Training Comes to an End

It’s hard to believe that our three weeks of training is coming to an end. We’ve spent the last week observing and teaching classes at a tuition school, where students come to study and take extra classes during their break. It has been wonderful! We divided our group into English teachers and math/science teachers. With three math teachers and three science teachers, we were lucky to have the opportunity to group teach two lessons each.  On Wednesday, two other women and I taught a lesson on subsets…definitely very exciting! (Well, at least we thought so!) It was a very encouraging experience, as the students were all quiet and respectful during the lesson, answering our questions and taking notes throughout. Even as we did independent practice, students weren’t afraid to ask questions and the joy of correct answers was contagious! On Thursday we were able to teach the same class a continuation of our previous lesson, discussing operations on sets. Once again students were fantastic and even enthusiastically participated in our group activity that we planned! It such a lovely change of pace from the middle school students I was teaching last year, and while there are still challenges, behavior and respect are not among them. Rather, speaking at a slow enough pace for the students to understand our English accent, using level appropriate language, not having access to a copy machine or printer, students not having a ruler, pencil, or notebook for class, being covered in chalk by the end of the lesson…just to name a few. But overall, these are challenges that I am happy to face as I prepare for my classes because the ultimate goal is that the students are learning. As long as I have a piece of chalk, I can relay my knowledge to them. It’s as simple as that.

Now on an interesting note, we’ve spent the past two weeks in Iringa shopping and preparing for the journey ahead. While we were able to find most items on our list, the Form 4 Math Textbook was not available. Iringa is a fairly large city, and the main bookstore had many textbooks. But they did not carry Form 4 for math, which is disheartening. The more I learn about the Tanzanian education system, the more I realize the lack of quality math education. It seems as if most students do not even make it to Form 4 math, because many of the government schools in rural areas do not even have a math teacher. Now, imagine that you are back in high school and that at the end of senior year you need to take a National Exam that is cumulative. This alone determines your grade and whether or not you pass, yet the material is typical of the collegiate level in the US. Set theory, linear algebra, advanced trigonometry, calculus, statistics, etc. And now with all of this pressure on you, you have no math teacher so you must learn the material on your own. Hence why the bookstore may not even bother to carry Form 4 books. It is simply unrealistic to expect students, even the brightest, most motivated students to learn this content on their own. When I get to my site next week I will finally find out which school I will be teaching at. There are two secondary schools within 3km of our home, and it is possible that they will split me and the other volunteer between the schools. My fear is that neither school will have a math teacher, but only time will tell.

So in the morning we will be leaving Iringa bright and early, driving back to Dar. We will have a farewell dinner as a group one last time on Saturday evening. Sunday we are free to do whatever we need in order to be prepared for our sites, because once we get there, resources are few and far between. I’ve stocked up on peanut butter, notebooks, chalk, a solar charger and a solar powered lantern (life without electricity will be an adjustment!), pencils and pens, rulers, binders, kanga and kitenge with beautiful prints (traditional fabric for skirts/wraps/towels/blankets/etc), and some other random necessities. Chances are the most we will have access to in Rulenge is a food market twice a week and maybe a few small shops. Definitely no water or electricity in the village, so we will need to have water delivered from 3-4km away everyday. I think we’re going to invest in bicycles as well, since our home is actually 7km from the village. If you want a laugh, picture two mzungu (“foreigners”) in skirts on bicycles transporting food, charcoal and other items from the market! It will be a good time and I’ll definitely let you know how successful we are.  And while our actual home is unfinished at the moment, we will be staying in the two spare bedrooms of the Headmaster’s house. Hopefully within the month our house will be finished and ready to move into, and luckily it’s right across the street from the Headmaster which will make the move a little bit easier.

On Monday I will hop aboard a bus with the three other volunteers in the Kagera Region, and it will be an 11-12 hour ride to Kahama where we will stay overnight. Then very early on Tuesday, the same bus will take us from Kahama to Ngara, which is only about 4 hours. There we will meet our district representative who has offered to put Marisa and I up for the night in Ngara, while the other two volunteers will move into their home. Finally, on Wednesday we will have private transportation for the hour drive to our village! It will definitely be an intense few days, but I’m definitely getting very excited to finally be at our site, to unpack, and to settle in for the next few months. 

OPERATION: Rice

Today was all about the reality check of cooking Tanzanian-style in our villages. Here are the seventeen steps to cooking rice.

Mission Possible? I’m not convinced…

Step moja: Procure charcoal from the market. (only sold in very large quantities, so this will be a process in and of itself)

Step mbili: Arrange charcoal in your small jiko. (basically a small cooking pit)

Step tatu: Visit your neighbor to see if they have any hot coals. If so, you’re in luck!  Take a few to light your own jiko. If not, have a pleasant conversation and good luck trying step nne instead.

