The past week has gone by fairly smoothly. The legal aid attorney wasn't in her office so Katelyn and I won't be going until next week, but Moses (program director) talked to her (Esther is the attorney's name) and she said it would be ok for me to go in the afternoons, after lunch, which means I won't miss any days with my kids :). We worked on colors and letters some more this week, mostly reviewed ABC and started learning two new colors. The kids were a little restless all week, and very tired. One day Jordan fell asleep in my arms...so precious! Didn't want to wake him up but he had to get home. It still seems so crazy that 3 year old kids here walk to and from school by themselves! A lot of the time now they just want to be held during break time. On Friday we had our shaky shaky time (like we do every Friday). The kids are really good dancers! They know all the words to the songs, so funny! Living just plugs his Ipod into a speaker and they dance around the room in circles and hold hands...very cute.
Friday was the last night that Mama Karen, Marissa, Ellen and Sabrina were here, so we all went out. We started out at Glacier, our favorite bar that's outside and usually has a live band, then went to club La liga later. This club is crazy....black light paint all over the walls, really loud music, and pictures of half naked girls. It was definitely an experience...reminded me of a trashy club you would find in a big city. A big difference is that here there are a lot of prostitutes out at night, and a lot of them apparently find business at La liga. I can now say I've been waiting in line in a bathroom full of prostitutes. Needless to say, not sure if I'll be returning to La liga for the rest of my trip, it's pretty intense. The boys are always with us to make sure we're safe and we get home ok. It's so nice to have them around, we have it so much better than the tourists that come here. Last night we drove the girls to the airport. Sabrina is staying until Monday because her brother is visiting, and Ellen went to Zanzibar and will be back for a couple days on Thursday, so that will be nice. Today it's just me, Josh and Katelyn. We've been bumming around doing laundry and stuff like that. We'll probably just hang out and watch a movie tonight. So excited to get back to work tomorrow! 4 weeks in Tanzania gone, 6 to go!
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Monday, January 25, 2010
Hot Springs
Yesterday we left around 10 am for the hot springs. We drove about half way to Arusha on the highway then turned off onto a dirt road (dirt roads here are very very bumpy and rocky, it's very slow going). We drove down these roads for about 45 minutes (if you want to know for sure if you get car sick or not, come to Africa. Thankfully, I don't). The terrain turned very very hot, dry, and dusty with little plants and trees, almost desert like. There was a coat of dust over everything in the van, not very healthy for your lungs I'm sure. Finally we arrived at the hot springs. It looked like a small oasis. We pulled in and saw the pool of water, it was blue and crystal clear, absolutely beautiful. You could see the bottom and the little fish swimming around. The water in the main pool is flowing from a cave that goes underneath the ground and comes back to the surface a ways away, so there was a fairly strong current in part of the pool. There were monkeys swinging from the trees when we got there, they were so cute! We all jumped in, and the water was perfect! It wasn't hot or cold, just cool, the perfect temperature to cool us off. When you stand on the rocks ready to jump in the little fish come bite/suck at your feet, it feels like someone tickling you, so weird. We swam around for a couple of hours. The boys climbed a tree branch and jumped into one spot that's really deep where the current is. We all kept saying how surreal it was with all the palm tress and the sun peeking in places and the water was so clear it was unbelievable. After we swam we ate lunch and hung out in the shade for a bit, then we headed back. It wasn't super fun getting all dusty and hot again after our swim, so I took a shower right away when we got home. It's so hard to keep anything clean here because of all the dirt and dust around. The rest of the day Sunday we basically just lounged around, read books and hung out. Sunday night Caitlyn, Josh, Ellen and I watched The Dark Knight (love it!) then went to sleep. It was another hot night to sleep through. Today it was back to work and I was so happy to see my kids, except now we have 30 and they can be quite the handful. Why is is the biggest trouble makers are always the cutest ones?? So hard to stay mad at them and punish them. We are working on the time out system. These kids are used to corporal punishment and being beaten with sticks by teachers, parents, etc. Living (and obviously me) don't believe in that but it's challenging punishing them when they are used to that system, because they often don't understand what we are trying to do or why they aren't getting hit. Some try to get away with a lot because they know we won't hit them. But, Living is really good with them and they really don't like sitting in the corner when they've been naughty so it's starting to work.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Waterfalls and Coffee Tour
So I'm feeling better still today, so that's good. Today we did the waterfall/coffee tour with Living and Amani. Amani is Living's best friend. He started Jipemoyo, which is a center for women with HIV/AIDS and a school for their children to attend. Amani also volunteers with us at CCS, and CCS volunteers go to Jipemoyo to help him. These boys have already done so much with their lives. They take people on these tours to earn extra money to pay for their schools. We drove into an area with a lot of Chagga people. We had a local guy who is friends with the boys who lives in the Chagga village take us on a narrow path for about a 1/2 hour walk to the waterfall. It was the most beautiful waterfall we've seen on our trip yet. It was super high and lots of rocks throughout the cliff it was falling on so there was a lot of that effect of the water hitting smaller rocks on the way down. Super pretty. There was also a cave on the left side at the bottom where Chagga women and children hid when the Maasai were attacking their villages. The spray was super refreshing and the water was really cold. We stayed there and took pics for awhile, then climbed back up a little ways to a small look out to eat lunch. Then we walked back to the village for the coffee part of the tour. We didn't see the crops because they are between harvesting seasons. So, they had some coffee beans