Get-Away

A couple of weeks ago, we had a family "get-away". It was a great opportunity to have some time away from what had become a very stressful environment in Dodoma, with the tension and tiredness caused by the 05:30 broadcasts.
We went away for 4 nights to stay in a simple Guest House situated about an hour away from Dodoma, at St Philip's Theological Training College, in the rural area of Kongwa.
It was wonderful to have a break away together. It was wonderful to wake up to the sound of silence - not to have any tension knotting our stomachs, as we knew that no-one was going to start shouting loudly into the pre-dawn darkness and waking us up!
There was quite a bit of planning involved in this self-catering trip, as I planned all our meals from Wednesday to Sunday and needed to take all the food we would be using...and drinking water...and powdered milk...and tea-towels..and tupperware to keep any little nasties off our food...and cleaning products! I didn't quite take the kitchen sink, but I did take my own washing-up bowl!

 It was great to be in a different environment. We enjoyed walking around the grounds of the college at the base of the Guest House- the upstairs part of this white-washed building:

 The children really enjoyed being in an upstairs place- we have very few 2-storey buildings in Dodoma, so staying in a place at the top of a flight of stairs is a novelty for Esther and Ben! It was also lovely to look out on hills:

May is peanut-season in Kongwa, so Esther and Ben spent quite a bit of time sitting at the top of the stairs shelling and eating bag-fulls of locally-grown peanuts (a gift of a kind resident at the college):

 We enjoyed being in the Great Outdoors- exploring the hills and trees...

 ...and the fresh air, which can tire out little people like Joel:

 For Andrew, being a MAF pilot gave him instant "street-cred" with the local kids, who were very excited to meet a real pilot of a plane! Andrew gained even more respect and admiration among them when he spent time showing them how to make paper aeroplanes...

 ...and how to fly them!

 Esther and Ben joined in a few of these paper-plane-flying activities and fun was had by all.
Over the few days, we also got to watch a football match between the students of St Philips and students of a visiting Dodoma college, Msalato- and there was also time to have a tour of the college campus:

 ...which included the chance for Esther and Ben to try out the college's water pump:

All in all, it was a lovely "get-away". There was only one very little, nasty surprise which made me scream aloud- no nocturnal visits from rats (see previous blog on our visit in 2010!), but just a very happy, gigantic cockroach in a bowl-full of old flour that had been left in a kitchen cupboard! Andrew dealt with him swiftly!

We had a wonderful few days. To crown it all, it was also the time that Joel learnt to walk! He took his first independent steps in Kongwa, delighting us all with his enthusiasm as he walked across the lounge of the Kongwa flat!
Since we got home, his walking is going from strength to strength. Joel loves every minute of his new-found freedom, having great fun and getting faster and faster every day back in our Dodoma home!