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.