that had been picked and the first shell removed already. When you remove the first shell the outside has a really slimy sticky substance on it, so they put the beans out in the sun to dry. To get the first shell off they run the beans through a home made grinder. Then, after they are dry, they pound the beans in a big pestle (we all had our turns at this) to get the second shell off. After that is removed, you can see the coffee bean like you would buy at home except it's green because they haven't been roasted yet. So then we roasted the beans over an open fire for about 10 minutes. You could really smell the beans, soooo yummy. The roasting is what gives the beans the dark color. In order for us to drink the coffee out of the beans we started with we had to grind them by hand in the pestle again. It took about 10 more minutes to get them ground well. Then, to make the coffee they put the ground beans into boiling water and stir for only about 40 seconds, then quickly pour the pot of coffee through a small strainer into the thermos below. So, we drank the coffee that we made. It was a really long process, and they do it all by hand. It makes you appreciate the coffee you are drinking. It was soooo good! Not bitter at all and a nice bold flavor. We added a little raw sugar (the boys like to add a lot of sugar) but I didn't need much at all, the coffee was so good. I got Kevin 2 bags, which is 4 pounds. It was 6,500 TSH per bag, which is roughly 6 dollars. I might get him a couple more bags, not sure yet. They are delivering the whole beans to me the day before I leave so they will be super fresh. Then we went home and I came here before dinner. After dinner we are gonna go out dancing tonight, should be fun. Tomorrow we leave home base around 10 am and the boys are taking us to the hot springs, which should be super fun. The 3 trips cost 90 dollars, most of the money going to park fees, gas and our box lunches. We are more than happy to give the guys the money, we know they'll use it for a good cause. I'm excited to get back to the school on Monday, I always miss the kids over the weekend. I met with Moses, our program director to ask him if I could go with Caitlyn on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and he said that would be fine. Caitlyn is going to be going to work with a legal aid in the area. She will be giving seminars on those days. Hopefully it will be cool, we'll see. I'm really excited to go and hope it all works out. She mostly helps women in the area who need representation. I'll only be with my kids 3 days a week, Monday Wednesday and Friday, but I'm excited to see how the legal system here works, and it would be great to put on my resume. Because we are interns they pay for us to use "resources", and since this legal aid attorney is not a volunteer but a worker in the community, she is considered a resource. So, us interns get extra perks, so the extra money we paid to be interns goes to things like this. This coming week the attorney will only be in on Friday, so Friday we go and then the next week it starts Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Last night the first person from our group, Michelle went home :( We already miss her. Tonight, 2 more girls go home, one who was one of my roommates. Sad. Next Saturday four more people go home and then it will just be me, Caitlyn and Josh left. I think it's the three of us for a week and then a new group comes. Caitlyn and Josh will have one week with them and then they go home. So after that for two weeks I will have to find things to do on my own in the afternoons since they will be having speakers and Swahili lessons.
More soon!
Last night the first person from our group, Michelle went home :( We already miss her. Tonight, 2 more girls go home, one who was one of my roommates. Sad. Next Saturday four more people go home and then it will just be me, Caitlyn and Josh left. I think it's the three of us for a week and then a new group comes. Caitlyn and Josh will have one week with them and then they go home. So after that for two weeks I will have to find things to do on my own in the afternoons since they will be having speakers and Swahili lessons.
More soon!
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Rwanda Genocide Tribunal
Yesterday we didn't have work, instead we had a day trip to Arusha. On our way we got a flat tire. Abraham had a little trouble changing it because the jack was too short. So we hung out and took pictures for a little while before we got going again. We went to the Rwanda Genocide Tribunal building to watch a live trial, but they were on break when we got there. So, we went to the big Maasai market. So overwhelming! Everyone is trying to get you to go in their shop and buy stuff, you feel so much pressure. I got tire shoes for Kevin, and a really pretty large bowl and chess set (even though I don't play chess, it's really cool). After, we went to get lunch at a restaurant. I had super good pizza. I've missed pizza in the 3 wees I've been here. After, we went back to the genocide trial. They were trying a Mr. Kanyarukiga, a business man who is accused of ordering the demolition of a church full of 1,500 to 2,000 Tutsi's. The Tutsi's thought that churches would be a safe haven for them, but many died when they took refuge there because the churches were often bulldozed, set on fire, or the people inside shot. He is accused of physically being there and ordering the demolition, and celebrating with beers afterward. The priest of the church has already been convicted and sentenced to life in prison because of his involvement. It was really interesting, but a lot different than court back home. It was a UN trial, so there were 3 judges from different countries. The defense didn't seem to be very organized and made some pretty outrageous objections, and the prosecutor and defense attorney got pretty heated and sometimes called each other names. I'm getting updates via email about the progression of the trial. We saw one of the defense's witnesses, who was supposedly an alibi to the whereabouts of Kanyarukiga at the time of the church demolition. It was crazy hearing people talk about the genocide who were actually there. It was definitely very interesting for me. Then we went home, ate dinner, and I went to bed fairly early because I wasn't feeling very well. Living said the kids were asking where I was, they are so sweet. They were super happy to see me today, so nice. We worked on the letter C and colors again. It was hard keeping up with them today since my stomach is not feeling well but they are so fun to be around. It's super hot again today. Tomorrow I will have been gone from home for 3 weeks. Only 7 more to go!
