Sunday, October 31, 2010

Church + Election

I made it to the Catholic mass this morning at the Carmelite Community in town. Although I was told it starts at 07:00, I think it starts at quarter to 7 because it was already going when I got there at 5 of. Since it was in Kiswahili, I didn’t understand much but the format was the same so it was a bit comforting. On the way home, I walked to the market to try to get a pumpkin. Unfortunately my plan to make a Jack-o-lantern for Halloween today was thwarted because the vendor wasn’t there to sell me the pumpkin, which was there. Dang.

Much of my day was spent writing quotes and nice personal comments to the other people in my training group. The first few months at site are very lonely for most PCVs so the PC office will send an envelope to each one of us with personal notes from others in the group. We could choose to do notes for just those in our POD or the whole group. Most of us chose the latter despite the increased difficulty. When I brought the notes to Doug to put them in the envelopes, he was making pizza. He lucked out because his host family has an actual oven so he doesn’t have to try the makeshift Dutch oven way of baking.

Tonight I did some PC homework, which had me talk with my brother Raphael and sisters to answer questions on kitchen parties, weddings, and funerals. It was the most I’ve talked with my family because I had to do the homework in English. Raphael even asked me why Pluto isn’t a planet anymore. While talking with my sisters, I mostly talked with Magdalena, whose English is the best, and I learned a lot about my family. For instance, the father is dead, the 2 boys I live with are brothers, and the house girl is Muslim.

Magde and Belinda showed me their black inked pinky finger pads from voting in the national election. Mama ended up with a whole black pinky (*that lasted a few days*) showing she voted. They are registered in the village so they were able to vote locally. My teacher took a trip back to Dar in order to vote. We won’t know the results for about 4 days but we have been seeing and hearing about the presidential election our whole time here and are looking forward to it being over. Officially the system has multiple parties but CCM (the party of the president) has a lot of power in the government and therefore most of the money. There are posters everywhere with Kikwete’s face (the president) but few from other parties. Everyone pretty much knows that Kikwete will win again even if they don’t like him. Luckily this country is very stable compared to other African countries so even though we are on Standfast because of the election, we don’t really expect any major problems.

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Shadow Announcement!

I’m going to near Njombe, Iringa province for Shadow in a week! It’s much cooler there because it’s in the southern highlands so I’m really excited. Megan (M), Ezra, Mike & Mindy (the married couple) are in my group and we are visiting Marilyn, who is an older volunteer.

My portion control is getting better when I eat, which is encouraging. Although I’m still eating more than I’m burning off, I’m getting better and should be good when I’m cooking for myself. This means I have a shot at losing the weight I’ve gained in the past month before my sister gets married. Of course, we had little pieces of chocolate at lunch today and I was one of those who greedily licked the melted chocolate off the wrapper. So I’m still enjoying good (but not healthy) food.

After incident with the undrinkable water Thursday, I decided to buy a big container of bottled water for the coming week. Of course I forgot my money at home this morning but Ezra spotted me the cash. Since we have to pay in cash for everything, everyone has been covering one another so everyone is taken care of. It’s really helpful not only when you don’t have enough cash on you, but also when riding a daladala and you don’t have exact change; sometimes you don’t get your 50Tsh if the conductor guy doesn’t have one of the coins (we tend to hoard them for use on the daladalas). I also picked up some peanut butter for lunch this week and the kanga I’ve been eyeing for my mom because it says something to the effect of, “I’m sending my daughter down the aisle.” Even though no one back home will know what it means, it will still make a cute skirt. I bought a small package of cookies yesterday and my family was very happy when I brought them out after dinner.

Friday, October 29, 2010

EAP

It’s Friday so we headed to CCT again and I stopped at the bank for money and it seems they have put some of our Shadow money in already even though it’s not supposed to be there. This is confusing but at least I have money now :-).

With Shadow coming up, we covered the Emergency Action Plan (EAP). This tells us what to do at the different levels of preparedness. Basically, it’s like the color alert levels in the US. Right now we are on Standfast because of the election Sunday. Although nothing big is expected to happen, all of the PCVs/PCTs have to stay where they are and not travel. The PCVs for next week had to come early because of it. So if we do need to be evacuated at any point (not likely in Tz), I now know the procedures. The staff also told us today that our site announcements were pushed back a day. This means we have to wait another whole day to find out where we will be living and teaching for the next 2 years. At least it allows some main PC staff like our Country Director and the other 3 Americans on staff to come.

Last week, Arlene (PCMO) said she would bring us the cookbooks this week so I asked her about it during a break in her sessions. She said she forgot them in Dar but to ask her again when we started into the next session. I did as she asked and it turns out she didn’t forget them! She definitely had me fooled – good one Arlene. I’m psyched to try cooking something for my family and all the foods I’ll cook at site. Mmmm….

After CCT, Megan (M) and I walked around Morogoro looking for kitenges so we can have dresses made. Megan found a great teal-colored one but I didn’t have any luck with a red or maroon one that doesn’t have a big print on it. Guess I’ll have to go back to look some more.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

I needed water this morning but the boiled water my family gave me smelled very strongly…like a fuel pipe leaked into the water pipe. Sure, boiling kills microbes but it doesn’t’ get rid of other potential contaminants. Since I had to be at the school by 07:15 to shadow the Teacher on Duty (TOD), the stores weren’t open for me to buy water but thankfully I was able to get out later to get some (thanks Anna!). The Teacher on Duty is a classroom teacher who is responsible for overseeing the students doing their cleaning jobs (like chores of sweeping, mopping, etc.) and the morning assembly for the week. I think there might be some responsibility with attendance too but I guess I’ll understand better at site.

Before the students were released for chai, Tim, Ezra, and I went to get some fried potatoes and sambusas (also potato). Then for lunch we went to a bar/pub and had rice, beans, spinach, and soup (like the broth from minestrone). Tim and I also had a few small pieces of meat. I felt really stuffed today with all the food I ate but I really like trying out new things.

Mama asked about my sheets when I was done washing my clothes yesterday and I kind of agreed to wash them today. When I finished, it looked like it was going to rain and I wouldn’t have sheets to sleep on. I lucked out but realized I should probably only wash one sheet at a time here.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Last week, George had his wallet stolen while on the daladala. Although he had the bag on his lap, the person was able to somehow get in his bag. While having a lesson outside this afternoon, 2 men approached our teacher. She said she needed to talk with them and asked us to leave. Turns out that one man is a police officer and the other found George’s ID cards on the side of the street. They called the PC office who directed them to Anna because she was the closest person. No money was recovered but it’s nice to know that someone would turn in something lost.
Tonight the family watched “The Gods Must Be Crazy”, which is on the same disc as “George of the Jungle” from last night. Although the audio and subtitles were not in English and the sub-sub-titles barely readable, it didn’t matter – the movie is hilarious.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Engagement + Hands-on Science = Amazing Day

Kait’s Engaged!! Just after midnight, I somehow woke out of a deep sleep to answer my phone. I was so out of it, I thought it was the next morning and it was a fellow PCT calling about our Pod Day (more on that later). I was surprised to hear my sister on the phone but thrilled to talk with her. She’s finally engaged! I’m sooo excited!! And this means I will be going home at some point for her wedding and will not have to go a full 27 months without seeing my family. I only talked with Kait for less than 7 minutes but couldn’t sleep for 2 hours afterward (so worth it though).

