“Sleep”over

I tried building a fence by putting little sticks in the ground but the chickens paid no attention and walked right through; guess I’ll have to try harder. There is something planted in it at least. I separated the hunk of lemon grass in my courtyard and moved half to a garden berm hoping there’s enough roots for it to survive.

In addition to pancakes today, I made coffee cake so I could take it with me to Kristen’s tonight, who is a PCV (Educ) in Endasak. It only took approximately 1.5 hours to walk there with her after I got a lot of use out of the unusually fast internet today. Kristen showed me the path to take so I don’t have to walk the longer and slightly more dangerous way by road. She and Dana also find it to be a good path to run. Along the way, I learned just how lucky I am out at my site but also to be more cautious. Although just a little lower in elevation, Kristen has mosquitoes – not many but I still think one found me tonight. She has also seen 2 small black mambas in her courtyard. We aren’t supposed to have snakes but it turns out that the just aren’t really common (they are killed as soon as people spot them). They are still here and we need to keep an eye out for them (they are very poisonous). Honestly though, I prefer the snakes to mosquitoes because they are less annoying and easy to avoid…there just isn’t any repellent for them.

At Kristen’s we made pasta for dinner and watched the movie “Sherlock Holmes” (but not on her computer because she *doesn’t* have one). Then we met up with her counterpart (another teacher at her school) and his wife to go to a church. Different people would get up and sing, the pastor talked for awhile, and I struggled to stay awake. We “rang” in the new year and shook hands with the people around us wishing them a “Happy New Year” (Heri ya mwaka mpya). Of course no one has the same time on their watches so there was no countdown. It was just, “hey, it’s 2011 now, happy new year”. There was more singing and around (after?) 0:30 (12:30am), they had the guests introduce themselves. I was tired when we got there around 22:30 (10:30pm) and now had to speak in Kiswahili. Great. I stumbled through it but we left soon afterward so I soon collapsed happily in bed.

Sitemates

Today I played a little Suzie homemaker with washing clothes and using the jiko. For breakfast, I made peanut butter pancakes (as if I don’t eat enough peanut butter anyway). Our cookbook said that you can make jam by boiling down the meat of a watermelon – no sugar needed. I tried this after deseeding the meat but I think it would work a lot better if the fruit is ripe (i.e. red meat not light pink). Then I made Baylor’s bread which contains vegetables. It smelled great but tasted like it was missing something (maybe a longer rise lol).

However, Uma made great bread and gave me a couple of pieces when I met up to walk with her towards Endasak this afternoon. She was meeting up with Dana (PCV Environment in Endashwold?) and we met her and Kristen (PCV Education in Endasak) on the road. For Peace Corps, we are stacked on top of one another. Uma and I are a 25 minute walk from one another and Kristen and Dana are just as close to one another. From my house, Kristen is only about a 1.5 hr walk and Dana is on the way. Beyond them is Lauren (Environment), another few km down the main road, and Duncan (Env) is a little further on still (towards Babati, not Katesh). In the other direction from my site (away from main rd), Megan (Health) is a little over an hr in Barjomot. The other 2 in Hanang District are Justin (Health) in Katesh and Charlotte (Ed) way over on the other side of the mountain.

Tonight I saw my kitty shimmy up the open edge of wall between my choo area and the rest of the courtyard. He’s still little so I didn’t know if he’d be able to get down on his own but he wouldn’t come to my outstretched hands; eventually he found a way down. I’m also excited to have seen my first meteor (aka shooting star) tonight. I wonder if I’ll be able to see more here than in the States with a clearer sky…

Salemia – Greeting

When I go up to the orphanage, I keep being asked where my friend is and when I will bring her. Uma and I went there today but there was a bit of miscommunication and Sr. Valentina was at the hostel across from my school. We waited an appropriate amount of time during which we had tea with a snack (full breakfast really) and Uma was able to meet some of her future students (she’ll be teaching all 4 forms of math). So as not to be rude, we went up to see Fr. Magnus who was happy to see us. He served us shots of a sweet Spanish wine (it was only ~11:00) and talked about things like the Benedictine missionary history in Tanzania. As we left, he lent me a book he wrote (since I can read German).

Although Uma had to go home to bake the dough she had rising, I decided to stop at the hostel to say “hi”. Sr. Valentina was working on the 2010 income and expenses report with another sister and (I think) a priest. With the sister, I learned what a liability is (loan given or received). They made me stay for lunch and the priest explained to the other sister that it can be useful for foreigners to know what is going on at the hostel and where the nuns live because they can explain it to people back home. Don’t worry, just as I am not here prosthelytizing, I will not ask you to send money here. Well, we finished up the meal with a papaya so I was able to get a couple of seeds. Sr. told me to start it indoors and transplant it so I’m hoping I will soon have a papaya tree.

When I got back to the school (aka across the dirt road), I tried to get the key to the computer room to use the computer. My headmaster wasn’t home and his wife and house-boy could not find the key I needed. Even when she called him, he had her give me the keys to the old (& broken) locks that I returned yesterday. Oh well, it gave me a chance to play with his 5-year-old daughter. While I waited for them to try to find the key, Anna and I messed around slapping each other’s hands.

