".......Hello UK/Tanzanian Friends!
At long last the wait is over! Muba and his mother arrive in London at 5:15 pm Friday (13-11-2008) evening!! I am not going to believe it until the plane takes off.
They will be greeted at the airport by their sponsor organization Facing the World. They will be hosted by a Tanzanian family living near Battersea Park (closest tube is South Kensington). They are a little bit nervous! Volunteers here have been working with Muba on English, but his mom has only a few words yet. I have prepped them on all sorts of basics.
According to the tickets they are not set to leave the country until May! That means that you are welcomed and encouraged to pack their social calendar! Muba will be benefitting from some terrific education so we hope that he will soon be conversant in English. I think that any visits by fellow Tanzanians will be especially welcome in the first few weeks while they adjust to their new surroundings. Please feel free to forward any part of this email to the Swahili blogs or other Kiswahili speakers!
In order to contact Muba and Mum you will need to call Sarah or Rebecca at Facing the World. I have the full contacts below.
If anyone has an old phone for which Facing The World could buy them a sim card, that would be much appreciated! If I dont hear back, we may try to get them one Thursday. As for donated clothes, if you have any, Muba is a lean 13 year old. His mother is about a size 14 or 16 in American sizes, but I am not sure about British sizing.
Former and returning vol Maria has these great suggestions for outings:
Free stuff:
Houses of parliament and Big Ben/Tate gallery/ street acts in centre by Thames
Hyde park: Sunday morning "speaker's corner"
Fly a kite on Parliament hill (tube stop Hampstead Heath)
National portrait gallery, British museum, Natural history museum (v.good for kids) and the Museum of London
Covent garden - loads of street acts, funny shops but expensive restaurants (tube stop)
Trafalgar square
Buckingham palace
Free music at: Notting hill arts club, saturdays 4-8 (Notting hill tube stop)
Not free but fun for a one-off
Millennium Wheel - look right over london on a clear day. (pricey)
Boat trip along the Thames
A curry on Brick lane
Brixton might get them some ugali? Sarah?
Oxford st (tube stop) a main attraction for tourists may be too much for them
Camdem market - loads of independent shops and food stalls. the home of the british punk and strange clothes!
You can contact Muba through his secretary (
😉 below.
Thank you so much everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!
Terri
Sarah Driver-Jowitt
Executive Coordinator: Facing the World
Facing the World
* 5A London House, 266 Fulham Road, London, SW10 9EL
( Tel: +44 (0) 207 352 6702
( Fax: +44 (0) 207 352 0052
( Mobile: +44 (0) 77 2035 0817 8
Email:
sarah@facingtheworld.net
Website:
www.facingtheworld.net
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