Iringa, Iringa, Iringa

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!