Day 5?

Day 5 (Actually I really have no idea what day it is but oh well!)
Today was a whirlwind day! We visited 3 different locations and a lot of kids! The first school we went to is owned by the same man who owns our hotel. He is a very rich man in this country and you can tell because the school was very very nice. Most of the places we have been do not have electricity but this one did. They also had ceiling fans in the classrooms. The classrooms at this school were pretty amazing. They even had a physics lab which was very impressive. This school was also mixed w/ orphans & students who have parents. they wear uniforms and it is mixed w/ Muslims & Christians. Today I was designated to be a sizer! I thought I was getting away from explaining how kids sizing works but I have given a lesson on it every day!! This distribution was very organized so we got done fairly quickly & played w/ the kids. I handed out silly bands again which they love. They also got toothbrushes & toothpaste from one of the girls & they were very excited about that! We also have been blowing bubbles w/ them and they love to run after them. This school had a big soccer field so a bunch of the kids & volunteers played soccer. The kids were really really good! I talked to a big for a long time who was very smart & had very good English. (at this school all the lessons except the religion class is taught in English.) the boys name was Saleem and he and his brother both went to school there. I asked him what he wanted to do with his education & he told me he wants to be a politician. I just started tearing up as I wrote that because to see the way he lives & to know that he still has big dreams is pretty amazing. 
The second location we went to was pretty chaotic. The group was told there were about 100 kids to give shoes too but when we showed up there were way more than that. So we jumped right in and started sizing them. They were all excited to get their new shoes but we didn't get much time to play with them. They didn't speak English very well but I did meet one boy who did and he showed me his Geography book. It was all in Swahili so I have no clue what they were studying but the kids do try to take care of their books by wrapping them in newspaper or cardboard. I wish I would've brought book covers for them but now I know! Unfortunately with is group I saw a lot of sores on their legs that haven't healed & many of them didn't have shoes to begin with. Alot of the kids at least have something to wear and when we put on the new pair they walk outside & take them off because they want to save them. Most of us could not care less about a pair of Crocs but these kids are treating them like gold. I will definitely think about that forever. 
This was a busy day but before our last stop our guide took us to buy African bed sheets. These are large pieces of material that they use as blankets but the colors are gorgeous and they are hand embroidered. A lot of us bought them & were glad to give the money to the community. They only cost about $28 in US money. 
The next stop was a younger grade school & because we had given out extra shoes at the last stop we didn't have enough for them. This location had only been told we were coming to see and play w/ the kids so it was ok but I think we were able to leave some shoes for them in the end. The kids at this school have been learning English and sang us 3 songs. I forgot to mention that when the kids sing to us we in turn sing "if you're happy & you know it" to them. They love it. I handed out more silly bands & started handing out little sunglasses which were a HUGE hit! Unfortunately I didn't have enough & the kids were begging for more. But they got other cool things so they were happy. One of the best things about this school was that some of the mothers were there to help & also sell things to help out. We were all very excited to purchase their wares. I bought a bag, an apron, some change purses, and a lot of beaded necklaces. I think my total was only around $40. I gave them extra because they definitely need it more than I do. 
After that stop we had another short stop at Kigoma Market. There were many stands of fruits & vegetables which looked gorgeous but of course we can't eat them. We wanted to take pictures but they would not let us. Then there were several stalls of African fabrics that were also very pretty but most of us were looking for jewelry or purses! There was one stand that our guide knew of & we were all very excited but it was so small it was hard to see everything. I did buy more stuff there & again gave a little extra. I'm sure the lady that owned the stand was thrilled when she saw us coming!
Now I'm back in my room after dodging the zebras running around out front! Last night one of them was standing in front of one of the ladies doors when she started to go out for dinner. The food here has been a little tricky for me. I'm basically eating just enough to keep my energy up. Breakfast has consisted of toast w/ all kinds of jelly, peanut butter, and nutella, fresh pineapple which is amazing, eggs, cereal, sausage, etc. Pretty normal breakfast food. Unfortunately my malaria medicine makes me a little queasy in e morning so I can't eat much. They bring us lunch everyday & it's usually some kind of chicken. We've also had samosas but I'm usually too hot to eat much so I've been sticking to the fruit they bring and lots & lots of water. Dinner is served poolside every night & there have been a variety of things. They use a lot of curry in their dishes & I don't really like curry so that been a bit of an issue. We did have some pretty incredible egg rolls last night & I tried something called small fish which is deep fried sardines. Not my favorite but I tried it! We also had beer last night-Killamanjaro-which was a light colored beer & was pretty good. I have to run over there now but tomorrow is Chimpanzee tracking so hopefully I can post!