The Real Deal

Day 2 is almost over, and things are feeling a little different than yesterday. Today, we visited "The Good Hope" orphanage in Arusha. Hassan was there to meet us at the gate and take us on a tour of the property. It is clear to see a difference between the accommodations at Havilah, and the property at "The Good Hope". Although they are almost ready to open a new phase of the orphanage, there seems to be a great deal of poverty in the surrounding area, which has a real impact on the children there.

A highlight of our day was reuniting with the children that remembered us from our visit in April! The children greeted us with the same big smiles that have stayed with me for the past 5 months. As Hassan showed us some of the new classrooms that are being built, Sonya handed out balloons to the children, which absolutely made their day!

After leaving "The Good Hope", we made our way to the Cultural Center in downtown Arusha. There, the group was able to see different artwork, jewelry, and Massai weapons and sculptures that showed them a little more about the culture and history of the people of Tanzania. We had a wonderful dinner at the Coffee Lodge, where everyone shared the diverse food that they had there.

After doing a little "bargain shopping" at the Massai Market", we went back to the UAACC for dinner. Pete was gracious enough to share his documentary "A Panther in Africa" with everyone. There was a lengthy discussion about Pete's history and how he came to do this wonderful work here in Tanzania.

We have an extremely talented photographer with us, Jessica Lorraine, who has taken some AMAZING photographs while we have been here. Please check out some of the photos at her BLOG