​I just finished reading this (adolescent fiction) book about Tanxania. Easy fun read and gave a taste of what it may have been like transitioning out of white rule.
Included the close family ties of the people, their superstitions and the widely felt sentiment that girls should not go to school. 
​                                                       Sandee Spencer
​

A Girl Called Problem Kindle Edition
by Katie Quirk (Author)  Format: Kindle Edition
4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars    33 ratings
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• Book description
• Editorial reviews

Thirteen-year-old Shida, whose name means "problem" in Swahili, certainly has a lot of problems in her life -- her father is dead, her depressed mother is rumored to be a witch, and everyone in her rural Tanzanian village expects her to marry rather than pursue her dream of becoming a healer. So when the village's elders make a controversial decision to move their people to a nearby village, Shida welcomes the change. Surely the opportunity to go to school and learn from a nurse can only mean good things.

However, after a series of puzzling misfortunes plague the new village, Shida must prove to her people that moving was the right decision, and that they can have a better life in their new home.

For author pictures of Tanzania, a video depicting the life of a modern Tanzanian girl, discussion questions for each chapter of the book, and suggestions for further reading, please go to katie-quirk.com and follow the links for A Girl Called Problem.

​Click HERE for photos.

To summarize my comments from our orientation, there are many fun things to bring back from Africa. I love their wooden carvings of animals and people. These come in all sizes and a variety of woods. They can be very expensive and are found in craft stores as well as along the road side. 

Wherever you shop, be prepared to barter. The first price offered should never be the price you pay.  Except maybe in the hotel gift shop and even there, you might get them talked down.

There are natives everywhere hawking their goods but be careful, because when you start bartering, its hard to stop them and soon a crowd will follow and they can get aggressive. Be prepared to walk away from the deal if you want a good price.  

There are also very nice jewelry stores with Tanzanite. These I'm not so sure of the bartering. Our drivers may be able to counsel you on this.  But be cautious.

We brought back a number of cloths that were packaged by the natives that they wear as their everyday clothing and we use them for table cloths. These should be bartered for and the price should be around $5 if I recall correctly. Julie of Lion Safari can tell us better.  We will be taken to several of these stores for shopping and you can use your credit cards there.
 
Bracelets and necklaces are good souvenirs to bring home for friends too and are priced well. Of course they will be highest at the hotel gift shop, but sometimes the prices are good there too.  The native village we visit probably will be over priced, but the novelty may be worth the price tag if you want to take something home with you from there.  

Some tour members last year took home sandals made from tire treads. Spears are another favorite thing that men often take home with them.  Just try not to take home any foreign bugs.  My advice is have plenty of low dollar bills for bartering in roadside shops and use credit cards in the established shops.  

One of the favorite things we do in Africa is our stop at the Shalom Orphanage. This orphanage is a school and a home for children whose parents are unable to care for them or are dead. Some of the children are disabled but most are normal, healthy and intelligent. They are happy and eager to meet us and very grateful for our attention and of course for gifts as any children would be.  

This year we have asked for names and ages so we can make sure each child receives at least one gift meant for them specifically. If you need to make a change let me (liz) know by calling or texting and we can trade around some.  Scroll down to see the chart of our assignments. I've emailed it, but in case you need to check it again, I'll post it here with any updates.

Julie is our contact with Leo Tours and she has gotten me the info. She reported the following: "We have talked to the Shalom Orphanage Manager and he suggested the following for the gifts. 
School bags, 
Pens & pencils
Crayons
Reading books
Toothbrushes
Underwear
Socks, T-shirts.
Candy"
Toothbrushes would be great for every child and reading books are good in English. Sticker books and coloring books I would add too. You might also consider soft stuffed animals for the younger children and teen girls love jewelry and hand lotion.  You might consider giving a card with your name and address so they can write you a letter.  But don't be surprised if they ask you for money, so be prepared.

In addition to the Shalom Orphanage, we also can leave gifts with the ward leaders for members in Arusha. They can distribute them to those who need them most.  The Primary can use them for the children as well.  
​

Here's the list of everyone's schedule that we will provide to our hosts in Africa to make sure we have people to meet us at the airport and to get us there for departure. Please double check to make sure your times are listed correctly and let Liz know if there is an error.  801.669.1777.

