"It's raining, it's pouring..."

The rain, keeps coming, never has Dodoma been so green. Here is a picture of Caleb and his friend Reuben Verboom watching the water in our back garden. Fortunately the rain stopped before it came in the house, but it was close. The humid conditions also mean there is a lot of sickness about, perfect breeding ground for bugs. Lots of people have malaria and the cholera hospital has re-opened. Bethany often plays games where her dolls are sick with malaria. It's quite strange to hear your children happily talking about malaria and mosquitoes and being very responsible reminding me to spray them with insect repellent if we go out in the evening.

The children have been back at school a week now. Bethany insists on going everyday (she was going 4 days) and Joshua seems very happy to be back in his routine. They both finish at 12 noon, so there is still plenty of time to play and swim in the afternoon. Joshua and Bethany are both very excited to be now sharing a bunk bed because I finally got a mosquito net made big enough to cover it.

It's a funny place, Dodoma. I oscillate between loving and hating it. Sometimes I love the fact there is nothing really to do here except swim and am relieved I don't have to spend weekends at B&Q and Argos, other times I hate the fact there is nothing to do. Sometimes I love having house ladies, other days I just can't wait for them to leave so I can have the house to myself. Sometimes I love the fact that I have this opportunity to live here and help people and other times I want to run back to Europe and just forget about the poverty and suffering. Sometimes living here is an adventure, sometimes it's a nightmare and I just ask myself, what made me think I could live in Africa. Living here is a bit like having children. Most days you just get on with it and other days the enormity of it all just overwhelms you and you feel you can't cope and it's all too much. In the end it doesn't quite overwhelm you because the next thing to do comes along and for while you forget about it and get on with it. I guess life is like that wherever you live, just when you already live at 'home', there's nowhere to run back to.