Don’t get me wrong i to i is a reasonable company to volunteer with (although you get the impression they prey on your fears of going to a foreign land and volunteering when it isn’t actually that difficult to organise yourself). However at the moment they are really irritating me:
Before I cam out they told me that my accommodation was 10 minutes from the volunteer house. Now it might be 10 minutes in a Formula One car but – surprisingly – there aren’t an awful lot of those in Tanzania. In fact yesterday was the first time I walked directly (ie not through town with a little break) and it took me an hour. Even Paula Radcliffe would take 20 minutes at full tilt. I have told head office in Leeds this but they refuse to believe me and insist it is only 10 minutes – excuse me I’m the one that’s actually here!
A similar incident occurred with the hot water problem, or should I say lack of hot water in the smaller of the volunteer houses. One of the girls there told her friend who is coming out in a couple of weeks that there wasn’t any hot water and showers were somewhat bracing (as far as I can tell there hasn’t been hot water for at least two months). So the friend was somewhat alarmed and phoned head office. Guess what they sadi? That there was plenty of hot water in all the showers and bathrooms! Hmmm…I have been here a month and there has only ever been a warm dribble in one shower in the big house. However according to the people in Leeds they have the most up to date info and obviously those of us who are here are hallucinating!
