On Monday my weekend catches up with me. Feeling shattered. I’m late in to college. But, hooray, we have power back! Time is short so I get my English class working on typing their CVs at last. I head of at lunch to find a working or free internet café and finally find a (slow) connection in the third. I mange to leave my phone in one of them and had a little panic when thinking I had lost it.

Luckily it was recovered and just as well as Tina contacted me. She wants to enrol two of her ‘boys’ in Eureka. She comes across later to sort it out. Every time I see her this grandmother is escorted and protected by her posse of young boys. They act as a personal bodyguard for her (an attempted phone robbery at Maasi camp on Saturday was foiled by). As I walk home that night I meet them as they have just escorted her back to her home. I’m feeling tied, not just from the weekend, but its hot again and I desperately rushing around trying to do things. I’m also trying to work out what to do with my last weekend.

What the weather does is a factor. Baba insists the rains are within two days away. His powers of weather prediction have been very bad since I’ve been here. When he says its going to be a sunny day its cloudy. When he says rain the sun shines.

I crawl of to bed early tonight. Overall I’m doing much less of the TV thing now. I no longer know what is going on in the soaps.

I’m still feeling drained on Tuesday. At college I meet with Boniface. We agree that I will write final reports and mark exams from England to maximise my time. I also find out a little bit more about student enrolment. Basically Eureka charges very low rates because its not for profit. Many students have sponsors so they can come but anybody can enrol (makes up numbers and money). Although I’ve no doubt all the students are worthy causes, I’m not sure about this open enrolment policy. I could be teaching someone just after a cheap education. I would have thought a stricter application process would be in place.

I ask Julius about an invitation to visit his Maasai home at Lake Natron he made me a few weeks ago. I fancy a last adventure for my last weekend, and how often am I likely to be invited by a Maasai warrior to his family home! He is still excited about the idea and he will look into the possibility.

All my students want a piece of me. I need another haircut and as Nelson is a barber in the Afternoons, I ask whether he would like a customer. I travel with him to his shop in Njiro. He has his own business with three staff. He literally built this business with his own hands. The barber shop is a wooden prefab box he put together himself. Problem is there is no power so no haircut. He shows me his home nearby, a small house he rents. He introduces me to Janet a special ‘friend’ from next door. During the visit to Njiro we have a good chat about stuff. I’m effectively able to give an end of course one-to-one. He his very thankful for what he has learnt from me and the new skills he has got. Nelson has the talent and brains to do well. He will be keeping his business even if he becomes a tour guide, employing more staff to run it. A business man in the making (he also makes a cheeky bid to acquire my lap top which I had to fend off). Overall the whole visit has been relaxing and very rewarding.

On the way back I stop at the KASE bookshop. I want to buy Eureka a computer reference book they had so they can better give lessons. They have had the book in for weeks but have not brought it yet. Of course today its out of stock (they had it on Friday!). I’m kicking my self. I have just told Eureka I was going to get it so now I must search the internet back home and ship it out.

This and a few other setbacks shatter my good mood for the rest of the day and I don’t achieve much at all that I set out to do today. And I start reflecting about if I’ve achieved anything out here. I’m also got a stomach ache again.

Jamil is round the house tonight. We chat a bit in the garden. I’m finding I’m getting on well with him. I think its because we are closer in age than the other sons. He also takes after his dad as being quite mild mannered. He is also always prepared to start up a conversation with me in English. Tonight we talk about the tourist industry, the stars (I teach him about Sirius the brightest star in the sky, and also Landrovers (apparently they are simply the best all terrain vehicle you can get but they have a tendicy to break and parts are hard to get and expensive. That’s why tour companies all maintain Toyota Land Cruisers because even though they aren’t the best to drive, they are cheap and easy to run.

I wake tied on Wednesday. I’ve had a bad stomach again in the night. But I think its nearly worked its way through (after a few visits to the loo).

We carry on with CVs in English Class. Nelsons, Clements and Lucy’s are all coming together well. Not so well Saitoti and Julius who I seem to have trouble getting through to. The others seem to understand the aim, but with these two it difficult to get through to them. Wonder if it’s a Maasai thing! I don’t want to do it for them but I cant see them finishing. Its funny how things work out. Earlier as the most vocal and engaged students I thought we were making progress (they were the first ones I got a rapport going with). But it turns out to be Nelson and Clement that are the most able students. Unfortunately I still struggle to tell if Lucy is learning or not (I still struggle to hear her but least she speaks now).

Next Tuesday is a national holiday. This has the unfortunate effect of pushing exam week forward by a day. My English exam will now be Friday, my last teaching day. I had planned to take them on a walkabout but guess that’s not to be. I’ve also got to do some testing in the computer lessons so that the students can be graded.