Monday, January 18, 2010
Living's Birthday, Soccer game and Kili
Monday, January 18th
So we left around 8 am Sunday for the base of the mountain (Kilimanjaro). The driver was CRAZY and drove super fast. He didn't even slow down for the speed bumps (there are lots of speed bumps here so it takes quite awhile to get anywhere). Michelle and I were in the very back and one speed bump we went over sent us flying and we nailed our heads on the roof of the van. So he finally slowed down after that. When we got there our guides, Georgie and Robert, gave us our rain gear and some more water and we got all the paperwork done. We finally got going and it was so beautiful going through the forest. First we stopped at a really pretty waterfall then continued up. It was like rain forest really dark and lots of trees and plants. It was really green and there were lots of little waterfalls and springs coming down from the mountain. It took us about 3 hours to climb to the first camp. The top was windy and a little cold but the day was absolutely perfect, sunny with hardly any clouds in the sky. We ate outside and when we were eating we saw a family of monkeys running around by us. They were really big monkeys but were so cute. After lunch we climbed a little higher to the rim of a small crater created by volcanic activity. Once we got a little higher the landscape changed really dramatically, it was like walking through a door. It looked like out West Arizona-type climate with lots of pretty grasses and Dr. Seuss looking trees. We walked around the rim of the crater and on one side we got an awesome view of the border of Tanzania and then of Kenya, it was awesome. After some pictures we climbed back down which took about 2 more hours. It was steep in some places climbing up but for the most part a more gradual climb. Going down was a little slippery with the gravel but we made it. It was so pretty I can't even explain. On the way down we saw more monkeys and we also saw cows toward the bottom, which seemed crazy to see them in the forest but there is a Chagga tribe that lives in a valley right at the beginning of the hike, so that's where they came from. We were pretty tired (there was 4 of us, me, Michelle, Sabina and Karen) when we got back, so we had a big dinner and went to bed early. Our guides were so great, they really made the trip fun. They are so enthusiastic so we all had a great time. Today is super hot. I got some skirts made so Michelle and I are going to pick them up after this. I got two made for myself and a Barack Obama one made for Maggie (they LOVE him here, so close to where his family is from!). I'm gonna get Maggie another one also but haven't picked out a pattern yet. Living and Amani's soccer game in Arusha on Saturday was super fun. They are really good. Amani is a striker and scored both goals. They won 2 to 1. It's fun going on trips with everyone because our group is only 10 and everyone gets along well. This week I think we are doing a day trip back to Arusha to the building where the trials for the Rwanda genocide were held, we've driven past it both times we've been in Arusha and I'm really excited to go inside. Also, this weekend we are doing the coffee/hot springs/waterfall tour with Living and Amani. Should be really fun. It's been hot in our room the past two nights because on Friday after dinner when we went back in our room the light was on and there were about 30 huge flying ant looking things swarming around the light. Somehow we got a hole in our screen. The bugs swoop down to attack you and get in your hair. So nasty. We went and got Charlie (he is one of the guards--we always have a guard during the day and two at night since it's not safe at night, even though we live in a very safe neighborhood). They are so good to us. Charlie went into our room swatting them with his jacket it was so funny. He killed them for us and shut the windows, our hero. So, we had to keep the windows shut Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights so more bugs wouldn't get in. Today they put tape over the holes so hopefully that will work. Shaky Shaky on Friday night was also really fun. We went to Glacier, a bar where a lot of Mzungu's go (white people or foreigners) and then to Kool Bar, more of a local bar. It was fun. Amani and Living are very protective of us. All the girls dance together and if any guys come around us they will push them away or step in and dance with us until they go away. They are also really good about making sure we all get home safely, so we are all very safe with them. We continue to have a few more kids in class every day. Some are scared and sad but they all end up being ok. Today we worked on colors. It's hard to keep the attention of 25 three and four year olds! It's fun though, they are so cute.
