Posts
Well folks, I've actually enjoyed writing this blog to keep you all updated about what was going on in Tanzania. I'm so glad that a lot of friends are reading it & enjoying my stories. It was a good idea after all!
I've been home for 3 weeks now & still have my heart in Moshi. I was NOT ready to leave. Just when I got all comfortable w/ life there I was wisked away to Walnutport, PA. Boo hoo hoo! I still feel like I could take off a week & do nothing but meditate on my experience & look at the pictures. By the way- if anyone wants to see pics, I have most of them uploaded onto KodakGallery. Just let me know if you want the links.
So many people have asked, "how was your trip?". I think if you kept up w/ my blog, you'll see clearly how it all was. YES- I would leave tomorrow & do it all over again!!! I've received 2 emails from my kids already-it's so awesome!! I wish I could see them all again.
Going to Tanzania & volunteering w/ CCS was a phenominal experience. I could not have known how much joy, compassion & love I'd experience there. I think my heart grew 10 times. Ü
So if any of you ever have the opportunity to help others in any way- do it! You never know what your ripple in the pond of life can do.
Peace & love~
Kwaheri!
Jes
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
International Women's Day Parade- or so We Thought
The last morning I was in Moshi, there was a town "festival" going on - International Women's Day. I heard about it from a flyer at the internet cafe. There was going to be a parade & festivities after. As luck would have it, the 2 mzungu volunteers who organized the event walked in to the cafe! I thought it was an awesome idea & said I'd post the flyer at our home base (they were from a different group). They said everyone would meet behind the police station by the YMCA & the festivities would be at Moshi Books. They said anyone could walk in the parade-cool! Plus afterwards, there was going to be kangas (sarongs) & tshirts sold, some food & other things going on. It was at 8:30am & my flight wasn't until 4:45pm, so I had plenty of time to go check it out. How cool to experience International Women's Day in Tanzania before I went home!!
So about 6 of us headed out Saturday morning to the YMCA. We figured we'd see a crowd & just follow it. Well, we couldn't find anyone anywhere. We asked a guy working at the Y where the police station was. He directed us clear across town. It didn't make any sense! I apologized to the girls & said that's what I thought those 2 volunteer gals said to me. So something got screwed up in the conversation. So we headed towards Moshi Books instead to ask them & along the way, guess what we see & hear? A PARADE! Yay! They were headed right towards us along the main road. So we stopped to watch, take some pictures & join in the fun.
There were tons of women all wearing green, yellow & white clothes & kangas, some carrying signs. They were so excited to see us & waved us in to walk. Cool! We were smiling, they were smiling, they were led by a little band- guys playing a trumpet, trombone, snare drum & bass drum. It was very festive & a lot of fun! These women were so happy we were walking w/ them. The music was fun & jazzy so we were all dancing. The local women got a HUGE kick out of me dancing. Being a bellydancer, I know how to shake my thang. I guess they don't figure "white" girls can move like they can-haha. They kept pointing to me & cheering. It was cute.
In the meantime, we were all wondering why we were the only mzungus walking w/ them. Where were the others? Hmmm...weird.
So we walked all over & ended up behind a building where there was a stage area set up & a big tent w/ tons of folding chairs. Women were wrapping scarves & kangas on us-they were so happy! A group of about 12 women dressed alike, were in a semi-circle singing & playing clackers that were actually cow horns. One rather large woman was sitting in the middle playing a big drum. They sounded awesome! We were all dancing w/ them & they still kept pointing at my booty & cheering at what a good job I was doing, haha!
So we're getting all hot & sweaty & still wondering where all the others were. I was more confused cuz I thought we were supposed to end up at the bookstore, which we weren't. Still we were having fun. We got up to dance several times. Also wondering who the people were sitting up on the stage & still wondering where all the others were. I thought, "Could there possibly have been *2* parades going on at the same time? Were we at the WRONG parade???"
Well, I'll be damned- YES WE WERE! This was some kind of POLITICAL celebration!!!!!! It was hysterical!!! Everyone kept shouting something like, "CCM- OH YEA!" We were so confused! I don't know how in the world there could have been 2 parades in the same town at the same time. These folks were so happy we were there though! Camera guys were taking all kinds of pictures & then they wanted us to write our names down & get up & address the crowd! It was SO funny. We all thought we were going to be in the next day's newspaper!!! So we bagged out as innocently as we could & headed to Moshi Books to find out where the REAL Women's Day thing was!!!
There was nothing at the bookstore, but they directed us just up the street to a Community Center where the real deal was being held. UNbelievable!!!! I still can't believe there were 2 parades!!! SO funny.
So even though we missed their parade, the whole center was filled w/ people & vendors selling handmade stuff to benefit local women's groups. We were glad to make some purchases & show our support.
What a WACKY day!!!! So, so far I haven't been called by the Tanzanian government....
So about 6 of us headed out Saturday morning to the YMCA. We figured we'd see a crowd & just follow it. Well, we couldn't find anyone anywhere. We asked a guy working at the Y where the police station was. He directed us clear across town. It didn't make any sense! I apologized to the girls & said that's what I thought those 2 volunteer gals said to me. So something got screwed up in the conversation. So we headed towards Moshi Books instead to ask them & along the way, guess what we see & hear? A PARADE! Yay! They were headed right towards us along the main road. So we stopped to watch, take some pictures & join in the fun.
There were tons of women all wearing green, yellow & white clothes & kangas, some carrying signs. They were so excited to see us & waved us in to walk. Cool! We were smiling, they were smiling, they were led by a little band- guys playing a trumpet, trombone, snare drum & bass drum. It was very festive & a lot of fun! These women were so happy we were walking w/ them. The music was fun & jazzy so we were all dancing. The local women got a HUGE kick out of me dancing. Being a bellydancer, I know how to shake my thang. I guess they don't figure "white" girls can move like they can-haha. They kept pointing to me & cheering. It was cute.
In the meantime, we were all wondering why we were the only mzungus walking w/ them. Where were the others? Hmmm...weird.
So we walked all over & ended up behind a building where there was a stage area set up & a big tent w/ tons of folding chairs. Women were wrapping scarves & kangas on us-they were so happy! A group of about 12 women dressed alike, were in a semi-circle singing & playing clackers that were actually cow horns. One rather large woman was sitting in the middle playing a big drum. They sounded awesome! We were all dancing w/ them & they still kept pointing at my booty & cheering at what a good job I was doing, haha!
So we're getting all hot & sweaty & still wondering where all the others were. I was more confused cuz I thought we were supposed to end up at the bookstore, which we weren't. Still we were having fun. We got up to dance several times. Also wondering who the people were sitting up on the stage & still wondering where all the others were. I thought, "Could there possibly have been *2* parades going on at the same time? Were we at the WRONG parade???"
Well, I'll be damned- YES WE WERE! This was some kind of POLITICAL celebration!!!!!! It was hysterical!!! Everyone kept shouting something like, "CCM- OH YEA!" We were so confused! I don't know how in the world there could have been 2 parades in the same town at the same time. These folks were so happy we were there though! Camera guys were taking all kinds of pictures & then they wanted us to write our names down & get up & address the crowd! It was SO funny. We all thought we were going to be in the next day's newspaper!!! So we bagged out as innocently as we could & headed to Moshi Books to find out where the REAL Women's Day thing was!!!
There was nothing at the bookstore, but they directed us just up the street to a Community Center where the real deal was being held. UNbelievable!!!! I still can't believe there were 2 parades!!! SO funny.
So even though we missed their parade, the whole center was filled w/ people & vendors selling handmade stuff to benefit local women's groups. We were glad to make some purchases & show our support.
What a WACKY day!!!! So, so far I haven't been called by the Tanzanian government....
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Girl Talk- No Boys Allowed
Warning= GIRL TALK! No boys allowed!!
This was something I forgot to write about before. I want to include it now cuz it was so awesome.
Prior to leaving for my trip, I knew I was going to be w/ older, teenage kids & I was reminded by Jenn that it might be good to bring along some feminine "supplies". After one of our sessions w/ Sara (CCS staff), I mentioned it to her- about taking them w/ me to school for the girls & telling them I had them. She informed me that Tanzanian girls have a code word for supplies- "BREAD". In case there are any boys around, they can talk about 'bread' w/out feeling embarrassed I guess. Sara said it would be good for me to talk to the girls about their periods & she even said I could talk to them about HIV & using condoms/safe sex. WOW. Got the green light.
So the 2nd Friday at school, I grabbed some girls & said I wanted to talk to them outside. One girl went for the rest of the girls & we all gathered outside at the bottom of the steps. It was SO cute. We all gathered in this football huddle w/ our arms around each other, leaning in close. They were all giggly & excited.
"OK girls, I want to talk to you about your period."
A collective "ooooohhhhh".
"I have some bread".
Again, "ooohhhhh".
I told them what I had & that I would bring it with me each day. They should just ask me whenever they needed it & I'd give them some. Then I asked them if they had any questions. Boy-did they ever!
"Why do I feel so bad?"
"Why does it hurt?"
"How long should it last?"
"What if it's more than 10 days?"
"What if it's 2 times in 1 month?"
WOW! It was amazing. I wondered if they ever had anyone tell them anything about their periods. We all get the talk in middle school to some degree, but these girls never had any kind of Health class, I'm sure. It was so awesome to be able to talk to them about this & answer their questions as best as I could. Of course w/ some things I told them to talk to their mother, grandmother or healer.
Then I mentioned sex- no matter what, always, always, always have him use a condom! They all kind of looked like they were taking it all in & nodding their heads. I said,"You don't ever want to get sick- get HIV or get pregnant before you're married". Once again, a collective "nnnnoooooooo!!" Of course I told them to wait til they get married, but regardless (just in case) always use a condom.
WOW! What an experience to be able to "minister'' to the girls in this way! I kinda felt proud that I could open up & talk to them about all of this & answer their questions. All the girls at home base were amazed that I had this talk w/ my girls. It was so neat.
GIRL POWER!!!
This was something I forgot to write about before. I want to include it now cuz it was so awesome.
Prior to leaving for my trip, I knew I was going to be w/ older, teenage kids & I was reminded by Jenn that it might be good to bring along some feminine "supplies". After one of our sessions w/ Sara (CCS staff), I mentioned it to her- about taking them w/ me to school for the girls & telling them I had them. She informed me that Tanzanian girls have a code word for supplies- "BREAD". In case there are any boys around, they can talk about 'bread' w/out feeling embarrassed I guess. Sara said it would be good for me to talk to the girls about their periods & she even said I could talk to them about HIV & using condoms/safe sex. WOW. Got the green light.
So the 2nd Friday at school, I grabbed some girls & said I wanted to talk to them outside. One girl went for the rest of the girls & we all gathered outside at the bottom of the steps. It was SO cute. We all gathered in this football huddle w/ our arms around each other, leaning in close. They were all giggly & excited.
"OK girls, I want to talk to you about your period."
A collective "ooooohhhhh".
"I have some bread".
Again, "ooohhhhh".
I told them what I had & that I would bring it with me each day. They should just ask me whenever they needed it & I'd give them some. Then I asked them if they had any questions. Boy-did they ever!
"Why do I feel so bad?"
"Why does it hurt?"
"How long should it last?"
"What if it's more than 10 days?"
"What if it's 2 times in 1 month?"
WOW! It was amazing. I wondered if they ever had anyone tell them anything about their periods. We all get the talk in middle school to some degree, but these girls never had any kind of Health class, I'm sure. It was so awesome to be able to talk to them about this & answer their questions as best as I could. Of course w/ some things I told them to talk to their mother, grandmother or healer.
Then I mentioned sex- no matter what, always, always, always have him use a condom! They all kind of looked like they were taking it all in & nodding their heads. I said,"You don't ever want to get sick- get HIV or get pregnant before you're married". Once again, a collective "nnnnoooooooo!!" Of course I told them to wait til they get married, but regardless (just in case) always use a condom.
WOW! What an experience to be able to "minister'' to the girls in this way! I kinda felt proud that I could open up & talk to them about all of this & answer their questions. All the girls at home base were amazed that I had this talk w/ my girls. It was so neat.
GIRL POWER!!!
Thursday, March 13, 2008
More About the Last Day of School
The kids split up to go to their classes & I went with Andrew into his office to talk.
I'm going to back up & say that Thursday we had a feedback session at home base w/ Sara & Mama Grace. I told them I'd love to help out the school in some way after I go home. We weren't allowed to bring/give gifts so I thought it'd be better to do something once I'm at home, on my own. I said I'd love to get them English books from Tanzania but how do I do that? Was there a publisher in Tanzania? How would I send them? I'd even love to donate a new blackboard instead if that was possible. They couldn't really give me a solid answer.
So, in Andrew's office, he had talked to Sara about my wanting to donate books or something else useful. He was so happy & said he'd come w/ me across the street to Moshi Books to look at some/pick them out. I was confused cuz Sara didn't give me an answer about it. I explained to Andrew that I had to talk to Sara first to see if it was ok, how could we arrange it, etc. He offered to drive me to home base & talk to her. I said let's just call her first. He was anxious! He told me about a past volunteer who donated a computer & printer for his office & that it was ok cuz it was her own doing & not because he asked for it. So he was telling me that as long as my wanting to make a donation of books was coming from my heart & not cuz they asked for it, that it was ok. Still , I needed Sara's approval to feel that it was ok w/ CCS.
We went to Moshi Books & he picked out an English text for Form 1, Form 3 & a teacher's manual. They were all $6 each. I wondered how long it would take for them to order all that I needed for the kids. Andrew said it's a big store & they have everything. I doubted that they'd have enough though. We went back into the classes & counted how many kids. 16 in mine, 14 in Sam's plus 2 stragglers. Andrew explained that I could get 1 book for 2 students to share, even 1 book per 3 students if money was an issue. I thought in my mind- of course not! If I'm going to do this, everyone is getting their own book.
We couldn't get Sara on the phone so he did drive me to home base. She wasn't there but David was, another staff member. I explained what I wanted to do & he said as long as it was coming from my heart it was ok. He didn't want me saying that CCS 'told' me to give something, of course not. This was something I wanted to do on my own. He said that it was fine & he'd back me up. Cool!! So I grabbed my purse & checked to see how much cash I had left. I was good so Andrew drove me to a Bureau de Change, I got the shillings & we went back to school & walked over to Moshi Books.