Before leaving for Pod Day, we received the results of our mid-training oral proficiencies. I scored Intermediate-Mid, which is what I am supposed to score at by the end of training. Not bad. I got an 83.5 on the written exam that we got back yesterday. I’m hoping to do better on the final by actually studying for the exam.

For Pod Day, our Kihonda group was driven to Kayenzi and we now understand more fully why they keep getting flat tires on their bikes. We were joined by some Kayenzi teachers and PCV Aron led a session on making science classes hands-on. It was fricken awesome. We created O2 (oxygen). We made H2 (hydrogen)…and then blew up the balloon. We made liters of acids and bases and neutralized them. We calculated the gravitational constant (g) from a pendulum. And all of it was done using materials fairly readily available in Tanzania. There are a few things that are best obtained in Dar but many are quite common. We are now recognizing the many uses of objects around us like empty water bottles, used batteries, and the unwaxed floss PC provided in our med kits. It was a great session with good food in between. We bought potato sambusas midmorning from some women who cook them right on the school grounds and sell them to students during chai (tea) time. They were delicious; as was the lunch that the woman brought (she makes lunch for the Kayenzi CBT every day).

I’m really glad we had a session focusing on science labs. It’s difficult enough in the States where supplies are more readily available and easily replaced if broken. I feel much more confident about teaching Chemistry and am excited to get started planning my lesions and collecting materials for experiments.

At dinner, I prayed in Kiswahili for the first time. Mama had told me a simple prayer and I finally memorized it. She was proud. My family watched “George of the Jungle” tonight and I laughed along with them. The movie is on a disc with several other movies and is actually labeled as “The Jungle Book” – someone (probably in China) was confused.

Monday, October 25, 2010

The rain last night meant no dust this morning, which was a welcome relief. I was observed for the first time while teaching today and it went well. Rose really didn’t have too much to say for improvements; hopefully I’ll have a good lesson next week when I am observed by the PCV. During our Internship teaching, we have to be Teacher on Duty at some point. Today I found out who one of the teachers is on duty for the week and will join her on Thursday to shadow her. She was with other teachers when I was talking with her and among the questions I was asked were, “Are you engaged? Why not?” I responded that I’m a teacher and too busy…plus my friends are in America. Then I think I was asked if they are black (or white) and I just told them that friends are friends. I mean really, does it matter?

Mid-afternoon we walked to Educare, the private secondary school in Kihonda. Kids who don’t do well enough on their exams to go to a public school, will go to a private school if their parents can afford it. Generally, the students at public schools are better students than those at private schools (not always the case but overall). Of course the school fees at private schools are higher and the facilities can be a little better. The room the Educare CBT meets in is the teacher’s lounge, which has couches, coffee tables, and a fan! It is much more comfortable than our classroom (or the teacher’s lounge for that matter) at Kihonda. It didn’t take us long to figure out how we are going to present on American focus in interactions. We recognize that the focus changes depending on the situation so we chose 5 areas to demonstrate: corporate, big purchase, small purchase, friends, and family. Sometimes, like for large purchases or when asking someone for something important, there is usually some “small talk” first, which shows a focus on relationship. However, many of our interactions in America are task-oriented; the focus is on the business at hand, then the relationship.

Will and I were able to get my photos downloaded to his computer this evening and I saved some to my jump-drive to post online. Unfortunately, we had to install the Kodak software from the disc in order to get the pictures transferred from camera to computer. Not sure what I’m going to do when at site if no other PCV w/ a computer is “close”.

My CBT group decided to stop having a local lady make our lunch and bring it to us she was making good food but it cost us each 2,000Tsh, which is half of our daily allowance. So in order to save money, eat different foods, and interact more with locals, we are on our own this week for lunch. I had good ol’ peanut butter and jelly with a couple of bananas and it was sooo good! I’ve missed peanut butter. Actually, I ended up eating 4 bananas today but they taste better and are a little smaller than the ones sold in the States. At dinner, I was served some pumpkin. It seemed more like what we would call squash in the US but it’s close. I wonder if they made if because they think it’s an American food? It is, but is there brown sugar here to put on it?

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Safari Day 2

Breakfast was supposed to be at 05:30 but the hotel/inn is Tanzanian so it was not ready quite on time. Somehow there wasn’t enough food at once either, even though we had paid for and reserved the breakfast. Something I’ll have to keep in mind while traveling.

We didn’t get to the park until about 07:00 (~ 1 hr after sunrise) and I was itching to get going. Although we saw many of the same creatures today, most were closer to us and I think I got some great photos of elephants, giraffes, zebras, Cape buffalo, impala, ad wildebeest. Unfortunately the warthog was too far away from our van (& I didn’t have my camera out yesterday when we saw them) so the only picture I have is the one Gene took. But I did see a couple of bushbucks! These ungulates are about the size of key deer and not very common to see. I also saw a carcass that I think was an eland but didn’t see any live ones. The other van didn’t see the bushbucks but did spot a jackal. Birds we included shrikes, black-billed bustards, hornbills, Egyptian goose, tawny eagle, superb starlings, blacksmith lapwing, white-faced whistling ducks, yellow-billed oxpeckers, doves, and marabell storks. That is, if we identified them correctly using Eula’s African Wildlife book. At one point we went into a very steep ditch that would be a creek if it had rained (think arroyo). Normally, the short rainy season starts in the beginning of October but we hadn’t had any rain. No rain meant we could get to the other side and a really big tree. Naturally, many of us climbed it. The tree was at a designated camping site and there was a buffalo skull there with a note stuck inside it. Eric wrote another note w/ clues or a map to some “treasure” – some money they stashed somewhere.

On the ride home, we saw another accident but luckily the injured had already been carted off. I am not looking forward to the time(s) when I will have to deal with the carnage of an accident here. Our spare time from yesterday popped so it had to be replaced w/ the spare from the other van. Glad it didn’t pop in the park and that someone had the foresight this time to rotate the tires so the spare was in the back where there are 2 tires, which would help if that spare blows (since we didn’t have any more spare tires left).

I was exhausted at home but showed my family some pictures on the digital camera and did some lesson planning. I got to talk w/ my parents tonight too. While on the phone, the power went out so my dad said that’s what I get for going to the 3rd world – and he’s right lol. It also rained tonight! The sound and cool, fresh breeze were refreshing. Before bed, I watched one of my sisters make maandazi, small pieces of fried dough. I would like to try baking the dough when I get to site, instead of frying it in oil.

Saturday, October 23, 2010

SAFARI!!