So we left around 8 am Sunday for the base of the mountain (Kilimanjaro). The driver was CRAZY and drove super fast. He didn't even slow down for the speed bumps (there are lots of speed bumps here so it takes quite awhile to get anywhere). Michelle and I were in the very back and one speed bump we went over sent us flying and we nailed our heads on the roof of the van. So he finally slowed down after that. When we got there our guides, Georgie and Robert, gave us our rain gear and some more water and we got all the paperwork done. We finally got going and it was so beautiful going through the forest. First we stopped at a really pretty waterfall then continued up. It was like rain forest really dark and lots of trees and plants. It was really green and there were lots of little waterfalls and springs coming down from the mountain. It took us about 3 hours to climb to the first camp. The top was windy and a little cold but the day was absolutely perfect, sunny with hardly any clouds in the sky. We ate outside and when we were eating we saw a family of monkeys running around by us. They were really big monkeys but were so cute. After lunch we climbed a little higher to the rim of a small crater created by volcanic activity. Once we got a little higher the landscape changed really dramatically, it was like walking through a door. It looked like out West Arizona-type climate with lots of pretty grasses and Dr. Seuss looking trees. We walked around the rim of the crater and on one side we got an awesome view of the border of Tanzania and then of Kenya, it was awesome. After some pictures we climbed back down which took about 2 more hours. It was steep in some places climbing up but for the most part a more gradual climb. Going down was a little slippery with the gravel but we made it. It was so pretty I can't even explain. On the way down we saw more monkeys and we also saw cows toward the bottom, which seemed crazy to see them in the forest but there is a Chagga tribe that lives in a valley right at the beginning of the hike, so that's where they came from. We were pretty tired (there was 4 of us, me, Michelle, Sabina and Karen) when we got back, so we had a big dinner and went to bed early. Our guides were so great, they really made the trip fun. They are so enthusiastic so we all had a great time. Today is super hot. I got some skirts made so Michelle and I are going to pick them up after this. I got two made for myself and a Barack Obama one made for Maggie (they LOVE him here, so close to where his family is from!). I'm gonna get Maggie another one also but haven't picked out a pattern yet. Living and Amani's soccer game in Arusha on Saturday was super fun. They are really good. Amani is a striker and scored both goals. They won 2 to 1. It's fun going on trips with everyone because our group is only 10 and everyone gets along well. This week I think we are doing a day trip back to Arusha to the building where the trials for the Rwanda genocide were held, we've driven past it both times we've been in Arusha and I'm really excited to go inside. Also, this weekend we are doing the coffee/hot springs/waterfall tour with Living and Amani. Should be really fun. It's been hot in our room the past two nights because on Friday after dinner when we went back in our room the light was on and there were about 30 huge flying ant looking things swarming around the light. Somehow we got a hole in our screen. The bugs swoop down to attack you and get in your hair. So nasty. We went and got Charlie (he is one of the guards--we always have a guard during the day and two at night since it's not safe at night, even though we live in a very safe neighborhood). They are so good to us. Charlie went into our room swatting them with his jacket it was so funny. He killed them for us and shut the windows, our hero. So, we had to keep the windows shut Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights so more bugs wouldn't get in. Today they put tape over the holes so hopefully that will work. Shaky Shaky on Friday night was also really fun. We went to Glacier, a bar where a lot of Mzungu's go (white people or foreigners) and then to Kool Bar, more of a local bar. It was fun. Amani and Living are very protective of us. All the girls dance together and if any guys come around us they will push them away or step in and dance with us until they go away. They are also really good about making sure we all get home safely, so we are all very safe with them. We continue to have a few more kids in class every day. Some are scared and sad but they all end up being ok. Today we worked on colors. It's hard to keep the attention of 25 three and four year olds! It's fun though, they are so cute.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Hi all!
Here is a continuation of what's been going on during my trip thus far:
The safari was awesome! We left Friday after work and drove to our campsite near Lake Manyara national park. Then Friday night we went to see a traditional Maasai village. They sang and danced for us when we got there, and showed us their houses. They sleep in really tiny huts made out of cow dung full of cockroaches. There are two small "beds" made of bamboo shoots with only an animal hide to cover them. It's permanently dark and not well ventilated because they don't want wild animals to get inside. Then we went back, ate dinner, and went to bed. Saturday we got up early and went through Lake Manyara national park. The first thing we saw were baboons (they are everywhere here!). They can be pretty mean, they are constantly fighting with each other and screeching. The top of the truck comes off so we can stand up and see through the roof. One baboon jumped on top of the truck it was a little scary. We also saw hippos, giraffes, impalas, lots