It was incredible!!! I was getting the books TODAY! I said how many I wanted & next thing you know, the women are coming from the back of the store w/ the stacks of books in their arms. They had them ALL!!!! I couldn't believe it! No waiting- I could physically give the kids the new books right away before I left!!!! All the books (33) came out to be around $150. In the grand scheme of things, it's a drop in the bucket. To know how they would be used & how desperately they needed them, it was no question in my mind that it was right.
So with weighted bags, we walked over to school to Andrew's office. He wanted to stamp each book w/ the school emblem. When we got to his office, he just grabbed me by the shoulders & absolutely beamed from ear to ear. He hugged me on both sides & kissed me on both cheeks & kept thanking me over & over. I was elated to be able to pull this off in 1 day!! Especially before I left! We were both giddy with excitement. He used my camera & got some shots of me stamping the books & I got him too-he looks SOOO happy. It was phenominal.
We were bursting at the seams with excitement to give the kids the books. Oh, by the way, I had planned to review my lessons w/ the kids, play my frame drum for them, etc but this took all day! I didn't get to do anything w/ my kids. One of the other teachers was with them the whole morning so they weren't alone. They just covered other stuff while I was out & about. They had no idea where I was or what was going on.heehee!
So I came into my class w/ the Form 1 books stacked in my arms. They all got wide eyed with excitement & started cheering! Andrew explained to them that they were to keep the books safe, in good condition & sign them out. They were to leave them at school & pick them up in the morning. We didn't want them writing in the books so that the next year students could use them, & the next & the next. Andrew took a bunch of pics when I passed them out to the kids. It was the greatest!Next, we went to Sam's Form 3 class & we had Sam pass them out & took more pics.
It was the greatest day ever. So amazing. Bittersweet with leaving & missing them, but incredibly moving to be able to do something so simple & easy to help sustain the school for the future.
At the beginning of my trip, we had written 3 personal goals during orientation. I didn't feel that I totally accomplished my last goal of passing on the blessings that have been given to me so that others could be helped. Until my last day. It all came full circle & I felt a great sense of inner knowing & satisfaction that I had done what I felt I needed to do. I tried my best, felt the struggles, S T R E T C H E D myself, jumped & cheered for my kids when they "got" the lessons, felt so proud when they thought creatively for themselves & fell in love w/ all of them in 3 short weeks. My heart truly grew 10x. Doing this program was one of the best things I've ever done.
PS- the kids all got some more Hershey Kisses thrown at them when I left. ;)
I'm going to back up & say that Thursday we had a feedback session at home base w/ Sara & Mama Grace. I told them I'd love to help out the school in some way after I go home. We weren't allowed to bring/give gifts so I thought it'd be better to do something once I'm at home, on my own. I said I'd love to get them English books from Tanzania but how do I do that? Was there a publisher in Tanzania? How would I send them? I'd even love to donate a new blackboard instead if that was possible. They couldn't really give me a solid answer.
So, in Andrew's office, he had talked to Sara about my wanting to donate books or something else useful. He was so happy & said he'd come w/ me across the street to Moshi Books to look at some/pick them out. I was confused cuz Sara didn't give me an answer about it. I explained to Andrew that I had to talk to Sara first to see if it was ok, how could we arrange it, etc. He offered to drive me to home base & talk to her. I said let's just call her first. He was anxious! He told me about a past volunteer who donated a computer & printer for his office & that it was ok cuz it was her own doing & not because he asked for it. So he was telling me that as long as my wanting to make a donation of books was coming from my heart & not cuz they asked for it, that it was ok. Still , I needed Sara's approval to feel that it was ok w/ CCS.
We went to Moshi Books & he picked out an English text for Form 1, Form 3 & a teacher's manual. They were all $6 each. I wondered how long it would take for them to order all that I needed for the kids. Andrew said it's a big store & they have everything. I doubted that they'd have enough though. We went back into the classes & counted how many kids. 16 in mine, 14 in Sam's plus 2 stragglers. Andrew explained that I could get 1 book for 2 students to share, even 1 book per 3 students if money was an issue. I thought in my mind- of course not! If I'm going to do this, everyone is getting their own book.
We couldn't get Sara on the phone so he did drive me to home base. She wasn't there but David was, another staff member. I explained what I wanted to do & he said as long as it was coming from my heart it was ok. He didn't want me saying that CCS 'told' me to give something, of course not. This was something I wanted to do on my own. He said that it was fine & he'd back me up. Cool!! So I grabbed my purse & checked to see how much cash I had left. I was good so Andrew drove me to a Bureau de Change, I got the shillings & we went back to school & walked over to Moshi Books.
It was incredible!!! I was getting the books TODAY! I said how many I wanted & next thing you know, the women are coming from the back of the store w/ the stacks of books in their arms. They had them ALL!!!! I couldn't believe it! No waiting- I could physically give the kids the new books right away before I left!!!! All the books (33) came out to be around $150. In the grand scheme of things, it's a drop in the bucket. To know how they would be used & how desperately they needed them, it was no question in my mind that it was right.
So with weighted bags, we walked over to school to Andrew's office. He wanted to stamp each book w/ the school emblem. When we got to his office, he just grabbed me by the shoulders & absolutely beamed from ear to ear. He hugged me on both sides & kissed me on both cheeks & kept thanking me over & over. I was elated to be able to pull this off in 1 day!! Especially before I left! We were both giddy with excitement. He used my camera & got some shots of me stamping the books & I got him too-he looks SOOO happy. It was phenominal.
We were bursting at the seams with excitement to give the kids the books. Oh, by the way, I had planned to review my lessons w/ the kids, play my frame drum for them, etc but this took all day! I didn't get to do anything w/ my kids. One of the other teachers was with them the whole morning so they weren't alone. They just covered other stuff while I was out & about. They had no idea where I was or what was going on.heehee!
So I came into my class w/ the Form 1 books stacked in my arms. They all got wide eyed with excitement & started cheering! Andrew explained to them that they were to keep the books safe, in good condition & sign them out. They were to leave them at school & pick them up in the morning. We didn't want them writing in the books so that the next year students could use them, & the next & the next. Andrew took a bunch of pics when I passed them out to the kids. It was the greatest!Next, we went to Sam's Form 3 class & we had Sam pass them out & took more pics.
It was the greatest day ever. So amazing. Bittersweet with leaving & missing them, but incredibly moving to be able to do something so simple & easy to help sustain the school for the future.
At the beginning of my trip, we had written 3 personal goals during orientation. I didn't feel that I totally accomplished my last goal of passing on the blessings that have been given to me so that others could be helped. Until my last day. It all came full circle & I felt a great sense of inner knowing & satisfaction that I had done what I felt I needed to do. I tried my best, felt the struggles, S T R E T C H E D myself, jumped & cheered for my kids when they "got" the lessons, felt so proud when they thought creatively for themselves & fell in love w/ all of them in 3 short weeks. My heart truly grew 10x. Doing this program was one of the best things I've ever done.
PS- the kids all got some more Hershey Kisses thrown at them when I left. ;)
Last Day at School- :(
Hi gang,
Most of you know that I'm home safe & sound now. I didn't have an opportunity to get to a computer during my last 2 days so I haven't been able to catch up with what happened. So I'll try to remember everything!
My last day, Friday, started out on a sad note. I was all bummed & emotional Thursday night too. At breakfast Friday morning, Sara (our staff member) told me & Sam that our head master, Andrew, has not been in to school lately because his wife had to give birth to a stillborn baby. Dear Lord. I started crying & Sam was also in disbelief. Andrew has a bad leg & walks with a profound limp so we both thought, how much can one man go through? It's not fair. We were so upset. Then Sara told me that Andrew was coming in to school to say goodbye to me. I said, "Oh no! You call him & tell him to stay home w/ his wife! That's more important. He does not have to come in just for me". She called him but he had already left.
We ge to school & one of the boys grabbed my arm & said, "Teecha, you sit with us for prayers today". Cool! We always sat in the study room when they did that so I was thrilled to see them singing & stuff. I sat amongst the kids & Sam sat in too. It was so nice. They sing like they mean it! Stanley (teacher) read from the bible about ask & you shall receive, seek & you will find, etc. Andrew came in then & Stanley asked him to say something. He briefly told the kids he was sorry for not being around but things at home were hard but he trusts God & thanks God that his wife is home & ok (didn't mention the baby). Then Andrew started talking to me in front of everyone saying such wonderful things about me being there-thanking me for everything I've done, that the kids enjoyed me so much, etc,etc. Of course the waterworks started flowing!!!!
Then he asked the kids if anyone wanted to say anything. Emmanuel stood up, looked at me & said the most wonderful things! I can't say word for word, but it was all so moving to me. It was so incredibly sweet!! I'm crying some more...and they sang me a song! It was about "our time being too short"-ohhhhh boy. Then Andrew asked me if I'd say something to the class. Oh boy!I was a mess!
So I got up in front of everyone & couldn't speak for about 30 seconds. I just looked at their faces & knew I'd never see them again & how amazing they are & how much they've impacted my life. I squeaked out how I came there & didn't know what to expect, that they were such great kids who have touched my heart so deeply & I love them all. It was SO hard!!!!
I wasn't expecting all of that at all! It was SO special. Everything they said, such wonderful things...my heart has truly grown 10x.
Most of you know that I'm home safe & sound now. I didn't have an opportunity to get to a computer during my last 2 days so I haven't been able to catch up with what happened. So I'll try to remember everything!
My last day, Friday, started out on a sad note. I was all bummed & emotional Thursday night too. At breakfast Friday morning, Sara (our staff member) told me & Sam that our head master, Andrew, has not been in to school lately because his wife had to give birth to a stillborn baby. Dear Lord. I started crying & Sam was also in disbelief. Andrew has a bad leg & walks with a profound limp so we both thought, how much can one man go through? It's not fair. We were so upset. Then Sara told me that Andrew was coming in to school to say goodbye to me. I said, "Oh no! You call him & tell him to stay home w/ his wife! That's more important. He does not have to come in just for me". She called him but he had already left.
We ge to school & one of the boys grabbed my arm & said, "Teecha, you sit with us for prayers today". Cool! We always sat in the study room when they did that so I was thrilled to see them singing & stuff. I sat amongst the kids & Sam sat in too. It was so nice. They sing like they mean it! Stanley (teacher) read from the bible about ask & you shall receive, seek & you will find, etc. Andrew came in then & Stanley asked him to say something. He briefly told the kids he was sorry for not being around but things at home were hard but he trusts God & thanks God that his wife is home & ok (didn't mention the baby). Then Andrew started talking to me in front of everyone saying such wonderful things about me being there-thanking me for everything I've done, that the kids enjoyed me so much, etc,etc. Of course the waterworks started flowing!!!!
Then he asked the kids if anyone wanted to say anything. Emmanuel stood up, looked at me & said the most wonderful things! I can't say word for word, but it was all so moving to me. It was so incredibly sweet!! I'm crying some more...and they sang me a song! It was about "our time being too short"-ohhhhh boy. Then Andrew asked me if I'd say something to the class. Oh boy!I was a mess!
So I got up in front of everyone & couldn't speak for about 30 seconds. I just looked at their faces & knew I'd never see them again & how amazing they are & how much they've impacted my life. I squeaked out how I came there & didn't know what to expect, that they were such great kids who have touched my heart so deeply & I love them all. It was SO hard!!!!
I wasn't expecting all of that at all! It was SO special. Everything they said, such wonderful things...my heart has truly grown 10x.
Friday, March 7, 2008
About Cross-Cultural Solutions
Hi gang, I thought I'd write a little bit about Cross-Cultural Solutions & the program here.
It's been so amazing!! I had no idea of what to expect when I came here. The program is run SO efficiently. Not only have I volunteered at a school here, but I have been totally immersed in the Tanzanian culture, thanks a lot to them.
We have some staff members here that take good care of us. Sara is the best! She's a 27 yr old woman who always has a cell phone in her hand to make sure everything is running smoothly. If you have any kind of question or problem, she'll get to the bottom of it. Moses is an older gent, as well as Mama Grace. They oversee our programs. David helps too, taking control of paperwork, passports & in-country permit things. We have 3 drivers that take all of us to our placements every day- Richard, Simon & Athumani. Although unfortunately, Athumani has been in the hospital w/ malaria. It's so common here w/ the local people. They don't take the preventative meds like we do.
We also have several grounds keepers- our property is SO beautiful!!! They're always working outside planting new things, watering the plants & they actually trim the grass w/ a hand-held machete. God bless them for doing all that work out in the hot sun!
There's several security guys too that are always patrolling the gates. We have a cooking staff (YAY!!) & a house keeping staff too. They're all so fabulous, we really appreciate them all!
We also have 3 local volunteers. 3 young men who go to some placements along w/ other volunteers of CCS. I did not have one of them w/ me, they typically go to the preschools to translate. After placement, they go to college classes. How neat!
CCS has offered us some pretty neat "classes". Our 1st 2 weeks were very busy. Our placement is only 8-12pm, but they filled our days! We had classes outside every day- Kiswahili (learning the language-was very cool) & talks about Tanzanian culture, education system, traditions, customs, traditonal healers (fascinating!) & more. It was so neat. I feel like a chocolate covered strawberry- totally DIPPED in the lifestyle & culture!
It was all very important though. For example, there's a particular handshake they do here which is cool & when you visit someone in their home, you're supposed to bring them something like sugar or cooking oil. NO flowers- they're for dead people!
We also had day trips which I wrote about that CCS organized for our cultural learning. It's all part of the program. My friend & roomie here-Leann, did the CCS Russia program last year. She said they followed the same format there as well w/ Russian classes & cultural learning. They are on the ball! We have been very familiarized w/ Tanzanian culture through the program. It's awesome!!
The food has been fabulous too- a lot of beef, potatoes, cucumbers, tomatoes, onion, mangoes & bananas.
So, all in all, it's been a tremendous learning experience in so many ways. I love it!!
Jes
It's been so amazing!! I had no idea of what to expect when I came here. The program is run SO efficiently. Not only have I volunteered at a school here, but I have been totally immersed in the Tanzanian culture, thanks a lot to them.
We have some staff members here that take good care of us. Sara is the best! She's a 27 yr old woman who always has a cell phone in her hand to make sure everything is running smoothly. If you have any kind of question or problem, she'll get to the bottom of it. Moses is an older gent, as well as Mama Grace. They oversee our programs. David helps too, taking control of paperwork, passports & in-country permit things. We have 3 drivers that take all of us to our placements every day- Richard, Simon & Athumani. Although unfortunately, Athumani has been in the hospital w/ malaria. It's so common here w/ the local people. They don't take the preventative meds like we do.