We had today off so PC could meet with our families for the mid-home stay check-in. so we met up at CCT and boarded a couple of very big vans then headed to Mikumi National Park, which is only a couple of hours away. On the way, we saw a wrecked car and small tanker on the other side of the road. We think it was the same accident on the news in which 5 people died. The roads here are very dangerous – the most dangerous thing in the country I think. There are few rules, especially that are enforced, and that includes no license. That’s right, people do not have to take a test or be trained before they can be in control of a few thousand pounds of potential destruction. They not only lack training, they are crazy! They are constantly passing on the narrow roads so head-on collisions are common. Plus they drive very fast; luckily the government has installed many speed bumps to slow vehicles down. If I am severely hurt or killed here, it will be by a vehicle.

Wildlife sightings started when we were just on the road that goes through the park, before we entered the official gate. We saw zebras, giraffes, impala, vultures, cape buffaloes, and warthogs. Actually, we were very fortunate to see a family of warthogs close to the road. I made out 4 baby warthogs and the 2 adults. When we got to the town of Mikumi, we couldn’t check-in but we did eat lunch. I had rice, beans, a bit of cooked spinach, and ½ a banana – a typical Tz meal. After checking-in, I took a short nap but others found the market. George shared a tamarind seed with me and it tasted kind of like a Warhead candy – it was a neat treat. Since Gene doesn’t have a camera, I gave him my digital to use – so I lucked out with getting both digital and film pics.

This afternoon, we headed to the park for our evening safari/tour (it’s a 24 hour pass). On the way, a front tire popped on the van I was in; it was quite loud. So we disembarked and waited while our drivers changed it – no AAA or roadside assistance here. We also saw some of the same animals as before as well as baboons, who were in and alongside the road. At the entrance, we saw elephants cross the dirt road while we waited for the permit and tour guide stuff to be worked out. Once inside, we saw them from a distance. We saw more impala *they are as numerous as deer back home or antelope out west), giraffes, zebras, & wildebeest while we drove to the Hippo Pool. Of course, we saw a hippo when we got there but there was a better treat – LIONS! There was a pride of lionesses to one side of the pool (i.e. waterhole) who were lounging after having fed themselves. They blended in well but we would see one occasionally roll over and it was funny because they act very much like a lounging housecat. At one point, a lioness stood up, walked to the carcass, picked it up in her mouth, and brought it back to where she was laying. I really hope I was able to get a good shot of it with my camera (film). Later, we could hear/see a bit of arguing between lionesses about the food. Like 3D National Geographic – pure awesomeness. As we were leaving the park, we passed by some funny looking guinea hens. Then we came upon some other vehicles that were stopped on the road (they were also leaving the park, coming from the Hippo Pool). There were more lions in the brush off the road! Unfortunately for the Jeep/Land Rover ahead of us, it was also when they had to change a flat tire. Did I mention it was late dusk? I’m sure the passengers were relieved when they could get back in the vehicle.

For dinner, I had the same thing as lunch plus a few cubes of beef and a soda that tasted so great after the dust of our trip in the park. Why did I have almost the same meal again? The menu was rice with beans, beef, or chicken; or small potato wedges in an egg omelet thing. There may have been a few more expensive things but we’re cheap. Although we had to get up early, most of us stayed up late talking, playing cards, and drinking – aka hanging out American style.

Friday, October 22, 2010

Buzz cuts

It’s Friday again so we were back at CCT. Today we covered a lot about safety and security, including things related to medical. We talked about how men in Tanzania usually behave so we aren’t caught off guard by cultural differences, especially how “no” doesn’t always mean no – it has to be a firm “no”. Arlene (female PCMO) said that it is a good idea for the guys to escort the females home and it should be required at night. I noticed last night event hat we need to be careful starting when it’s just getting dark but still plenty light out to see. Escorts need to be to the house too because the one night I was out until it was dark, I walked w/ Vero to the corner but a guy approached her in the 50 or so meters to her house. The next day we decided that the guys need to walk us home. Arlene also told us to make a pact to not leave anyone behind who has been drinking. This is kind of what I did in Utah but it is even more important here to make sure everyone is taken care of.

Out other session today was classroom management. It was given by Sarah, a PCV who has been here for 3 years and was the academic mistress at her school this past year. She gave us some great advice and ideas on how to manage students in Tanzania.

A few guys like Tim, Doug, and Mike (T) had gotten haircuts during the week that are very short. In between sessions today, the clippers came out and several other guys joined the ranks of those with really short hair. First was Colin, whose hair was a few inches long so he had a big change. A handful of others followed and it’ll be interesting to see the differences in growth between them in the next month.

We were finished by mid-afternoon so I used the time to finish a card and letter to drop off at the Post Office on my way back home. Carolyn waited for me and it was nice talking with her. Tim and Will ended up on the same daladala as we headed back to Kihonda. This worked out perfectly because Will lives near Carolyn and was able to escort her home in the growing dusk (I live very close to the main road so it was very light out when I walked home – they walked ~20 min).

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Gift

Back to Swahili lessons today and we got to play Simon Says (in Swahili) to help us learn the parts of the body. It was a fun way to practice. We were able to get out early again so I went home and washed some more clothes, including my kanga (basically a piece of decorative cloth used as a wrap) for the first time. Since I wear it while cooking as well as the and from the shower, it needed to be cleaned. I see now though that \I missed a couple of oil-looking spots. Next time I’ll try putting soap on those s[pots before putting the kanga in the bucket of water.

After hanging my clothes out to dry, I headed over to Will’s house because I had given him my digital camera yesterday so he could try uploading my photos onto my jump drive. Unfortunately we couldn’t get the pictures to transfer so we’ll try using the disc next time. However, I did get a chance to type up a couple of blog entries so I can just copy and paste them next time I’m in an internet café.

At home, my mama gave me a kanga. It is a rich yellow, red, and black. Although I probably would not pick it out myself, I do like the saying on it. Also, she had it hemmed on the edges so it doesn’t fray like my other one.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Happy 25th Vero!

Our mid-training language exams were today. The written was from 8-10 and it was similar to the assignments we had been given so it wasn’t too bad. Then we had our oral interviews and I had to wait until after I taught and after everyone had eaten lunch. I know I made some mistakes but I think it went okay. Even though the scores don’t really matter until our final exam at the end of training (when we need Intermediate-Mid), I was glad we had Jumapili because I like his attitude and I think he speaks fairly clearly. We were pretty spent after the exams and teaching so we went home early, which allowed me to catch up on some of my journal/blog entries.

Today is Vero’s birthday! As I was walking to join my friends to celebrate, I had a man stop and talk to me. He was very kind, especially with sticking to Kiswahili (not going into English though he knows it) and talking slowly. He seemed really happy there are so many of us teachers here. I thought it was neat that he was wearing an EMS shirt (Eastern Mountain Sports). Along the main road, I talked with a woman a little bit who also spoke such that I could understand her. Although I had to leave our conversation to join my friends at the field (throwing a Frisbee as usual), it was nice to have such a pleasant exchange with a local. I also felt good because I had taken my oral exam only hours earlier and here I am using the language effectively to communicate with someone. So even if I happened to do poorly on the exam, which I doubt, I still can have confidence in my abilities because of my practical application. Go me! J

Most of us from the 3 CBTs in Kihonda met at the bar for some drinks (not all alcoholic) and guacamole that Ghee and Eric made (Vero is Venezuelan). The guac was awesome and we had a great time just hanging out for a bit. Unfortunately, Vero is sick and can’t talk much (we had our orals too remember) but she enjoyed herself anyway. Katie showed off her new dress that she had her mama make because she’s a seamstress. The fabric has some scattered outlines of giraffes on it and apparently Doug, Carolyn, and Paff all picked out the same design for things they are having made. It’ll be interesting when everything is done and they all wear them the same day. I can’t wait till I can get something made.