of elephants and birds. We did that for several hours then we went back, ate lunch, and headed farther to the Ngorongoro crater. We drove up to our campsite which was on the edge of the crater so it was really high up. The dirt roads were narrow and no guardrails, but fantastic views. It was pretty cold on the edge of the crater, and I was freezing. We ate dinner, drank and had a campfire. I woke up in the middle of the night hearing noises outside our tent. Then I heard someone else unzip her tent and yell "get out of here!" I was like ohhhh what the HELL is outside?! Then I heard it walk around to our tent and I heard really heavy serial killer-like breathing right by my head. I woke Sara up (there were two of us per tent) and we were freaked out for awhile. I kept my ears plugged for about two hours and kept asking her if she could still hear it cuz I didn't want to anymore. A little later we both had to pee so bad we braved the outside and ran to the bathrooms. We were so scared I'm sure we looked so stupid. The next morning we found out it was a big warthog. I'm just glad it wasn't something bigger or worse like a hyena. So then Sunday we went down into the crater where all the animals are. We saw so much! Wildebeast, antelopes, giraffes, ostriches, elephants, water buffalo, zebras, jackals, birds, flamingos, hippos, and, best of all, LIONS! There are about 60 or 70 lions in the crater. The first three we saw were hunting buffalo but didn't kill any. Then we came across some that had just finished eating. There was a huge male sleeping next to what was left of a wildebeast carcass and other males and females sleeping about 10 feet away. They were practically laying against the truck, SO CLOSE! I got some really good pictures. The hyenas were surrounding them waiting to scavenge the hunt. It was intense, especially when the lions woke up. It's crazy seeing them like that with no glass or anything between you. So then after several hours we drove back to Moshi and stopped for camel rides on the way. The camels are so tall when they stand up you feel so high in the air. It was cool. We were all pretty tired last night, after my ordeal with Pumba (that is a Lion King reference if you forgot, plus Pumba is the name for Warthog in Swahili) I needed sleep, so I went to bed at 9. Today we went back to work. It went by really fast. The kids are really good at math and science (like physics...they are really smart) but need A LOT of work on English, so that's what we worked on all day. On Wednesday I go to my placement at Watoto Rau (Watoto means children in Swahili and Rau is the town it's located). I'm excited because all the kids are 3 and 4, and because the person who started it is a local who also volunteers at CCS. So, he is with us every day. He was the first person to show us around when we got here. His name is Living, he's 23 and super awesome. It's amazing he started a nursery school already, and he pays for it out of pocket! I definitely want to do some fund raising for him when I get home, because he is currently trying to get his own land to build a school (currently he rents a bar when it's not being used in the mornings). So, I'm pretty excited to start there.
Today (note written on Tuesday) we went really close to Mt. Kilimanjaro. We visited a small Chagga village (the Chagga are the original people of this region) and I bought a couple small tools for Kev from blacksmiths that were working right in front of us. Then we went to this amazingly beautiful resort to eat lunch, then went to the Chagga live museum which was really cool, then we walked or should I say climbed down a really steep cliff to see this amazing waterfall. It was fantastic. Last night we went dancing and out to dinner it was really cool. We had the whole hall to ourselves and there were traditional dancers. Eventually, after a couple of drinks we all joined it. It was really fun. Daughter is "binti" in Swahili. I don't use it much because I am working with orphans right now. But, since today is a holiday that's why we went on our day trip to the Chagga village. Tomorrow I start at Watoto Rau, I"m really really excited!
Today (note written on Wednesday) I started at Watoto Rau (Watoto means "children" in Swahili and Rau is the town it's in). I work with Living (he started and runs the school out of his own pocket-he's only 23!) so it's really fun, he's great with the kids. We only had 9 students today. Soon we will have 25 between the two of us. The first week we are just working on songs, playing games, drawing and doing crafts. The kids are soooo cute! They are 3 and 4 years old. Today we taught them the ABC song. They are pretty good at picking up songs and words. One little girl named Asia (A-see-a) said "bye Mzungu" to me. Mzungu is the Swahili word for foreigner or white person here. It's so funny. We only teach them for 2 hours a day because they are so young. The school fee is only 2,000 Tanzanian shillings per month, where other nursery schools charge about 15,000. Living really tries to keep costs down and make it easy for the parents to pay. Moms can run errands and get a lot done without the kids running around for a couple of hours. So, I'll be there for the remainder of my time and I'm really excited. It doesn't take long for the kids to warm up to you. Today we have a guest speaker and this afternoon Swahili lessons. I'm gonna try to do my laundry today, we'll see how this goes. You have to hand wash it and hang it on clothes lines to dry. After it dries you have to iron it really well because while it's on the clothes line small larva or bugs from the Mango trees get into the fabric, and if you don't kill them they can crawl into you under your skin and make you really sick, so I'll be ironing really well.