We also have several grounds keepers- our property is SO beautiful!!! They're always working outside planting new things, watering the plants & they actually trim the grass w/ a hand-held machete. God bless them for doing all that work out in the hot sun!
There's several security guys too that are always patrolling the gates. We have a cooking staff (YAY!!) & a house keeping staff too. They're all so fabulous, we really appreciate them all!
We also have 3 local volunteers. 3 young men who go to some placements along w/ other volunteers of CCS. I did not have one of them w/ me, they typically go to the preschools to translate. After placement, they go to college classes. How neat!
CCS has offered us some pretty neat "classes". Our 1st 2 weeks were very busy. Our placement is only 8-12pm, but they filled our days! We had classes outside every day- Kiswahili (learning the language-was very cool) & talks about Tanzanian culture, education system, traditions, customs, traditonal healers (fascinating!) & more. It was so neat. I feel like a chocolate covered strawberry- totally DIPPED in the lifestyle & culture!
It was all very important though. For example, there's a particular handshake they do here which is cool & when you visit someone in their home, you're supposed to bring them something like sugar or cooking oil. NO flowers- they're for dead people!
We also had day trips which I wrote about that CCS organized for our cultural learning. It's all part of the program. My friend & roomie here-Leann, did the CCS Russia program last year. She said they followed the same format there as well w/ Russian classes & cultural learning. They are on the ball! We have been very familiarized w/ Tanzanian culture through the program. It's awesome!!
The food has been fabulous too- a lot of beef, potatoes, cucumbers, tomatoes, onion, mangoes & bananas.
So, all in all, it's been a tremendous learning experience in so many ways. I love it!!
Jes
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Life in Moshi
It took 2 weeks, but now I'm totally settled in to my surroundings. Just in time to leave, unfortunately! When I first arrived, the older volunteers kept commenting on how 3 weeks is SO short. Now I understand. It really is. A lot of girls are here for 6, 8 & 12 weeks. Granted, they're mostly 18-22 year olds! But it really is true. Just when you get in the swing of things, you have to leave. It does go by VERY fast.
I truly feel like a part of the community now & not a tourist. There's an acceptance here of us which is so refreshing. Everyone you meet out walking acknowledges you. It's so wonderful compared to at home. When I walk the dogs, it's hard to even say hello to someone cuz as you get closer, they turn their backs! People avoid conversation at all costs. It's SO opposite here. I love it! Basic humanity, people! If I pass someone here & they don't say anything first, I don't wait-I'll say "jambo!" & they always reply with a smile & say something else. I told some other girls that it feels so good to be able to reply to people here AND say something in return!! I think they love it when you respond with something more than hello. Especially if they ask "habari..." & you answer & say "na wewe?" which means 'and you?'. I LOVE speaking Swahili. I'm totally going to miss that when I go home. Who wants to learn so we can talk?? (Barry-I may have to come into the store more frequently to talk to Ali!!)
People are out walking EVERYWHERE. You have to basically. Unlike NYC, people here have to walk FAR, just to sell something closer to town or to get something in town. Lots of people (men) ride bikes. I haven't seen any women riding bikes. We get to ride sidesaddle behind the guy doing all the work. Ü
The cars are like the kind in England. The steering wheels are on the R & they drive on the L. They have crazy vans called dalla dallas which go up & down the roads constantly like buses. They cram tons of people in them, sometimes they're hanging out the window. Yes, I rode one today! It wasn't too bad. Especially since some places are too far to walk & it only costs 30 cents.
Main roads are paved, but most of the roads in town are just dirt- with LOTS of dips, BIG dips. So, with the downpours that we're starting to get, it makes for tons & tons of MUD. My shoes are a lovely shade of reddish brown, as is everyone else's. I made the mistake of wearing flip flops to town the other day, walking in the mud. I got a huge blister from the 'thong' under my toe.
I can NOT imagine what it's like here during the rainy season! It lasts from March to May. My roomie, Karen, will be here the whole time so I'll hear from her. I can't imagine how messy it gets. Some roads are completely impassable & people just stay home.
Every place, store, etc has these metal things outside the door to scrape your shoes from the mud. Our floors in the house are pretty much dirty at all times. I think the dirt is permanently embedded around my toes now. I'd love to have a pedicure when I get home. Actually, I'd love to have a body scrub, pedicure, teeth cleaning & a haircut. Ü
The people are so awesome. I know I just mentioned it, but it's just the greatest how everyone greets you. Everyone says "karibu" with a smile which means welcome. How many times to we say that to strangers in the US? Uh, NEVER. I had thought before coming here that I might want to come home w/ a kid. Just to be able to give a child a better life in America with more opportunities. We may have more opportunities, but I'm telling you= there's nothing wrong with their life here. I think they'd hate the lack of community. They may not have toys, teddy bears & dolls, but they have family, fun & lots of bananas. What truly matters in life anyway?
I hope to hold onto the sense of community & human kindness as long as I can.
And the children- oh my, the children!! They are too cute for words. There's a word that everyone uses here- MZUNGU. It means 'foreigner'. You learn not to be offended when someone calls you that or when children point to you & yell,"mzungu! mzungu!". Some girls at the house got tshirts that say MZUNGU. I didn't get one, but they are funny.
Well, this morning I had my 1st encounter w/ little kids. When I was dropped off at my placement, 2 tiny little kids around 3-4 came running w/ their arms outstretched to me yelling, "mzungu! mzungu!" I mean they ran right into me, reaching up to me & started petting my hair like a dog. It was the cutest thing ever!!!!!! I loved it. I don't think I'd want kids hanging off of me every day doing that but it was fun.
Well, that's about all I can think of for now about life here. I love it. Wouldn't want to live here permanently, but it's fabulous. I miss scrapbooking & stamping. They don't have any kind of crafts here really, just woodworking for souveniers & batik. So that's one thing I miss.
So, gotta get going for dinner. Tomorrow's my last day at school. I'll probably be crying buckets.
love,
Jes
I truly feel like a part of the community now & not a tourist. There's an acceptance here of us which is so refreshing. Everyone you meet out walking acknowledges you. It's so wonderful compared to at home. When I walk the dogs, it's hard to even say hello to someone cuz as you get closer, they turn their backs! People avoid conversation at all costs. It's SO opposite here. I love it! Basic humanity, people! If I pass someone here & they don't say anything first, I don't wait-I'll say "jambo!" & they always reply with a smile & say something else. I told some other girls that it feels so good to be able to reply to people here AND say something in return!! I think they love it when you respond with something more than hello. Especially if they ask "habari..." & you answer & say "na wewe?" which means 'and you?'. I LOVE speaking Swahili. I'm totally going to miss that when I go home. Who wants to learn so we can talk?? (Barry-I may have to come into the store more frequently to talk to Ali!!)
People are out walking EVERYWHERE. You have to basically. Unlike NYC, people here have to walk FAR, just to sell something closer to town or to get something in town. Lots of people (men) ride bikes. I haven't seen any women riding bikes. We get to ride sidesaddle behind the guy doing all the work. Ü
The cars are like the kind in England. The steering wheels are on the R & they drive on the L. They have crazy vans called dalla dallas which go up & down the roads constantly like buses. They cram tons of people in them, sometimes they're hanging out the window. Yes, I rode one today! It wasn't too bad. Especially since some places are too far to walk & it only costs 30 cents.
Main roads are paved, but most of the roads in town are just dirt- with LOTS of dips, BIG dips. So, with the downpours that we're starting to get, it makes for tons & tons of MUD. My shoes are a lovely shade of reddish brown, as is everyone else's. I made the mistake of wearing flip flops to town the other day, walking in the mud. I got a huge blister from the 'thong' under my toe.
I can NOT imagine what it's like here during the rainy season! It lasts from March to May. My roomie, Karen, will be here the whole time so I'll hear from her. I can't imagine how messy it gets. Some roads are completely impassable & people just stay home.
Every place, store, etc has these metal things outside the door to scrape your shoes from the mud. Our floors in the house are pretty much dirty at all times. I think the dirt is permanently embedded around my toes now. I'd love to have a pedicure when I get home. Actually, I'd love to have a body scrub, pedicure, teeth cleaning & a haircut. Ü
The people are so awesome. I know I just mentioned it, but it's just the greatest how everyone greets you. Everyone says "karibu" with a smile which means welcome. How many times to we say that to strangers in the US? Uh, NEVER. I had thought before coming here that I might want to come home w/ a kid. Just to be able to give a child a better life in America with more opportunities. We may have more opportunities, but I'm telling you= there's nothing wrong with their life here. I think they'd hate the lack of community. They may not have toys, teddy bears & dolls, but they have family, fun & lots of bananas. What truly matters in life anyway?
I hope to hold onto the sense of community & human kindness as long as I can.
And the children- oh my, the children!! They are too cute for words. There's a word that everyone uses here- MZUNGU. It means 'foreigner'. You learn not to be offended when someone calls you that or when children point to you & yell,"mzungu! mzungu!". Some girls at the house got tshirts that say MZUNGU. I didn't get one, but they are funny.
Well, this morning I had my 1st encounter w/ little kids. When I was dropped off at my placement, 2 tiny little kids around 3-4 came running w/ their arms outstretched to me yelling, "mzungu! mzungu!" I mean they ran right into me, reaching up to me & started petting my hair like a dog. It was the cutest thing ever!!!!!! I loved it. I don't think I'd want kids hanging off of me every day doing that but it was fun.
Well, that's about all I can think of for now about life here. I love it. Wouldn't want to live here permanently, but it's fabulous. I miss scrapbooking & stamping. They don't have any kind of crafts here really, just woodworking for souveniers & batik. So that's one thing I miss.
So, gotta get going for dinner. Tomorrow's my last day at school. I'll probably be crying buckets.
love,
Jes
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
An Emotional Day
Yes, today I felt it. Happy, sad,etc.
The day started out great-
As Sam & I waited in the study room before class, I hear, "Teecha! Teecha!". It's Jovina, the quiet boy who doesn't speak much English. He passes me a paper. It's a letter from him!!! He had written on the envelope, "may friend Jessica" & the school's address. OH MY WORD. I just stopped what I was doing & stared out the window trying to fight back the tears. I'm planning on going to town tomorrow to get envelopes & stamps so I can get them ready for the kids who want to write to me. I didn't even know he wanted to & he did it all by himself! I'm not going to open it until I get home. Ü
Class was great- we did the articles a, an & the. They were on the ball! I made fill-in-the-blank sentences on the board & they were shouting out the articles. Granted, some were wrong but they really started catching on plus identifying the nouns. We got so loud w/ rejoicing over correct answers! Too funny.
I can't believe I only have 2 days left. :(
We got out a little early today to go to Arusha (hour+ away) to go to the International Criminal Tribunal for Rhawanda. Let me start off by saying I have the book on tape "Left to Tell" which is a true auto-biography by Immaculae Ilibiganza, who survived through the whole thing. PLEASE go get this book!!!! It's phenominal!!!! So, I know all about what happened there.
Well, listening in on the trial today- UGH! I'd rather go to the dentist! It was so incredibly boring & they got NOWHERE in an hour & a half. I thought it was rather pointless for us to go there. But I guess it's a big deal that they brought it here in Tanzania.
Anyway, a few of us girls wanted to scope out the Tanzanite market. Our staff member, Sara & driver, Richard took 5 of us to The Arusha Hotel where they had the best quality for the best price. 3 of us got pieces. When I got mine, I said that part of it was courtesy of my Gram who passed away last year. Heather said, "Awww, we should have a moment of silence!" It was so sweet- she was serious! Sara said we should all stand up. Oh my word! I just said Gram's name, may she rest in peace & that she did so much for others, I hope to follow in her footsteps. Then I start tearing up, good grief.
So on the way home, I was listening to my Ipod to some sappy love songs thinking about FINALLY reconnecting w/ Joe ( we go back 10 years you know!), Gram & my student giving me the letter this morning & leaving so soon. WAH! WAH! WAH! All emotions rolled up together. Sigh....
So, for the most part, I'm feeling so sad knowing that I'm leaving & only have 2 days w/ my kids, then I'll never see them again. My roomie asked if I was ready to go home. Of course there's people I want to see & my girls, but -NO! I'm not ready yet! I feel so comfortable here now. It took 2 weeks to get in the groove & now I'm leaving. :(
Well, let's make the most of it!
love,
Jes
The day started out great-
As Sam & I waited in the study room before class, I hear, "Teecha! Teecha!". It's Jovina, the quiet boy who doesn't speak much English. He passes me a paper. It's a letter from him!!! He had written on the envelope, "may friend Jessica" & the school's address. OH MY WORD. I just stopped what I was doing & stared out the window trying to fight back the tears. I'm planning on going to town tomorrow to get envelopes & stamps so I can get them ready for the kids who want to write to me. I didn't even know he wanted to & he did it all by himself! I'm not going to open it until I get home. Ü
Class was great- we did the articles a, an & the. They were on the ball! I made fill-in-the-blank sentences on the board & they were shouting out the articles. Granted, some were wrong but they really started catching on plus identifying the nouns. We got so loud w/ rejoicing over correct answers! Too funny.
I can't believe I only have 2 days left. :(
We got out a little early today to go to Arusha (hour+ away) to go to the International Criminal Tribunal for Rhawanda. Let me start off by saying I have the book on tape "Left to Tell" which is a true auto-biography by Immaculae Ilibiganza, who survived through the whole thing. PLEASE go get this book!!!! It's phenominal!!!! So, I know all about what happened there.
Well, listening in on the trial today- UGH! I'd rather go to the dentist! It was so incredibly boring & they got NOWHERE in an hour & a half. I thought it was rather pointless for us to go there. But I guess it's a big deal that they brought it here in Tanzania.
Anyway, a few of us girls wanted to scope out the Tanzanite market. Our staff member, Sara & driver, Richard took 5 of us to The Arusha Hotel where they had the best quality for the best price. 3 of us got pieces. When I got mine, I said that part of it was courtesy of my Gram who passed away last year. Heather said, "Awww, we should have a moment of silence!" It was so sweet- she was serious! Sara said we should all stand up. Oh my word! I just said Gram's name, may she rest in peace & that she did so much for others, I hope to follow in her footsteps. Then I start tearing up, good grief.
So on the way home, I was listening to my Ipod to some sappy love songs thinking about FINALLY reconnecting w/ Joe ( we go back 10 years you know!), Gram & my student giving me the letter this morning & leaving so soon. WAH! WAH! WAH! All emotions rolled up together. Sigh....