I’ve had my kitty a scant month and couldn’t get it to use the basin I bought to go to the bathroom. One would think he would be used to going outside but he won’t; I’ve been thankful for the concrete floor. Turns out he wouldn’t use the basin filled with dry grasses but used it right away when I put soil and crushed (mud) bricks in it. I didn’t have to train him, he just started using it. Yay!

(Jedi) Master Amanda

In order to go to my post office town of Katesh, I have to catch a really early daladala. I wanted to get a seat so I made sure I got to the village at 05:30 (before light). I waited awhile and didn’t see anything. A few people stopped down the street a little later and I noticed they were sisters (nuns) when it was light enough out. I joined the sister who was traveling and waited and waited for the dala. While waiting, I learned that she is heading back to Karatu; seems there is a group of the sisters there, which is close to some of my PCV friends and Ngorongoro Crater (visit in the works?). It got to the point where I thought there might not be a dala today. Normally the dala drives back and forth between the villages until it is full around 06:30 and heads down to Endasak. Today we didn’t even see it until we saw it coming around 07:00 – packed to the brim. Somehow the 2 of us squished in the already overflowing dala and stood for the ride to Endasak.

I am expecting a few large envelopes from home. Though none had arrived in Katesh yet, the post office lady was at least kind enough to check not only my school’s PO box but also the PCV one, which was quite unexpected. Since I hadn’t been online for a week and a half, I spent a ½ hour at the café and found out that my MS from Utah State has officially posted. I am a Master!

Other than buying my usual peanut butter and such, I expanded my cooking equipment today by buying a chapati rolling board (tortilla-sized wooden circle with dowel), woven basket (for sorting rice), and a cast iron skillet (for cooking chapatti/tortillas/pancakes and probably made from used car parts).

Orion?

The sun was out again so I was able to wash my other bedsheet as well as get a lot of work done on my garden. I finished my swales so the garden is now surrounded by a moat, I mean water control system. One seedbed is also dug and I used the double-dig method we were shown during training; the average depth of worked soil is just more than a Nalgene. I’m waiting to plant the seeds until I can erect a chicken barrier (aka fence) since they keep wandering through and like to lay down in the soil I’ve already worked. I don’t want them digging up or eating my seeds.

Two girls from the hostel came by today to learn some Form 4 chemistry. I had told them I could teach them a little about soil chemistry because some of the topics are covered in the NYS Earth Science Curriculum. I tried to explain the 3 basic types of rocks (ig, met, & sed) and some other things. For some concepts, like the relationship between soil properties and infiltration orate, I used the garden to explain (in this case pouring water on the dug seedbed and the packed path between).

Kitty caught another mouse today and I’m thinking of naming him Orion after the hunter in Greek mythology. I would name him after a cobra because he seems to only be able to hunt things that are moving but I don’t know any names of cobras.

It’s a Game of Cat & Mouse

Yesterday was also a little wet and cloudy but I had part of a song from Annie stuck in my head: “The sun’ll come out tomorrow, bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow, there’ll be sun…” And it did! This meant I was able to clean my bedsheet from the kitty pee and dry it outside.

Sr. Valentina wanted me to come for lunch again after church and wondered why I got there so late (~2:45). Well, the mass was ~3 hours long, mostly because the priest talked for at least 45 minutes during the homily. I definitely miss the homilies back home. When I left the orphanage, 3 of the girls escorted me but instead of turning around partway, they came all the way to my door. I hope they weren’t expecting to some in because I didn’t invite them in. Not only is the place not particularly tidy, I use most of my chairs like shelves or small tables so they are covered in books and fruit.

I enjoyed my leftovers from last night and ate on the desk again. I’m thinking this set-up will stay and maybe my eating will get into a healthier pattern rather than eating food as it comes off the stove or stuffing myself as I stand or eat from my lap while sitting.

My kitty enjoys catching things but I think he has more fun when they are alive. Tonight he kept batting around an insect, playing with it for awhile before finally eating it. Later I saw him with a mouse in his mouth! Woohoo! My rodent problem should soon be a thing of the past! I’m very glad he caught it but did he have to eat it under my bed just as I was going to go to bed? I didn’t feel like lying above him while he crunched away so I waited until he was done. How can he always be crying for more food when he eats so much?

Manga!

As I was going to bed after mass last night, kitty decided to pee on my bed. It was 01:00 and got on my sleeping bags and both sheets – all of my sleeping gear (except my camping pad). I wiped it off my sleeping bag as best I could and tried to soak up any on the mattress pad. In order to not get any possible residual pee on me, I covered the post with a bandana and put my camping pad more to the other side of the bed. I have no blankets so I had to improvise and used a kitenges & kanga (pieces of cloth) to cover myself. Then I slept for a few hours but woke up around down wondering how my family was doing at the Schulz Christmas Eve celebration.

I had some time before mass so I finished baking the rest of the cookie dough (peanut butter oatmeal) and the loaf of break (wheat) because I ran out of time last night. Mass was a little longer but oh well, it’s Christmas. Sr. Valentina had invited me for lunch afterwards so I spent a couple of hours at the orphanage with her. She tried to get me to stay for dinner but I wasn’t sure if Uma had anywhere to go and I had food at home I wanted to make.

