So I went to Dodoma for shadow and had an awesome time. Despite the fact that it's in the middle of nowhere desert, there are quite a few trees around and some of them are even green. It can be quite beautiful actually. And while the days are brutally hot and the sun beats into your skin (I learned the true value of chapstick), the nights are quite cool with a lovely breeze. Not such a bad deal.
We took a bus from Morogoro to Dodoma, where we met the volunteer we would be "shadowing" (i.e. hanging out with for 5 days), and then we walked a short way to find a pickup truck to take us on the road to the village and school. While the distance is only about 20km, it took a good hour precariously perched on the edge of the truck bed, squished beyond belief by the number of passengers with their loads, bumping up and down on the poorly cared for dirt roads. Quite an adventure, but that's not the end of it. I was also bargained for, for the first time in my life. Yes, a man tried to offer three cows, a few goats, and a handful of chickens to our volunteer (a male) in order to take me home as his wife that night. You might imagine how this might feel to discover (suddenly) what this man was saying, but I assure you no one really knows until they've been in this situation. At least it was an extremely high price, right?
Once I guessed what was going on, my shadow buddy/fellow trainee asked if I needed a husband and I agreed. He proceeded to explain to the man that I was his wife, and I showed off my ring (Skogfjorden!) that I happen to wear all the time. The man then became very afraid for his life and apologized profusely, thinking that my muscular new "husband" was Jean Claude van Dam(sp?). Jean Claude saved my life that day, but I now need a new action plan for dealing with these men who want to marry me when I am on my own at site and travelling to town. I have a few ideas to test, but I welcome any further suggestions as well!
Once we arrived at the volunteer's site, we pretty much just cooked and talked for 4/5 days straight, nonstop. Many students (upper level high school, ranging in age from 18-22ish) came over to talk, and we had a blast asking them questions, answering their questions, learning about each other and our cultures, and inspiring them to make goals and achieve them. I also talked to a Maasai student who told me a little about his culture and language. It was very interesting, and I hope to learn more about that particular tribe while I'm here.
Anyway, we went to Dar es Salaam after shadow for more training (of course) and for site announcements. It was so nerve-wracking and exciting to wake up the morning of our announcements knowing we would soon hear about our sites and where we'll spend the next two years of our lives. The staff described each site for a few minutes, one at a time, and then announced the name of the person who would be going there. As I was the third person mentioned, I didn't go through quite as much suspense, but it was still very exciting to hear where all of my friends would be going.
So without further ado, I'd like to announce my site to you:
I'm going to live about 40 km north of Iringa town, in the district of Iringa in Iringa region. The area is supposedly mountainous and beautiful and can get near to freezing temperatures in the winter (June-August), despite the fact that my information sheet says the climate is "hot tropical." The school has about 630 students, coed, with boarding facilities for about 200 of the girls. There are about 8 host country national teachers, none of whom teach science as far as I know, and a headmaster. They want to share their African culture with me as I teach them about American culture, and they want me to help out with sports (including volleyball, soccer, and netball) and clubs (English debate, geography, history, etc.) as well as teach any science classes I can. My house is on the school property, has two bedrooms, running water, and two and a half hours of electricity (I don't know if that's per day, per week, per month...). And that's all I know for now, until I arrive at my site in about 6 days!
I'm sure you can all find some information and pictures about the area on the internet sometime, and feel free to email me with questions and comments, or interesting information because I'm curious too!
So my schedule for the week:
Swearing in is on Wednesday morning, during which I will wear a gorgeous African dress I had made out of some beautiful material here. Until then, I have to pack, pick up a few necessities from town, and hang out with my host family. On Thursday, we bus to Dar, stay overnight, and then depart for site with our headmasters early on Friday morning (more than half of us have to travel back through Morogoro to get to site, but whatever). I'm guessing I will arrive at my site either Friday evening or Saturday morning. Hopefully, my headmaster or someone in the village will feed me for a few days until I can get a charcoal stove, pots and pans, basic foods, and other necessary kitchen items. Then I move in, buy everything I need (my house will have nothing but a bed, a table, and a couple chairs) with my allowance from Peace Corps, get to know my village and neighbors, and start on all of the projects I would love to do, like starting a garden, building shelves and tables, etc. I have a dream of building a trellis in my backyard and planting passion fruit vines to crawl up and provide a shade arbor in the yard. Doesn't that sound lovely? We'll see if I manage it...
