A Little Bit of England

Lake Duluti was the venue this time for the Projects Abroad social. Located a 15 minute drive away from Arusha, the lake was yet another side of this varied land that I got to see. I had a few expectations of the lake as we were given an itinerary for the day, which included volleyball and a few other games along with a walk along the edge of the lake. We also took a football along so we would have a little kick around. I expected a large lake surrounded by flat grassy areas where we would sit with a picnic and play a bit of football under the beating rays of the Sun. What we actually found was a small, picturesque part of England in Tanzania. The lake was compact, and the area we were staying at was a built up, bar with wood chipping steppes leading down to the water's edge. There was a small narrow clearing to one side with a volleyball net suspended between a swing frame and a tree forming a makeshift court.

We were offered drinks on entry and as everyone settled down at the tables overlooking the lake, the day had the atmosphere of a school day trip with the volunteers settling down into their established social circles chatting away while the teachers organised the day's activities. First on the agenda was a walk around the lake along a small forest trail. Under the shade of the trees on a fairly cool day for Tanzania, the tranquil lake on one side and steep hillside giving rise to various trees and plants on the other, we could have been taking a stroll through a small forgotten part of England. Sometimes I half expected to find myself bumping into English school children taking part in orienteering. The walk itself was pleasant, simple enough to be able to be traversed in ordinary shoes while burning a few calories and making us all hungry for lunch. There were not that many chances to stop and take photos or even stock of the surroundings until someone spotted a snake chilling out in a tree. Unfortunately, I was not able to get a photo and apart from a few birds resting on a partly submerged tree, there was not that much wildlife to be seen.

On arriving back to 'base camp' lunch was promptly served. It consisted of a burger with optional guacamole, some rice, various salad vegetables, gherkins, grilled aubergines, potato salad (my mum's is better, much to my surprise), coleslaw, chips and hummus. The food was good, the presence of hummus a welcome sight and many went back for more. Shortly afterwards a raffle took place with a small prize for every volunteer; I won a carved giraffe which I named Anastasia. Next up was the marshmallow quiz. Four volunteers including myself were sat down and were asked five questions. If one answered correctly then the remaining three put a marshmallow in their mouth and were not allowed to chew or swallow it; if no one answered correctly, all four were given a marshmallow. In the end I answered two questions correctly, two others one correct each and the fourth, answered no questions and had to stuff five large marshmallows into her mouth. Lastly, a few of us moved over to the volleyball net and began a game before the boys moved on to playing keepy-uppy. We weren't terrible.

After the day trip I headed to Empire Sports Bar to watch Arsenal win comfortably against Villa with a couple of the staff and another volunteer. I missed the first goal but having caught the replays Given should really have done better. Happy for Gibbs though, hope he stays fit for the remainder of the season as Andre Santos once again revealed his careless side when he came on late in the game. Walcott showed that he does have the ability to run rings around opposition defences and he needs to produce more of the same as he did against Villa. His second goal was sublime after almost succeeding in exactly the same manner moments before. We need to see more of this next season and he needs to contribute with a few more goals. Reading BBC this morning, I read two interesting statistics. Walcott is our second highest scorer on eight, Vermaelen third on five and this was the first time two Englishmen had scored in the same game for Arsenal since 1997. Arteta's free kick in stoppage time put the icing on the cake and after Chelsea and Spurs drew, we are three points clear of fourth. Away at QPR next weekend will be an important game, especially with City visiting the Emirates the weekend after, and three points is a must. As the night drew on and more volunteers showed up, we sat outside around a table talking books, music and films while a few of the guys tried to work out whether I slept or had a life back home. I declined to comment. When the DJ replaced the live band, the night started but it is nice to be able to sit outside the bar at two in the morning around a table because the nights are still warm enough. Oh, I'm also starting to like that one Danish song that is always played.