Here is a continuation of what's been going on during my trip thus far:
The safari was awesome! We left Friday after work and drove to our campsite near Lake Manyara national park. Then Friday night we went to see a traditional Maasai village. They sang and danced for us when we got there, and showed us their houses. They sleep in really tiny huts made out of cow dung full of cockroaches. There are two small "beds" made of bamboo shoots with only an animal hide to cover them. It's permanently dark and not well ventilated because they don't want wild animals to get inside. Then we went back, ate dinner, and went to bed. Saturday we got up early and went through Lake Manyara national park. The first thing we saw were baboons (they are everywhere here!). They can be pretty mean, they are constantly fighting with each other and screeching. The top of the truck comes off so we can stand up and see through the roof. One baboon jumped on top of the truck it was a little scary. We also saw hippos, giraffes, impalas, lots of elephants and birds. We did that for several hours then we went back, ate lunch, and headed farther to the Ngorongoro crater. We drove up to our campsite which was on the edge of the crater so it was really high up. The dirt roads were narrow and no guardrails, but fantastic views. It was pretty cold on the edge of the crater, and I was freezing. We ate dinner, drank and had a campfire. I woke up in the middle of the night hearing noises outside our tent. Then I heard someone else unzip her tent and yell "get out of here!" I was like ohhhh what the HELL is outside?! Then I heard it walk around to our tent and I heard really heavy serial killer-like breathing right by my head. I woke Sara up (there were two of us per tent) and we were freaked out for awhile. I kept my ears plugged for about two hours and kept asking her if she could still hear it cuz I didn't want to anymore. A little later we both had to pee so bad we braved the outside and ran to the bathrooms. We were so scared I'm sure we looked so stupid. The next morning we found out it was a big warthog. I'm just glad it wasn't something bigger or worse like a hyena. So then Sunday we went down into the crater where all the animals are. We saw so much! Wildebeast, antelopes, giraffes, ostriches, elephants, water buffalo, zebras, jackals, birds, flamingos, hippos, and, best of all, LIONS! There are about 60 or 70 lions in the crater. The first three we saw were hunting buffalo but didn't kill any. Then we came across some that had just finished eating. There was a huge male sleeping next to what was left of a wildebeast carcass and other males and females sleeping about 10 feet away. They were practically laying against the truck, SO CLOSE! I got some really good pictures. The hyenas were surrounding them waiting to scavenge the hunt. It was intense, especially when the lions woke up. It's crazy seeing them like that with no glass or anything between you. So then after several hours we drove back to Moshi and stopped for camel rides on the way. The camels are so tall when they stand up you feel so high in the air. It was cool. We were all pretty tired last night, after my ordeal with Pumba (that is a Lion King reference if you forgot, plus Pumba is the name for Warthog in Swahili) I needed sleep, so I went to bed at 9. Today we went back to work. It went by really fast. The kids are really good at math and science (like physics...they are really smart) but need A LOT of work on English, so that's what we worked on all day. On Wednesday I go to my placement at Watoto Rau (Watoto means children in Swahili and Rau is the town it's located). I'm excited because all the kids are 3 and 4, and because the person who started it is a local who also volunteers at CCS. So, he is with us every day. He was the first person to show us around when we got here. His name is Living, he's 23 and super awesome. It's amazing he started a nursery school already, and he pays for it out of pocket! I definitely want to do some fund raising for him when I get home, because he is currently trying to get his own land to build a school (currently he rents a bar when it's not being used in the mornings). So, I'm pretty excited to start there.
Today (note written on Tuesday) we went really close to Mt. Kilimanjaro. We visited a small Chagga village (the Chagga are the original people of this region) and I bought a couple small tools for Kev from blacksmiths that were working right in front of us. Then we went to this amazingly beautiful resort to eat lunch, then went to the Chagga live museum which was really cool, then we walked or should I say climbed down a really steep cliff to see this amazing waterfall. It was fantastic. Last night we went dancing and out to dinner it was really cool. We had the whole hall to ourselves and there were traditional dancers. Eventually, after a couple of drinks we all joined it. It was really fun. Daughter is "binti" in Swahili. I don't use it much because I am working with orphans right now. But, since today is a holiday that's why we went on our day trip to the Chagga village. Tomorrow I start at Watoto Rau, I"m really really excited!
Today (note written on Wednesday) I started at Watoto Rau (Watoto means "children" in Swahili and Rau is the town it's in). I work with Living (he started and runs the school out of his own pocket-he's only 23!) so it's really fun, he's great with the kids. We only had 9 students today. Soon we will have 25 between the two of us. The first week we are just working on songs, playing games, drawing and doing crafts. The kids are soooo cute! They are 3 and 4 years old. Today we taught them the ABC song. They are pretty good at picking up songs and words. One little girl named Asia (A-see-a) said "bye Mzungu" to me. Mzungu is the Swahili word for foreigner or white person here. It's so funny. We only teach them for 2 hours a day because they are so young. The school fee is only 2,000 Tanzanian shillings per month, where other nursery schools charge about 15,000. Living really tries to keep costs down and make it easy for the parents to pay. Moms can run errands and get a lot done without the kids running around for a couple of hours. So, I'll be there for the remainder of my time and I'm really excited. It doesn't take long for the kids to warm up to you. Today we have a guest speaker and this afternoon Swahili lessons. I'm gonna try to do my laundry today, we'll see how this goes. You have to hand wash it and hang it on clothes lines to dry. After it dries you have to iron it really well because while it's on the clothes line small larva or bugs from the Mango trees get into the fabric, and if you don't kill them they can crawl into you under your skin and make you really sick, so I'll be ironing really well.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
First days in Moshi!
Hi all!
I've been in Moshi for over a week but we have been so crazy busy this is the first chance I have to post anything. I'll try to update you on everything I've been doing:
There definitely is an adjustment time when you get here. It's 9 hours difference from Minnesota. The first challenge was to go from below 0 weather in Minnesota to very hot, humid weather here. I've since gotten used to it and am sleeping quite well. Everything here is so completely different from home. The poverty is incredibly sad but the people are very happy, it's very refreshing to see everyone so nice and happy all the time. Their favorite saying here is "hakuna matata" or, "no worries". I've been learning a good amount of Swahili and the locals love to help you out and talk with you.
