OK. I promise I will update very soon.
You will read stories about rabid monkey, arabic money, and of course - my project among other things.

I am super busy at the moment getting all the stuff together and meeting with a ton of people for this Orphan's Education Fund and writing agreements and seriously just making sure things can run smoothly here while I'm back at home (which is in 10 days!!). It feels like I'm starting my own lil organization here- which isn't too far from the truth. :). it's super hard though.

ohohohohoh MA and DAD- if you are reading this. Please please please buy me the best conditioner there is. ^_^. and hehe i am imagining that my room has become a storage place but if there is room to walk in it and my bed is still there I will be very very happy :) :) :) :) hmm...and ma- pantene pro-v please =) =). I LOVE YOU and I will see you soon. Ma- stop counting the days!!!

AHHH!!it's legit, it's legit!!! You know that feeling when you're going up a roller coaster and you keep going up and up, just waiting for the rush and excitement when the fall hits? Well that is how i feel right now. I am so freaking happy that my project is being set up.

OK here is what it is. I am working with this guy Paul Muhendi- who is HIV+ and he has an organization called the Tanzania Compassion Society and I am doing a project where we have located about 30 orphans (most with parents who have died of AIDS or some with parents living with HIV). And I am in the process of organizing their files right now and making sure that what is in their files is actually (how can I put it)- true. THEN, will be the process of finding sponsors for these children. Education for Orphans.
Infrastructure is the hardest part of all of this and of course making sure it is legit (WHICH It is!). I am in the process of setting up a system where follow ups and check ups can be done with these orphans to see if their situation has improved and what not. I convinced GSC (Global Service Corps- the program that I am in now) to help me out and receive the money and relay it to Paul who will have parents come and collect the money for their children. There needs to be a ton of receipts and check ups made on the schools (who after receiving the money will write a receipt back).
There is so much that I want to do and ideally I can bring this back to UNC, either start my own organization to raise money for the Tanzanian Compassion Society and this Project- Education for Orphans. And hopefully bring it to other schools and organizations as well - like CA schools and Kiwanis, etc.). The Tanzanian Compassion Society is a group of HIV+ adults and kids who are a support group but who are actually open about their status (which is extremely rare here because of the stigma that goes on) and they go out and educate members of the community about HIV and AIDS.

OK- my proposition to all of you- Sponsor an orphan! I promise it will be worth your time and effort. It is not very much at all. We have many kids in primary school who's education for the year will cost fifty dollars - what is that a cheap pair of shoes? and that is education, uniform and excercise books.
I still have to make a solid foundation for this and a lot of it will be done in this coming week. Inputting everything into the computer and meeting with a ton of people this week will definitely keep me busy. I want this to work and work well and continue to work long after I am gone. If you guys have any more ideas, please help me out. I can use all the input I can get and more organization. Sorry if my ideas are jumbled up right here- I'm super excited.

Note to Hoffman :)- remember that UNC-DUKE project we wanted to start? How bout it? email me.- hope things are going well in Columbia.

And btw- BIG BOOO TO LAKER NEWS, yay for talking on the phone and hearing it though =) =) hope work goes well and a million people decide that a natural disaster is going to happen (but really doesn't) and sign up with you.

Irene- I will email you soon. THANK YOU very much for ur input :). i needed that.

I just spent 6 hours in church… Haha no joke. I really like it though. I went with a GSC counterpart (named Yahaya) and he met me in town at 8 in the morning and we walked to his church (7^th day Adventists). The church is really- extremely run down, but packed full of people in their best attire. I asked Yahaya if I could go to church with him on Tuesday and apparently they planned this whole ceremony in English for me…well a good amount of it was in English.

I was definitely the only foreigner in the church. All the little kids were staring at me, but it was really cute though. I met some awesome people and this guy in the back who is crippled spoke English so well and he translated the whole sermon for me sentence for sentence.

We had a lesson too. There was actually an English group and they were so eloquent. I really want to go back to the church. I am not a fan that it is 6 hours long….I left early too….lol….haha

In the beginning I was definitely a bit uncomfortable. Felt like I was intruding and felt like I was imposing when they started to do part of the service in English. All in all it was awesome though. Then I went back to Yahaya’s for lunch. Met his family and watched a video of his older brother’s wedding. BTW Tanzanian weddings look like so much fun. It is very similar to American weddings except there is music and dancing ALL THE TIME. They dance down the aisle. It is cool. Really cool. ^_^ and then there is a parade to the reception. A pick up truck with a band standing up in back and then the bride and groom’s car following and other cars (if they have cars) will follow in the procession.