Step nne: Without any hot coals, you must find newspaper, small wood shavings (get your mini-machete ready) and some matches. Hope for the best.

Step tano: Wait for the coals to get hot…say approximately 45 minutes.

Step sita: While you wait for the coals to get hot, take the rice you bought at the market and sift through it to get rid of the stones.

Step saba: Then, using a woven plate, shake out the excess particles from the rice.

Step nane: You’ll need to pre-wash the rice as well, so in a bowl full of water, soak the rice and then proceed to strain it with your hands into a dry bowl.

Step kumi: Hopefully by now your coals are hot enough to put a pot of water on to boil. (If not, I suppose there might still be some daylight to plan a lesson or something).

Step kumi na moja: Wait patiently for the water to boil. Continue planning your lesson. Perhaps get your kerosene lantern ready because it will be dark soon.

Step kumi na mbili: Once the water is boiling, add a little oil and salt for flavor.

Step kumi na tatu: Now you are finally ready to add the rice to your pot. Cover with a lid.

Step kumi na nne: Bring the rice to a boil and then remove pot from the coals. This part is tricky…reduce the heat. Meaning, remove a whole bunch of the coals for later use. Return the pot to the reduced heat, and place the extra coals on the lid to create an oven. *This step is very important in preventing burning the rice.

Step kumi na tano: Wait patiently for the rice to simmer. Usually 25 to 30 minutes.

Step kumi na sita: Once it has simmered long enough and it looks like real rice, carefully turn the rice with a wooden spoon.

Step kumi na saba: Hopefully your rice is ready at this point, so get out your candlesticks (since its quite dark by this point) and enjoy :) If not, then. Well. Perhaps you’ll be eating a banana or an avocado for dinner instead.  

So there you have it. Just when I thought that at the very least I would be able to have rice and beans for dinner this year, it seems as if the reality of it is that I will be lucky to even have the rice. We did learn how to make beans today too...but that was a 4 hour process, so I'll spare you the details. Just be thankful for the microwave in your kitchen!

Kiswahili Biblia

“Furahini siku zote; 

ombeni bila kukoma; 

shukurini kwa kila jambo; 

maano hayo ni mapenzi ya Mungu kwena katika Kristo Yesu.” 

1 Wathesalonike 5:16-18

“Rejoice always,

 pray continually, 

and give thanks in all circumstances; 

for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.

Life in Tanzania…there are times when it just hits me that this is home for the next year. I don’t have much to say tonight, but this passage has given me hope these past few days. There’s something powerful in the Kiswahili translation, and I am happy I was able to purchase the Kiswahili Biblia yesterday, in hope that I can simultaneously continue to dive deeper in the Lord’s Word and the beautiful language of the country in the coming months.  

Mimi ni wapi?

Where am I?

Yesterday morning I woke up early to go for a run. It was a beautiful, cool morning on the mountain, making it nearly perfect! We didn’t anticipate going far, just a nice jog around the town. We began going up the hill behind the center we are staying at, assuming that eventually the road would just wind its way back downhill…but a few random turns later and our location was TBD. So, our clever selves decided we should probably just ask how to get back to the center. The little Swahili I know didn’t get me much beyond “hello, how are you?” and thankfully the person I was with knew more than that! So we were pointed in the “right” direction and continued on our run. Well when that road ran out we figured we better stop and ask again. And then again. And again. About our fifth attempt at directions back to the center, the woman laughed at us and clarified that we actually meant the center in town. Then she insisted we were too far to run back and paid for a dala-dala ride to get us back. What a wonderful offer! Apparently we were a little farther out than we anticipated, or realized for that matter. And as wonderful and approachable and willing to help as the people here are, I learned that sometimes people can confidently, yet unintentionally, point you in the wrong direction. We spent a good ten minutes on this crazy full bus in our sweaty runny clothes (Tanzanians sure know how to fit a whole lot of people in one tiny space). Thankfully, we made it back to the center only a half an hour late for breakfast, and we still had our fruit, eggs, and chai. Next time I go for a run, I’ll be sure to practice my Swahili directions first…just in case!

Training, Markets, and Kiswahili.

Exhausted. Overwhelmed. Satisfied. Anxious. Curious. Unsure. Happy.

It’s hard to say how I feel right now. All of the above for sure, although it is a strange mix of emotions. We’ve been in Iringa for the past two days and training has definitely taken off! We have 2 hours of kiswahili lessons every morning, which are quite intense! But I do feel like I’m learning a lot! My brain runs in slow motion when trying to think and respond to questions, but I’m sure with continued practice it will become more natural. It’s a very logical language to study, so hopefully by the end of the year I’ll be confident in Swahili! (not necessarily fluent…just confident.)