This is a note I wrote to my mom a couple days after arrival:
Tanzanian's are incredibly nice and welcoming. you can literally go to any house in the town and say "hodi" which means essentially, hello may i enter? and they will welcome you and offer you food and drink, even if they don't know you. We are going on our safari this weekend, a bit nervous because we are camping in the park but it is incredibly safe and we are going with highly recommended guides. we already met with them and they gave us a presentation and showed us their tents, supplies, trucks, etc. it was impressive. Mt. Kilimanjaro, we call her Kili here, is absolutely breathtaking. most of the time she is hiding in the clouds but this morning on our way to work you could see her. she is soooo close! one of the guys on the trip, actually the only guy right now, is climbing her after he leaves. he's here for 6 weeks. there is a 35 year old that is here and has been for 4 weeks. she is so outgoing. she has spent time in a lot of places. she has been a huge help. she's also going to be here up until my last two weeks. i'm also happy to report I'm sleeping better and my luggage came! Abraham, our driver, took me and another girl to get it. everything was in it, such good news! The food here is incredible! we have two chefs, Kisoka and Primo, and they give us a very balanced meal of traditional foods, lots of starches but also something like kale and lots and lots of fruits. There are crepes and natural peanut butter as a staple every morning along with a mix of other things. At lunch today one of the things we had was spaghetti with vegetable meatballs, so good! Anyway, i will give you guys an update soon. it's cooled down a bit since the first day but still very hot and humid.
Side note: On the first night I think a combination of exhaustion, the heat, and my malaria pills had me sleepwalking in my room...so happy that only happened once! I woke up looking out the window picking at the screen (we also all sleep with mosquito nets) and talking to myself. Yikes!
Here is my next note:
Another happy message from Tanzania! This place continues to be amazing. The people, I can't even describe. Incredible! I wish we had people like this in the states. They don't even have a word for stranger in Swahili. I'm learning lots of the language because everyone is so willing to help and talk with you. We go on our safari this weekend. We leave Friday right after we are done teaching and come back Sunday night. So, after tomorrow (Thursday) I won't be able to message you until Monday. I'm so excited! On the safari we also go see a traditional Maasai tribe. I have met some people from traditional Maasai tribes, they still wear traditional clothes, it is awesome! One guy, Zach, we only met once but already is a good friend. I know I will see him around more, he lives really close. If you don't know what they wear you should google it, it's so cool. I can't believe I'm actually seeing all the things I learned about in my classes in college. My students are so cute, and SUPER SMART! They are 10 and some are asking me to teach the process of rain, about water vapor and advanced algebra. I'm trying to keep up! These first three weeks we have such a full schedule, I have been getting up around 5 am to work on my lesson plans or read a bit (because I'm so tired at night), then at 7 is breakfast, then we leave for work at 8, then get back around 12:30, then lunch at 1, and then for the first few weeks our afternoons are filled with day excursions, guest speakers, and Swahili lessons. After the first three weeks things will calm down, but I have a feeling I will still be crazy busy. As of now I'm not super homesick, just of course miss my boy, so I hope that continues for the rest of the 9 weeks, this is only week one! Feels like I've already been here for at least 2. I am going to start taking pics of some of the food because it's too incredible to explain. I haven't had to take even one allergy pill yet (KNOCK ON WOOD!!!!!!!). Hopefully that continues. I'm also getting used to the heat, to being dirty and being sweaty. When you walk into the orphanage the kids practically attack you, wanting to touch you and talk to you. They all fight to hold your hand. They are so precious! Already I know I will never forget them. My goal is to give them the best education I possibly can while I'm here. They are so smart I wish they had more opportunities. They are so willing to learn, it makes you feel guilty for taking advantage of our education or not listening. They cherish pencils, paper, any type of material. They have no books. Tomorrow I'm giving them a test on geography, one of the things they don't know a lot about (they love exams and were amazed when I brought a map in today). I'm also going to bring a biology book and work off of that tomorrow. I will work more on my lesson plan tonight/tomorrow morning. Also, I guess for my internship here I have to write a 10 page experience/research paper when I get home from here. So, I will have to start working on that. There are 3 people here doing internships, and because we are we get to hear a few more special speakers and go on a few more small trips. Also, if we want to learn about a particular subject, our director said just to ask and he will try his best to get a local Tanzanian who is an expert in the field, so cool!
ps: I am being forced to get over my fear of chickens. They are everywhere here, even a couple roosters (who crow literally all night, I'm learning to sleep through that) and chickens here at the homebase. There are 2 roosters and about 6 hens and about 20 chicks at the orphanage.....eeeeeeeeeeeeeewwwww!
My time is out, that's all for now, more later!!!
