Posts
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
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
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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