December 7 -  VISA UPDATE - I have been trying to pay for my visa online for the past 24 hours. After consulting with our Tanzanian host, we have determined it may be easier to just purchase our visas when we arrive in the airport.

Be aware this may mean waiting in line, but our experience in February 2023 was this was a very short line. Compared with the hassle of sizing photographs and getting online payment accepted, it may take less time at the airport.  So it is your choice. If you choose to purchase your visa at the airport you will need to have the following with you:
             1.  Your passport
             2.  A printed copy of your return flight from JRO
             3.  $100 cash
           4.  The visa info card I will send that has the host info printed so you can fill out the visa form described below.  

ONLINE  VISA  APPLICATION
Here are a few things to know before  you start: 
a.  The cost is $100 - You will pay online by credit card if you decide to get an online visa. 
b.  You can start the online process and stop part way through and go back to finish later if you can't complete in one sitting. Just save your visa number in a secure place so you can go back to it later.
c.  You will need the following:
      .1.  Your passport number with issue and expiration dates
       2.  a headshot of yourself similar to a passport photo (square, white background)
       3.  a photo of your passport photo page sized no larger than 300 mb.
       4.  a screen shot of your airline itinerary that looks like a ticket (see my sample below)
 
To start  go to ​https://visa.immigration.go.tz/start  
​1. You will need to apply for a multi-entry visa
2. We are flying into JRO which also is known as KIL (Kilimanjaro)
3. Your host is  "Company/Organization"
​4.  Full Name:  Lions Safari Intl, Ltd
5. Host email: [email protected]
6. Relationship: tourist
7. Mobile No:+255 684 488 424
8. Company name/ Organization registration No: ​Lions Safari Intl., Ltd.,/9783
9. Physical Address:  Box 999, No. 246, Sakina Rd, Arusha, TZ
10. Accommodations:
    Where are you going to stay?  answer:  hotel   
     Physical address:

• Momella Wildlife, c/o Lions Safari Intl., Ltd., Box 999, No. 246, Sakina Rd, Arusha, TZ   Mobile: +255 684 488 424 Email: [email protected]

11. Are you traveling as part of a group or organization? Yes
12. Organization name: Bucket-list Cruises and Tours
13. Accompanied by minors? no
14.  Photos of head shot and passport must be no larger than 300KB so make them 72 dpi See the photo sizes below. If you need help sizing your photos, call or text Liz and I'll help. 801.669.1777
15. When I finally got my photos and my tickets uploaded and got to the payment page the button "Request Control Number" showed up. When I clicked it, I got the message "control number not available right now please try again later.   Finally, a day later my control number was produced and I was sent on to the payment page. Here was where my journey has ended. 

I've spent more than an hour putting in various credit cards only to see that the payment didn't go through.  I waited a day and tried again with the same results.  So, I've called and talked with our host who assures me that it is entirely possible to get our visas at the airport with much less hassle. 

Apparently the online system is not working well at this time. So if you want to try your luck at it, you are welcome to do so, or if you prefer to wait and get the visa when we arrive, that will work too.  When we arrived last February it was not a long waiting line for visas so we have reason to hope it will be the same this coming January.

NOTE: you can copy and paste the answers from this post to your form. 
Below are pictures of a couple of pages of the visa form Liz was filling out. Yours will look the same except the question "Is this your first time to visit Tanzania?"  If you get to another part and have questions, call and we'll find answers for you or help you figure it out.

I had to size my head shot and passport photo so they weren't too large before they were accepted by the program. If you need me to do this for you, you can send them to me and I will size them for you.

We just did a print screen of our tickets and I put my name on the print. If you would like to send me your tickets, I'll make a print screen with your name on it for you to submit. It has to be 72 dpi so it's not too large.  It really just needed to have the departure flight, so this is probably more than what was needed, but we did more to be overly careful.  

Since we're about to embark on this great adventure,
here are photos of our hosts in country.
Eugen Tzan, general manager, Julie Manongi; tour manager, 
& Prosper Mongi; vehicle operations

For those who are staying at the Ramada in Amsterdam, here's the shuttle information.