Although Uma didn’t end up being able to make it (she got my message a little late due to phone charging issues), I did have a very nice meal. With the olive oil and Italian herbs, I was able to make a proper tomato sauce that I paired with spaghetti (for some reason imported spaghetti is available in my village for only 1500Tsh, ~$1). The bread and an inherited candle completed it (thanks for the candle idea Prof. K!). The pasta was a taste of home and perfect for Christmas as I usually have some pasta on Christmas Eve (I’m part Italian). As if the cookies weren’t sufficient, I was craving a chocolate peanut butter cake – so I created one without using any eggs (used baking powder instead). Needs a little work but it came out okay and was definitely edible.

I went to mass in a nice outfit but lounged most of the day in typical Christmas fashion in my moose pajama pants; it was very comforting. There were probably a lot of people on the cell network and I think that’s why I kept getting network error messages when I tried to call my grandparents. My parents were able to get through though and had even figured out Skype! They chatted with my brother first and could see him some of the time because he has a camera in his laptop. We were surprised at the sound clarity using Skype because I could hear my parents fine and they could hear me. Compared to a calling card, it is much cheaper. Probably even cheaper if I had a computer and only had to pay for internet but oh well. I was exhausted by the time I got to talk with my parents but really glad I got to.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I’m Dreaming of a Wet Christmas…

Since Sr. Valentina is now back at the orphanage, I went to visit today. I met some of the children and learned that not all are true orphans. Some children have a parent still alive but the parent cannot care for others because s/he is drunk or mentally unstable. There are also a few children who are mentally handicapped and are at the orphanage because their parents did not take them back during the school holiday (they go to school in Singida). However, there are about 40 children who live at the orphanage where they have a few cows and a very large “garden”. Actually, most of the land around the 2 buildings (1 for girls, 1 for boys) is planted with a food crop, especially banana trees. Sr. Valentina planted the trees and I am told it is because she is Chagga (from up near Kilimanjaro) and bananas are a staple crop for them. Many PCVs, especially teachers, will pay school fees for a student out of their monthly living allowance. Sr. Valentina said she would find a good student for me to support, probably a girl. By going through her, I can remain anonymous but still ensure that the student is taking their studies seriously (threatening to stop paying school fees is a great motivator here).

In true Christmas fashion, I baked a lot today but still need to finish tomorrow. I made bread, peanut butter oatmeal cookies, and Snickerdoodles (cinnamon & sugar coated cookies). I’m just bummed I couldn’t get into the computer lab today because the lock was changed. It appears that they needed to get into the room while I was “not available” this week and I must have had the only key – they had to cut/break through a steel lock loop and remove the lock in the door (2 locks total). I would have given them my key if I’d known they didn’t have one.

Christmas Eve mass was at 22:00 (10pm) so it was dark out and a bit scary walking to the church. I realized I should have taken the slightly more traveled route and hoped that any people sleeping on the side of the path (my light beam caught one) would stay there. It had also rained so the slippery mud was a bit of a challenge to walk in but I made it to the church. I tried to think of the rain as being like snow back home on Christmas. At the beginning of mass, the church bells were rung and the sound really seemed to signify the joy of the occasion. The church is decorated in white and yellow with a nativity to the side of the altar that has banana leaves arched over it. Though the typical Christmas carols I’m used to were not sung, there did seem to be a Kiswahili version of Gloria in Excelsis Deo that I enjoyed. Quite miraculously, the mass was a little shorted than the regular masses I have been to here; maybe because the priest is different. After mass I had more trouble navigating down the muddy hill but I ended up following a group of people and found a better route to the church.

While walking today, I couldn’t help but sing Christmas carols to myself…at least those parts I could remember.

Masai Country

Never did hear back from PC about the trip until late Sunday so of course I couldn’t officially go. Luckily my close friend *ahem* Manderz does not have the same restriction and was able to take advantage of the opportunity. She told me all about it and I will relate her experiences here. (She is a dead ringer for me so you may think it is me in the pictures).

Manderz woke up early, biked to her friends to drop off a key so her pet could be looked after, and went to the 07:00 mass at the hostel. After chai (i.e. breakfast), she got into the Land Cruiser with Fr. Magnus, Sr. Valentina, and Patrisi (driver). They took the backroads way to Dareda so Manderz was able to see more of the countryside. From Dareda, they continued to Babati then turned towards the north again with the first stop at a tiny little church just off the road near the Monduli area. They were quite late but the people were very happy to see them. The tiny church was packed with Masai women and children…and one man not counting Fr. or the other minister guy. Manderz sat next to a bunch of children toward the front who seems intimidated by her; probably the first white person they’d seen up close. In true Tanzanian hospitality, they were invited to a nearby little shop where Manderz, Fr. Magnus, and Sr. Valentina were given chai and chapati.

Following the snack, they were directed to a small group of houses way off the main road where some sort of transition celebration was taking place. The men were standing straight and jumping in place in a (stereotypical) Masai dance when they arrived and were introduced. Someone asked if they had a camera and took pictures of Fr. Magnus, Sr. Valentina, and Manderz with the group of Masai. Manderz even had a beaded disc from one of the women placed around her neck and thinks she was proposed to by at least one man. Even out here they were served sodas as they visited but had to finally move on to Meserani with a gift of a goat for the home for runaway girls run by the sisters where they stayed for the past 4 nights. The girls are 17 or younger but were being married off. I have heard that life for Masai girls and women is very hard. The girls at the home wanted to continue their studies rather than get married. Apparently a couple of the girls are technically married. To some, 17 may not seem too young to be married (*cough* Utah) but girls here (and kids in general) tend to mature much slower than in America and Manderz noticed the same is true for these girls; they still look like girls, not young women. Right now the girls are at the home caring for the animals and garden because the schools are on break. I am told that most will return to boarding schools when it is over.