Anyway, I'm super duper excited to get to site now. The nerves are settling a bit and even though I could never be completely prepared for these, I feel as ready as can be to go. This is the real plunge, the real test, the real challenge. Can I survive on my own in a small village in Africa? Can I teach kids here efficiently, not only from the government-issued syllabi, but also about life skills, girls' empowerment, HIV/AIDS, etc.? Can I communicate and make friends in my village? Well here I go; I'm gonna do it.
Tune in next week (or the week after?) for some answers to these questions, along with a better description of my site. I'll also get a new address to send out as soon as I can so you can all send me letters. Love you and miss you all!
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Soon
So I just wanted to send an update of the basics of what's going on here these days:
We finished language training last week and have had tests for a few days now in oral and written Kiswahili and in education (kind of a silly test- "list ways in which kids might misbehave in class and appropriate punishments"). Now I'm done! Tomorrow I'm going to visit a volunteer in Dodoma, the political capital of Tanzania in the middle of the desert, for five days to shadow him, see what life is like at site, relax a bit, and ask gobs of questions. They paired us all up for these visits, and I'm going with a friend named Chris. I think we'll have a lot of fun and get a lot out of the trip because we get along well and he loves to ask questions. I don't think I'll have any questions left by the end because he'll ask them all!
We'll then travel to Dar es Salaam straight from shadow for site announcements. I can't wait to find out where I'm going! I requested a cooler site in the mountains in a smaller village where I can really get to know people, so I hope that comes true. I really don't think I'd be happy with going to the desert, but I guess that might change after shadow. Mostly, though, I'd just like to be near the people I get along with best, especially the closer friends I've made during training. It would be frustrating to be so far away from my good friends, but I guess we would make the effort to get together on occasion anyway. Plus, there will be many volunteers already out there to get to know when I go. So any site will be amazing, I'm sure. I can't wait!
We come back to our host families after a couple of days in Dar and an early Thanksgiving dinner. We'll have a couple of days of training in gardening and permaculture, which should be awesome (I can't wait to have my own garden at site!), and then we have our swearing in ceremony to become real volunteers. The next day we're supposed to travel to site with all our crap (more than I can carry myself by far) and our headmasters (awkward! we've never met them and we're supposed to travel with them for a few days to get to site?!). We don't start teaching until mid-January, so we have a month and a half to get to know our sites, get settled, and prepare to start teaching. It will be nice at first to have my own house and do things independently, but I think it might end up being a long, lonely month of heavy rains. We'll see.
So that's the basic schedule. I've got plenty more adventures to relate, but I can't write them all here right now. Please write to me (although I'm getting a new address when I get to site) and send me your address so I can write to you.
We finished language training last week and have had tests for a few days now in oral and written Kiswahili and in education (kind of a silly test- "list ways in which kids might misbehave in class and appropriate punishments"). Now I'm done! Tomorrow I'm going to visit a volunteer in Dodoma, the political capital of Tanzania in the middle of the desert, for five days to shadow him, see what life is like at site, relax a bit, and ask gobs of questions. They paired us all up for these visits, and I'm going with a friend named Chris. I think we'll have a lot of fun and get a lot out of the trip because we get along well and he loves to ask questions. I don't think I'll have any questions left by the end because he'll ask them all!
We'll then travel to Dar es Salaam straight from shadow for site announcements. I can't wait to find out where I'm going! I requested a cooler site in the mountains in a smaller village where I can really get to know people, so I hope that comes true. I really don't think I'd be happy with going to the desert, but I guess that might change after shadow. Mostly, though, I'd just like to be near the people I get along with best, especially the closer friends I've made during training. It would be frustrating to be so far away from my good friends, but I guess we would make the effort to get together on occasion anyway. Plus, there will be many volunteers already out there to get to know when I go. So any site will be amazing, I'm sure. I can't wait!