It’s a busy old week and this afternoon, I finally get to go Tengeru with Clement. A huge thunder storm hits as we set off and torrents of rain run of the land on the journey. I thought the rains were here but yet again it later recedes. Clement lives besides the main Arusha-Moshi highway. He is not a Mondo sponsored student and is self financed. Turns out this father is a land owner and has thirty tenants here. Not that this makes it a rich family, just less poor than most. Clement just has a single room in one of the houses, even more basic than Nelson. He takes me to another house where his family have a living room. We watch a very old premiership match on TV (Martin Jol is still in charge of Tottenham!) as his sister provides us with dinner. A surprise visitor is Stephan, my student who came and then vanished. He says he will be returning to college. Time will tell but I give him some notes he missed anyway.

Both him and Clement interrogate me about England and a comparison with Tanzania. Stephans questions are very innocent; do we have animals, do we have rivers, do we have trees. Clement continues mainly to explain about Tanzanian life and looking for similarities and difference with England. He also takes the time to thank me for every he has learnt from me and how important its been. The only dodgy moment is a religious-politic one. This was the first word of descent about Barack Obama I have heard; I am asked why can he allow abortion when it goes against scripture. I make a diplomatic answer about how he listens to both sides of a debate unlike Bush did which is a good thing and also posed a question about women rights.

After dinner he takes me for a walk to a river which apparently is his washroom and also shows me the patch of land where he hopes one day to build his house. Stephan also shows me his house and I meet his Mama. I need to get home before dark so we head for the dalla dalla. Clement want to ride back with me to Arusha to ensure I am safe. I have to insist I can look after myself and can ride alone.

All the Tanzanians I have become friends with all become very protective. They want to escorted you every where, even in day time, to keep you safe. Although this is nice It doesn’t give you independence. Maybe I’m just more confident than ever now. At the beginning I carried the minimum and was extremely careful about security. Now I’m carrying a red rucksack on my shoulder which has a laptop and camera inside and I have a large wedge of cash in my money belt. And I’m quite happy to parade through town with it even as its getting dark. (I’ve also become casual about the sun. I often don’t wear my hat and hardly ever any sun screen. I’ve got gallons of factor fifty going spare)

I get home safe of course and I use my bad stomach as an excuse for not eating another dinner tonight. Besides the meat stew tonight does not appeal. I’m getting a bit tiered of the meat now. For the first time I can appreciate being vegetarian.

Thursday is last day at the Fawe Nursery. I’m a little more prepared today and play some number games. I even sing a song; There were Ten in the Bed. We play the pick me up and hang off me games again, and practice our number writing. I then have to say goodbye. They sing me a song. I have only just started to get to know the kids as its only four sessions. I am starting to see their personalities and even, worryingly, thinking how cute some of them are. At least I’m not so involved that its hard to break away. I meet Sister Felicity afterwards to say goodbye. She gives me a spiel about her Faraja Women Empowerment (FAWE) project. It is essentially a project to help support women (and their families) infected or affected by HIV/AIDS and make them independent. The nursery is just on of the things it does. She seems to be hinting about lack of funding and fishing for a donation. I have to resist, even if it is a good cause. She seems to be asking for $200 for new benches. I have images of being pinned up against the wall be two catholic nuns but its not like that. I get away with just Gods blessing.

On the religious front one observation that I have made in Tanzania is the number of very large unfinished churches and cathedrals. I saw another one today. It seems that a communities first priority is plan the largest house off God they can and throw money at it. Then the money runs out. You cant help wonder about life’s priorities and best use of scarce funds. There are so many unfinished building here. Full funding is often not secured before they start projects (and projects are normally over ambitious: and if a Mzungu becomes involved another floor or several more rooms suddenly appear in the plans!)

Back at Eureka it’s a busy afternoon of all sorts of things: Speaking to Julius about our possible trip; trying to sort out printer problems; going to the Mondo Office to print out some exams and CVs; Photocopying exam papers; teaching Beatrice some Excel; Beatrice teaching me Swahili (she has a very bad pupil); chatting with Boniface about stuff when he makes an appearance. Kate let out the bag that they giving me a send off do next Tuesday afternoon. Luckily Boniface tells me anyway so at least it wasn’t going to be a surprise.

I get out the office late (5.15!). Beatrice has offered to help me buy a Kitege (a type of shawl) as a gift for Mama Minja. The sun is beginning to set as we wander around the side street shops near the bus station. I haven’t been in these streets before and at this time its bustling with activity as people shop and travel home. These are the local shops for local people. These last few days as I’ve been out with various people, I’ve been lucky enough to visit little nooks and crannies of Arusha and beyond, some that tourists never go. I feel privileged to see some real African life. This evening Arusha seems alive. I am the only white face around and it feels a little bit exciting still being out in town this late experiencing it.

It’s time to get the Dalla Dalla. I’ve never got one from this point before. An empty one stops. I casually make my way towards it as normal, but here and at this time new rules apply. About thirty people or charge for the tiny door and there is an almighty scrum to get in. Every man and woman for themselves. In about thirty seconds most of the thirty are squeezed in one way or another like some enormous Tetris puzzle. I’m in there somewhere. Everyone breathe in…