So, for the most part, I'm feeling so sad knowing that I'm leaving & only have 2 days w/ my kids, then I'll never see them again. My roomie asked if I was ready to go home. Of course there's people I want to see & my girls, but -NO! I'm not ready yet! I feel so comfortable here now. It took 2 weeks to get in the groove & now I'm leaving. :(
Well, let's make the most of it!
love,
Jes
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
More About My Kids
The kids here love to play with our hair. I heard it a lot from the other girls who volunteer at preschools w/ young kids. They literally hang off them & are constantly in their hair. My guys are older & kind of know better but they're still curious! I've had some kids sneak up behind me for a quick "feel". It's so funny. I don't say anything. I remember when I was in kindergarten, there was a black girl in my class & I felt her head too. Ü
Here's a quick intro about my kids:
the girls:
Neema (a smart older girl)
Edina (was so happy when I remembered her name on the 2nd day)
Angel
Ashura (cute muslim girl)
Mwajuma
Saada (twin)
Saida (twin)
Theresia (sweet smile)
Marieth (pretty girl)
Neema Titus (older, smart girl)
Sarafina (smart)
Rosemary (fabulous singer)
& the boys:
Prosper (a wise guy but smart)
Jovina (doesn't know much English)
Tumaniely (smart boy who tries hard)
Samuel
Frances (so sweet, nice smile, quiet)
Gift (I could NOT understand his name on my 1st day! He kept saying "Jeeft" so I asked him to spell it. OH-GIFT!!)
Names here are cute- often times the parents will name their kid after an event or something that has to do with their birth. For instance, one of our managers here is Moses Polepole (pole-ay pole-ay), which means slowly. His mom said it took forever for him to come out. HAHA! We have a few local volunteers here helping too, which is cool. There're about 4-5 young men from Moshi who are going to college that help out at the placements. One's name is Living. We all think it's pretty cool.
I took pics of my kids already & will take more this week before I leave. They really like to ham it up for the camera!
In class, I've also shown pics of home & Alaska which they loved. One girl looked at a picture of Eshe in my living room, pointed to the area around her & said quizzically, "carpet?"- yes, that's carpet. Ü Some simple things they aren't aware of-it's interesting.
Neema said, "One day I come visit you in America". I could cry. I really hope she does one day. These kids are so awesome. I'm sure I don't realize yet what kind of impact they have & will have on me as I go on with my days. It's so special. I really hope to help the school in some way after I go home. I'd love to get them some African English texts. That's interesting too- they would not benefit as much w/ an American English text. Lokoing at the ones they have here, they have relevant stories & names, such as "Juma is getting tested for HIV today".... which is normal in their culture. Makes sense, right?
So, for the rest of my short time with the kids, I plan on going over a, an & the, adjectives & identifying parts of a sentence.
Sam gave me a wonderful idea. I had told him I wanted to have the kids write me a paragraph telling what they've learned so I can keep it. He suggested I address envelopes & stamp them so that they can write me & MAIL it to me! Then I'd gradually get mail from them next month. How cool is that?? 6 girls want to write me so far. I'm so excited.
Another thing I wanted to mention is that the school in general is SO disorganized. The days are never the same. Sam & I never know what to expect when we get there. Lately, we've been getting dropped off at 7:45am. They start at 8am w/ prayers. Stanley leads them in prayers & song. Sam & I are in another room so we can't see them but I love listening to them. They're SO enthusiastic! Sound great too. That lasts til about 8:30am. So we usually teach 8:30-9:30ish, take a long break, then teach 10am-11:30am & the van picks us up. Some days we're starting at 8:15 & picked up at 12pm, Monday they actually taught til 9:40am so we sat all that time! It's so weird. Today, they didn't teach & Sam & I began at 8:30am after prayers.
The head master, Andrew, is almost never there. That's just as well cuz he's the one who gives the stick beatings. We learned that on the 3rd day. As we began, some kids were trickling in the room w/ long faces. One girl had tears in her eyes & kept rubbing her hands. It was so sad. But that's the way things are done here. Sam heard someone say something about cursing, so they're not hit for no reason. Still, it was hard to see the girl so upset.
So that's a little bit of what it's like at school. I've gotten into a comfortable position there & love them already. It'll be bittersweet on Friday. :(
Jes
Here's a quick intro about my kids:
the girls:
Neema (a smart older girl)
Edina (was so happy when I remembered her name on the 2nd day)
Angel
Ashura (cute muslim girl)
Mwajuma
Saada (twin)
Saida (twin)
Theresia (sweet smile)
Marieth (pretty girl)
Neema Titus (older, smart girl)
Sarafina (smart)
Rosemary (fabulous singer)
& the boys:
Prosper (a wise guy but smart)
Jovina (doesn't know much English)
Tumaniely (smart boy who tries hard)
Samuel
Frances (so sweet, nice smile, quiet)
Gift (I could NOT understand his name on my 1st day! He kept saying "Jeeft" so I asked him to spell it. OH-GIFT!!)
Names here are cute- often times the parents will name their kid after an event or something that has to do with their birth. For instance, one of our managers here is Moses Polepole (pole-ay pole-ay), which means slowly. His mom said it took forever for him to come out. HAHA! We have a few local volunteers here helping too, which is cool. There're about 4-5 young men from Moshi who are going to college that help out at the placements. One's name is Living. We all think it's pretty cool.
I took pics of my kids already & will take more this week before I leave. They really like to ham it up for the camera!
In class, I've also shown pics of home & Alaska which they loved. One girl looked at a picture of Eshe in my living room, pointed to the area around her & said quizzically, "carpet?"- yes, that's carpet. Ü Some simple things they aren't aware of-it's interesting.
Neema said, "One day I come visit you in America". I could cry. I really hope she does one day. These kids are so awesome. I'm sure I don't realize yet what kind of impact they have & will have on me as I go on with my days. It's so special. I really hope to help the school in some way after I go home. I'd love to get them some African English texts. That's interesting too- they would not benefit as much w/ an American English text. Lokoing at the ones they have here, they have relevant stories & names, such as "Juma is getting tested for HIV today".... which is normal in their culture. Makes sense, right?
So, for the rest of my short time with the kids, I plan on going over a, an & the, adjectives & identifying parts of a sentence.
Sam gave me a wonderful idea. I had told him I wanted to have the kids write me a paragraph telling what they've learned so I can keep it. He suggested I address envelopes & stamp them so that they can write me & MAIL it to me! Then I'd gradually get mail from them next month. How cool is that?? 6 girls want to write me so far. I'm so excited.
Another thing I wanted to mention is that the school in general is SO disorganized. The days are never the same. Sam & I never know what to expect when we get there. Lately, we've been getting dropped off at 7:45am. They start at 8am w/ prayers. Stanley leads them in prayers & song. Sam & I are in another room so we can't see them but I love listening to them. They're SO enthusiastic! Sound great too. That lasts til about 8:30am. So we usually teach 8:30-9:30ish, take a long break, then teach 10am-11:30am & the van picks us up. Some days we're starting at 8:15 & picked up at 12pm, Monday they actually taught til 9:40am so we sat all that time! It's so weird. Today, they didn't teach & Sam & I began at 8:30am after prayers.
The head master, Andrew, is almost never there. That's just as well cuz he's the one who gives the stick beatings. We learned that on the 3rd day. As we began, some kids were trickling in the room w/ long faces. One girl had tears in her eyes & kept rubbing her hands. It was so sad. But that's the way things are done here. Sam heard someone say something about cursing, so they're not hit for no reason. Still, it was hard to see the girl so upset.
So that's a little bit of what it's like at school. I've gotten into a comfortable position there & love them already. It'll be bittersweet on Friday. :(
Jes
Life at school
Habari za mchana? (How's your afternoon?)
Nzuri Sana! (very good!)
First, thanks to all for the encouraging words about my frustrations. Last Friday was a great day. I had gone over regular verbs w/ them on Wed & Thurs, so we were practicing on Friday. I wrote sentences such as , "She danced at Adventure (local restaurant) yesterday", "We will walk to church on Sunday".
I asked, "What is the verb?"
DANCED!
"What tense?"
PAST!
"How do you know?"
YESTERDAY!
"What's different about the verb?"
ED!
"Why?"
BECAUSE OF SHE!
OOOOOOhh-sweet VICTORY!!!!!! We did several sentences like that on the board. They were on the ball! It was so fabulous. And to boot=the teacher Stanley was in my room at the time. YES! The kids get a kick out of me too-when they get it right, I practically do a jumping jack w/ my hands in the air. Also, I learned "dole" (doh-lay) which means "thumbs up" so we all shout that too. Granted not every day is like that one though! Monday they were totally unfocused, talking too much & not paying attention. But Friday was a terrific day.
Fridays are FUN days too, so I brought in my frame drum & played for them, which they loved. Then I pulled out the Hershey Kisses & they totally freaked & SCREAMED! I've created monsters....
So, so far I've gone over with them the past, present & future forms of "to be", "to have", "to do" & "to go". I give them example sentences which they copy, then I ask them to write sentences. The room is so tiny & they sit so close to each other that they always copy from each other. I don't say anything cuz I'm only there for 3 weeks & they're so close to each other, it's hard not to. One day was funny- I had them write sentences w/ whatever verb we were learning & one 1/2 of the room had the same sentences & the other 1/2 had the same sentences! I shake my finger at them.
Did I mention the star stickers? Gee wiz- they ask me to give them MORE tests just to get another sticker in their book! Try getting that kind of response in America!
I don't remember if I mentioned the red pen either. They LOVE when you mark their work w/ a red pen. On the 2nd or 3rd day, one boy said, "Teecha, why you no write 'good' or 'very good'?" I said ok, I would next time. So the next round I drew a smiley face instead. Oh Lord-you think I gave them the best prize in the world. It was sooo cute.
They also LOVE Hangman! I had some students try it themselves. I was so proud- they'd even change the topic like, kind of animal or kind of person. It got them thinking of words themselves & working on their spelling. It was great!!
I've also worked on asking questions like who, what, when, how, etc.
We started common nouns vs proper nouns the other day too.
Tomorrow will be a, an & the -which they don't have in Swahili.
It's going fast!!
I'll write more about school & the town soon.
love,
Jes
Nzuri Sana! (very good!)
First, thanks to all for the encouraging words about my frustrations. Last Friday was a great day. I had gone over regular verbs w/ them on Wed & Thurs, so we were practicing on Friday. I wrote sentences such as , "She danced at Adventure (local restaurant) yesterday", "We will walk to church on Sunday".
I asked, "What is the verb?"
DANCED!
"What tense?"
PAST!
"How do you know?"
YESTERDAY!
"What's different about the verb?"
ED!
"Why?"
BECAUSE OF SHE!
OOOOOOhh-sweet VICTORY!!!!!! We did several sentences like that on the board. They were on the ball! It was so fabulous. And to boot=the teacher Stanley was in my room at the time. YES! The kids get a kick out of me too-when they get it right, I practically do a jumping jack w/ my hands in the air. Also, I learned "dole" (doh-lay) which means "thumbs up" so we all shout that too. Granted not every day is like that one though! Monday they were totally unfocused, talking too much & not paying attention. But Friday was a terrific day.
Fridays are FUN days too, so I brought in my frame drum & played for them, which they loved. Then I pulled out the Hershey Kisses & they totally freaked & SCREAMED! I've created monsters....
So, so far I've gone over with them the past, present & future forms of "to be", "to have", "to do" & "to go". I give them example sentences which they copy, then I ask them to write sentences. The room is so tiny & they sit so close to each other that they always copy from each other. I don't say anything cuz I'm only there for 3 weeks & they're so close to each other, it's hard not to. One day was funny- I had them write sentences w/ whatever verb we were learning & one 1/2 of the room had the same sentences & the other 1/2 had the same sentences! I shake my finger at them.
Did I mention the star stickers? Gee wiz- they ask me to give them MORE tests just to get another sticker in their book! Try getting that kind of response in America!
I don't remember if I mentioned the red pen either. They LOVE when you mark their work w/ a red pen. On the 2nd or 3rd day, one boy said, "Teecha, why you no write 'good' or 'very good'?" I said ok, I would next time. So the next round I drew a smiley face instead. Oh Lord-you think I gave them the best prize in the world. It was sooo cute.
They also LOVE Hangman! I had some students try it themselves. I was so proud- they'd even change the topic like, kind of animal or kind of person. It got them thinking of words themselves & working on their spelling. It was great!!
I've also worked on asking questions like who, what, when, how, etc.
We started common nouns vs proper nouns the other day too.
Tomorrow will be a, an & the -which they don't have in Swahili.
It's going fast!!
I'll write more about school & the town soon.
love,
Jes
More close encounters...
I forgot something that happened at the beach-
I was stung by a jellyfish! I spent a lot of time beachcombing for shells along the sand. I was standing just at the water's edge looking for shells when I felt "OW!" on my foot & around my ankle. Then a second later, "OOWWWW!" I didn't see anything. Maybe a faint blue line but definitely did not see a jellyfish.
It really stung so one girl said I should go to the scuba diver guys who are trained in 1st Aid. They said to put vinegar on it or pee on it. I opted for the vinegar from the restaurant on the beach. It was a little puffy & red & stung for about 2 hours, then gradually went away. WHEW!
Jes
I was stung by a jellyfish! I spent a lot of time beachcombing for shells along the sand. I was standing just at the water's edge looking for shells when I felt "OW!" on my foot & around my ankle. Then a second later, "OOWWWW!" I didn't see anything. Maybe a faint blue line but definitely did not see a jellyfish.
It really stung so one girl said I should go to the scuba diver guys who are trained in 1st Aid. They said to put vinegar on it or pee on it. I opted for the vinegar from the restaurant on the beach. It was a little puffy & red & stung for about 2 hours, then gradually went away. WHEW!
Jes
Monday, March 3, 2008
Peace, Serenity & Zanzibar beaches...
Before I begin-
I have been trying to get on my email since last night w/ NO luck!!!! It keeps saying the page cannot be displayed. Sooo, Missy- HAPPY BIRTHDAY!LOVE YOU LOTS!! Joe- miss you,miss you, miss you!!! I may go into town later & stop at an internet cafe instead of here at Home Base & see if I have any luck there. Sorry!
Saturday after the spice tour & lunch, we headed up north on Zanzibar (an hour) to Kendwa. Our roomie, Karen, had stayed there & recommended it. Let me tell you- it was phenominal!!! I said even better than Hawaii!!! Now, it's been 10 years since I've been there, so I'll have to go back soon to compare...Ü Who wants to join me?