Most the next 2 days (Mon-Tues) was spent going back and forth between Mbuyuni, Nanja, and Meserani to supervise some construction. A primary school and Benedictine hostel are being built at Mbuyuni where they helped to build a church recently. Near Nanja is a new church that will be receiving a catechist at the beginning of next year (2011) and the living quarters are still being finished. Between the 2 days, Manderz was asked a lot for things by local children (Mbuyuni), learned how to bargain better (& acceptable prices for some souvenir items), and saw a few methods of rainwater control. The souvenirs (necklaces, bracelets, carved soapstone bowls, and paper artwork) will be sent to a sister in Luzern (Switzerland) who will sell them and send the profit back to the projects here in Tz. On the Benedictine hostel & school near Nanja are gutters that lead to large cisterns to collect water when it does finally rain; it’s still teaching us. Also near Nanja was a tree planting project that is helping to control erosion and well placed concrete troughs that direct water to a big cistern in the ground. Being an Earth Science nerd too, Manderz noticed how the rift valley was much broader up there with many little triangular cinder cones and a large composite volcano in the distance, Mt. Meru.

Wednesday was shopping day in Arusha. While the Land Cruiser got a couple of new tires, Manderz went with Valentina and Fr. Magnus to Shoprite. She said it was really weird to be in a western style supermarket after 3 months away. Just at the entrance there were toys like remote control cars for people to buy as Christmas presents. Although there were many wonderful things to choose from, Manderz didn’t want to impose on her ride and just bought a juice box, packet of soup, Italian herbs, and 250mL of extra virgin olive oil. The last 2 were crucial as they were given to me as a Christmas gift (I’m part Italian). After Sr. Valentina and Patrisi picked up some notebooks and pencils for some local school children (to encourage them to go to the government school and not the Muslim school), they made a stop at a safi bookstore. There was a large selection of books, including many in English, and Manderz picked up the NECTA (National Examination Council of Tanzania Association) exam books for Chemistry ad Physics for me as well as a Standard 1 science book so I can practice Kiswahili in my general subject. Fr. Magnus then bought them some delicious samosas from a nearby bistro (it must cater to tourists b/c Manderz said it looked like one you would find in America or Europe). On the way back to Meserani, they stopped at the Archdiocese complex on the outskirts of Arusha so Fr. Magnus could stock up on wafers. Apparently not only is the church large, but there is a good size community of sisters there; not sure about brothers.

They headed back to Gitting today but it took them forever as Fr. Magnus made sure the construction projects were taken care of (including some small things at the girls’ home) and the workers were paid. There was quite a bit of lightning to the south and they hit some rain but most of the rain had occurred before they drove through so the roads were very wet. Patrisi proved to be an excellent driver as he maneuvered around/through deep puddles and up slippery mud banks.

She also wanted me to note that traveling with an Austrian meant she was served much non-Tanzanian fare like pickles, macaroni, sardines, and fruit cake (a good one, not like the horror stories you hear this time of year).

Happy 50th Birthday Mom!

Can’t believe you’ve had 70” of snow already in December. Enjoy!

Fr. Magnus

I went to mass this morning at the hostel and the priest was white! Father Magnus is originally from Austria but came to Tanzania back in ’59 – before my mom was even born. We chatted for a little bit after mass, mostly in English. So this is the priest the sisters keep mentioning.

At home, I skinned and cooked some peanuts. I put them in a little water with a bit of salt and boiled them. When the water had evaporated, they had a milky sweet taste. Definitely have to try this again. I also dug swale #3 but it was really slow going; probably didn’t help that the slope created an optical illusion so I though the placement should be one way while looking downslope but another when looking upslope. It doesn’t really matter but I can’t help my perfectionism sometimes. Other foodstuffs I made today were corn tortillas and chocolate cake. They could use a little work to get right but both came out aright.

This evening, when I went to use the computer, I was summoned to the hostel. Fr. Magnus invited me to accompany him and Sr. Valentina to a home for runaway Masai girls and some other projects they are involved with along the road to Arusha. Sounds like a possible avenue for a secondary project; “great” thinks I. Except they are leaving tomorrow morning after the 07:00 mass at the hostel. I sent a text to PC asking for permission to go and made plans to depart while I waited for a reply. Kitty needs more than just dried fish the next 4 days – baking powder biscuits – check. Kitty needs someone to feed him – Uma is willing – check. Mom’s 50^th birthday is tomorrow – e-card sent – check. 2^nd master needs the schedule typed – check. You get the idea. Still waiting for a reply text.

