MIVOAKA: 02.07.2017
After my arrival in Mtwara I took a Bajaji to the accommodation. It is located outside again, where we have many human and of course animal neighbors. Three dogs were once torn apart by a panther 2 km away, i.e. in the vicinity of the jungle. I hardly mind, but the mosquitoes bother me more. There is also the issue of malaria risk, to which we volunteers are also exposed and apparently have already been caught, despite precautions. So be careful! And keep taking the tablets.
The house was built in several stages. For this reason, it also looks very unique (There is a link to a video on Youtube below). Thanks to photovoltaics, there is electricity and running water in the shower and toilet. There is a very large and beautiful baobab tree on the property (see picture). There are double rooms, but I have a room to myself. Currently, there are four other volunteers here, but I have raised the average age by about 2-3 years. Two young women work in the sewing/art/English project, where children/adolescents from the area learn to use a foot-powered sewing machine, among other things. Another volunteer will start teaching at a school next week (English,...). One of them will leave for Germany again on Tuesday. She was in a school for four weeks. So, I am the only construction volunteer here in Mtwara, and also the first one ever. I have already seen the construction site for my project (see pictures). In addition, there are some locals living in the house who are responsible for the kitchen, garden, as well as projects/organization. During the day, more locals come, for example, to work on the construction. So, I guess it never gets boring here. Tomorrow it starts, then I will know more.
By the way, the city of Mtwara is located in the south of the country not far from Mozambique. It is located directly on the Indian Ocean. The beaches are beautiful, but you have to watch out for the reefs. I immediately cut my left foot lightly on them. Now I have to heal until tomorrow, when the construction project really starts. And there is a lot to do... I will write more about it in a timely manner. Oh yes, in a Bajaji (tuk-tuk), you can fit 9 people with the driver. We tried it out last night. We took over the city ;-) Yolo
If you want to see more of the house, watch the video on Youtube: https://youtu.be/PBaM8XmLOEU
At 45sec, you can see the exact room where I am currently staying.