No words can describe the color of the ocean there (Indian Ocean). I'm sure I can't do it justice. It was the most magnificent color of turquoise you can imagine. In fact, there were variated shades of blues & turquoise at any time. Depending on the sun I guess. The beach was SO quiet- like a private beach all our own. Nobody had towels on the sand. There were a few cots under thatched roof umbrella tables. Some people were walking along the beach. Other than that, there were not many people, it was so peaceful & quiet! I slept for almost an hour & a half in a hammock between 2 palm trees- aaahhhhhh......much needed.
I ate more shrimp, collected loads of awesome seashells & coral (wait til you see!) & lounged some more. What a weekend.
They even had a massage tent on the beach! I never had a massage on the beach before. The prices were unbelievably CHEAP. So Saturday I got an Indian Head Massage. Lots of you know what that is & how it feels, if you don't talk to me when I get back,heehee. This was NO Indian Head Massage. It was the WORST thing I ever let happen to my head. All she did for 50 minutes (she jipped me 10 minutes too) was MASH my hair around in a huge configuration of matted KNOTS!! It was so terrible. I had the worst time trying to get the knots out later.
I did decide to give her a 2nd chance Sunday morning & try a basic Swedish massage. It's hard to mess that up. She did a fairly good job but still jipped me 10 minutes! I pointed to my watch & said "too short!". She said nooooo. Again I said, "Yes, one hour- too short", again she said noooo. WHATEVER- it was only $15!!!!haha
So we had an awesome, relaxing time in Kendwa. The pictures are gorgeous. I wish I could bottle that color of the ocean! Now if only the Jersey beaches were as beautiful & peaceful.....
love you,
Jes
I have been trying to get on my email since last night w/ NO luck!!!! It keeps saying the page cannot be displayed. Sooo, Missy- HAPPY BIRTHDAY!LOVE YOU LOTS!! Joe- miss you,miss you, miss you!!! I may go into town later & stop at an internet cafe instead of here at Home Base & see if I have any luck there. Sorry!
Saturday after the spice tour & lunch, we headed up north on Zanzibar (an hour) to Kendwa. Our roomie, Karen, had stayed there & recommended it. Let me tell you- it was phenominal!!! I said even better than Hawaii!!! Now, it's been 10 years since I've been there, so I'll have to go back soon to compare...Ü Who wants to join me?
No words can describe the color of the ocean there (Indian Ocean). I'm sure I can't do it justice. It was the most magnificent color of turquoise you can imagine. In fact, there were variated shades of blues & turquoise at any time. Depending on the sun I guess. The beach was SO quiet- like a private beach all our own. Nobody had towels on the sand. There were a few cots under thatched roof umbrella tables. Some people were walking along the beach. Other than that, there were not many people, it was so peaceful & quiet! I slept for almost an hour & a half in a hammock between 2 palm trees- aaahhhhhh......much needed.
I ate more shrimp, collected loads of awesome seashells & coral (wait til you see!) & lounged some more. What a weekend.
They even had a massage tent on the beach! I never had a massage on the beach before. The prices were unbelievably CHEAP. So Saturday I got an Indian Head Massage. Lots of you know what that is & how it feels, if you don't talk to me when I get back,heehee. This was NO Indian Head Massage. It was the WORST thing I ever let happen to my head. All she did for 50 minutes (she jipped me 10 minutes too) was MASH my hair around in a huge configuration of matted KNOTS!! It was so terrible. I had the worst time trying to get the knots out later.
I did decide to give her a 2nd chance Sunday morning & try a basic Swedish massage. It's hard to mess that up. She did a fairly good job but still jipped me 10 minutes! I pointed to my watch & said "too short!". She said nooooo. Again I said, "Yes, one hour- too short", again she said noooo. WHATEVER- it was only $15!!!!haha
So we had an awesome, relaxing time in Kendwa. The pictures are gorgeous. I wish I could bottle that color of the ocean! Now if only the Jersey beaches were as beautiful & peaceful.....
love you,
Jes
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Zanzibar musings
Hi all! Just got back from spending the weekend in ZANZIBAR!! How absolutely amazing. I had my heart set on this trip way before I even came. How could I come this close & not go to such an exotic locale?
Leann, Cathy & I headed our Friday right after placement. We had to take a cab to Arusha (next big town airport, 1.5 hours away). We got to Stonetown, where all the hubbub is, around 5:30pm-6pm. The hotel was nice-old but nice. The room was huge! 3 beds, tv (with Bollywood music videos!) a small fridge & AC! Zanzibar is SOOOO hot & HUMID! Wow-what a difference compared to Moshi. So we checked out our room then met w/ a guy to book a spice tour for Saturday morning. Then we went exploring a bit but it was unfortunately getting dark already. Stonetown is really old with exceedingly narrow streets. I mean we had to walk single file against the buildings as to not get run over! Lucky for us there was a superb Indian clothing store next door. WOOHOO! I got the coolest pants & I don't even have to hem them,er I mean have MOM hem them, haha. We went into a couple more shops, which were overpriced, then ate on the rooftop of a great restaurant. Shrimp-finally!!!!YUM. It was great. That was all we did pretty much. We were warned not to be out after 10pm. With the streets being so narrow, it's easy for goofballs to try to steal from you. All in all, I was not impressed with Stonetown.
The next morning we had a driver take us for the spice tour. I loved it! It's so green everywhere-tons & tons of palm trees & banana plants. We went to what looked like a forest. A guide took us all around, pulling off leaves of different plants asking us to smell it & guess what it was. We saw black pepper (which is a vine), vanilla beans, tumeric, ginger, cloves, fruits, & more. Cinnamon was so cool- he carved off 3 little pieces of the bark for us-it was amazing. The bark is cinnamon, the leaves smell like clove & the root smells like menthol!
I shocked the guy when he pulled down some leafy things & asked us to guess. I knew right away it was Ylang Ylang so I said it. He got this shocked,surprised look & said,"How do you know?!" heehee I did it again to him when he showed us a henna plant. He explained that women use it to color their hands & hair (I know) & I said "Mhendi". Again, the surprised look & "How do you know?!" Ü
A young man was with us & he scaled a palm (coconut) tree w/ a rope around his feet! Like a little monkey, he went all the way up & lopped off a branch! He then wove it into a cool little basket. He chopped open a coconut & we drank the water & tasted the fruit. Weird chickens came running to eat it too. They love it!
So it was all very cool to me. Of course they had a table filled w/ spices to buy so I loaded up for me & for gifts!
Then the guide took us to see an old Persian Bath house. It was weird but kinda neat. There was a room for massage so I had to take a picture.
We also visited some palace ruins. Eh-I wasn't too impressed.
We went to lunch then & had some fabulous spiced rice & fish-yum!
So, around 1:30-2pm, we headed up north to the beaches at Kendwa. Ahhhhhh, peace & relaxation awaits.
Jes
Leann, Cathy & I headed our Friday right after placement. We had to take a cab to Arusha (next big town airport, 1.5 hours away). We got to Stonetown, where all the hubbub is, around 5:30pm-6pm. The hotel was nice-old but nice. The room was huge! 3 beds, tv (with Bollywood music videos!) a small fridge & AC! Zanzibar is SOOOO hot & HUMID! Wow-what a difference compared to Moshi. So we checked out our room then met w/ a guy to book a spice tour for Saturday morning. Then we went exploring a bit but it was unfortunately getting dark already. Stonetown is really old with exceedingly narrow streets. I mean we had to walk single file against the buildings as to not get run over! Lucky for us there was a superb Indian clothing store next door. WOOHOO! I got the coolest pants & I don't even have to hem them,er I mean have MOM hem them, haha. We went into a couple more shops, which were overpriced, then ate on the rooftop of a great restaurant. Shrimp-finally!!!!YUM. It was great. That was all we did pretty much. We were warned not to be out after 10pm. With the streets being so narrow, it's easy for goofballs to try to steal from you. All in all, I was not impressed with Stonetown.
The next morning we had a driver take us for the spice tour. I loved it! It's so green everywhere-tons & tons of palm trees & banana plants. We went to what looked like a forest. A guide took us all around, pulling off leaves of different plants asking us to smell it & guess what it was. We saw black pepper (which is a vine), vanilla beans, tumeric, ginger, cloves, fruits, & more. Cinnamon was so cool- he carved off 3 little pieces of the bark for us-it was amazing. The bark is cinnamon, the leaves smell like clove & the root smells like menthol!
I shocked the guy when he pulled down some leafy things & asked us to guess. I knew right away it was Ylang Ylang so I said it. He got this shocked,surprised look & said,"How do you know?!" heehee I did it again to him when he showed us a henna plant. He explained that women use it to color their hands & hair (I know) & I said "Mhendi". Again, the surprised look & "How do you know?!" Ü
A young man was with us & he scaled a palm (coconut) tree w/ a rope around his feet! Like a little monkey, he went all the way up & lopped off a branch! He then wove it into a cool little basket. He chopped open a coconut & we drank the water & tasted the fruit. Weird chickens came running to eat it too. They love it!
So it was all very cool to me. Of course they had a table filled w/ spices to buy so I loaded up for me & for gifts!
Then the guide took us to see an old Persian Bath house. It was weird but kinda neat. There was a room for massage so I had to take a picture.
We also visited some palace ruins. Eh-I wasn't too impressed.
We went to lunch then & had some fabulous spiced rice & fish-yum!
So, around 1:30-2pm, we headed up north to the beaches at Kendwa. Ahhhhhh, peace & relaxation awaits.
Jes
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Day Trip to Marangu
Hi all!
Today we had off & went to the town of Marangu. We stopped first at the largest Baobab tree-holy cow-you have to look these up. I've never seen anything so huge. Then we went to see traditional blacksmiths working. They had way-cool spears for sale. I was tempted, but what the heck do I need a spear for? I ended up buying some funky "bells" for my ankles for dancing. Took some pics of a banana "forest". Bananas are EVERYWHERE here. Then we stopped at a local market. It was cool! I really wanted to takes photos but I couldn't. The native people here do not want to be "on display" like safari animals. We MZUNGU (foreigners) want to take their pictures all the time cuz they way they look & live is so different from our own, but we have to respect them.
The market reminded me of a flea market at home. Stands of produce everywhere & some misc dumb stuff like shoes, jewelry, even underwear! I bought a cool scarf/shawl for $3 & had a little chameleon climb on me. That was cool! Makes me want to get one as a pet. The guy wanted a dollar though cuz I took pics.
Then we went to see a traditional Chagga tribe cave where they hid during a war. We also saw how they live-their huts, tools,way of life, etc.
Then we went to waterfalls-so cool! But holy geez- what a hike! Not for the faint or poor joints! It was SO steep & my little legs had to really stretch-REALLY tiring!! The waterfalls were awesome though & we went swimming in at the swimming hole down further. That was cool! It was like a big creek in the woods-but melted glacier water! How cool!
So now I'm exhausted & will actually go to bed early after I firm up my lesson for tomorrow.
later!
Jes
Today we had off & went to the town of Marangu. We stopped first at the largest Baobab tree-holy cow-you have to look these up. I've never seen anything so huge. Then we went to see traditional blacksmiths working. They had way-cool spears for sale. I was tempted, but what the heck do I need a spear for? I ended up buying some funky "bells" for my ankles for dancing. Took some pics of a banana "forest". Bananas are EVERYWHERE here. Then we stopped at a local market. It was cool! I really wanted to takes photos but I couldn't. The native people here do not want to be "on display" like safari animals. We MZUNGU (foreigners) want to take their pictures all the time cuz they way they look & live is so different from our own, but we have to respect them.
The market reminded me of a flea market at home. Stands of produce everywhere & some misc dumb stuff like shoes, jewelry, even underwear! I bought a cool scarf/shawl for $3 & had a little chameleon climb on me. That was cool! Makes me want to get one as a pet. The guy wanted a dollar though cuz I took pics.
Then we went to see a traditional Chagga tribe cave where they hid during a war. We also saw how they live-their huts, tools,way of life, etc.
Then we went to waterfalls-so cool! But holy geez- what a hike! Not for the faint or poor joints! It was SO steep & my little legs had to really stretch-REALLY tiring!! The waterfalls were awesome though & we went swimming in at the swimming hole down further. That was cool! It was like a big creek in the woods-but melted glacier water! How cool!
So now I'm exhausted & will actually go to bed early after I firm up my lesson for tomorrow.
later!
Jes
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Frustration Sets In
Well, I read this could happen-the state of frustration.
Sunday night after we got back from the safari, I had to plan my lesson for school Monday morning. I sat outside on the patio w/ Sam (my partner who's an English teacher) & a couple other gals. I was working on the past,present & future tense of "to be". I was writing sentences w/ fill-in-the-blanks for them to write the correct verb form. Then Sam starts telling me I was using the present perfect or WHATEVER. He sometimes talks over my head w/ the Grammar lingo & I don't get it at all. I shut my book, got up & walked away. I was so upset. I don't know what the hell I'm doing! I'm NOT an English teacher! I went to my room & ended up bawling like a baby out of sheer frustration of not knowing what to do.
It's not as easy as it seems, just coming here to volunteer. I thought I'd be assisting a teacher already there, helping w/ spelling & pronunciation, etc. Instead, I have a class of 15 kids ages 13-20 & have to teach English for a good 3.5 hours every day. Try coming up w/ material to last that long! I learned my 1st day that the lesson I worked on all night only took about 1 hour to cover in class. Now what do I do??? It's amazing. Those of you who are teachers- hats off to you. BUT, you've had the training! Ü
The next week & a half seems really daunting to me. We volunteers are trying to help each other w/ ideas but it's still hard to know what to do for that length of time for another week yet!
My kids are awesome though, full of smiles & happy to see me. You should have seen them when I gave them Hershey Kisses- like it was gold. Today I gave them a little test & put a little star sticker in their book when they had all the questions correct. You would have thought I gave them a new car-they were so excited! It's so cute. When you have nothing, any little thing is amazing. This Friday I plan on showing pic of Alaska & New Mexico & maybe bringing in my frame drum. Next Friday is my last day so we'll have a "party". I'll bring in my Ipod w/ speakers, my drum & some bread w/ peanut butter.
In the meantime......I have to get to WORK!!!!
If you want, pray for me to have guidance on what to do in class for these kids.
Thanks so much!