Walking home tonight I saw a good forest fire going on the mountainside and I also ended up talking with some little neighborhood kids. They were pretty cute but I think only the ones a little older understood that I don’t speak great Kiswahili because I am still learning. With talking to the people on my way out and the kids on the way back, I really had a successful day of interactions. I followed it up by using my dictionary while watching the news to try to figure out what was scrolling across the bottom. I was able to deduce some of it but it still wasn’t clear. Plus I’m not sure how they determine what international news is worthy of mentioning because it just didn’t make much sense to me.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Teaching kept me pretty busy today with the 2 double periods (basically 2 80 minute classes). I’m really not sure that most students understood but at least some did and that is better than there being no teacher in there.
Since we have our mid-training exams tomorrow, I spent time tonight studying. For a little while, I heard some country music and I was happy when I didn’t hear it anymore because it made me feel a little sad (which really shouldn’t be a surprise for country music). After dinner, I enjoyed watching some Mr. Bean episodes with my family; man that guy is funny.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Teaching

Some sad news this morning: Danielle, a fellow PCT, was hit by a motorcycle yesterday but she is going to be OK. PC isn’t kidding when they say the roads are probably the most dangerous thing we will have to deal with. In fact, I was hit by the side-view mirror (which luckily folded in) of a car while walking near CCT.
Big surprise, the Form 2 Chemistry teacher isn’t back yet. The Form 3 teacher is gone for an exam. What happened to the teacher coming back at the end of last week? So I just did my lesson of introducing myself and where I am from (using maps) and then asking the students some Chem. questions to gauge where they are. They can answer things that are directly out of their notes but not beyond. Specifically, I was told the definition for empirical formula when I asked what the empirical formula is for C6H6 (it is CH). Guess what I have planned for tomorrow? I also asked the students if my lower case a’s are confusing for them and it would be easier for them it I wrote it like an o with a tail. So I have once again changed how I write a’s.
I got home early enough today to wash some of my clothes, esp. the ones that really needed it like from hiking yesterday. When I was done, I had a feeling of strength; I’m not sure if it was from knowing that I can do such a thing or just that I got some exercise for my arms (probably the latter).
I made a quick trip out this evening to give Ghee some money for our safari this weekend this weekend and ran into Simon on my way home. I followed along as he went to 3 different shops to buy the things he uses to make the cake I eat in the morning. I’m not sure if the prices are different or if the family just like to support multiple businesses (aka people). I learned that the ingredients for the cake are a little more expensive than I thought and I hope they don’t make it all the time just because I like it; I’m okay w/ it being an occasional thing. Also, I found out that there are 2 little stores around the corner (opposite ways) that I didn’t know about because I take the same routes everywhere. There are so many tiny shops that I’m amazed they can all survive.
Since I am teaching 4 periods tomorrow (2 doubles), I spent most of the night planning and didn’t help out in the kitchen. I feel only a little bad because I have only a day turn around between finding out what the students don’t know and having to teach it. And our mid-training written and oral tests are Wednesday. Yippee.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Hiking!

With the Uluguru Mountains so close, a lot of us have been itching to go climb them. This morning, 20 of us split into 2 groups with guides to hike them. We were in 2 groups and hired guides because a group a few years ago was robber while hiking. Of course, the group that started 2nd caught up with the other group on the way up so we were one big group anyway for much of the trip.
Most of the walk was actually on roads (dirt) and I was amazed at how high in the mountains the people live. Much of the mountainside is terraced farming, which I couldn’t really see from the plain. There were even sprinkler systems running way up the mountain! Eventually we did hike on single-track to finish the way to Morningside, which used to be a hotel (the road went that far back in the day) but is now a part of a university and is used for research and camping. There are some beautiful gardens up there too and we were given some carrots picked fresh from the ground. Per Peace Corps policy, I used my Swiss Army knife to remove the outer layer because I don’t know if they use raw sewage as fertilizer. Ideally, we are supposed to wash fruits and veggies with bleach and filtered water but it’s not so easy on the side of the mountain (who would think to bring bleach hiking?). Among the few things I ate was an apple I had saved from CCT on Thursday. It was divine! I am definitely missing fall in Central NY.
After Morningside, we continued along the side of the mountain and over a small ridge. We had some great views of the valley below, We passed by a Lutheran church and even though the service was going on, a man came out and was trying to demand the we pay money. Luckily we had some very good guides and they were able to smooth things over. If hikers start paying at the church, then other people along the route will expect to be paid and the hike just won’t be feasible anymore. Since there are many people trying to make the area a park, the guided hikes are a great way to show off the area. At one point, we passed some currants and some of us ate some. We did not take any precautions about washing them because all we could think was, “Mmmm…berries…”. So if I get sick, that could be the reason.
We were thrilled when we finally made it to the waterfall. Although many of us had wet bandanas at the few stream crossings (and put it on our neck or head), it felt good to take our shoes off and cool our feet. I put my knee under a small waterfall because it had been very sore on the way down. Others waded liberally in the knee-deep pool. All of us who went in the water failed to heed the PC warning about not wading in fresh water because it may be infected with schistosomiasis (schistos, aka Bilharzia). So if I get sick, that could also be the reason. I’m thinking schistos is going to be hard to avoid because when it’s hot and there is water, it is hard not to use the water to cool down. Granted, the locals just sat and watched us foreigners in the water – and tried to sell us fruit (which we aren’t supposed to eat because it could be contaminated).
Our hike passed through many villages in the mountains. It was interesting for us to greet people and see if they responded. I think a majority responded even though the Waluguru people (for whom the mountains are named) speak a different language. One of our guides has learned a little Kiluguru so he was able to greet people in their local language and they seemed to really like it. With the number of houses we passed and people along the route, I am not surprised now that a group was robbed. It’s not like hiking in the middle of the wilderness. If you are wondering why we didn’t climb to the top of the mountains (as I am usually inclined to do), it cost a lot more. We are getting paid very little ass PCTs and wanted the most bang for our buck.
I helped make ugali again tonight and realized that I still have a long ways to go in the kitchen. The temp of a charcoal stove won’t change much so I have to adjust my stirring to it. Holding a hot bowl over a hot stove (that is sitting on the floor) while trying to mix a thick porridge/mash to the right consistency without burning it is harder than I though. In addition to cooking, I finished planning my class for tomorrow. I’m glad it’s only 40 minutes and I hope the teacher is back from the exam so I can get more info on what topics the students still need to learn.

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Cooking!

