Siku moja.

Hamjambo! It has been some time before I could post, but here I am! A lot has happened and I have a lot to tell!! So...here we go!
Arriving in Africa was an incredibly relieving experience. After almost 18 hours of flying, I couldn’t wait to get onto the tarmac and be in Africa!! My first two flights were enjoyable, albeit long and the wait in Amsterdam was tedious. However, I did get to get onto facebook and chat a little bit while I was in Schipol :). Once I boarded the plane to JRO I felt my stomach squirm and my heart beat faster. This was it! I was finally starting to live something I’ve dreamed about for years. So, the plane ride itself wasn’t extraordinary. I slept A LOT. I missed the first meal because I was sleeping, but I wasn’t very hungry anyway. There were a lot of tourists who were flying to Kili to go on safari, which is cool, but it was more interesting to talk to people who were flying home to Tanzania. I sat next to a guy from the UK and a man from Arusha who were both going home. Both were really friendly and fun to talk to - they were encouraging about my internship in Moshi and helped me feel a lot more comfortable about it.
So, after watching space jam, sleeping a lot, eating and watching the countdown clock a little too closely my plane finally set down in Tanzania. Casey had already told me that you just walked right off of the plane, but I still felt like a movie star when I did it. It was warm and humid when I got off the plane and walked into airport. After you go through customs you walk into a room that has one carousel for luggage. I sat and talked to the man from Arusha about what I was doing next (for the night and how I was getting to CCS) and he said he was very glad to hear that I would be safe and had transport and wished me the best of luck. I grabbed my suitcase and guitar and hurried to find my ride to the Kia Lodge. This was quite the experience in itself because it took me a long time to hook my two suitcases together. I know my mom had told me it was simple, but I definitely looked silly trying to hook the smaller one to my big heavy one. I had to lift the small one up and prop it with my foot then hook it then let go and roll them both. Needless to say, my struggles made me look like a super-nub, which is embarrassing. Next, I couldn’t find my ride amidst the copious amounts of signs in the small waiting area. So, here I am little girl with two big bags and a guitar most likely looking a little bit lost. So, I went back in through the no entry way (of course) and asked the guard for help. Luckily he was just as nice as everyone else and helped me find my ride to Kia.
The ride to the lodge was great and the driver was so kind, helpful and accommodating. Once at the lodge I met the manager at the desk, she had a beautiful dress on and stunning black hair, both of which contributed to my fresh sense of awe at the fact that I was actually here. A Massai man led me to my room with my things and handed me the key – cute and wooden with a painting of Kilimanjaro on it. This just increased my excitement about being here even more. My room was a hut with three beds, beautiful hand-carved lamps, two desks, a sitting/waiting area and a bathroom. Even though I had read reviews that said it was not a pleasant place to stay, I loved it right away. There were real flowers laid out on the bed- bright pink and very beautiful and the best part was the awesome AC unit!! It kept my room cool and lovely while I was in there. That first night I went to the bar to use my computer and e-mail my family, but it was not working. This sucked, but the bar was really fun and beautiful. The layout of the hotel is really interesting. The reception is at the front (obviously), with the lodges spread out throughout the area. There are amazing plants that line the paths to the different huts that are the rooms, and there is a restaurant/eating area with a large patio and fountain, a sky bar and a pool at the very top. Though I would never go swimming there (so many crazy bugs exist in the pool), it was great to stand up there in the morning and just look around!
It wasn’t until I got back to my room at night and lay down that I felt lonely. The day had been very exhausting and I really wanted to just talk to my family or to Casey. However, I played some games on my i-touch and fell asleep very quickly. This was delightful until I woke up again at three a.m. wide-awake and ready for my day!! Going back to sleep didn’t occur until 2 hours later…and the crazy bugs didn’t help me with this. Despite that rough patch in the night, however, I had a good night’s sleep. The next morning was really wonderful because I was able to see things and explore the beauty of the plants and animals in Africa. I woke up to the sound of many birds and could smell the earth from the overnight rain. After I woke up, took a hot (yes hot!) shower, and got my things packed and ready for my pick-up time I went to breakfast. Now, I don’t know the ideas people might have about food in Africa, but I could see myself gaining a lot of weight here. The food is delicious. I had yummy coffee, a freshly made omelet, a mini crepe with sweet beans and mango! Not to mention that the hotel is beautiful and so open! I sat at a table while green and orange birds came and sat on the chairs near me, soaking in the beauty of the sounds and life here. It was so nice I didn’t even mind the Tanzanian girl taking a picture of me with her phone haha. After breakfast I walked around to hotel a little bit and looked outside since the previous night it had been pitch black so I couldn’t see a thing. Before I knew it John (a CCS driver) was at my hotel telling me he would come back to get me after he picked Kira up from the airport. I checked out, practiced some Swahili with the Kia lodge manager, and got in the CCS van a half-hour later. I immediately met Kira and we set off for the CCS house in Moshi!!

Most difficult thing about my first night: the bug noises at night and remembering to brush my teeth with the water from my waterbottle and not the tap.

Easiest and best part of my first night: everything else! J It was incredible.