Scan + Chemicals

I’ve been trying to get this form filled out for Peace Corps to take money out of my readjustment allowance to pay off a small school loan and need to get it sent in and approved asap. The post office is a long trip and the electronic pdf from PC gave us cannot be filled in on the computer. I tried e-mailing the information but was told I had to fill in the form – print, fill out, scan, and e-mail. Dear PC office, do you realize how difficult this can be in a small village? Miracle upon miracles I was able to get it working. It only took me a couple of hours too, which isn’t bad in the States and I had to contend with the power sometimes getting so weak the computer would shut off. I just hope they approve it quickly so my bill is paid.

I have a stocked chemicals room! I can’t believe it! Met up w/ my 2^nd master and he showed me the lab and store room and gave me keys to them. The lab has sinks but no pipe from them to the trough in the floor. Something to think about when giving safety lessons. The storeroom has dozens of containers of chemicals so I made a list of them that I can reference when making lesson plans. There are also stands, burettes, flasks, and test tubes. It’s a veritable mecca of supplies. There are also various dead critters like crickets and lizards…and it’s not a biology lab.

Tonight I used some beans I cooked to create some bean burgers. They could use a little work but I didn’t use any egg to hold it together and they tasted great when I added Buck’s Seasoning. Good ol’ Buck’s. Kitty was playing with something and I thought he finally caught a mouse or small rat. Nope. Seems he caught a bat, probably the one that flew in the house last night. Apparently he likes catching flying things because he’s always catching insects and eating them. I’m still proud.

Print

I dug the 2nd swale today for my garden and it was much easier since it hasn’t rained in a couple of days. As I was working, a guy stopped by to give me unsolicited advice. He had just finished his degree in Agricultural Science and seemed to assume that I know nothing about gardens. I’m pretty sure he thought my swales and berms were meant to keep out chickens or something. I tried explaining how the water is routed around the garden and given a chance to seep into the ground but he only seemed to understand a little. When he left he said he would come by again sometime to advise me. Um, thanks buddy.
We have a water shortage right now, which doesn’t make sense because it rained heavily on Monday. Luckily I should be able to last a few days on what water I have and not have to wait 30 min to fill up part of a bucket at our trickling pipe.
There is a printer in the computer room that I tested today. It printed! I find it amazing that I am out in the middle of nowhere and can print…at least from Word, still can’t get it to print our PCV contact sheet from Excel…
Uma made cinnamon rolls yesterday and offered me some. I biked over there for a double treat of delicious rolls and good conversation. So glad I have my bike to make the trip easier/faster and for a taste of home.
For some reason the electricity wasn’t working right tonight (weak so only some lights outside work) and a bat flew in the house. Outside, I’m pretty sure I saw an owl land on the roof of my choo but it flew off as I went to grab my glasses. I’d never seen a wild owl before (through no fault of Snapper’s) so I’m pretty stoked.

Mopping

Jovin left today but my headmaster is back from the conference in Arusha; he made sure to let me know when I was in the computer room. I let him know that I put the antivirus program on and there weren’t any problems. He seemed satisfied.
Much of my day was spent cleaning. Not only did I wash clothes (remember I do this by hand), I fully cleaned my concrete floors. First I swept the whole place out. Then I made use of the bleach I’d bought and “mopped” the floor in sections. Mopping consists of swiping a cloth back and forth across the floor in small arcs; it is also by hand. It felt good to finally clean my floor and disinfect it.

Beans, Beans, the magical fruit…

On my first night at site, I was told not to buy beans, that I would be given some from the school. 2.5 weeks later, I finally got some when I asked my 2nd master about it again. I now have a half bucket of mixed beans to sort and cook. Along with the beans, I was given some crushed dried corn (not sweet corn, this is maize). My 2nd master was excited that I wanted to try making the Tanzanian beans and corn dish (makande maybe?). It seems rather simpler and I think I just have to boil the two together for a few hours, add a little salt, and eat. We’ll see.
My neighbor Jovin, the only neighbor I really know, is leaving tomorrow. He had expressed an interest in setting up an e-mail account so I showed him mine and explained all the different parts like Trash, Spam, Forward, Reply, etc. Of course when we tried to set up his account through Yahoo we kept getting error messages so he knows how to use it but doesn’t actually have it yet. It was after 19:00 (7pm) when we decided to call it quits and a little late to start cooking. He has been living with some students who were making dinner and he offered me some. In Tanzania, it is not common for male/female relationships so we have to be very careful about spending time with members of the opposite sex. I figured now it was a good time to go over because I had not visited yet (Tanzanians are big on visiting) and he is leaving in the morning so I don’t have to worry about him (or anyone else) getting the wrong idea and expecting more. Instead of going to the house that is the other half of my duplex, we went to the next house down. It was quite nice inside with linoleum floors, a couple of couches, and a TV. I hadn’t really watched TV since homestay so I was kind of glued to it. Plus, it takes a lot of concentration to understand anything and I was trying to figure out the news.

Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your Garden grow…

I started my garden today and it started raining a couple minutes later. With the rain, the soil is very wet and sticky, which I found difficult to hoe. I am starting with the swales (ditches) on the perimeter for water but only got about halfway through main the first on (out of 4 sides). As I dig out the swales, I use the soil to create a raised berm (long mound) that I can plant perennials in when I can find the plants (like aloe vera, lemongrass, etc). When done with the perimeter I will start the seed beds, which I will “double-dig”. This means I will dig down one hoe length, move the soil, and dig down another hoe length. By breaking up the soil to this depth, the plant roots can go deeper so they don’t grow to the side as much and compete with neighboring plants. Plus the loose soil allows better infiltration and storage of water in the seedbed. The packed soil of the walkways around and between the beds will direct water to the seedbeds so they end up getting more water than just direct precip and slow hillslope flow. All of these concepts are part of the permagardening method we learned during training. Except I think it is going to take me a lot longer than I thought to build my garden. Like lighting my charcoal jiko now in the damp air takes forever because the matches won’t even stay lit.