For our market and coking activities, my group joined with EDUCARE, which is also in Kihonda. We were each given 2 things to buy at the market or nearby shops. I had to get a coconut and a pile of cassava root, which was something I had to ask for because I didn’t know what it looks like. I didn’t bargain for my items because they seemed reasonably priced but I did help my friend bargain for the bananas. We only saved ~100 Tsh but it’s a start.
We did the cooking at Will’s house and it was perfect. His family had set up a couple of tables and some chairs in the back for us and there was plenty of room to operate. To accommodate our large menu, we borrowed a little stove from Uma’s house next door (well, kiddie corner). In the end, we had way too much food but it was sooo good! We made pilau (rice w/ cumin, nutmeg, & cinnamon I think), beans, meat, cabbage w/ some other veggies mixed in, ugali (thick white mash I mentioned before), spinach, banana bread, and more all from scratch. This means the meat was cut from a hunk, beans were hard, and the spices were ground in a large mortar and pestle. To get the coconut milk we needed, we used a device you sit on that has a rounded saw-teeth scraper at one end to remove the pulp in small pieces. The pulp was added to a little water and squeezed to get the milk. The banana bread was made by Uma and it came out really well even though she had to measure everything by eye and then cook it in our makeshift oven (sitting on charcoal stove with hot coals on top too).
There are several animals at Will’s house that helped entertain us including a cat with a kitten, a (mangy-eared) dog, hens w/ chicks, goats, and a turkey, all of which wandered freely at least for some of the time we were there. I won’t mention names, but there were a few people who distracted the mother hen enough to grab one of the chicks – she was not happy and started to go after one of the people when the chick was put down to return to its mother. The turkey was let out after lunch and provided yet more entertainment (what would we do without the poultry). He kept coming very close to us people but was also puffing himself up; he didn’t seem scared but was still trying to look big and macho. Of course, he would tend to back down and even smooth his feathers sometimes if you made a sudden move toward him. The 2 little kids, who were around, weren’t really afraid of the turkey and were able to go up and even pet his feathers a little. As an adult who reasons that turkeys hurt, I kept my distance.
At home, I continued my cooking lessons. I helped with the rice that was made w/ some coconut milk today. Later, I watched (and learned) how Simon makes the breakfast cake I’ve been fed most mornings since I said I like it. The ingredients surprised me a little: sugar, margarine, eggs, baking powder, flour, and Coke. The Coke reacts with the baking powder to create air bubbles. Makes me wonder if the caffeine is cooked out or I’m getting a slight jolt in the morning. Simon was also finishing making juice from lozera berries; I don’t know if it translates but it tastes good and I like knowing I can use them for juice.

Friday, October 15, 2010

CCT day #2 this week and I had some friends join me this morning on my walk from Morogoro to CCT. I brought my camera today and we saw monkeys in the trees above the road to CCT! The talks today by our PCMO (Peace Corps Medical Officer) were really good. She kept her talking to a minimal/medium amount and made it interactive. There was an overall topic which included covering such thing as pregnancy and AIDS (how not to get it). At the end of the day she joined with the PCVs to talk about ways of dealing with stress (aka coping mechanisms). Turns out I can still bake here when stressed out; I just have to change from calling Eric to writing letters.
In between the health talks we covered cultural adjustment. Each CBT group presented on different pages out of the book. We were given the assignment last week and were supposed to plan a skit, song, etc. to present the info. My group didn’t really ”plan” ours but it turned out okay – even though they called me out while we were up there to act out some of the things. Didn’t really see it coming but luckily I had though a little bit about it. Maybe if Doug posts the video, you can see my amazing acting. The last group to go was Kayenzi: Colin, Ghee, Eric, David, and Meagan (M). This other group staying in Kihonda is what you would expect from 4 guys being together and they are a riot (poor Megan/Magnet though). Apparently their group though they had to do a song so the boys broke out their own rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody while Megan mimed the parts. Although they kept some parts of the song, the changes they made were brilliant and reflective of us here and now. They even threw in some Kiswahili (ex. ugali leo = porridge today) that was similar to the English (ugali leo = Galileo).During the instrumental part, the guys did some sick air guitar too. We were all dying laughing and it was a perfect way to end the skits.
After CCT, a bunch of us went to Dragonaires. I was hoping for some pizza but the ovens weren’t warm enough by the time I had to get going to get home before dark. Guess I’ll have to find some other way to have it. At home, I helped cook rice and vegetables. I’m getting a little better in the kitchen. I start my internship teaching next week (Monday) so I did a little planning today. Since I don’t know where the students are at in the syllabus and what else they need to learn, I have decided to make the first lesson an introduction to me (& vice versa) and a few questions to help gauge where they are.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

We go to CCT twice this week. I took a daladala into Morogoro then walked to CCT. It was a beautiful morning and I was able to exercise and drop off a letter and postcard at the post office. I wish I had my camera with me because the lighting of the mountains was amazing. I also would like to try to capture how I saw the cemetery; maybe I’ll bring it tomorrow.
Our morning sessions were run by 2 current PCVs and were really good. Later in the afternoon was sports time. We walked to the seminary school to use the field and courts. [I had made sure to clean and superglue my Chacos last night so I wouldn’t have to carry my sneakers to CCT and they’ve help so far.] At first, we were just haphazardly throwing or kicking a football, soccer ball, and Frisbee. Eventually we got organized and I joined in the game of Capture the Flag while others played volleyball. It was a bit hard to run on the dusty field in my sandals but I only fell one. We had a lot of fun and one of the Tz women on our staff (Vicky) even joined us. After a few games, Carly and I went to play some basketball with some of the staff members. It wasn’t really like a game but still fun. For snacks, we got apples(!!), some pieces of sandwich with jelly & spinach, soda, juice, and bags with peanuts, muffins, and meat or veggie pastry triangles. Apples aren’t in season so we were super excited to get them – I’m supposed to be going hiking on Sunday so I saved mine. To end our “game day” we had tug-of-war between the guys and girls. The staff joined in too but the guys (not surprisingly) won.
I tried to help my sister again today in the kitchen. I was able to practice peeling a potato with a dull knife but it was a bad potato so we didn’t eat it. Tonight was also chapatas (~like thick crepes) and I used the remaining batter to make a slightly smaller one to practice. I was able to flip it in the pan! Woohoo!

