 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
  |
Diary - Tuesday, February 17, 2009My goodness, how the time has flown since we last posted an update. No, this does not mean that life here is so boring that there is nothing for us to tell you about or that we are simply too affected by Terminal Relaxation to muster up the required energy to type on the computer. I can honestly say that my excuse for not getting to this sooner is that I have just not had enough spare moments in the day to collect my thoughts. Ingrid and Ilke are presently holding down the Wellness Centre and from all reports they are doing a great job. These days, we are akin to passing trains in the night as we are all on different schedules and energy levels. It’s a new experience for Pat and I as in the past we have had a fair amount of time to spend with our volunteers. With the opening of Alibi’s Well, this has changed that routine considerably. Claire and Barry are still keeping busy with their respective commitments in the kitchen and classroom and I know we are all very grateful for their contribution to the project. They are expecting to leave us near the end of March for their return to Canada so I’m sure their absence will be noticed by all of us who have spent time with them during their stay with us. All the best you two!! Even though this time period is considered to be slow for tourism, we seem to have a regular flow of guests each day and at times it can be frantic such as last week when we played host to 34 students from Denmark. These moments of busyness ultimately turn into great learning experiences for all of us and especially the students who get to have a taste of just how “full on” a restaurant can be. We have started a weekend evening meal special and this has turned out to be very popular with our expat community who are always looking for something just a bit different to do. Our biggest upcoming event is the impending arrival of Team Operation Africa this Wednesday. You may remember that David Sakaki and the Kamloops firefighters have spent the last year and more fundraising in order to bring their team along with a container full of donated supplies to help HABS and the people of Jambiani. As I said David and company will arrive on Wednesday the 18th and we expect the container to clear customs here a few days later. The logistics of unloading and dispersing the goods will be co-ordinated by the team and of course, none of this would have come together without the expert involvement of Pat and her list of contacts, who take care of everything from customs clearance to accommodation to ensuring a plentiful water supply for everyone involved. It’s a huge undertaking and we would like to thank and congratulate everyone who has chosen to be involved to ensure the success of this operation. We will provide you with a complete update of the entire project when it is complete within the next two weeks. We are all really looking forward to this experience and the benefits it will provide to so many people here and of course we are very grateful to David, his team and all of the folks who have supported them in their desire to help others. We’re slowly moving towards our rainy season now and this morning we were treated to several hours of replenishing showers which have our gardens smiling again. The rain is always welcome here as we are in a relative dry zone so often we miss the moisture that Stonetown receives. Anyhow, I think I’ll finish this rather short update for now but I will send a more detailed one soon after our Team Project Africa have made their mark here on Zanzibar. Take care everyone, and we are in touch. Alastair and Pat and the HABS team in Jambiani  |