MacGyver: Multi-purpose Emergency Card

My Clarke’s shoes offer pretty good cushion and support but arre not ideal for walking a lot, say 30 min to church. On my way this morning, I got a blister that rubber raw and started bleeding. This means not only was it painful, it was also visible. Folding my sock wasn’t enough and there weren’t any good leaves around to try to put between my sock and heel. I felt a little like MacGyver as I went through the measly contents of my purse: .5L water bottle, keys, prayer book (borrowed), and PC cards. The laminated PC Emergency Contact numbers was the best thing I could come up with. I stuffed it in my sock and was able to make it the rest of the way to and from church, though a little painfully. Around the school today, a tractor came and plowed the fields (the school grows beans). Guess it’s officially time to start planting.

Sloth Speed

I just want to say that when ya’ll complain about a slow computer or Internet connection, remember this. I was on the computer tonight for 8 hours just to download and install an antivirus program. I actually ran out of things to do on the computer while I was waiting. The computer wasn’t even in dire need of it but it’s all the headmaster really seems to ask about with respect to the computer. Maybe he’ll be happy now and I can get back to trying to fix the other problems with the computer.

DEO

On this lovely cool and rainy day, I went with my headmaster to Katesh to meet some official. First, we had some breakfast at a place that had the TV tuned to CNN or some other English speaking news channel. Although I had trouble seeing and hearing it, I did learn that Frankfurt Airport was canceling flights due to snow. I wondered how the Köddermanns are doing in Wiesbaden and imagined Klara and Vincent playing in the snow. Travelers may be upset but I bet the kids are having a blast.

After eating, we walked a ways up the hill to the district government building (or something to that effect I think). We spent all of about 5 minutes there so I could meet the District Education Officer (DEO) and I think his 2^nd in command. That was it; I couldn’t believe it. I had to get up at 04:45, ride a daladala for over 2 hours (& pay for it), and walk in mud through the rain just to say “hi” to some guy. And then my headmaster said something about running a few errands and finding another dala to Endasak where he’d try to bum a ride to Gitting. Wish I could do that. Instead, I was left to myself to fill the day in Katesh before my daladala headed back.

Not wasting the opportunity, I dropped off a letter at the post office then decided I would try PCV Justin’s house (really close to PO) to use the choo (bathroom). Justin still wasn’t back from training but his buddy (counterpart?) Benny was taking care of the place and invited me in for chai. I tried to refuse since I’d had breakfast maybe 1.5 hours before but him and his friend though it was necessary because it was “cold”. He also had his friend get some fried dough shaped like a doughnut (but not as good). At least I got to use the choo before I left and I’d effectively killed ~1.5 hours out of the rain. To pass some more time, I went to the Internet café for a ½ hour before doing my shopping. I need to make a calendar of teaching topics (Scheme of Work – SOW) but when I tried to buy the notebook at the stationary store for just this purpose, I couldn’t because the kid/young man didn’t know the price. Say what?! It was a little frustrating seeing exactly what I want but him not selling it to me. He did know the price of the cheap notebooks so I could at least get 3 of them to start writing notes for my classes in them. I had more luck at the safi duka where I found bleach and a dustpan! Now I can properly clean…and survive because I have more peanut butter.

I’m glad I had the foresight to bring my journal because I sat on the daladala for around 5+ hours – mostly waiting to leave Katesh; not very comfortable but still somewhat productive. On the ride today I noticed a person sitting/sleeping in a culvert and at least one culvert not really draining. The daladala also hit a goat or dog without any apparent concern from the driver. As I returned to the school, I met the 2^nd master, who gave me a whole stack of books for Physics and Chemistry. They should really help me in my preparations for teaching.

Chem + Physics

I met with the head-and 2nd-master today informally and found out that they want me to teach Chemistry Forms 1 & 3 and Physics Form 1. This means that most fo my students will barely understand English. The concepts aren’t difficult but conveying them will be. In a way, I’ve already started teaching. A girl, who stays at the hostel across the street, wanted some help with Chem & Physics. I agreed thinking that she had questions or topics that she doesn’t understand. Rather, it seems that she wants me to teach her Form 4 material that she will be covering in the coming year. I admire her enthusiasm to learn but I can’t just teach her the content off the cuff, esp. the Physics because it’s been longer since I’ve have it. I’m doing the best I can and tried telling her that I would go through any questions she had form Forms 1-3 but I don’t think she understood. Now if she wanted to learn about Astronomy and Geophysics (end of Form 4) rather than electricity and magnetism, that’d be another story. I’m used to teaching Earth Science topics.
I may have missed mass yesterday at the hostel but I made it today. My headmaster was also there with his wife and daughter (5 years old) and the sisters made us stay for chai afterwards. They also fed us maandazi (~sweet hunk of fried dough) and chapatti (like a breakfast tortilla) while we conversed with a sister and the visiting priest, who spent some time in NYC (studying at Fordham I think). Because they fed me something I didn’t bother to cook anything at home so I was able to do a quick turnaround and go back for Adoration. When I went to leave, I was asked to wait and chatted with a couple of the sisters in broken Kiswahili and English. I had to wait because Sr. Jacinta baked me a loaf of bread – a full loaf! It was like a loaf of French bread and I enjoyed some before bed; it was warm and delicious.