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

I am realizing that my expectations of structure and organization do not translate well to conditions in Tz. The Chem teacher for Form 2, whom I will be teaching for, will not be back until next week – I’m supposed to start teaching on Monday. Since I can’t meet with my teacher or look at the schedule of topics the teacher planned, I went to a different stream (same level of Chem, different time) and looked at the notebooks of the kids. When I compared it to the national syllabus, it appears that the class has finished all of the topics. I suspect the teacher rearranged the order of topics but I don’t know which topics are missing that I should cover. Lesson planning should be interesting for my class on Monday.
We were interviewed today by PC and asked our preferences for site placement. I basically said that I don’t do hot and humid well, would like a small village, and don’t care how far or close I am to other PCVs. I also mentioned that I didn’t care what size school it is but think it could be beneficial for girls to have a female teacher so an all-boys school may not be best. I further made it clear that I only expect O-level (not A-level: Advanced) because I am not qualified in anything beyond geography (Earth Science back home). James, my interviewer, couldn’t believe that I did not take Organic Chemistry and did not choose to teach Chemistry. It seemed news to him that none of us had really chosen the topics we were assigned/invited to teach. I probably should have indicated my desire to exercise regularly and attend church but I’ll figure something out no mater where I am placed.
My micro-teaching today was on topographic maps because I found out that our micro-teaching can be on anything; I chose a topic I know well and it felt good.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Still couldn’t figure out my internship teaching for next week because the other Chem teacher was administering the national exam all day. Tried to get the Scheme of Work (basically the teacher’s schedule for covering topics) but it wasn’t in the office where it is supposed to be. Jordon and Vero aren’t having much luck either. They are supposed to be teaching Form 2 Math and it turns out that there hasn’t been a teacher all year, the students have been trying to teach themselves. In fact the head of the dept is the only math teacher at the school. It’s crazy but it also means that when we teach for the 3 weeks, no matter how bad, it is still better than nothing. I don’t need the reassurance but it’ll probably help others gain more confidence.
Our teacher wanted us to walk around own for a little bit (~40 min) today to talk with people. Tim ended up getting a hair cut but it ended up shorter than he wanted. Most locals just shave their heads really short, even women or girls. All students at our school, including girls, must have short hair. I can mostly tell gender differences by clothing: girls have skirts or pants w/ a Muslim head wrap.
This afternoon we had a PCV come to observe the micro-teaching. My lesson went well and I mostly just have to relate the topic to things in real life better. I’m used to this for Earth Science but I really need to start recognizing analogies for Chemistry too. Finally got back to the Internet and was able to chat with my sister for awhile through Gmail. I enjoyed being able to get a little real time conversation in with her. Of course, it meant less updates for my blog but oh well.
The electricity here has been randomly going out at night and when it happened tonight, I put my headlamp on. One of the girls (Beatrice) used it to read a little as I was reading. She and the boys ended up helping me with some exercises in my Kiswahili book and I think they liked it. I need to try to do more of that with them; maybe they’ll be more open if I do. I have found that being shy puts me at a great disadvantage and I really need to push myself to communicate more.

Monday, October 11, 2010

Chacos :-(

Apparently I wasn’t the only one who got a bit overwhelmed this weekend; we all seem to have hit a wall. Naturally, we took a break from class and I walked around the school talking with Ezra and Tim, which helped.
We tried figuring out our internship teaching today but I didn’t get too far. Seems the Form 2 Chemistry teacher is gone; whether temporarily or permanently, I’m not sure. The Form 3 Chem teacher did introduce Ezra (also Chem) and I to all of the Form 2 & 3 classes though. Later in the day, when I tried finding the class I am supposed to be teaching, I had no luck with looking at notebooks to see where the students are. Hopefully we’ll get this figure out before Thursday because I would like to make a lesson plan before teaching next week.
To top off our day, we had one of the Education coordinators some to our CBT group to observe a few of us micro-teaching (teaching a 10 minute lesson to our group). Like our session on Friday, she went on forever about simple things like the lesson plan. Normally we get out of class mid-afternoon because our group learns well that way. Today, we were there until 5pm. We were beat and I was really annoyed because I had to sit through a long, drawn out talk about things I already know and aren’t very complicated to begin with – this is exactly the sort of thing I was trying to avoid by not studying education in grad school.
I was on my way to the internet café but never made it – I joined my friends at the bar instead. We ended up with folks from all 3 CBT groups in Kihonda and it was great to sit and chat about our weekend adventures and experiences micro-teaching. A few of my compatriots ended up at a funeral for some neighbor and Veronica (the only girl) was dressed up by the women in kitenges and kangas. When they stopped by Ezra’s house, he didn’t recognize her at all. Apparently wrapping a person in cloth will make them look black too lol.
Tonight I spent way too much time trying to plan a 10minute lesson on Chem for micro-teaching. Although the content isn’t too difficult, it’s hard to plan a complete lesson (intro, content, practice, conclusion) into 10 min. I chose the sub-topic of Periodicity from the Periodic Table topic because it may be something I will have to teach in the next few weeks.
Some sad news to report: my Chaco sandals have begun to fall apart. After only 2 weeks in Africa, the rubber is separating significantly from the rest of the sole. I’m hoping that superglue will work. Cross your fingers…

Sunday, October 10, 2010

10-10-10!

My first “day off” I decided to sleep in, which was really nice. Church (Lutheran) supposedly started at 09:00 but my sister and I didn’t get there until at least 09:30. I didn’t understand much of what was said but I was able to find one of the readings in my Bible and the music/singing was beautiful. We left during an auction time. People had brought various non-monetary donations that were sold to the parishioners. These included everything from eggs to bananas, bags of rice/flour/?, milk, chickens/roosters, cooking oil, a pig, a cow, etc. As you can imagine, these live animals were not quiet during the service either so they made things a bit more interesting…and annoying. During the service, I had to stand up and introduce myself along with the other visitors. Another PCT, Doug, was there too so I wasn’t the only mzungu. The Lutheran church is just a pavilion really: cement floor and pillars with corrugated roof. I wonder how common this is…at least there was a breeze because there aren’t any walls. (found out next day from Doug that the auction is to build the church)
My mama let me help cook again and I “made” ugali. I say this very loosely because I really just stirred the stiff porridge after someone else had added the maize flour to the boiling water. Mama says I can try rice next, which will be much more time-consuming than my quick-cook brown rice in the States. I can’t wait till I can cook Tanzanian food by myself.
After eating, my sister and some other female relative (mama’s younger sister I think) helped me wash my clothes. She said I am able to wash my clothes by hand, which is a good compliment because she said it soon after she showed me. I had a lot of clothes and am thankful the women helped me because it saved me probably a couple hours of work.
This weekend was the first time I was thinking, “What the heck am I doing?” I know that I am in the right place but I think everything was just finally getting to me. How did I deal with it? I wrote a letter to the person I would have called.

Saturday, October 09, 2010

Knowing I have cockroaches, I am very glad to be sleeping under the mosquito net. Found a couple of dead ones this morning as a result of spraying last night. I sprayed some more this morning but did most of the room this afternoon.
Even though it is Saturday, we have class. It was actually rather nice to be at the school with few students around. Not only is it quieter, but we couldn’t be given a task to talk with a teacher or students, which is difficult for us with our very basic Kiswahili. It was nice to have a little break.
After sweeping my room (w/ the dead cockroaches), I joined some friends to throw a Frisbee – our usual activity. Like Jordon, I also look forward to when we are on our own at site. It’s not that our homestays aren’t going well, we just look forward to the independence of living on our own. At least training is only 2 months long.
Talked with my parent for the first time since I left the US. I was glad to finally talk with them and even get a little news on my brother. It cost me ~5,656Tsh (~$3.77-$4.00) for just under 10 minutes. However, it is free for me to receive calls on my cell so it will probably be cheaper in the future for my parents to call me using a calling card or Skype.
At home tonight, I got to help a little more with cooking. I feel so inept because I’m not sure how they do everything. Even in the States I would feel intrusive/out of place in someone else’s kitchen. I think mama said something about her helping me now but that I could cook by myself tomorrow – hoping she just meant that I could do more tomorrow after church so we’ll see what she thinks after that lol. J

Friday, October 08, 2010

It was back to the CCT grounds to meet with the big group today (n = 39). We were supposed to take daladalas but PC took pity on us and sent a van that ended up making 2 trips so everyone in Kihonda could get there on time. It was good to see everyone again and share how our homestays are. There are many similarities but a wide range of socio-economic statuses of the families. Of course, most of us are living with families that are pretty well off and have more amenities than expected.