I've been in Moshi for over a week but we have been so crazy busy this is the first chance I have to post anything. I'll try to update you on everything I've been doing:
There definitely is an adjustment time when you get here. It's 9 hours difference from Minnesota. The first challenge was to go from below 0 weather in Minnesota to very hot, humid weather here. I've since gotten used to it and am sleeping quite well. Everything here is so completely different from home. The poverty is incredibly sad but the people are very happy, it's very refreshing to see everyone so nice and happy all the time. Their favorite saying here is "hakuna matata" or, "no worries". I've been learning a good amount of Swahili and the locals love to help you out and talk with you.
This is a note I wrote to my mom a couple days after arrival:
Tanzanian's are incredibly nice and welcoming. you can literally go to any house in the town and say "hodi" which means essentially, hello may i enter? and they will welcome you and offer you food and drink, even if they don't know you. We are going on our safari this weekend, a bit nervous because we are camping in the park but it is incredibly safe and we are going with highly recommended guides. we already met with them and they gave us a presentation and showed us their tents, supplies, trucks, etc. it was impressive. Mt. Kilimanjaro, we call her Kili here, is absolutely breathtaking. most of the time she is hiding in the clouds but this morning on our way to work you could see her. she is soooo close! one of the guys on the trip, actually the only guy right now, is climbing her after he leaves. he's here for 6 weeks. there is a 35 year old that is here and has been for 4 weeks. she is so outgoing. she has spent time in a lot of places. she has been a huge help. she's also going to be here up until my last two weeks. i'm also happy to report I'm sleeping better and my luggage came! Abraham, our driver, took me and another girl to get it. everything was in it, such good news! The food here is incredible! we have two chefs, Kisoka and Primo, and they give us a very balanced meal of traditional foods, lots of starches but also something like kale and lots and lots of fruits. There are crepes and natural peanut butter as a staple every morning along with a mix of other things. At lunch today one of the things we had was spaghetti with vegetable meatballs, so good! Anyway, i will give you guys an update soon. it's cooled down a bit since the first day but still very hot and humid.
Side note: On the first night I think a combination of exhaustion, the heat, and my malaria pills had me sleepwalking in my room...so happy that only happened once! I woke up looking out the window picking at the screen (we also all sleep with mosquito nets) and talking to myself. Yikes!
Here is my next note:
Another happy message from Tanzania! This place continues to be amazing. The people, I can't even describe. Incredible! I wish we had people like this in the states. They don't even have a word for stranger in Swahili. I'm learning lots of the language because everyone is so willing to help and talk with you. We go on our safari this weekend. We leave Friday right after we are done teaching and come back Sunday night. So, after tomorrow (Thursday) I won't be able to message you until Monday. I'm so excited! On the safari we also go see a traditional Maasai tribe. I have met some people from traditional Maasai tribes, they still wear traditional clothes, it is awesome! One guy, Zach, we only met once but already is a good friend. I know I will see him around more, he lives really close. If you don't know what they wear you should google it, it's so cool. I can't believe I'm actually seeing all the things I learned about in my classes in college. My students are so cute, and SUPER SMART! They are 10 and some are asking me to teach the process of rain, about water vapor and advanced algebra. I'm trying to keep up! These first three weeks we have such a full schedule, I have been getting up around 5 am to work on my lesson plans or read a bit (because I'm so tired at night), then at 7 is breakfast, then we leave for work at 8, then get back around 12:30, then lunch at 1, and then for the first few weeks our afternoons are filled with day excursions, guest speakers, and Swahili lessons. After the first three weeks things will calm down, but I have a feeling I will still be crazy busy. As of now I'm not super homesick, just of course miss my boy, so I hope that continues for the rest of the 9 weeks, this is only week one! Feels like I've already been here for at least 2. I am going to start taking pics of some of the food because it's too incredible to explain. I haven't had to take even one allergy pill yet (KNOCK ON WOOD!!!!!!!). Hopefully that continues. I'm also getting used to the heat, to being dirty and being sweaty. When you walk into the orphanage the kids practically attack you, wanting to touch you and talk to you. They all fight to hold your hand. They are so precious! Already I know I will never forget them. My goal is to give them the best education I possibly can while I'm here. They are so smart I wish they had more opportunities. They are so willing to learn, it makes you feel guilty for taking advantage of our education or not listening. They cherish pencils, paper, any type of material. They have no books. Tomorrow I'm giving them a test on geography, one of the things they don't know a lot about (they love exams and were amazed when I brought a map in today). I'm also going to bring a biology book and work off of that tomorrow. I will work more on my lesson plan tonight/tomorrow morning. Also, I guess for my internship here I have to write a 10 page experience/research paper when I get home from here. So, I will have to start working on that. There are 3 people here doing internships, and because we are we get to hear a few more special speakers and go on a few more small trips. Also, if we want to learn about a particular subject, our director said just to ask and he will try his best to get a local Tanzanian who is an expert in the field, so cool!
ps: I am being forced to get over my fear of chickens. They are everywhere here, even a couple roosters (who crow literally all night, I'm learning to sleep through that) and chickens here at the homebase. There are 2 roosters and about 6 hens and about 20 chicks at the orphanage.....eeeeeeeeeeeeeewwwww!
My time is out, that's all for now, more later!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)