Africa Awesome List

What follows is a list of the awesome things we did and experienced during our 6 month sabatical in Arusha, Tanzania:

• Working with many local technology businesses, mentoring staff and sharing tips, tools and advice with them.
• Putting our kids into the International School of Moshi and really seeing them apply themselves in a new environment.
• Going to TGT (the local health and fitness club) on Friday night will all of our friends to watch football (soccer) and rugby and enjoy 2 for 1 drinks from 6-7.
• Going to Shanga where disabled people create beautiful crafts and we got to take part in glass blowing.
• Visiting Diani Beach in Kenya and Pangani in Tanzania and finding out that we love staying at homes, so much less expensive then hotels and so nice to really relax.
• Seeing my kids get very involved with sports such as swimming and rugby. 
• Visiting Maji Moto (the Hot Springs) outside Moshi where the kids could do back flips off of the tree swing and try to swim down in the cave.
• Enjoying the weather which was wonderful for the first 5 months and then started to actually get cold in June and July.
• Engaging with friends and neighbors over dinner regularly and having fascinating conversation about cultural differences, local politics and raising children.
• Going fishing at Lake Dulati with Stephen and bringing home dinner for our family.
• Mountain biking with my wife in the hills ascending Mount Meru.
• Visiting the Snake Park and taking camel rides to the local Masaii bomas.
• Camping at Lake Chala and avoiding the crocodiles when swimming.
• Having Kathleen coach the local swim team and do one-on-one swim coaching with kids.
• Visiting Rotary Club meetings on Monday night and Wednesday afternoon.
• Having Mack's good friend, Nigel, come out to visit for 2 weeks.
• Seeing the new Plaster House get finished.
• Getting volunteer visas so that we could work at the local orphanage, Neema House, and I could help out mentor businesses.
• Spending Wednesdays getting car fixed (this was a weekly chore that I looked forward to and was necessary because of the roads around Arusha).