Jes
Sunday night after we got back from the safari, I had to plan my lesson for school Monday morning. I sat outside on the patio w/ Sam (my partner who's an English teacher) & a couple other gals. I was working on the past,present & future tense of "to be". I was writing sentences w/ fill-in-the-blanks for them to write the correct verb form. Then Sam starts telling me I was using the present perfect or WHATEVER. He sometimes talks over my head w/ the Grammar lingo & I don't get it at all. I shut my book, got up & walked away. I was so upset. I don't know what the hell I'm doing! I'm NOT an English teacher! I went to my room & ended up bawling like a baby out of sheer frustration of not knowing what to do.
It's not as easy as it seems, just coming here to volunteer. I thought I'd be assisting a teacher already there, helping w/ spelling & pronunciation, etc. Instead, I have a class of 15 kids ages 13-20 & have to teach English for a good 3.5 hours every day. Try coming up w/ material to last that long! I learned my 1st day that the lesson I worked on all night only took about 1 hour to cover in class. Now what do I do??? It's amazing. Those of you who are teachers- hats off to you. BUT, you've had the training! Ü
The next week & a half seems really daunting to me. We volunteers are trying to help each other w/ ideas but it's still hard to know what to do for that length of time for another week yet!
My kids are awesome though, full of smiles & happy to see me. You should have seen them when I gave them Hershey Kisses- like it was gold. Today I gave them a little test & put a little star sticker in their book when they had all the questions correct. You would have thought I gave them a new car-they were so excited! It's so cute. When you have nothing, any little thing is amazing. This Friday I plan on showing pic of Alaska & New Mexico & maybe bringing in my frame drum. Next Friday is my last day so we'll have a "party". I'll bring in my Ipod w/ speakers, my drum & some bread w/ peanut butter.
In the meantime......I have to get to WORK!!!!
If you want, pray for me to have guidance on what to do in class for these kids.
Thanks so much!
Jes
Close Encounters of the African Kind-safari day 2
Day 2 of the safari we went to Lake Manyara. It was soooo beautiful!! Like a rainforest! So full of trees-exotic trees & huge green plants. There was a lot of shade as we were driving through so it felt good. Some areas we came into a huge open plain nearer to the lake.
Driving through the forest part, we saw tons & tons of baboons right alongside the road. LOTS of babies too! Tons were in the trees above us knocking off little pods to eat. Some were landing on us, pegging us in the head! Billy wanted to throw them back at them,haha. We also saw velvet monkeys & about 3-4 blue monkeys.
We saw elephants!!! They were just randomly throughout the place, not really together just one here, one there. We did see a mom & a baby though!
So the big story on this day was that we all had a "near death experience"! We (3 trucks) are driving along & see a huge elephant alongside the road up ahead. We stopped fairly close- my truck was on the right side of the road, another on the left alongside us & 1 truck behind. We turned off the engines, sat & watched him tear off a branch & eat it. He was on the left side of the road.
Then he started walking right towards our trucks (left side). He came closer & closer-right up to the truck next to us! The drivers started shushing us. We all watched in amazement & almost paralyzed fear as he stodd right up against the truck, blew dirt up all over the truck & gave really dirty looks. We were afraid he would just ram the truck & roll it like a toy. Then that truck would roll on us & we'd roll. I sat down right away & kind of braced myself for whatever would happen. We kept exchanging looks of fear & surprise w/ the others in the truck next to us. Leann was crouched down,praying for her life I think!
The elephant peed, walked past the truck, stopped by the truck behind us, then walked into the woods.
DEAR LORD ALMIGHTY! We pulled away & everyone in that truck was sitting down. We all popped up in the moon roof but they kept sitting. I laughed saying they were still so scared. A little later they all stood up & I asked,"How many of you need to change your pants??" They said "We all do!" We stopped at a rest area & we all just couldn't believe what happened. Some got great pictures. Their driver showed us where the tusk actually scraped the side of the truck. Holy Hanna-
SO-after that excitement, we got to see GIRAFFES!YAY! That was awesome. We were able to get out of the trucks & take pics. They were pretty far away.
So it was a dream come true!!! The BEST time of my life!!!!!!!
Jes
Driving through the forest part, we saw tons & tons of baboons right alongside the road. LOTS of babies too! Tons were in the trees above us knocking off little pods to eat. Some were landing on us, pegging us in the head! Billy wanted to throw them back at them,haha. We also saw velvet monkeys & about 3-4 blue monkeys.
We saw elephants!!! They were just randomly throughout the place, not really together just one here, one there. We did see a mom & a baby though!
So the big story on this day was that we all had a "near death experience"! We (3 trucks) are driving along & see a huge elephant alongside the road up ahead. We stopped fairly close- my truck was on the right side of the road, another on the left alongside us & 1 truck behind. We turned off the engines, sat & watched him tear off a branch & eat it. He was on the left side of the road.
Then he started walking right towards our trucks (left side). He came closer & closer-right up to the truck next to us! The drivers started shushing us. We all watched in amazement & almost paralyzed fear as he stodd right up against the truck, blew dirt up all over the truck & gave really dirty looks. We were afraid he would just ram the truck & roll it like a toy. Then that truck would roll on us & we'd roll. I sat down right away & kind of braced myself for whatever would happen. We kept exchanging looks of fear & surprise w/ the others in the truck next to us. Leann was crouched down,praying for her life I think!
The elephant peed, walked past the truck, stopped by the truck behind us, then walked into the woods.
DEAR LORD ALMIGHTY! We pulled away & everyone in that truck was sitting down. We all popped up in the moon roof but they kept sitting. I laughed saying they were still so scared. A little later they all stood up & I asked,"How many of you need to change your pants??" They said "We all do!" We stopped at a rest area & we all just couldn't believe what happened. Some got great pictures. Their driver showed us where the tusk actually scraped the side of the truck. Holy Hanna-
SO-after that excitement, we got to see GIRAFFES!YAY! That was awesome. We were able to get out of the trucks & take pics. They were pretty far away.
So it was a dream come true!!! The BEST time of my life!!!!!!!
Jes
Monday, February 25, 2008
I got lion snot on me!
I know you won't believe me until I show you the pictures, but YES- I was THAT CLOSE to a lion!! He sneezed & we felt the spray!!!!! UNbelievable.
Well, the safari was one of the BEST times of my whole life!!! A dream come true.
We started the day after 7am Saturday to drive an hour to the Ngorongoro Crater (ing-goro-ing-goro), which is something like one of the world's top sights to see. It took almost another hour to get down into the crater, which was a hell of a bumpy ride! There were 16 of us in 3 Land Cruiser trucks. It was awesome- there were 3 panels that opened from the roof-like a moon roof-so we could stand on our seats & have half our body outside up above to view animals & take pics.
Let me say that I have never been THAT dirty since I was a little kid!!! The truck in front of you kicks up dirt that blows right in your face. Thank goodness for sunglasses & my safari hat, but we all had dirt rings around our glasses, blowing dirt out of our nose,etc. It was worth it!
I had no idea what to expect. I read that the Ngorongoro Crater is supposed to have the best wildlife viewing. I thought if I saw maybe 2 or 3 zebras that I'd be in heaven. WELL- I saw HUNDREDS!!!! They were right alongside the truck! They walked right in front of the truck! CRAZY!! I was in my glory-speechless, just gasping every second. Billy was laughing at me I think cuz I couldn't say anything but, "WOW! Holy Hanna! Oh my gosh!" every second. There also were tons & tons of wildebeasts. We saw ostriches, Thompson's gazelles & millions of flamingos.
Some awesome times were when we got to see lions! They were pretty far away but there were 2 lionesses & I think 2 males. I got a nice shot of a male when he stood up. I called it Pride Rock,haha. The hippo pool was right next to it! They are so massive! They would roll over in the water to get their backs wet.
Later, we saw 2 more lionesses laying in the grass & a hyena! It just walked across the road in front of us! I got so excited I dropped my crackers I was munching on all over my seat to get my camera!
So, how did a lion sneeze on me? We passed by this ditch where the truck in front of us was stopped & everyone was leaning over the roof peering down w/ their cameras. They were all shushing us & said there was a lion down there. My friend Leann was so scared. Some people were backing away & sitting back down. We finally made our way in front of the ditch & HOLY MOSES- there was a male lion just laying there-like 10' below.He was RIGHT under the road. UNBELIEVABLE! We passed by the same spot on our way back & he was still there. Just as we pulled right up to him, he rolled over on his back!!! It was amazing. We were all taking pictures & oohing & awwing when - AHCHOO!!!! Splat-right on my forehead! Just a drop- but still it was rediculously crazy!!!! Wait til you see my pic- I zoomed in & was able to fill the entire frame w/ his furry face. One gal got a shot of him mid-sneeze. It's hysterical! His nose is like crinkled up.
We all went back to the camp saying it was the best time of our lives, best day ever, dream come true. Simply AWESOME.
I'll write more tomorrow about our 2nd day....
love,
Jes
Well, the safari was one of the BEST times of my whole life!!! A dream come true.
We started the day after 7am Saturday to drive an hour to the Ngorongoro Crater (ing-goro-ing-goro), which is something like one of the world's top sights to see. It took almost another hour to get down into the crater, which was a hell of a bumpy ride! There were 16 of us in 3 Land Cruiser trucks. It was awesome- there were 3 panels that opened from the roof-like a moon roof-so we could stand on our seats & have half our body outside up above to view animals & take pics.
Let me say that I have never been THAT dirty since I was a little kid!!! The truck in front of you kicks up dirt that blows right in your face. Thank goodness for sunglasses & my safari hat, but we all had dirt rings around our glasses, blowing dirt out of our nose,etc. It was worth it!
I had no idea what to expect. I read that the Ngorongoro Crater is supposed to have the best wildlife viewing. I thought if I saw maybe 2 or 3 zebras that I'd be in heaven. WELL- I saw HUNDREDS!!!! They were right alongside the truck! They walked right in front of the truck! CRAZY!! I was in my glory-speechless, just gasping every second. Billy was laughing at me I think cuz I couldn't say anything but, "WOW! Holy Hanna! Oh my gosh!" every second. There also were tons & tons of wildebeasts. We saw ostriches, Thompson's gazelles & millions of flamingos.
Some awesome times were when we got to see lions! They were pretty far away but there were 2 lionesses & I think 2 males. I got a nice shot of a male when he stood up. I called it Pride Rock,haha. The hippo pool was right next to it! They are so massive! They would roll over in the water to get their backs wet.
Later, we saw 2 more lionesses laying in the grass & a hyena! It just walked across the road in front of us! I got so excited I dropped my crackers I was munching on all over my seat to get my camera!
So, how did a lion sneeze on me? We passed by this ditch where the truck in front of us was stopped & everyone was leaning over the roof peering down w/ their cameras. They were all shushing us & said there was a lion down there. My friend Leann was so scared. Some people were backing away & sitting back down. We finally made our way in front of the ditch & HOLY MOSES- there was a male lion just laying there-like 10' below.He was RIGHT under the road. UNBELIEVABLE! We passed by the same spot on our way back & he was still there. Just as we pulled right up to him, he rolled over on his back!!! It was amazing. We were all taking pictures & oohing & awwing when - AHCHOO!!!! Splat-right on my forehead! Just a drop- but still it was rediculously crazy!!!! Wait til you see my pic- I zoomed in & was able to fill the entire frame w/ his furry face. One gal got a shot of him mid-sneeze. It's hysterical! His nose is like crinkled up.
We all went back to the camp saying it was the best time of our lives, best day ever, dream come true. Simply AWESOME.
I'll write more tomorrow about our 2nd day....
love,
Jes
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Safari- one of the greatest times of my LIFE!!! Day 1
Just when I think life can't get any better- God socks another one to me. I kep thanking the Lord for this opportunity over & over. WHAT A DREAM COME TRUE!!!!!!!!
Friday began w/ a trip to our campsite about 2 hours away. I had no idea what it would be like. It was super nice! Like a hotel site! There was a big bar/eating area w/ a thatched roof, a huge lodge for those who didn't want to camp, a POOL, thatched roof umbrella tables w/ chairs for lounging, lots of green grass for out tents & a big pavillion for us to eat at. PLus they had toilets & showers! Vendors were out front too. I totally thought we'd be roughing it out in the bush somewhere. I brought minimal supplies- cleansing cloths for my face & a couple Wet Ones,that's all. Thank goodness I brought my toothbrush though!
So- Friday night we headed to visit a traditional Maasai village. They are native people who live off the land, similar to Native American Indians. They own the land & are kind of revered by all. They wear plaid blanket-type robes, carry sticks or spears & wear beaded jewelry. When we got to their village (which is in the middle of nowhere), the men processed in chanting & kind of grunting.Then they formed a circle & started chanting/singing & JUMPING really high straight in the air! It was a welcome dance for us & very cool. They have a small herd of cows which is their only food source. They eat milk, blood & meat-GROSS!!!! Their huts are made by the women out of straw & cow poo, which we got to go in one.Amazing. It got dark quickly so my pictures aren't the greatest but it was so cool.
My roomie, Leann & I shared a tent. We slept pretty well, wasn't too bad.
More on Day 2 coming soon!
love,
Jes
Friday began w/ a trip to our campsite about 2 hours away. I had no idea what it would be like. It was super nice! Like a hotel site! There was a big bar/eating area w/ a thatched roof, a huge lodge for those who didn't want to camp, a POOL, thatched roof umbrella tables w/ chairs for lounging, lots of green grass for out tents & a big pavillion for us to eat at. PLus they had toilets & showers! Vendors were out front too. I totally thought we'd be roughing it out in the bush somewhere. I brought minimal supplies- cleansing cloths for my face & a couple Wet Ones,that's all. Thank goodness I brought my toothbrush though!
So- Friday night we headed to visit a traditional Maasai village. They are native people who live off the land, similar to Native American Indians. They own the land & are kind of revered by all. They wear plaid blanket-type robes, carry sticks or spears & wear beaded jewelry. When we got to their village (which is in the middle of nowhere), the men processed in chanting & kind of grunting.Then they formed a circle & started chanting/singing & JUMPING really high straight in the air! It was a welcome dance for us & very cool. They have a small herd of cows which is their only food source. They eat milk, blood & meat-GROSS!!!! Their huts are made by the women out of straw & cow poo, which we got to go in one.Amazing. It got dark quickly so my pictures aren't the greatest but it was so cool.
My roomie, Leann & I shared a tent. We slept pretty well, wasn't too bad.
More on Day 2 coming soon!
love,
Jes
Friday, February 22, 2008
A safari I will go, safari I will go.....
Hi ho the dairyo, safari I will go! WOOHOO!