Kitty

A few days ago, I got my kitten that I had requested. Actually, my secondmaster tried giving it to me before but he left the door of the courtyard open when he let it out of the bag (no I’m not being facetious, he really did carry it in a sack) and it ran off. For the past couple of days, I’ve been hearing constant meowing and figured out it was coming from my neighbors. He was trying to get the cat a bit acclimated before giving it to me. I felt bad it was stuck in the kitchen (like mine, a room separate form the house) so I went to fetch it. They coaxed it out of hiding with some food and handed it to me whereupon it started madly scratching/clawing to get away. I tried adjusting my grip but it jumped down and ran away. Luckily it trapped itself in the chicken coop next door where I was able to grab it. I tried using a kanga to protect myself a little but it was fighting for its life. In addition to the scratches, it bit me well 3 times. I tried putting the kitty in my “kitchen” and it ran out into the pouring rain. I could not quickly chase it back in and decided to take care of the blood dripping from my hands. Anyway, I was able to get the cat into the house eventually and into the other bedroom (my rodent room) but it just would not let me anywhere near it. That is, until today when I brought home dagaa – very small dried fish. Slowly I coaxed it closer to me and out of the room. Then I waited for it to come to me. Within an hour or two, I was able to tentatively pet it. Although it’s still skirmish, it has started taking to me. For now, I call it SC for scaredy-cat because it frightens easily and will sometimes have the straight, shaking tail like cats in Halloween decorations.

Being the Feast of the Immaculate Conception (that Mary was conceived without original sin), I wanted to go to mass. I thought Sr. Josephine said half past five (17:30) but it turns out that it was five o’clock (17:00). I was late. However, not everyone at the hostel was at mass so I was sat down and given chai (tea) with a small snack, as is the custom here. When mass was over, I was leaving and they let me know that there is Adoration at eight (20:00). Although I missed mass, I was able to get some praying/devotion in. There’s always tomorrow to try to go to mass.

Banking Town: Babati

The daladala picked me u in front of the school as planned and it took nearly 3 hours till we arrived in Babati, my banking town. For much of the ride, I held a small boy on my lap and did my best to keep his head from hitting the side of the dala on the bumpy road. Not the most comfortable ride but he was cute.

I was surprised as the road turned to paved as we got to Babati. My goal was to buy a bike and I needed to take money out of the bank to do this. The ATM didn’t work when I tried so I waited for the bank to open. Never having been in a bank in Tz before, I had no idea what I was doing. I ended up having to go through the line 3 times because I needed forms and my account # (not the same as on the ATM card apparently). At least they gave me my money.

Babati may have a paved main road but it still only has one place to buy a bicycle. There were ~2-3 dozen used bicycles and very few had my requirements: mountain bike tires and gears. I tried a few out and settled on one that they said they would do “maintenance” on (aka fix) before I came back to buy it. So I went off and did the rest of my shopping. At the market, I found an assortment of spices, pineapple, and green beans! These are impossible/hard to find in Katesh, much less my village. I got some other vegetables at the market as well and found a plastic grater (like my host family had) at one of the stores. At the safi duka (really nice store – still really small), I was excited to get not only peanut butter but ground cinnamon, oats, powdered milk, whole wheat flour, and plastic clothespins. I figured I would just go back to the daladala and wait after I picked up my bicycle so I tried to get something to eat beforehand. I asked for chapatti – they were out, I asked for maandazi – they were out. I tried to order lunch food – there was none (I think not ready yet). I asked what was available and was told “figo” was. When I said I did not know what it was, he said it was figs. Alright, I think, I’ll try it. It was not figs. It was a plate of pieces of liver, I think (maybe kidney?). Well, I don’t get meat when I cook for myself so I guess it’s what I needed.

I head back to the bike place and the bike seems to be in good working order, gears and all. With the bike, I bought a rack for the back, which they installed, and a lock. As a bonus, the guy gave me these very colorful things to put in the spokes that look like giant rainbow pipe cleaners. Um, thanks buddy.

I found my daladala okay but it did help that they saw me coming from about 30m away and came to get my bike to put on top. Once the dala was full and we headed into the hills outside of Babati, I realized that it had rained and was continuing to rain here. You think paved roads are dangerous when wet, try dirt roads with some clay. It was scary. Somehow we made it back to Endasak, where we waited to fill up with people again before continuing. As we headed down the road, we passed the road to Gitting. Now I had been told that the same daladala will take me from Gitting to Babati and back to Gitting. At this point I’m afraid that I might end up in Katesh and have to spend the night there so I ask them to stop. I figure a 2 hr walk in the rain is more desirable but I’m told that the dala will take me back to Gitting – after going to Katesh. The result was a couple of hours added to an already long trip. It was dark when we got back to Gitting but they did drop me off at the entrance to the school. Then they made me pay a full extra fare for transport of my bicycle. Why didn’t they tell me this in Babati?! I tried asking, I tried negotiating/bargaining but I got nowhere. I am not looking forward to taking the trip again; going to Katesh in tiring enough.

