is the Ward Office, the ground-level government headquarters in the area. I submit schedules and reports and various other documents there regularly, which they supposedly keep on file. Last time I popped in to drop something off, no one was around, but I peeped this sign on the wall and found it rather apropos. I wonder if it's in ward offices all around the country....?!
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