Most of our day was taken up by long talks on syllabi (aka curriculum) and lesson plans and getting still more books/materials. We wish the lecture had been much shorter and the practice part longer but at least the last activity was good. A couple of PCVs and one of our PCMOs introduced us to the PSDN (Peer Support and Diversity Network). It is set up for PCTs and PCVs so they have people to turn to when they need to talk or advice. They had us do an activity in which we wrote down ways that we are similar (in our CBT group) in the middle and each of us was a petal to make a flower. It was not easy for us to come up with ways that we are different and, as usual, I thought of a few things afterward but had trouble when filling in the flower. Since we shared our flowers, we got to learn more about everyone in the big group. It was a great way for us to quickly see where we can make connections with others in the group.

Although the sun was low when we returned to Kihonda, I joined some others for a beer. I actually know of liked the beer (Kilimanjaro) but could not drink more than half. We ended up meeting the younger sister of Ezra’s mama (Tz – mama mdogo). By the time we headed home, it was dark. We are supposed to be home by dark. And dark is very dark here. Most of the way I walked with others but there was a block I was alone after Vero went down her street. Luckily I didn’t have an uncomfortable situation (*found out next day that Vero was approached by a guy in the short distance she walked alone and just kept trying to say she was at home – next time the guys are required to walk to the door as an escort). When I walked through the door, my mama immediately made a phone call so I think she was worried about me and trying to figure out where I was. I gave her my phone # so I think that made her feel better; I just need to get some $ on the phone (ie voucher).

I discovered tonight that cockroaches are a problem I need to deal with. Luckily, PC gave us a big aerosol can of insect spray (that we all initially thought was bug spray for our bodies). I sprayed under the cabinet they ran under and they came scurrying out – I don’t think they’ll last long. Tomorrow I need to spray the room more thoroughly.

Thursday, October 07, 2010

Cell Phone

We got quite a bit of interaction with teachers and students today. Anna, our teacher, has been giving us assignments to go talk to students or teachers and report back. It isn’t easy, but the practice is really good for us. Plus, the students (and other local children) are fascinated by us so sometimes they will talk to us of their own accord. Like today when Ezra and me were walking around quizzing one another from our flashcards (homemade). A couple of girls were studying under a tree (our Tree of Life - it’s pretty awesome) and called us over. They seem to really know a lot about rappers and really like them. I have a feeling that my students here will know more about American pop culture than I will - just like teaching in the States. The 3 girls were studying Chemistry and asked us what isomers are. We both kind of froze and couldn’t confidently answer. We figured it out later & Ezra was right but we both had the reaction, “Oh crap! We have to teach this stuff soon!” Guess I have a lot of review to do (and praying).

This afternoon, our CBT group want to Morogoro to get cell phones because we kept asking Anna about them. The 4 of us who didn’t have phones to unlock, all bought the same inexpensive Nokia phone for 40,000Tsh. It is very simple but seems fairly durable and should be sufficient. There was a phone with a back panel that is a solar panel for charging. If I get placed someplace without electricity but there is cell service, then I will probably pay the extra money for it; it would be a sweet phone to have.

Ezra, Tim, and myself stayed in the city longer to walk around and check things out. I confirmed the lack of tampons here so guess what will be required in packages sent to me...

Something sizable crawling through the wall/ceiling last night woke me up last night - thinking I don’t want to know what it is.

Wednesday, October 06, 2010

Trust

Loyce, the roving LCF (Language & Culture Facilitator) came to our group today. After lunch, we sat there talking with her and asking questions in Kiswahili. She was impressed with our skills and I think our teacher (our LCF) was pleased.

A few of us tried to use the internet this afternoon but the power was inexplicably off. We decided to just walk down the street and ended up talking to a group for a while. The 3 of us did okay but it was helpful that one of the motorcycle taxi guys speaks English well. Another guy tried talking with us but we could not understand anything he said. We do know he is a joker though because the others kept laughing at some of the things he said. We need to find out what “kama kawa” means because that always got laughs.

We finally moved on but Ezra was called by a family member from across the street. He was getting a group together to play soccer and asked if we wanted to watch. He said it was only ~1 km away so we figured, why not? He had us board a daladala with the group and we went nearly all the way to Morogoro - much more than a kilometer. It was a little disconcerting getting on the daladala without a clear idea of who we were with and where we were going except that we were with a family member of Ezra. With the sun going down around 6pm, we only ended up staying at the game for about 30 minutes before Ezra’s family member helped us get a daladala ride back to Kihonda.

When I went to bathe tonight, the water was off for some reason. My mama ended up putting some kitchen water in a bucket for me to use. Wonder if there is a pattern to the electricity & water or if it is random.

Today I though I might go a day without eating a banana since none were served at lunch and dinner. Apparently this was an oversight at dinner so I was served one shortly afterward.

Tuesday, October 05, 2010

Starting to Help

This morning we had to wipe the table and chairs before starting because there was a layer of dust. We were introduced to the students during the morning assembly. They sang a song about Africa and Tanzania (the national anthem?) and the school song. We had to introduce ourselves in Kiswahili. Ezra accidentally said that he is studying Chemistry rather than teaching it - the students and us got a good laugh.

Our group was exhausted this afternoon so Anna let us out by early afternoon. I went on the internet for a bit then switched it over to Ezra (we shared an hour because it was cheaper). On the way home, I tried buying airmail envelopes but the people at the stationary shop had no idea what I was talking about. Oh well, guess I’ll have to go to the post office to get it.

At our request, our teacher had sent a message to the Kayenzi group that is also living in Kihonda. I met up w/ them just as they were receiving their bikes. They are the only group that lives so far from their school that they have to bike everyday. Today they had to walk and it took them a good 40 minutes. We ended up w/ 8 of us today throwing the Frisbee, which was great. It is a little tricky throwing into the wind but Colin and Jordon can throw well no matter what the conditions are. While walking home, I was stopped by a couple of Form 2 students from another school. One wanted to speak in English but I stuck to answering in Kiswahili as much as possible. Eric, Ghee, and Veronica caught up to me as a result and someone yelled out Doug’s name as we passed his house. He heard it and came to the window pretending he was in jail (most windows have bars on them). Walking home we figured out that Eric is around the corner from me and Ghee is at the end of that road.

