The ‘F’ in February 2015 could stand for ‘frustrating’ for me (Shannon) as I struggled with computer problems the whole month (sorry there was no blog, first world problems).  I also entered my third month of unemployment, the longest I have ever gone without a job.  Many of you know that February is also a difficult month for me because it’s my birthday month which makes me feel very anxious to look back on my last year and realize I didn’t accomplish all my goals.  To fight the general anxiety I have felt recently, I have been trying my hardest to lead a purposeful and fun life.  Nathan and I both have taken on several challenges and still enjoy learning new things about Dar, Tanzania, and ourselves almost daily.  Here are some of our highlights from the last few weeks:

HURRICANE PAUL AND ERIN:

We hosted two great people in Dar and Zanzibar for their first trip to Africa.  I used to work with Paul and Erin at the Warner Park Nature Center and loved spending time with them, but also loved watching them excitedly explore our new home.  I got the name ‘CardaMOM’ on our spice farm tour since I was responsible for keeping them healthy and happy for 10 days.  This involved driving them on the left side of the road (and dodging goats, motorcycles, and ice cream carts), approving any food and drink they put in their bodies (didn’t do a great job since Erin and Nathan got food poisoning one night), and scheduling some adventures (including a bike tour, a visit to a craft shop with disabled employees, and a smoothie class for the kids at the Children’s Home).

DAR IS DIRTY:

I began volunteering with a group called Nipe Fagio (which translates to ‘give me the broom’ in Swahili), helping with efforts to empower Dar residents to take action to clean their city.  A few years ago, Dar was ranked in Forbes as the 12th dirtiest city in the WORLD, and while the criteria are a little vague, no one who lives here is shocked by the ranking.  Currently, I am helping with their volunteer program, fundraising, beach cleanups, and a plastic bag awareness campaign and look forward to seeing the positive change we can inspire.

LIFE IS FUN:

Nathan and I are trying to take advantage of living abroad and living on the Indian Ocean.  Nathan is learning to kite board (this is one of the top spots in the world) and started SCUBA diving again while I am not as adventurous with my cooking classes, crafting groups, and crocheting hobbies.

KILIMANJARO (HALF) MARATHON:

On March 1st, we traveled to Northern Tanzania (we live on the East Coast) to visit Tanzanian friends and also run in the Kilimanjaro Half Marathon.  The race starts in the small town of Moshi at the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro, one of our favorite places in Tanzania, and goes up the bottom of the mountain and through some of the small villages.  Something like 6,000 people (most of whom are Tanzanian) come to Moshi for a fun-run, half and full marathon, and a 10K for people with disabilities.  As we walked to the start just after sunrise, I felt more energized and humbled than ever before a race start because we were able to watch the beginning of the race for people with disabilities who use wheelchairs and handcycles.  I made a decision watching them (many of whom are polio victims, some even using homemade wooden boxcar-style wheelchairs) that I would not complain during the entire race, no matter how badly my legs or feet hurt, because I know I am blessed.

The half marathon was so beautiful, with perfect views of Kili for much of the race and local people lining the sides of the road to watch or cheer everyone on.  We found our pace with a group of Tanzanian guys wearing matching company shirts and singing songs every few kilometers who stayed positive throughout.  More humbling experiences came as we started looking at the ‘running gear’ of many of the Tanzanians: loafers, fake Crocs, jeans, sandals, suit pants, fake Converse All-Stars, and my favorite, socks without shoes.  About halfway, I was going through a water station being run by local children who likely live in houses the size of our living room without electricity or running water, and as I grabbed a cup of water from an 8 year old boy he told me to ‘work hard sister!’ in Swahili.  Does he think we are crazy for doing this to ourselves?  No, I don’t think so.  Maybe, but I also think he just wants us to succeed.  I.  Love.  Tanzania.

This was something we did mostly for the experience (and by the way, if you are a runner you should come do this race) and it was one of the coolest things we’ve ever done.  We had both been running pretty regularly to prepare for the race, but there was much more uphill than we expected.  We both agree it was the best race we’ve done even though it kicked our butts.  As we walked back to our hotel after the race, we had taxi drivers, flip-flop shop owners, and fruit sellers telling us ‘poleni’ (sorry for your pain) rather than congratulations.  At first I thought maybe we looked terrible, but I now realize this was genuine sympathy and not mockery.  People were happy we came to Moshi to support their beautiful town, and so were we (even though I could barely walk the next day).  Well, maybe some people thought we were crazy for doing this to ourselves.

BABIES ARE BEAUTIFUL:

We are happy to announce that we are the godparents (in Tanzania at least) of a wonderful, sweet, cute, calm, beach-loving baby boy named Ike!  He is awesome.  Our Alabama friends Lauren and David had Ike in the U.S. in January and they are helping us learn more about raising a baby abroad.

NERD ALERT:

Mount Kilimanjaro is a dormant volcano, the tallest mountain in Africa, and the tallest free-standing mountain in the world at 19,341 feet.  At least 15,000 people a year reach reach the top, with hikers doing the longer routes being more successful (the 7-day route has an estimated 70% success rate).  No, Nathan and I have NOT climbed Kili.  But No Barriers Ambassador and quadriplegic Kyle Maynard has done it!