A 'Quick' Trip to Dodoma

Last night we got back from a week in Dodoma, Tanzania ... a place that before long we will be calling home. While we were only there for a week, we were actually gone for two ... as it took 4 days and 4 plane rides to get there and 3 days, 1 bus and 3 plane rides to get back ... our biggest adventure as a family to date! 

The girls were absolute troopers with all the travelling and totally took it all in their stride ... adjusting to the time difference was a bit more of a challenge though!

We will be there working with MAF (as you probably already knew!) and so we had the chance to look around the hangar. Mark spent a couple of mornings in there, in an attempt to familiarize himself with everything before starting work next February!

We had the chance to get to know some of the people and families already working with MAF in Tanzania through their great hospitality (we stole these photos from the MAF websites as we didn't think to take family shots of those we met while we were there!). They are ... the Meders (Swiss - Ruben is base manager in Dodoma), the Parkers (British - Andrew is a pilot, based in Dodoma), the Aylings (British - Stuart is base manager in Dar Es Salaam and met us from the airport and bus at the beginning and end of our trip) and Pierre Casemajor (French - Engineer in Dodoma)

The girls made some good friends as well ... especially with the two Meder girlies, Aleah and Soraya, who are roughly the same ages as our two!

We also had the opportunity to see our new home while we were there. It is on MAF compound B, which we would share with one other MAF family and two other houses, which are being used by SIL as offices. It helped us to see around the inside of the house so that we can plan what will be helpful to ship with us when we move. Now we have something to picture and aim for when we pack up our boxes over the coming weeks.

We took the opportunity to look around the town and market and get more of an idea of what life would be like for us when we live there. Naomi loved the hustle and bustle of the market and when we were leaving she was pointing to go back inside it again.

The local bus system wasn't something that we got to experience and probably won't as we'll have our own vehicle once we move out there ... but you'd be surprised how many people can squeeze into one of these!!

For Jenny, a lot of the trip was very familiar (having taught out there from 1999-2001). It was nice to be able to introduce the rest of the family to the school where she worked ... especially for Abigail who is enrolled into the reception class for when we arrive in February. Abigail really enjoyed seeing her new classroom and wanted to start straight away. She couldn't understand why she has to wait just a few more months!

There was also an opportunity for Jenny to catch up with a couple of friends too ... and introduce the rest of the family. We saw Esta when we visited the school and had lunch with Irene. It was so fun to be able to fit in a chance to do that in the midst of all the other appointments and preparations!

We had some down time too ... messing around in the MAF pool several afternoons. The weather was in the high 80's, so it was really nice to cool off and act a bit goofy together in the midst of everything else!

So now we are back home again and have the mammoth task of packing up our lives here in the States over the next month. Selling some things, buying others ... and packing everything up to ship. Having visited Dodoma now, we will be much more focused and it might make the packing a bit easier now we have a life to picture out there.

You can also have a look at our Facebook Page Beckwith's Big Adventure for loads more photographs of what we got up to! ;o)

Our Last Visitors in Ohio!

Last week we said goodbye to our final visitors in Ohio. We've had 17 visits from friends and family over the last three years ... many of whom had never been to the States before. It's been a great opportunity to show them what life is like for us and for them to get to know what was our 'new' home town.

Mark's parents flew back to the UK on Wednesday after a few weeks of fun! As well as a break at the lake we got up to a lot more mischief together. Their first weekend we got to celebrate the completion of a friends aircraft project for Missions Beyond Aviation. They are third generation missionaries to Mexico and this is the beginning of an exciting time for the Shields family, so we're glad we were able to be there to share that.

The annual week long Coshocton County Fair also took place during Grandma and Gramps's first week. We had fun on the rides at the fair (from above & below) and bumped into some friends for one ride too! We checked out most of the animals, craft exhibits, agricultural show entries and much more. We also worked the gates for one morning, stamping hands and used our free tickets to go on a 'date' to the rough trucks while Grandma and Gramps looked after the girls!

We went up to Amish country with Grandma and Gramps once and they went without us a couple of times too! There is a small area that looks like you're in the Swiss Alps with a cheese factory. As you can see we 'did the tourist thing'!

We also took a trip to the Zoo with them (We love our annual memberships ... so many free fun days there this year!). We enjoyed face painting, watching a scuba diver in the aquarium feeding the fish, lots of animals and much more!

While they were here, we set Grandma and Gramps a license plate challenge. Something we've been doing on long journey's. Trying to spot a license plate from each of the 50 States. We knew that Alaska and Hawaii might be a little bit much to expect while they were here but on the way back to the car that day we found an Alaska plate ... this car had obviously travelled a long way for a visit to the zoo!! 

Lots of silliness went on at home as well ... including Grandma's antics on the trampoline!

Grandma also kept a close eye on Naomi and her play doh ... it was only the second time she's played with it and so far, she just likes to pull it apart into little pieces rather than make something. At least she's stopped eating everything she picks up now! Abigail made something a lot more edible with Grandma later on that day!

The girls enjoyed having Grandma and Gramps here, as well as the fun stuff, snuggles on the sofa were also on the cards ... 

... that is until Gramps started playing silly's again (which happened often!). For the record, the photo below is one of our favourites from the whole visit!!!

We were able to make some trips to the park. Sometimes all together or sometimes Abigail went off with Grandma and Gramps on her own for some fun! Naomi is getting so much more confident, trying to follow her sister everywhere. She even went down the spiral slide, again and again even though it seemed to freak her out each time ... obviously going to be a real thrill seeker later in life!

Gramps made us a pair of Cornhole boards while they were here. It's a garden game we discovered during our time in Ohio ... and to make your own set is WAY cheaper than buying one! It kept Gramps out of trouble for a little while, doing something he loves ... wood work! Then we had fun playing it. It just needs a lick of paint and it will be ready to pack up with all our belongings to ship to Tanzania!

On their final weekend here, we popped out to a friends wedding for the afternoon. Abigail's best buddy was the flowergirl, so she was happy to spend time playing with her. When we got home Abigail stole Jenny's shoes and Naomi stole Abigail's ... and the pair of them acted like fools in the living room!

That same weekend we also enjoyed another cultural festival in town, the Apple Butter Stirring at Roscoe Village. It was fun to wander up and down to see all the stalls and handicrafts ... and the giant pumpkin caterpillars of course!

As you can see we had fun during Grandma and Gramps's time here. Their last visit Stateside. Now that they have gone and with only a couple of months left, we can start the task of packing up our lives in Ohio. It seems very strange to write that but it's the reality of the next stage of our lives.