Then after our language lessons, we have different sessions led by the three women who are extending their volunteer commitment. It has been extremely helpful having insight from them since they are speaking straight from their experiences in a Tanzanian classroom! I must say again that I am quite excited to get into the classroom again and to start teaching! Although today we were discussing difficult topics and assessing our personal expectations for the year versus the realities of life, community and school in Tanzania. Ultimately we just need to keep an open mind, laugh a lot, and find constructive ways to deal with our inevitable frustrations. (I’m thinking a lot of running and reading will happen; while I also might learn to hand sew a quilt from traditional Tanzanian fabrics. Fun stuff right?)

Come evening, we’ve been able to do our wash and explore the town. Yesterday I experienced hand-washing my laundry for the first time, and let me tell you, I will never complain about doing laundry in America again. It’s a workout! You need to scrub your clothes and carry heavy buckets of water and ring them out and hang them up to dry. And then you need to hope you don’t get bugs or other nasty things so you leave it sit in the sun all day. (and if you’re like me, forget about it so it will stay out for the second night in a row now…hopefully no critters take my clothes!). Tonight was more exciting though, we were able to split into smaller groups and explore the bus station and fresh produce market! Normally, this would be extremely overwhelming for me, but I am starting to feel more confident about going out and speaking with people, and I actually thought tonight was fun! There was so much variety of produce, from avocado (parachichi) to potatoes (viazi) to bananas (ndizi), and I’m hoping that the rumors hold true about the good food we’ll find at our site!

These have been two very long, filled days, and I think a good night’s rest will do me well. So I will leave you with one more Kiswahili phrase: “Lala salama”…sleep peacefully. 

Salama. Peace.

As our bus made its way from coastal Dar es Salaam to the southern highland town of Iringa today, I was hit with so many thoughts and emotions. Our 6 hour bus ride turned into an easy 10, but that left plenty of time for some good laughs, a few animal sightings, and a whole lot of reflection. Spending the last two days in Dar, I was overwhelmed by African city life. We had the chance to split into smaller groups yesterday to explore the city with students from the Institute of Social Work.  One other girl and I were paired with Charles, a student about our age who spoke English very well and who was eager to give us tips, like how to safely handle a crazy market situation and how to know which city bus to take.  Very useful information!! However, I am so not a city girl so the drive today was wonderful!

I always love experiencing the change of scenery when driving through a country. We went from crazy city on the coast, through a national game reserve, and up into the mountains. Breath-taking views and a glimpse of typical Tanzanian life in big cities, towns, and small rural villages along the way. This is my life now! I can’t help but imagine what life will be like in my small rural village… How will we manage without electricity and running water? What will daily life be like? What will my classrooms look like? Am I going to love teaching so much so that the challenges of daily life seem manageable? So many anxieties and questions about the next few months weighed on me as we drove today. But then I am reminded over and over that God is good, and He will provide in immeasurable ways. 

I just kept telling myself to “Live in the present, live for today.” And this evening, we hopped off the bus and found ourselves at a beautiful conference center where we will be spending the next two weeks. We had a lovely dinner of chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, with brownies and ice cream for dessert! It was a wonderful taste of home that was just what I needed to remind me that joy is found in the littlest things. In being able to connect with friends back home, in making new friends here, in a text message from Charles wishing us safe travels and a good night…joy. We will be all right this year, and when I’m doubtful, I’ll be sure to come back and read this post! 

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, 

according to his power that is at work within us, to him be the glory in the church 

and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen” 

Ephesians 3:20-21

Karibu!

Habari za asabuhi?

Salama!

I just asked you how your morning is going. Mine is quite peaceful! As I sit on the front steps of our little guest house watching the sunrise over the horizon, I can’t imagine being in a more beautiful place right now. We have been at the Mpingo Farm Stay for the past four nights, and so far our experience has been wonderful! The people are amazingly friendly, the food is scrumptious, and the landscape is breathtaking. What a wonderful welcome to Tanzania!

I suppose you are all anxiously waiting for me to tell you where I’ll be teaching this year too... I will be in the Ngara District at the Muyenzi Secondary School outside of  Rulenge. Here is the site description from last year’s volunteer:

School: Muyenzi Secondary School has about 350 students. The school has six permanent teachers. The staff is incredibly supportive and a great help. Each class has between 30 to 45 students. The school has some books, but not one for every student. MSS does have a laboratory for science classes, but no electricity. The school is located on top of a hill with a small village at the base. It is about 7km from Rulenge, the town where most students live, and volunteers can take a piki piki (motorcycle) to town. The ride is breathtaking. (And we’re hopefully going to buy bicycles to get to town!)