We come back to our host families after a couple of days in Dar and an early Thanksgiving dinner. We'll have a couple of days of training in gardening and permaculture, which should be awesome (I can't wait to have my own garden at site!), and then we have our swearing in ceremony to become real volunteers. The next day we're supposed to travel to site with all our crap (more than I can carry myself by far) and our headmasters (awkward! we've never met them and we're supposed to travel with them for a few days to get to site?!). We don't start teaching until mid-January, so we have a month and a half to get to know our sites, get settled, and prepare to start teaching. It will be nice at first to have my own house and do things independently, but I think it might end up being a long, lonely month of heavy rains. We'll see.
So that's the basic schedule. I've got plenty more adventures to relate, but I can't write them all here right now. Please write to me (although I'm getting a new address when I get to site) and send me your address so I can write to you.
Monday, November 10, 2008
2600m?
So I climbed a mountain the other day. Someone said Mount Uluguru was 2600 meters high, but that may or may not be true.
I found out the morning of (Sunday) that we were indeed set to go, where to meet, and when. Unfortunately, I had not yet asked my host parents if I could go because I hadn't seen them much last week, I was waiting for more details about it, and we'd had a guest over the night before. It was also the day they decided to sleep in and skip church. So there I was wondering what to do, wanting to go climb the mountains but not wanting to wake them up, asking my little brother what to do and not getting much help from him. Eventually I was able to tell the house girl that I wanted to go for the day and she said I could go.
So I met up with the group of my good friends and our guides, Julia's host brothers, and we got on a daladala (small bus/van/overcrowded vehicle) that was the sweetest ride ever. Not only did it have a sparkly samurai fish painted on the back and spoiler wings on the top, but the inside was pink and padded with a long mirror running along the middle of the ceiling. And then there was a plastic crystal-like gear shifter. Amazing. In town we bought some buns and PB for lunch and then headed up the mountains near town.
After three hours and a stop in a stream to cool off, we stopped for some lunch in front of an old haunted looking house overlooking the city through the canyon. Then we trekked on, this time much steeper and into the forests to the top for another three hours. They kept telling us it was only 30 min, 15 min, etc. even though it took longer and longer and we had to stop repeatedly to catch our breath. By this time, we had all run out of water and were rationing our last few sips for ourselves, sweating profusely and becoming delirious out of thirst. We also hired an extra guide, who was trotting up the mountain wearing a flannel button-down shirt, nice slacks, and the pointed men's dress shoes that are oh-so-popular here in Tanzania. He picked carrots for us in the farms growing along the mountain sides while we huffed and puffed up the mountain without water.
Finally, we curved around the back of the mountain and arrived at the top overlooking everything opposite the city. It was incredible to look out over the mountain range in all directions, completely natural and covered in green forests. The only mountain taller than Uluguru was a pointed rocky one behind it, jutting out from the rest of the majestic mountains.
On top of the mountain is a radio tower and a handful of men who guard it for a week at a time. They offered us ugali (a stiff mashed potato like thing made out of corn flour that Tanzanians eat with their hands and dip in spinach or beans; eaten in place of rice) when we arrived at the top, but all we wanted was water. We guzzled down the water they offered us, not caring whether or not it was boiled or safe (though it did taste like charcoal, at least) and lay there on the grass until our thirst was quenched. I took a little nap in the sun and then ate some ugali with spinach and beans and finished off another peanut butter sandwich.
By 5:00 we were headed back down the mountain, hoping we'd be back in town by dark, 6:30pm. What a joke! We took a different route, this time much steeper and more slippery, so we half slid half jumped/ran down the mountain, getting a few cuts and bruises here and there. Our guide in his pointy shoes, however, stayed perfectly clean far ahead of us, chuckling at our inefficient mountain climbing skills.
Eventually we ended up walking along a ridge that slowly sloped downward toward the city. We walked along in the tall grasses overlooking the canyons and mountains on either side of us and the sunset behind the mountains to the left. Eventually we came upon a tiny village, where we bought two large bunches of bananas and snarfed them down. They were the most delicious bananas I've ever had.