I just wanted to jump on quickly to say I will be AWAY til Sunday night on SAFARI! We're leaving in a 1/2 hour to go to the Maasai village (native warriors), Manyara & the Ngorongoro Crater! That is supposed to have the BEST wildlife viewing.Yahoo! My backpack is all ready. We're staying in tents/sleeping bags. They are providing water & all the food,etc. Can't wait!
I will write when I return about how the rest of the week went at school.
Love you all!
Jes
I just wanted to jump on quickly to say I will be AWAY til Sunday night on SAFARI! We're leaving in a 1/2 hour to go to the Maasai village (native warriors), Manyara & the Ngorongoro Crater! That is supposed to have the BEST wildlife viewing.Yahoo! My backpack is all ready. We're staying in tents/sleeping bags. They are providing water & all the food,etc. Can't wait!
I will write when I return about how the rest of the week went at school.
Love you all!
Jes
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Day 2 at St. Andrew's
Wowee! First OFFICIAL day of work!
Sam & I were ready were ready w/ our lesson plans. I took Form 1 -the class I was dancing in, & he took Form 3. I wrote the alphabet on the blackboard & had them repeat after me each letter. They did a great job of sounding the letters,no problem. Then I went over the vowels, long & short sounds. I made columns for each vowel & wrote words under, like "A"-hat,bat,etc. They did fine except for "I". They pronounce I as ee. So words like hit, little,etc they say "heet", "leetle". So that needs work but minorly.
Next I had them go through Introductions. I wrote on the board, "What is your name? What is your age? Where are you from? Who do you live with? What do you like to do?" Then they paired up, asked each other the questions in English & shared w/ the whole class. It was fabulous! They need to feel more confident, stand up, speak,etc. When they did that, I wrote all their names down to practice. It went well!
What Sam & I planned went incredibly FAST! It was only after 9am! Holy cow! I had another hour to fill. I'm sure you teachers can relate! You prep plans all night & it takes 30 minutes in class! So we took a 5 minute break outside, which they all kind of hovered around me. Then we went over directions-straight, right, left. I paired them up again & asked them to write how to get to their friend's house or church,market,hospital,whatever. They didn't do that well in English but it was good practice.
Sam & I were supposed to meet Andrew, but he wasn't around. So I went back into the Form 3 class & started to play Hangman on the board w/ English words. I wrote, "I like to go to .......".
Then they had to guess the word by giving me letters. They LOVED it!!! SUCCESS!!!!! Then I asked if any of them wanted to try & about 4 of them did themselves!WOOHOO! I feel like they've made such progress in 1 day!!!!
Now I'm off to plan what the heck we're going to do tomorrow. Don't ask what in heaven's name we'll do in the next 2 weeks!!! YIKES! Any ideas???
love you all,
Jes
Sam & I were ready were ready w/ our lesson plans. I took Form 1 -the class I was dancing in, & he took Form 3. I wrote the alphabet on the blackboard & had them repeat after me each letter. They did a great job of sounding the letters,no problem. Then I went over the vowels, long & short sounds. I made columns for each vowel & wrote words under, like "A"-hat,bat,etc. They did fine except for "I". They pronounce I as ee. So words like hit, little,etc they say "heet", "leetle". So that needs work but minorly.
Next I had them go through Introductions. I wrote on the board, "What is your name? What is your age? Where are you from? Who do you live with? What do you like to do?" Then they paired up, asked each other the questions in English & shared w/ the whole class. It was fabulous! They need to feel more confident, stand up, speak,etc. When they did that, I wrote all their names down to practice. It went well!
What Sam & I planned went incredibly FAST! It was only after 9am! Holy cow! I had another hour to fill. I'm sure you teachers can relate! You prep plans all night & it takes 30 minutes in class! So we took a 5 minute break outside, which they all kind of hovered around me. Then we went over directions-straight, right, left. I paired them up again & asked them to write how to get to their friend's house or church,market,hospital,whatever. They didn't do that well in English but it was good practice.
Sam & I were supposed to meet Andrew, but he wasn't around. So I went back into the Form 3 class & started to play Hangman on the board w/ English words. I wrote, "I like to go to .......".
Then they had to guess the word by giving me letters. They LOVED it!!! SUCCESS!!!!! Then I asked if any of them wanted to try & about 4 of them did themselves!WOOHOO! I feel like they've made such progress in 1 day!!!!
Now I'm off to plan what the heck we're going to do tomorrow. Don't ask what in heaven's name we'll do in the next 2 weeks!!! YIKES! Any ideas???
love you all,
Jes
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
1st Day at St. Andrew's!!
Holy moley, was I nervous this morning! Got up at 6:30am to shower & eat. We all piled in the vans to be dropped off at our placements. What a ride! You could have lost a filling on these roads in the village!haha We stopped at several places & volunteers got off-mostly nursery schools & elementary schools. The kids are SO cute!! One gal, Ann-Michelle was completely ravaged by the kids when she got out. They were clinging to her arms & hanging off her. It was so funny! She was exhausted at the end!
Sam & I were last to be dropped off at St. Andrew's. It's no ordinary school, that's for sure. It's just 2 rooms upstairs in some old building-no sign at all. It was such a wake up call! We really had NO idea of what to expect.
There are 2 rooms- one for Form 1 which is 1st year students & another room for Form 3. There's Andrew's office & a smaller room used for study.
Our staff member, Sara, came in & introduced us & said stuff in Swahili & left. ANdrew took us in his office to show us books that they were "supposed" to be learning from. NOT! None of the kids have books at all. Sam & I observed for the day, going back & forth between the rooms & talking a little bit to the kids. Some were timid & apprehensive about us, others you could see the joy & excitement in their face. They were excited to meet us. I looked at some of their notebooks-their handwriting is very nice!
Sam & I compared notes & tried coming up w/ ideas of what to start with tomorrow. It really was amazing. We only saw 1 teacher named Stanley who really didn't "teach" at all. Their method is to write on the blackboard the lesson or test, then have the kids COPY it in their notebooks. They are not asked questions or called upon to do anything verbally. If you asked them what they just wrote, our guess is that they would not know AT ALL. They are simply copying & NOT comprehending anything. Very enlightening for us!!
Towards the end of our time, I went to the Form 1 class to say hello & talk more. I said,"Hello! How are you?" They all replied "Hello! Good!" Maybe something else was exchanged & I clapped & said "very good!" & they all started clapping! So I clapped along in rhythm & started "dancing"-oh my word did they get a kick out of that! It was so funny. So they started to loosen up. Then came the flurry of questions- How old are you? Where are you from? Are you married? What will you teach us?,etc,etc! They were very engaging! They told me to get Sam & I said they should make him dance too. LAUGH! So I said goodbye & they all blew kisses-so sweet! I said bye to the Form 3 class & they too got excited & blew kisses.
Tomorrow ought to be interesting! Sam & I are just going to start w/ the alphabet sounds & vowels cuz we assume they don't know much since they only copy.Whew! So, I think they will loosen up around me & have FUN! I'm sure I will cry when I leave. Already they are special kids.
later~
Jes
Sam & I were last to be dropped off at St. Andrew's. It's no ordinary school, that's for sure. It's just 2 rooms upstairs in some old building-no sign at all. It was such a wake up call! We really had NO idea of what to expect.
There are 2 rooms- one for Form 1 which is 1st year students & another room for Form 3. There's Andrew's office & a smaller room used for study.
Our staff member, Sara, came in & introduced us & said stuff in Swahili & left. ANdrew took us in his office to show us books that they were "supposed" to be learning from. NOT! None of the kids have books at all. Sam & I observed for the day, going back & forth between the rooms & talking a little bit to the kids. Some were timid & apprehensive about us, others you could see the joy & excitement in their face. They were excited to meet us. I looked at some of their notebooks-their handwriting is very nice!
Sam & I compared notes & tried coming up w/ ideas of what to start with tomorrow. It really was amazing. We only saw 1 teacher named Stanley who really didn't "teach" at all. Their method is to write on the blackboard the lesson or test, then have the kids COPY it in their notebooks. They are not asked questions or called upon to do anything verbally. If you asked them what they just wrote, our guess is that they would not know AT ALL. They are simply copying & NOT comprehending anything. Very enlightening for us!!
Towards the end of our time, I went to the Form 1 class to say hello & talk more. I said,"Hello! How are you?" They all replied "Hello! Good!" Maybe something else was exchanged & I clapped & said "very good!" & they all started clapping! So I clapped along in rhythm & started "dancing"-oh my word did they get a kick out of that! It was so funny. So they started to loosen up. Then came the flurry of questions- How old are you? Where are you from? Are you married? What will you teach us?,etc,etc! They were very engaging! They told me to get Sam & I said they should make him dance too. LAUGH! So I said goodbye & they all blew kisses-so sweet! I said bye to the Form 3 class & they too got excited & blew kisses.
Tomorrow ought to be interesting! Sam & I are just going to start w/ the alphabet sounds & vowels cuz we assume they don't know much since they only copy.Whew! So, I think they will loosen up around me & have FUN! I'm sure I will cry when I leave. Already they are special kids.
later~
Jes
Monday, February 18, 2008
Monday's News
Hamjambo! (Hello everyone!)
The days are already starting to roll into one another-we're doing so much! I'll try to go back to when I first arrived since so much is going on & it's rare to get on the computer...
The drive from the airport to the Home Base was 45 minutes & really interesting! I saw huge banana trucks, goats,donkeys & cows right alongside the road, women carrying things on their heads, roadside fruit stands & little huts/shacks like houses,I guess. It's SO green here! I love it! Our grounds at the Home Base are so beautiful-palm tress, plumeria, green,green,green. Today I saw 4 different lizards! Of course, I took pics of all of them.
The Home Base reminds me of the mountain house in Brownies. Everything you need is here but modest. I sleep in a bottom bunk w/ a mosquito net w/ 3 other girls. Everyone here is so nice, we just talk all day & all night. 15 of us are brand new & about 15 others have been here awhile. It's great getting their input & advice! The bathroom has 3 toilets w/ shower stalls. There's no shower curtain so the whole place gets very wet. You don't want anything to touch the floor so you have to be careful. You get used to it. Meals are great-well rounded & healthy. So far we had beef, chicken (I think!) & fish w/ lots of veggies. I'm glad I brought my peanut butter Tastycakes though.
Our first whole day on Sunday, we had orientation at 4pm. So the whole morning 10 of us newbies walked into town. Cool! It was neat to get familiar w/ where everything is. It's a very busy town-people walking everywhere, on bikes & lots of traffic. People are VERY welcoming, calling out "Jambo! (Hello) Mambo! (what's up) Karibu!(welcome)". It's so cool to understand them & be able to respond to them w/ "Nzuri! (good) Poa (cool) Asante (thank you)!"
I found some really cool things but didn't buy yet-I want to compare prices.
Our orientation was just going over policies & permits-dull.
Today (Monday) was much more full & exciting. Orientation was at 8am. We wrote personal goals & expectations & shared w/ the group. Then we had a scavenger hut assignment! It was so great. We each partnered up & had a task to go into town & meet w/ the community. My task was to walk to the YMCA & ask how to get to the Mr. Price Supermarket & write down some things to buy there. It was great- but my mistake, I took us to the YWCA-oh well! 3 women were working at the entrance & I said, "Jambo! Mr. Price, wapi?" (where) One awesome guy actually walked us all the way through town to show us. Everyone was sooo nice. SO much fun! Everyone came back w/ neat stories of who they met & what happened. People here are very welcoming of us.
I do not have culture shock-I love it! It feels fabulous to be here. Later, Richard, our van driver, took us on a tour around town. We stopped at a batik shop that is popular w/ the girls to get clothing made. I didn't buy anything yet. We stopped at a different Mr. Price closer to us & I found a super cool shaker instrument & a sistrum! (Trish-you're going to freak!)
We also met w/ our placement representatives today. Sam & I met Andrew-the man who started up the school where we'll be. He's a wonderful, soft-spoken man w/ a huge heart. This school is for underpriveledged kids & has virtually nothing.
Tomorrow is a BIG day- 1st day of placement!! I'm nervous & excited! It will be a relief to finally meet the kids & find out what level of English they're at so we know what to do with them. Ooo boy! Better get a good night's sleep!
I will write more as I can. We are planning a safari this weekend!
Love to you all~
Jes
The days are already starting to roll into one another-we're doing so much! I'll try to go back to when I first arrived since so much is going on & it's rare to get on the computer...
The drive from the airport to the Home Base was 45 minutes & really interesting! I saw huge banana trucks, goats,donkeys & cows right alongside the road, women carrying things on their heads, roadside fruit stands & little huts/shacks like houses,I guess. It's SO green here! I love it! Our grounds at the Home Base are so beautiful-palm tress, plumeria, green,green,green. Today I saw 4 different lizards! Of course, I took pics of all of them.
The Home Base reminds me of the mountain house in Brownies. Everything you need is here but modest. I sleep in a bottom bunk w/ a mosquito net w/ 3 other girls. Everyone here is so nice, we just talk all day & all night. 15 of us are brand new & about 15 others have been here awhile. It's great getting their input & advice! The bathroom has 3 toilets w/ shower stalls. There's no shower curtain so the whole place gets very wet. You don't want anything to touch the floor so you have to be careful. You get used to it. Meals are great-well rounded & healthy. So far we had beef, chicken (I think!) & fish w/ lots of veggies. I'm glad I brought my peanut butter Tastycakes though.
Our first whole day on Sunday, we had orientation at 4pm. So the whole morning 10 of us newbies walked into town. Cool! It was neat to get familiar w/ where everything is. It's a very busy town-people walking everywhere, on bikes & lots of traffic. People are VERY welcoming, calling out "Jambo! (Hello) Mambo! (what's up) Karibu!(welcome)". It's so cool to understand them & be able to respond to them w/ "Nzuri! (good) Poa (cool) Asante (thank you)!"
I found some really cool things but didn't buy yet-I want to compare prices.
Our orientation was just going over policies & permits-dull.
Today (Monday) was much more full & exciting. Orientation was at 8am. We wrote personal goals & expectations & shared w/ the group. Then we had a scavenger hut assignment! It was so great. We each partnered up & had a task to go into town & meet w/ the community. My task was to walk to the YMCA & ask how to get to the Mr. Price Supermarket & write down some things to buy there. It was great- but my mistake, I took us to the YWCA-oh well! 3 women were working at the entrance & I said, "Jambo! Mr. Price, wapi?" (where) One awesome guy actually walked us all the way through town to show us. Everyone was sooo nice. SO much fun! Everyone came back w/ neat stories of who they met & what happened. People here are very welcoming of us.