I can’t decide whether I want a Chinese wedding or an American one. I like what my cousin did- she mixed both and then had an awesome Chinese reception. If you have been to a Chinese wedding then you know the reception is the best part.  All the clanging of chopsticks on plates (you do that when you want the bride and groom to kiss), all the red faces, pretty outfits the bride changes into, cheesy singers, and of course my parent’s favorite part- the 10 courses of food.  =)

Ahhh I still can’t believe I just spent 6 hours straight in church. From 8-2…wow. Good messages though. I think I am going to go again two Saturdays from now. =) The singing is fun and half the time I don’t really know what is going on, but I like guessing. =)

OHOHOHOHOHOHOH I have a job. Ok job (volunteer job)- I’m working with this man who is HIV+ and he has started a support group of his peers called the Tanzanian Compassion Society. And they get together and counsel one another and he trains them to talk to others in the community about HIV and AIDS. He has a ton of separate projects. He is trying to help the women who have HIV and their children as well. I have visited him twice already and the last time I met with members of his group as well. I’m going to be working with the orphans and making sure that their education goes through. We are organizing files for them at the moment. It’s more complicated than what I am making it sound like, but more details as I contribute more. AND I am visiting surgical clinics. I saw a C-section the other day. Insane. I am totally rethinking my views on being a doctor. Well ok, not totally, I think it is cool. I’m suppose to observe a couple other surgeries this coming week. Hoping I can stomach them!

Ol summer blues back here in Arusha. Zanzibar was so freaking awesome. i don't think it could top any spring break trip. I have a new favorite color and it is aqua. I thought I was joking when I said turquoise waters and white sand. We got flew on a lil plane over to Dar es Salaam first (totally unplanned). I realize that I totally get motion sickness all the time. When we got there we spent some time in Stonetown- nice place with pretty buildings overlooking the Indian Ocean. Then we drove the hour and a half to the East Coast (where it is more remote). We drove through some ghetto places- Fur reelz. I was starting to have my doubts and then we got to some resort looking hotels. OMG. Jambiani Beach is awesome. We stayed at Auberge Coco Beach and I totally think we got more than our 18 bucks a night =) =) =). 7 of us went and 3 the next day and 3 more after that. Shopping was so good in Stonetown. Our beach was so remote, not very touristy at all. It felt like we had the whole thing to ourselves. We woke up to an awesome sunrise however it rained all day Friday so we spent time playing cards and staring at the water and being mad at the sky. =)

Awesome food though. Some sort of seafood every night, and so cheap too! sigh eating and drinking by the water. Saturday morning, we took the sketchiest boat (2 pieces of wood and a sail) out into the ocean and went snorkeling. I cannot get over how pretty it all was and everyone was so nice too. Very Muslim place though. I suck at snorkeling. One- I'm not a great swimmer at all and two learning to breath through a mouth thing while I'm panicing in the water- not a good idea. Being seasick not so good either. No life jackets on sketch boat, but I was with 2 lifeguards in my group (yess!!).

I am loving being tanned but walking to town this morning in Arusha I was so sad. I want to be back in Zanzibar...lying out in the sun, eating awesome food and not drinking (go me!) and trying to swim in the pretty water. I learned how to sing and beat box at the same time- it sounds like i am two people!!..lol and i can make my voice sound really funny...hahahaha. sigh all the talents of our premed volunteers here. I learned a ton of card games and regular games too. hahaha

I'm still in beach and vacation mode, so being back here is depressing. and talking to allen who keeps telling me to come home isn't helping >_< lol.
I am meeting with this guy Paul Mendhi today who has AIDS and he speaks to groups about his situation. He spoke with our group and our school and I want to see what I can do to help his support group. Make them more efficient and possibly have fliers and decrease the stigma of it all. Hopefully I have found an addition to my long term project. =)

I MISS FAMILY AND FRIENDS!!!!!! boo.

Zanzibar anyone? This are pics with views from where we are staying. I am so freaking excited. We leave tommorow! eeeee!!! This will make up for Phil Jackson resigning and Kobe/ Shaq threatening to leave, and the Laker's wanting DUKE's coach - I swear my heart stopped when I heard that. =)