As we continued on, the light dwindled and the city down below began to light up. It was gorgeous. We kept hoping we were almost down, but soon it became dark and we pulled out our cell phones with flashlights on them. Our legs became jelly-like as we slowly made our way down through the paths. Water had again run out and thirst set in. We watched the stars and the fireflies as we waited for the slower ones, whose legs had started to object and refused to walk downhill any longer. We also worried about our families and texted them continuously giving them new estimates of when we'd be home. By 8:15 we had arrived at the road and by 9:00 we found the car that was waiting to take us home because daladalas don't run that late at night.
So we all made it home okay, gulped down glassfuls of clean refrigerated water, and sank into bed. I'm still sore today but it was totally worth the effort. What an adventure!
Next time, I'm bringing four Nalgenes full of water.
I found out the morning of (Sunday) that we were indeed set to go, where to meet, and when. Unfortunately, I had not yet asked my host parents if I could go because I hadn't seen them much last week, I was waiting for more details about it, and we'd had a guest over the night before. It was also the day they decided to sleep in and skip church. So there I was wondering what to do, wanting to go climb the mountains but not wanting to wake them up, asking my little brother what to do and not getting much help from him. Eventually I was able to tell the house girl that I wanted to go for the day and she said I could go.
So I met up with the group of my good friends and our guides, Julia's host brothers, and we got on a daladala (small bus/van/overcrowded vehicle) that was the sweetest ride ever. Not only did it have a sparkly samurai fish painted on the back and spoiler wings on the top, but the inside was pink and padded with a long mirror running along the middle of the ceiling. And then there was a plastic crystal-like gear shifter. Amazing. In town we bought some buns and PB for lunch and then headed up the mountains near town.
After three hours and a stop in a stream to cool off, we stopped for some lunch in front of an old haunted looking house overlooking the city through the canyon. Then we trekked on, this time much steeper and into the forests to the top for another three hours. They kept telling us it was only 30 min, 15 min, etc. even though it took longer and longer and we had to stop repeatedly to catch our breath. By this time, we had all run out of water and were rationing our last few sips for ourselves, sweating profusely and becoming delirious out of thirst. We also hired an extra guide, who was trotting up the mountain wearing a flannel button-down shirt, nice slacks, and the pointed men's dress shoes that are oh-so-popular here in Tanzania. He picked carrots for us in the farms growing along the mountain sides while we huffed and puffed up the mountain without water.
Finally, we curved around the back of the mountain and arrived at the top overlooking everything opposite the city. It was incredible to look out over the mountain range in all directions, completely natural and covered in green forests. The only mountain taller than Uluguru was a pointed rocky one behind it, jutting out from the rest of the majestic mountains.
On top of the mountain is a radio tower and a handful of men who guard it for a week at a time. They offered us ugali (a stiff mashed potato like thing made out of corn flour that Tanzanians eat with their hands and dip in spinach or beans; eaten in place of rice) when we arrived at the top, but all we wanted was water. We guzzled down the water they offered us, not caring whether or not it was boiled or safe (though it did taste like charcoal, at least) and lay there on the grass until our thirst was quenched. I took a little nap in the sun and then ate some ugali with spinach and beans and finished off another peanut butter sandwich.
By 5:00 we were headed back down the mountain, hoping we'd be back in town by dark, 6:30pm. What a joke! We took a different route, this time much steeper and more slippery, so we half slid half jumped/ran down the mountain, getting a few cuts and bruises here and there. Our guide in his pointy shoes, however, stayed perfectly clean far ahead of us, chuckling at our inefficient mountain climbing skills.
Eventually we ended up walking along a ridge that slowly sloped downward toward the city. We walked along in the tall grasses overlooking the canyons and mountains on either side of us and the sunset behind the mountains to the left. Eventually we came upon a tiny village, where we bought two large bunches of bananas and snarfed them down. They were the most delicious bananas I've ever had.
As we continued on, the light dwindled and the city down below began to light up. It was gorgeous. We kept hoping we were almost down, but soon it became dark and we pulled out our cell phones with flashlights on them. Our legs became jelly-like as we slowly made our way down through the paths. Water had again run out and thirst set in. We watched the stars and the fireflies as we waited for the slower ones, whose legs had started to object and refused to walk downhill any longer. We also worried about our families and texted them continuously giving them new estimates of when we'd be home. By 8:15 we had arrived at the road and by 9:00 we found the car that was waiting to take us home because daladalas don't run that late at night.