Hostel

I’m down to just a few pieces of charcoal so I couldn’t wait for others to get back to me on appropriate prices for it. Instead of heading straight for the village though, I decided to visit the hostel across the street. I am very glad I did. Sister Josephine welcomed me in and is one of 2 sisters that run the hostel for ~100 girl students at my school. Right now the order of sisters is having a retreat because the students are on break. I felt at home there and enjoyed talking with Sr. Josephine as we drank tea I actually like and ate real bread. When I asked where to buy charcoal, she said she bought it from someone who stopped at the hostel but she has plenty now so she sold me a large bag. Now I don’t have to find a place, try not to get ripped off, or figure out how to get it back to my house. I also mentioned wanting to go to Babati tomorrow. She called the daladala so it’ll pick me up in front of the school so I don’t have to walk to the village in the early morning darkness. Before I left, she lent me a small book with the basic Catholic prayers and mass in Kiswahili so I can learn it. I’m excited and expect it to prove as useful as my books from World Youth Day in Germany.

Water

I was mildly sick again this morning (diarrhea) and suspect the fresh cut tomatoes from lunch yesterday. It’s hard to remember not to eat anything fresh when eating out.
On my way to mast this morning, I passed a sister (nun) from the hostel across the street and she asked my when I was going to come visit. Honestly, it hadn’t occurred to me to go visit but I’m looking forward to it now. Speaking of visits, Uma came over today to use the computer (i.e. Internet) and brought me chocolate cake. Seems we both like to bake :-).
My major domestic task today was washing clothes so I had to fetch water for the first time. This is not so bad since the school has a pipe and uses a hose to fill a couple of large tanks with spigots. When there is enough water, I merely have to fill my buckets from the tanks and carry it ~200 m to my house. Though when there isn’t water at the pipe, I’m not sure where I go but I will probably have to walk to the village pipe. Also need to learn how to carry a bucket on my head; can’t see coming to Africa and not learning.

Katesh Tour + Moonlit Bathing

Met PCV Megan (Health) today in Katesh and she showed us around. There is a PCV who lives in Katesh but he is at in-service training (IST) right now; we went to his house anyway to use the bathroom. She also took us to the post office, (I was able to mail a letter to Chris), the bank we want to switch to, the Internet café, and our official consolidation point (if we have some major crisis and need to evacuate). Along the way she tried to point out the good places to eat and shop so we feel a lot more familiar with the place now. On our way home, Uma and I had to wait in Endasak for a few hours for our daladala to fill up. Then it hit an animal on the road back to Gitting. It would have been better if we had walked from Endasak.
A summary of other things for my first week at site: My mkuu (headmaster) has called a lot just to check on me. Thankfully it has waned a bit but I think Salome (PC Safety & Security) scared him pretty good. He also has really bad timing and has called twice while I’ve been bathing. Among he foods I made were pirogues, bread, and English muffins. Tough the foods were fun to try to make, I think the highlight of the week has to be bathing in my courtyard. My bafu (room used for bathing) has a smooth cement floor that my wet flip-flops sometimes suction to. Not only is it dangerous, it has a lowish ceiling and the light doesn’t work. My courtyard, on the other hand, is fully enclosed by walls that people cant’ see over or enter (without much effort) and the view is significantly better, not to mention better lit. It’s great .

"enroll"

So I’ve been trying for a few days to “enroll” my modem with the phone company but could not get it to work. Once I enroll, I will have 8GB to use for 30 days. Instead, I’ve been paying using vouchers, which is expensive. Today I was finally able to enroll! Of course it was after I had used the internet (and most of my voucher) but now I basically have a month of unlimited internet, as long as the computer keeps working. Then I talked with my grandparents for a few minutes this evening. A good day all in all I think.

SYRACUSE!

Another long walk today but this time I walked in the other direction with Uma to Endasak, our market town. We picked up some fresh veggies and some garlic too. To sort rice (i.e. check for rocks), we bought large woven saucers. On our walk home, we passed a couple of kids and one was wearing a Syracuse shirt! I tried to tell him that I come from near Syracuse but he just stared at me. I don’t think he understood.

Escarpment

The first couple of days this week consisted of Uma and I seeing one another’s homes, more cleaning, and some time on the computer. Unfortunately, only one computer works and the other 5 do not; I just hope it keeps working. The rain has also come but it stopped by mid-morning so I went for a walk. I did not know where I was going, I just walked down the road my school is on towards the escarpment (opposite direction of village). When I started to head downhill, I knew I’d reached the valley between me and the escarpment. At that point, I turned left and ended up looping around a small hill but was able to find my way back to my road. In all, I walked for 3 hours – I have no idea how far but was happy to see the escarpment from a closer view.

Although the computer worked fine yesterday, it wouldn’t work right today. I was told that no one had used it in the meantime. Luckily Enoch (a computer guy in our training class) was able to tell me what to do to get it (mostly) working. Of course, now the CD-ROM drive is disconnected so it still needs some work.