When I was in the shower/bath today, the power went out. There was enough light through the window for me to finish but it took awhile to come back on. In the meantime, my mama showed me how to use my kerosene lamp. Although I remember using them as a kid, it was very helpful to review since it has been so long and mom used to do most of it. I also learned about cooking a bit. My family uses charcoal stoves that remind me of cooking on the coals while camping. Turns out that using oil helps the rice cook faster. Though oil seems to be used as the first ingredient in making everything. It probably does not add up to much, especially compared to American food but I am still surprised. I saw how different ingredients are added for a beef masala - seeing the spice made me realize why the food @ CCT reminded me of Indian food. I was glad to see hoe the food was prepared, where it comes from. Even though I don’t know all of the steps yet, I know some of what comes before I see it in the containers on the table. Also, I brought out the kitchen towels and oven mitts for my mama and she was very happy; she was using a towel to handle hot pans. Glad I chose that to bring as a gift and hoping I can get her one of better quality before I leave.

Monday, October 04, 2010

Kihonda Secondary

It was nice to meet up with our training group today because it was a relief to be able to understand and be understood. We are at Kihonda Secondary School for the next 2 months and have a classroom to ourselves to use. For lunch, a local woman brought homecooked food to our classroom and it was delicious. Before our community mapping project, we got an idea of the strong winds in the area as the dust was whipped up from the bare field outside the school. No wonder there is red dust everywhere; the dry groud is constantly being whipped up by the wind.

Our community mapping activity consisted of walking through Kihonda to each of our houses. The first one we actually stopped at was Jordon's and his family insisted that we come inside. As per custom, we were offered drinks (soda) and it was insisted that we stay (part of the reason it takes so long to get somewhere here). Turned out that Jordon's mama is a good friend of our teacher's mother - they grew up as neighbors. We also met Ezra's family with a tiny kitten (~1 month) and adorable little brother (Jr.), who was pushing a tire around for fun. At Veronica's, her sister served us some fresh juice she made from the fruit of their trees. Since we all wanted to get going to play some Frisbee, we didn't have time to come into my house. My little brother Oswald did come play with us though.

While playing, the sun was behind a cloud with crepuscular rays shining down on the surrounding mountains, a beautiful large tree, and our field...wish I had a picture.

Sunday, October 03, 2010

Homestay!

The long-awaited day for us to meet our families arrived but we had to wait until this afternoon to meet them. Morning was spent packing and sleeping and then trying to stuff yet more things from the PC into my bags. I'm glad they're providing the things (like bedsheets, toilet paper, bug killer, etc.) but it would have been easier for us if they just handed us a plastic bag w/ the things when we arrived at our new homes; at least they could have given us the stuff before we packed.

My CBT (Community Based Training) is in Kihonda at Kihonda Secondary School and there are 2 other groups (5 PCTs each) in the same village (n = 15 total). Our group and another took the dame van/bus to Kihonda where we were dropped off one by one. Some people are close to one another but all of us are within walking distance. I am supposed to be close to 2 PCTs from the 3rd group;will probably find out who this week.

We were amazed at how nice many of the homes are that we passed, esp the ones we stopped at. Of course, it makes sense that the more affluent families could afford to have an extra bedroom for someone to sleep in and meet the other requirements the PC has.

My host mama is Beatrice and she has a very nice house. The living room has 5 couches, 2 chairs, a TV w/ DVD and stereo, and coffee tables - all matching. There are 5 bedrooms for the various family members. I am most surprised that there is running water in addition to the electricity. I never thought I'd see a flush squatty potty - amazing.

I'm not sure yet exactly what the family situation is b/c my limited Kiswahili combined with the nervousness & tiredness did not help me understand much of what has been said. I have been able to communicate a little and showed pictures of my family (saving friends for later). Interesting trying to figure out how to say Ireland and explain I have a family in Ireland & Germany too; will probably have to clarify everything later when my Kiswahili is better. Dinner was good and I think they made the chips (small potato wedges) especially for my first meal here.

There was definitely a lot of awkward silence today. Was weird watching TV in English too. This evening we watched some strange movie out of Nigeria that was in English. Then when I was eating dinner, one of the boys was watching the US TV show "The Unit". With all these amenities (full-size bed, TV, running water, utensils for eating, etc.), I wonder if I will ever get to really experience what life id like for most Tanzanians.

Boarding the large vans to go to Homestay

The back of one of the daladalas we boarded...this is typical.
View of the road to Kihonda
Some houses along the road
A typical street in Kihonda.

Saturday, October 02, 2010

Last Day w/ the Big Group

Today is our last full day before we go to our homestay families. Of course we only had about 1.5 hours of language instruction because the rest was taken up by other sessions. We did talk about homestay and some of the things we should expect. Most of it was the whole group together but we did split up by gender for a question and answer session. This was probably most useful for teh women b/c disposal of feminie products is different here. At the end, we watched a short (~15 min) video made by the group last year. Mostly, the landscape reminded me of Utah and it was the first time I felt homesick.

Laundry is done by hand washing here so I used the laundry soap I got yesterday and did some laundry. The soap is a bar that I rubber on my clothes and just left in the bucket of water as I rubbed the cloth together. I probably didn't rinse them well enough but I figure they are clean (not smelling anymore) and are good enough until my host mama shows me how to wash them properly.

Friday, October 01, 2010

Morogoro Visit - It's October already?!

Today we were served ugali for the first time. It is a traditional food made from maize flour and water that we had heard a lot about. Although most PCTs (Peace Corps Trainees) were underwhelmed w/ the sticky, white mash, I think that it has some good potential if seasoned.

Market!! We have been anticipating going into town for what has seemed like forever (ie a few days) that we couldn't wait for this afternoon when we finally did venture forth. Getting there and back on the daladalas (local vans/busses) was half the experience. These vehicles are old vans (Toyota or something) that must be held together by magic because you would not think they would run by looking at them. Plus, as many people as possible are stuffed inside - on the seats and standing. It reminded me of the overflowing trains from World Youth Day.

As soon as we arrived at the main dala dala hub, a boy approached us trying to sell us popcorn. When he saw Tim, he made some sort of kung-fu action because Tim is Chinese-American. He went along w/ it and didn't mind (I htink enjoyed) being called Chinese all day. He was the popular one in our group.

Our group's first destination was the market and I was a little surprised at the quality and quantity of teh produce. The smell was also great; perhaps from tgarlic or meat cooking in another area. Used goods (towels, fridges, clothes, bags, etc.) are sold at the market and in stands. I purchased a pair of used flip-flops (for shower) from a pile of flip-flops. the guy just went through the pile until he found a pair the right size.

I also got my first (of what I think will be many) kangas. This is a piece of colorful fabric that women will wrap around themselves like a skirt. It can also be used as a head scarf or shoulder wrap. Mostly the kanga is used for modesty but I think the women also like the added color. My kanga is blue, black, and white (~ order) and it says "I thank you for all" in reference to God. I look forward to getting more (esp one that is blue and green).

Before going back to CCT, we made sure to stop at a little supermarket for some sweets. For me, this was a juice box (mango!), a small package of cookies (they were inexpensive), and a Snickers bar. Although the juice and candy bar were expensive, they were definitely worth it; each tasted exquisite. It is surprising how good something tastes when you haven't had it for even just a little while.

More Catchphrase tonight before dinner and it is getting harder for Eric to claim he hasn't memorized all the answers.
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