So we all made it home okay, gulped down glassfuls of clean refrigerated water, and sank into bed. I'm still sore today but it was totally worth the effort. What an adventure!
Next time, I'm bringing four Nalgenes full of water.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Hongera Obama!!!
I'm sooooo excited!!!! We've been partying all day today (yes, that means we started drinking at about 6:45am- oops! but don't worry, not too much, just a little extra celebratory-ness for the morning). We were supposed to be picked up at 6am to go to a hotel bar to watch the election happenings, but it got a bit delayed and we didn't make it until about 6:45 and the election was called at 7:03 our time.
So basically we had just gotten there and settled down to watch the action, we saw that Obama had taken Virginia, and then the signal for the TV went out and it started raining super hard. However, some people got phone calls and texts and some people brought their computers and got free internet, so we found out quickly he had won. A bit disappointing that it was so anti-climatic, but we were very excited anyway!
Luckily, the power came back on just before Obama's acceptance speech so we were able to watch that even though we missed McCain's concession. Despite the fact that it was super hot and humid in there, I had the chills for about half an hour straight. Even now, I just got the chills thinking about it despite the intense heat here! It's so amazing that the hope of his campaign reached people, that so many people went out to vote, and that we have our first black president- so cool! This is some serious history that we will remember and I can’t believe I experienced it in Africa, in the country next door to his father’s.
I can't wait to see what he does once he gets into office. He has a lot to live up to in office, but if anyone can do it, he can. I think he has the right mind and the right personality to change politics around and make a big difference in many people’s lives. Plus he’ll have a Democratic Congress to help the government be productive, more efficient, and more modern. At least I think he’s boosted morale and from what it looked like on the news, the economy is already starting to get better with the hope of Obama taking office in just a couple of months.
The Peace Corps Volunteers and Trainees are all really excited about this- talk about celebration! Tears, chills, hugs, shots, cheers… we had it all this morning. What an awesome day. And as for Tanzania, people here are also incredibly happy. I haven’t heard of one person here who wanted McCain to win, probably partially because Obama has African roots but I think they all realize he would be a great president of the US for America and for the world as a whole. I think pretty much the whole world is celebrating this victory right now; it will change the image America has gained in the past few years into a much more positive, revered view of our country. Awesome!
So basically we had just gotten there and settled down to watch the action, we saw that Obama had taken Virginia, and then the signal for the TV went out and it started raining super hard. However, some people got phone calls and texts and some people brought their computers and got free internet, so we found out quickly he had won. A bit disappointing that it was so anti-climatic, but we were very excited anyway!
Luckily, the power came back on just before Obama's acceptance speech so we were able to watch that even though we missed McCain's concession. Despite the fact that it was super hot and humid in there, I had the chills for about half an hour straight. Even now, I just got the chills thinking about it despite the intense heat here! It's so amazing that the hope of his campaign reached people, that so many people went out to vote, and that we have our first black president- so cool! This is some serious history that we will remember and I can’t believe I experienced it in Africa, in the country next door to his father’s.
I can't wait to see what he does once he gets into office. He has a lot to live up to in office, but if anyone can do it, he can. I think he has the right mind and the right personality to change politics around and make a big difference in many people’s lives. Plus he’ll have a Democratic Congress to help the government be productive, more efficient, and more modern. At least I think he’s boosted morale and from what it looked like on the news, the economy is already starting to get better with the hope of Obama taking office in just a couple of months.
The Peace Corps Volunteers and Trainees are all really excited about this- talk about celebration! Tears, chills, hugs, shots, cheers… we had it all this morning. What an awesome day. And as for Tanzania, people here are also incredibly happy. I haven’t heard of one person here who wanted McCain to win, probably partially because Obama has African roots but I think they all realize he would be a great president of the US for America and for the world as a whole. I think pretty much the whole world is celebrating this victory right now; it will change the image America has gained in the past few years into a much more positive, revered view of our country. Awesome!
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