 Community: Rulenge is a small, rural town about an hour from the Burundi border and two hours from the Rwandan border. Rulenge is a ten‐hour bus ride to Mwanza, the largest nearby city in Tanzania. There are no paved roads or electricity in Rulenge, but that doesn’t take away from its charm. The people are warm and friendly. English is rare, so Rulenge is a great place to learn Kiswahili and even the local language, Kishubi. Saturday is Market Day and town bustles with activity because surrounding villagers come to sell their goods. There are a couple local pubs/eateries that serve chips mayai(a potato omelet) and mishkaki(beef skewers).

Living situation: Volunteers will live on campus, in school housing. This simple three room structure has two bedrooms and a sunny living room. There is a small, enclosed outdoor area where the bathroom and shower rooms are. This is also the area where you can wash clothes, cook and have some outdoor privacy. Furnishings will be very basic, as this is the first year that volunteers will be living here. You will not have electricity or running water, but a water source is nearby.

So, there you have it! You now know about as much as we do about our site. I will be living with another volunteer, and we will also be teaching at the same school! She will be teaching English and I will (hopefully) be teaching math! (more on that in just a minute…) I’m very happy to have someone to share this experience with though, as I’m sure it will push our boundaries in so many ways.  This past week we’ve had running water, cool showers, western toilets, home-cooked Tanzanian food, solar power, and even a slow internet connection! Luxury life! But once we get to our site, we will quickly learn to adapt to life without a faucet, kitchen, bathroom, electricity, etc. I suppose I’ll be planning lessons by candle light? I have so many questions right now, but learning to love the little things and appreciate what I do have will be the key to happiness this year.

For example, I went on a run with a few of the other volunteers the first day we were here. It felt so good to move around again after such a crazy long few days of flying! And although I’m pretty sure the entire village came out to watch as we ran by, it was a nice to have a little support to push on and keep running! The music that was blasting from the church nearby was an added perk too!

Or, how about last night when one of the men who works at Mpingo led us down to the river at the base of the hill, and then all the way back up to the village to give us all a small gift…Fresh coconut! He climbed the trees and cut down probably 25 coconuts, skinned them and cut them open for each of us to drink the milk from our own coconut! Such a kind gesture, and although I didn’t really care for the milk, I was able to enjoy some of the inside for an after dinner treat J

Side note: I would like to mention that we were able to meet with the heads of the English and Science departments at the Ministry of Education on Thursday. These women were extremely welcoming and happy to have us supporting some of their most rural schools.  I was left feeling very encouraged, they told us that we are “the boss” and we need to teach the students in a way that they will learn best. However, notice that there is no “head of the math department,” and unfortunately, there are many schools that do not even have a math teacher. What blows my mind though, is that these students are still expected to pass the math portion (1/3) of the National Exams at the end of their 2^nd and 4^th years of secondary school. This means that I could be coming into a situation where the school hasn’t had a math teacher in a few years, and I could be the only math teacher for all levels.  We are still unsure at this point, but I will find out when I get there. I could be in for a challenging, yet very rewarding year.

So with that, I’ll leave you with today’s activities: we were able to spend the day in Dar, buying our phones and internet modems while simply exploring the city. We are staying in Dar for two night before heading off to Iringa in Monday. It will be about a 6 hour drive up to the small mountain town, where we will continue our training and get to meet some of the volunteers from last year! I’m definitely looking forward to continue exploring this beautiful, welcoming country! Hopefully I’ll be able to keep you posted once a week, although that will depend on many unknown factors at this point…but no worries, we’ll figure out our lives here eventually! 

and i'm off...

"Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has courage to lose sight of the shore"

Andre Gide

In four short hours, I will be leaving kenosha with five of my wonderful roommates and best friends. My bags are finally packed. I've eaten my fair share of pizza and peanut butter balls. I've loaded my external hard drive with movies. And my camera has two fully charged batteries. 

SO does this mean I'm ready??

I THINK YES!

For all of you who are curious, my itinerary for the next few days consists of airplanes and airports.

Flight #1: Chicago to New York City! 7:00am - 10am

(Layover in JFK where I get to meet most of the other volunteers!! We can be anxious, sad, and excited together!)

Flight #2: NYC to Zurich, Switzerland! 6:10pm - 8:25am

Flight #3: Zurich to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania! 9:25am - 8:05pm 

Then we have an hour and a half drive to Mpingo Farm Stay where we will get to sleep and shower! It's definitely going to be a long few days, but then I'll actually be in AFRICA! Bittersweet good-byes will be happening soon, but I'm willing to lose sight of this shore to discover new oceans, new people and new places :)