I do not have culture shock-I love it! It feels fabulous to be here. Later, Richard, our van driver, took us on a tour around town. We stopped at a batik shop that is popular w/ the girls to get clothing made. I didn't buy anything yet. We stopped at a different Mr. Price closer to us & I found a super cool shaker instrument & a sistrum! (Trish-you're going to freak!)
We also met w/ our placement representatives today. Sam & I met Andrew-the man who started up the school where we'll be. He's a wonderful, soft-spoken man w/ a huge heart. This school is for underpriveledged kids & has virtually nothing.
Tomorrow is a BIG day- 1st day of placement!! I'm nervous & excited! It will be a relief to finally meet the kids & find out what level of English they're at so we know what to do with them. Ooo boy! Better get a good night's sleep!
I will write more as I can. We are planning a safari this weekend!
Love to you all~
Jes
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Arrived Safely in Kilimanjaro!!
Hamjambo!
Touchdown in Tanzania! I'm at the Home Base right now. It's great! Modest, but super. We have to all share the computer, it's really slow so I will try to update as often as I can.
The flights were all super smooth! I hooked up w/ Sam & Jennifer in DC right away which was awesome. I felt so much better traveling the rest of the way w/ others. The plane we got on in DC was huge but 3/4 EMPTY! I didn't know they flew planes that were that empty! Luckily I had lots of elbow room. I felt jealous of the people who got the middle row of 3 seats all to themselves. They were able to sleep across the whole row! Food was good, all flights were on time & smooth. Couldn't have asked for better!
The best part was when we flew into Kilimanjaro. The pilot dipped us RIGHT by the SUMMIT!!! It was phenominal to see it that close, and of course I had a window seat-YAY! I took a bunch of pics but you'll have to wait til I get home to see them. One gal said it takes 10 minutes to upload 1 photo so I won't be doing that. It was spectacular though. I got tears in my eyes.
The home base is very nice- beautiful grounds-VERY green. All I did so far was take a shower & sit in the common room chatting w/ everyone else. SOme are also here arriving today & others have been here already. So it's neat to meet everyone. Dinner will be served soon. I also saw a cute gecko lizard on the porch! It poured rain about 20 minutes after I got here. Oh well. It's nice & warm without being super hot. The shower was cool, which might be good to help me wake up in the mornings early for work.
Well, I better go so I can share the computer & have someone else use it.
Later!
Jes
Touchdown in Tanzania! I'm at the Home Base right now. It's great! Modest, but super. We have to all share the computer, it's really slow so I will try to update as often as I can.
The flights were all super smooth! I hooked up w/ Sam & Jennifer in DC right away which was awesome. I felt so much better traveling the rest of the way w/ others. The plane we got on in DC was huge but 3/4 EMPTY! I didn't know they flew planes that were that empty! Luckily I had lots of elbow room. I felt jealous of the people who got the middle row of 3 seats all to themselves. They were able to sleep across the whole row! Food was good, all flights were on time & smooth. Couldn't have asked for better!
The best part was when we flew into Kilimanjaro. The pilot dipped us RIGHT by the SUMMIT!!! It was phenominal to see it that close, and of course I had a window seat-YAY! I took a bunch of pics but you'll have to wait til I get home to see them. One gal said it takes 10 minutes to upload 1 photo so I won't be doing that. It was spectacular though. I got tears in my eyes.
The home base is very nice- beautiful grounds-VERY green. All I did so far was take a shower & sit in the common room chatting w/ everyone else. SOme are also here arriving today & others have been here already. So it's neat to meet everyone. Dinner will be served soon. I also saw a cute gecko lizard on the porch! It poured rain about 20 minutes after I got here. Oh well. It's nice & warm without being super hot. The shower was cool, which might be good to help me wake up in the mornings early for work.
Well, I better go so I can share the computer & have someone else use it.
Later!
Jes
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Always come home to a clean house
Hamjambo!
This is the last post I'll write in the USA! I'm heading up to my parents in an hour or so.
One thing I've learned recently with all my travels is that it's REALLY nice to come home to a clean house. Those of you with kids- consider yourselves lucky. Put them to work next time you go away. I wish I had a kid here now to say,"Hey, how about vacuuming for me today cuz I have so many other things to do?", or "Can you make sure the dishes are washed by the time I come home?" Sometimes it's hard when YOU are the one that has to take care of everything. Ya well. It all got done! No mopping though-
So here's my placement site if you want to check it out- no pics, just a description:
http://ccsrausecondaryschools.blogspot.com/2007/02/saint-andrews-secondary-school.html
I think the kids will get a kick out of my pictures from home & Alaska, especially seeing dogs INSIDE the house as pets. I'm bringing a bunch of store ads too so they can see American life, plus use them as a teaching tool. Wish me luck! I hope they don't ignore me & roll their eyes...
OH! I have to grab a few stamped projects to show & tell. I wish I could bring a bag full of stamping stuff to make things with them. I'm sure they'd love that. There's just not enough time, space, etc.
Well, I guess that's it for now! I don't know if I'll get any sleep tonight but there will be plenty of time for sleeping on the flights. Please pray for me for safety, good health & connection w/ my kids. I can't wait to experience this!!!
Until next time while in Moshi, Tanzania....
Kwaheri!
Jes
This is the last post I'll write in the USA! I'm heading up to my parents in an hour or so.
One thing I've learned recently with all my travels is that it's REALLY nice to come home to a clean house. Those of you with kids- consider yourselves lucky. Put them to work next time you go away. I wish I had a kid here now to say,"Hey, how about vacuuming for me today cuz I have so many other things to do?", or "Can you make sure the dishes are washed by the time I come home?" Sometimes it's hard when YOU are the one that has to take care of everything. Ya well. It all got done! No mopping though-
So here's my placement site if you want to check it out- no pics, just a description:
http://ccsrausecondaryschools.blogspot.com/2007/02/saint-andrews-secondary-school.html
I think the kids will get a kick out of my pictures from home & Alaska, especially seeing dogs INSIDE the house as pets. I'm bringing a bunch of store ads too so they can see American life, plus use them as a teaching tool. Wish me luck! I hope they don't ignore me & roll their eyes...
OH! I have to grab a few stamped projects to show & tell. I wish I could bring a bag full of stamping stuff to make things with them. I'm sure they'd love that. There's just not enough time, space, etc.
Well, I guess that's it for now! I don't know if I'll get any sleep tonight but there will be plenty of time for sleeping on the flights. Please pray for me for safety, good health & connection w/ my kids. I can't wait to experience this!!!
Until next time while in Moshi, Tanzania....
Kwaheri!
Jes
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Leaving tomorrow~
Hamjambo! ("How are you all?" or in Jes's terms= Whaaaaaaaazzzzzupp?!!)
It's after midnight Wednesday night (this is nothing new) but things are progressing. My bags are 99% packed & I just had a relaxing soak in the tub. I'm making my last-minute list of things not to forget, like my eyeliner & mascara which I'll still use tomorrow & my Malaria pills. I start taking them tomorrow-one a day for a month. Cross your fingers that they don't make me schitzo. This bod is not used to taking pills-which may be a good thing cuz I never get side effects. (Thank you God for a healthy body)
I talked to another volunteer today from DC-Jennifer. We're meeting up Friday w/ my partner Sam from NC. Hooray! We'll be traveling together the whole way from DC. Jennifer & I were chatting about being nervous & reminding each other of some essentials to pack so we don't forget-like bug spray, handiwipes, permit paperwork, alarm clock & ear plugs in case a roommate snores. We're hitting it off pretty well so I've already made a friend. She'll be working w/ a women's group- widows & orphans.
My program manager, Laura, from Cross-Cultural Solutions called today to check in on me. She's so sweet-very patient, encouraging, helpful & informative. She answered some more questions & settled me down about my placement & wished me "safari njema" -have a great trip. YAY!
I asked her if there was any kind of "must see" place in town. She recommended a restaurant called "Indo-Italian" which has Indian & Italian food-(YUM!!!), plus a place called Hot Bread Bakery-something like that-with bagels & breads & stuff. Oooboy. There's also a grocer within walking distance from the home base where she said we can get shampoo & stuff. She said a lot of volunteers go there & come out w/ armfuls of Pringles!haha
I'm good to go w/ my snack supply. You never know what kind of snacks there will be in a foreign place so I stashed peanut M&Ms, granola bars, apples, Goldfish crackers & Tastycakes. Not the healthiest I know, but it'll be good for the plane rides & to share w/ my roommates. I got a stash of those ice tea to go packets to mix in water bottles too (thanks for the idea Deb!)
Well, I better get to sleep. I'll be gathering more pictures for "show & tell" tomorrow yet & cleaning out the fridge of whatever may turn fuzzy.
Kwaheri! (bye)
It's after midnight Wednesday night (this is nothing new) but things are progressing. My bags are 99% packed & I just had a relaxing soak in the tub. I'm making my last-minute list of things not to forget, like my eyeliner & mascara which I'll still use tomorrow & my Malaria pills. I start taking them tomorrow-one a day for a month. Cross your fingers that they don't make me schitzo. This bod is not used to taking pills-which may be a good thing cuz I never get side effects. (Thank you God for a healthy body)
I talked to another volunteer today from DC-Jennifer. We're meeting up Friday w/ my partner Sam from NC. Hooray! We'll be traveling together the whole way from DC. Jennifer & I were chatting about being nervous & reminding each other of some essentials to pack so we don't forget-like bug spray, handiwipes, permit paperwork, alarm clock & ear plugs in case a roommate snores. We're hitting it off pretty well so I've already made a friend. She'll be working w/ a women's group- widows & orphans.
My program manager, Laura, from Cross-Cultural Solutions called today to check in on me. She's so sweet-very patient, encouraging, helpful & informative. She answered some more questions & settled me down about my placement & wished me "safari njema" -have a great trip. YAY!
I asked her if there was any kind of "must see" place in town. She recommended a restaurant called "Indo-Italian" which has Indian & Italian food-(YUM!!!), plus a place called Hot Bread Bakery-something like that-with bagels & breads & stuff. Oooboy. There's also a grocer within walking distance from the home base where she said we can get shampoo & stuff. She said a lot of volunteers go there & come out w/ armfuls of Pringles!haha
I'm good to go w/ my snack supply. You never know what kind of snacks there will be in a foreign place so I stashed peanut M&Ms, granola bars, apples, Goldfish crackers & Tastycakes. Not the healthiest I know, but it'll be good for the plane rides & to share w/ my roommates. I got a stash of those ice tea to go packets to mix in water bottles too (thanks for the idea Deb!)
Well, I better get to sleep. I'll be gathering more pictures for "show & tell" tomorrow yet & cleaning out the fridge of whatever may turn fuzzy.
Kwaheri! (bye)
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
I really should be packing
I can't believe I'm starting a BLOG. Couldn't they think of a better name for online journaling? Sounds stupid to me. But, here I am 3 days before I leave for Tanzania, creating a blog. I'm doing it mainly for all my friends to read about my experiences while I'm there. I thought it would be easier rather than trying to send emails to everyone. So I hope everybody checks it out! Ü
There's simply not enough hours in the day. There's so much more prep I'd LIKE to do, but that would take another 2-3 weeks. Over the weekend, I gave it up saying, "I quit. It is what it is at this point. I'm going to wing it!". This is in relation to my placement & trying to prep for it. I'm going to be working at St. Andrew's Secondary School in Moshi. So I'll be whipping some teenagers into shape!haha My program manager, Laura, recommended I start researching educational activities. WHA? So I called in the troops & asked all my teacher friends for advice (thank you!!). I received websites & workbooks & I searched on my own as well. It became SO overwhelming. I will simply try my best & hope to connect w/ the kids. I hope they understand me too!
I'm so excited to be with the kids at the school. I'm bringing a frame drum so I can introduce them to Middle Eastern music/rhythms. Who knows, maybe we can have a jam session-I'll have them clap along. It'll be fun! I have neat little speakers for my Ipod (thanks Roni!!) so that might be cool to play some American music for them. Just gotta make sure there's no bad language in the songs! I'm also bringing pictures from home for "cultural sharing", so Mom,Dad, Miss, Corinna, Jay, the kids & my girls will be flashed around. I'm also bringing pics of Alaska to talk about what I did there for Geography class.
I went to LL Bean the other day & picked up a cool "safari" hat. I kept reading & hearing about "bring a hat, bring a hat". All I have is a baseball hat. SO- I got this huge, raffia hat complete with a tie under the chin if it's windy. So picture me in a straw hat, sunglasses, binoculars & camera around my neck out in a Jeep at the Ngorongoro Crater or Serengeti spotting some ZEBRAS!
So, I really should be packing right now. At least things are being thrown BY the suitcases. I'm getting there...
Catch ya later!
There's simply not enough hours in the day. There's so much more prep I'd LIKE to do, but that would take another 2-3 weeks. Over the weekend, I gave it up saying, "I quit. It is what it is at this point. I'm going to wing it!". This is in relation to my placement & trying to prep for it. I'm going to be working at St. Andrew's Secondary School in Moshi. So I'll be whipping some teenagers into shape!haha My program manager, Laura, recommended I start researching educational activities. WHA? So I called in the troops & asked all my teacher friends for advice (thank you!!). I received websites & workbooks & I searched on my own as well. It became SO overwhelming. I will simply try my best & hope to connect w/ the kids. I hope they understand me too!
I'm so excited to be with the kids at the school. I'm bringing a frame drum so I can introduce them to Middle Eastern music/rhythms. Who knows, maybe we can have a jam session-I'll have them clap along. It'll be fun! I have neat little speakers for my Ipod (thanks Roni!!) so that might be cool to play some American music for them. Just gotta make sure there's no bad language in the songs! I'm also bringing pictures from home for "cultural sharing", so Mom,Dad, Miss, Corinna, Jay, the kids & my girls will be flashed around. I'm also bringing pics of Alaska to talk about what I did there for Geography class.
I went to LL Bean the other day & picked up a cool "safari" hat. I kept reading & hearing about "bring a hat, bring a hat". All I have is a baseball hat. SO- I got this huge, raffia hat complete with a tie under the chin if it's windy. So picture me in a straw hat, sunglasses, binoculars & camera around my neck out in a Jeep at the Ngorongoro Crater or Serengeti spotting some ZEBRAS!
So, I really should be packing right now. At least things are being thrown BY the suitcases. I'm getting there...
Catch ya later!
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